Two hours and $300 from paradise of food, fun
by GERALD JOHNSON and BOB JOHNSON, The Charlotte Post In the time it takes to drive from Charlotte to Raleigh, you can now board a nonstop flight from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Grand Bahamas Island.
Charlotte has just been added as a departure point for vacation packages to the island. The packages include the round-trip flight and accommodations at a choice of 13 hotels.
 Prices start as low as $319 for 3 nights, $399 for 4 nights (per person double occupancy).
"Our three and four night vacation packages are ideal for the current travel trend in that people are taking multiple trips of shorter duration. The variety of activities available on Grand
Bahamian Island coupled with the beautiful year-round climate, friendly Bahamian people and affordable prices appeal to all ages and types of travelers," points out Cindy Barclay, manager
of marketing and public relations for Grand Bahama vacations. The flight leaves Charlotte on Wednesdays at 12:40 p.m. and returns on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. Currently, flights are scheduled to run through September.
About the island
Grand Bahama is the fourth largest island of the commonwealth of Bahamas, covering 530 square miles. The population of Grand Bahama is roughly 41,000.
The climate averages, in the summer, 90 degrees as a high and 54 degrees as a low. In winter, the high averages 87 degrees, with a low of 46 degrees. The average humidity is 78
percent. The peak season starts in December and ends in May. Room and board
The accommodations in the Bahamas are fantastic. You can choose from a list of great
facilities, but the two we are most familiar with are the Bahamas Princess Resort and Casino,
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Lucayan Beach Resort Hotel
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and the recently, phase I, completed Lucayan. Both of these facilities offer great accommodations. The facilities
have their own restaurants ranging from snack bar to full scale formal dining facilities. Formal in the Bahamas is throwing a jacket on with your jeans! The Barracuda restaurant in the Lucayan features a free jukebox of
oldies-but-goodies that makes for a wonderful dining experience. If you decide to wander beyond the hotels for fine dining, we would highly recommend Pier One. The food is good
and they have nightly shark feedings! At the sound of a bell, Sharks swim to the restaurant to be fed by restaurant employees. It is a sight to behold!
One thing you will notice as you travel around the island is the absence of cows. We mention this only to make you aware that food is expensive on the island. Most food items are
imported and there is a high tax on imported goods. So if you order hamburger, be prepared to pay. However, if you order Bahamian dishes, you will fare pretty well. Other activities
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Ruby Golf Course at the Princess Resort
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The Grand Bahama Island offers a variety of activities for the tourist. Our favorite is golf. Without a doubt the island is a great
place to play golf. It has four excellent golf courses that are quite challenging. Two of the four are located on the Princess Resort and Casino property. The Ruby course is a 6,750 yard par 72 course,
and the Emerald is a 6,679 yard par 72 course. Both have fairways tightly lined with tropical trees. Heavy rough and strategically located sand traps make these two courses difficult for the golfer
who is not especially accurate with shots. .The Lucaya Country Club is a par 72, 6,824 yard course. Though it is not as tight as the Ruby and the Emerald, it is a longer course.
The greens are protected much more with sand traps and are contoured to be more difficult to read. Water does not really come into play on most of these courses unless you are a real duffer.
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Lucaya Golf & Country Club
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The fourth course is the 6,916 yard par 72 Fortune Hills Country Club. We have not played this course, so we can
not critique it. The Lucayan Hotel has another championship course under construction. It is scheduled for completion in April 2000. If you love golf, you will love the Bahamas. We have never
played the courses when they were crowded. The laid back leisurely pace of the island carries over to golf as well. If you aren't a golfer, don't fret. There are plenty of other things to do. You can shop 'til you
drop. The major shopping areas are the International Bazaar and the Port Lucaya marketplace. If you are in the market for jewelry, perfumes, liquors, or leather goods, then this is the place for
you. These items can be purchased tax free at great savings. Tired of shopping, Want to relax? Then, you can find your way to one of the public beaches
to soak in the Bahama sun and take in the marvelous sites. All of the sites on the beach aren't so marvelous, but they come with the territory!
For the more venturesome tourist, there are plenty of things to do. Where would you like to start? How about a sightseeing tour on horseback? Maybe a snorkeling adventure, even for non-swimmers?
How about an all-day kayaking adventure that includes sightseeing and venture trails? Or, maybe you would like to just parasail or jet ski?
If you like your activities to be a little more serene, then you may want to visit places like the Garden of the Grove. This eco-tourist's delight will dazzle you with its collection of plants and wildlife.
Or, you could visit Rand Nature Center, the island's national park. If you enjoy the ecological systems, you will love the natural settings available to you in the Bahamas. If you like to fish, then deep sea
fishing excursions are available. Nightlife
Once the sun goes down, the island becomes one big calypso party with music echoing
through the air. Most of the clubs have some form of nightly entertainment. The Princess Casino has a nightly Las Vegas show that is well worth seeing.
In the Lucaya Marketplace Square, live entertainment with tourist involvement is very intriguing. Even though gambling is 24/7, it
takes center stage at night. Everybody is having fun with people they don't even know. It is the most relaxing fun atmosphere we have ever experienced.
The one thing you must experience while on the island is fish night. Bahamians get Wednesday evenings off, because it is the slowest day for tourism on the island. Several homes and establishments in
the Smith Pointe settlement sell fish plates and drinks at a very reasonable price. This is a Bahamian gathering that tourists intruded upon. It is quickly becoming one of the
island's highlights for tourists. It is a lot of fun. You learn a lot about the island and its people away from the tourist trappings.
If you are on the island Wednesday nights, make fish a priority. Just get in a cab and ask to be taken to fish night.
We have been traveling to the Bahamas for more than 12 years and we find it the most relaxing and enjoyable destination we have visited.
The mood of the island is captured through a native sitting on a stoop watching us rush to keep from missing a tour we had scheduled. As he took a sip of beer, we heard him say "Hey Mon,
there is no rushing in the Bahamas." "Miss that boat, then just do something else," he quipped. We stopped running.
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