CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Grand Hyatt Baha Mar; Junkanoo festival; Atlantis Marina, Paradise Island;
Pig Beach, Great Exuma PICTURES: Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; Tadeu Brunelli; Shutterstock/Paulharding00, Alexanderphoto7
offer visitor tours and experiences. We donned blue hairnets for our tour of the chocolate-making facility, but it was a small price to pay for the aromas and the chance to sample the sweet treats. More evidence of the city’s colonial past can be
seen at Fort Montagu, built in 1741, and Fort Fincastle, constructed in the shape of a boat to confuse pirates out at sea. But as it was perched atop a hill, we wondered if pirates had to have been at the rum to be perplexed. Naturally, rum is a key ingredient in local treats and we sampled some at the Bahamas Rum Cake Factory, before enjoying tots of the hard stuff at John Watling’s Distillery, named after another pirate of the Caribbean, a 17th-century buccaneer. The estate featured in James Bond film Casino Royale, and its rum is matured in barrels from the Jack Daniel’s distillery in the US.
HERITAGE AND HOLIDAYS A more sober reminder of the islands’ past is the Queen’s Staircase, carved out of limestone in 1793-94 by enslaved people, and later named after Queen Victoria. Its lush, leafy canopy made for a relaxing, cool retreat from the midday sun but it was hard to imagine the conditions in which 66 rock steps were hewn by hand, to provide a route from Fort Fincastle to Nassau.
44 13 JANUARY 2022
3 Nassau is a vivid cocktail of Bahamian heritage and spirit, with a dash of Britishness, steeped in US- style hotel luxury
Another legacy of the slavery era is Junkanoo, a Bahamian national festival, which involves parades on special days such as Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Independence Day (July 10). Covid restrictions meant last year’s festivities were cancelled, but chatting to locals, it was evident how important Junkanoo is to Bahamian culture, with rival groups planning their costumes many months ahead of each event. We glimpsed the parade of dancers and musicians in
colourful costumes and extravagant feathered head- dresses, accompanied by drumming and whistles, during our stay at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. Their exuberance made quite a contrast to the glitzy chandeliers and flashing lights of the slot machines at the resort’s casino, the largest in the Caribbean. The performance encapsulated my experience of Nassau: a vivid cocktail of traditional Bahamian heritage and spirit, with a dash of Britishness, steeped in US-style hotel luxury. And I haven’t even mentioned swimming with pigs,
the stars of the tourist board’s marketing images. Timings didn’t allow us a chance to see the porky personalities at Exuma Island, two hours away by boat, or a similar experience at Sandy Toes on Rose Island, a 25-minute boat ride from Nassau. No matter. That just gives me the perfect excuse to return.
TW
travelweekly.co.uk
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