Not much beats a getaway with the girls. Our weekend escape was packed with carnival pageantry, beach days and lots of quality time. The girls and I chose to visit The Bahamas for our carni-cation, this Lucayan gem is ideally located to the US with reasonable flights and amazing beaches.
Because of it’s convenience and our party plans, no PTO was required on our part for this long weekend trip. We flew into Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) on Thursday afternoon and checked into our beach-front home for the weekend, Goldwyn Resorts.
Goldwyn Resorts & Residences is an oceanfront property which sits on a pristine stretch of sandy beach. Our suite came equipped with a full kitchen, dining room and four options for outdoor seating with a golf course view.
After showering and a quick bite we changed into our party clothes for the Bahamas Carnival Experience Welcome Party. Held at Club Waterloo, the pool and paper lanterns added to the ambiance of the venue. Over the course of the weekend we would be wowed with excellent staging, stellar performances by Buju Banton, Kes and Bunji Garlin and delicious Hennessy cocktails.
The BCE concert experience was well laid out. We walked into the venue with our access bands and were greeted by Heineken girls upon arrival. Cute cups and a beer in hand, we walked toward the front of the stage. Within the designed carnival village, there were Bahamian vendors selling food, VIP lounge areas and an amazing stage and sound system. I was thoroughly impressed with the staging, sound and projector quality.
In addition to our Bahamas Carnival Experience, this would not be a memorable girls trip without some much needed sun, sand and sea time, On our low-key days, we grabbed a quick bite for lunch at Green Parrot Bar and Grill. We then spent much of our day lounging by the pool and sharing laughs, even making time for an open water tour in a clear kayak.
After a sun filled day, we got ready for dinner at OIA, a Mediterranean and Asian inspired restaurant. While it is on the pricey side, the food, service and ambiance were amazing. The food was delicious with flavors that pleased our palates and service to call home about.
Good to know: When traveling to the Bahamas, ensure your budget fits your tastes; there is a 12% value added tax (VAT) on everything in addition to service charges, making dining in The Bahamas quite costly.
It was finally time to play mas. A month prior, we registered for our bright colored costumes in the Bahamas Masqueraders x We Limin’ section. Though one of us choose a different section, we played mas as a group. As we danced under the Bahamian sun, we enjoyed a variety of soca played from different islands.
It took several hours to get ready. Shower, moisturize, makeup and hydrate; Bend a wire bra here, sew a panty there, vital elements to preparing for the road. As I packed my flesh chrome MRCH carnival bag with sunscreen and my favorite battery pack, I was bound for the road.
Early arrivers were greeted with a well laid out Carnival breakfast of mimosas and appetizers. Masqueraders looked pretty in their feathered wings and gems dancing nearby the beach. The staff were super helpful too, as there were roaming marshals helping us tie on leg pieces, carnival backpacks and helping to keep us cool with iced cold towels, a much needed amenity this day.
I spent a few combined hours resting on the air conditioned bus due to extreme heat. At some point the band slowed so we could refresh and grab lunch. Though lunch was served, it was very chaotic, many ate corn on the cob, fried chicken and a piece of bread if they were able to score a dish.
Truck drivers were extremely quick paced as we turned in near the fish-fry village around 5:30pm concluding our day. Bahamas Carnival certainly brought the heat – Luckily we were able to cool off with many a conch salad and skywalker juice, the unofficial Bahamian cocktail.
I enjoyed my time with my girls on our much needed carni-cation.
Until next time,
