Exuma : Our First Family Vacation

Greg and I were craving a vacation. We had a hard time trying to figure out a place to go that was Layla friendly. We normally go to the keys every year but we wanted to try something different. Plus the idea of being in the car with Layla for 8-10 hours sounded like a nightmare. We can barely make it to the Towncenter without her houdini-ing out of her seat and screaming bloody murder….she is not a fan of the car seat to say the least. After much research, we finally decide to go to Exuma. A short plane ride from Florida, it has crystal clear waters and bone fishing.We rented a house on the west side of the island. That side is much calmer than the Atlantic. The house we stayed at was really cute and the view was awesome. When we arrived there were 15-20 mph winds. I was hoping the wind would die down while we were there but it didn’t. Supposedly the water looks like crystal clear turquoise glass when the winds are calm. Even though it was windy, the water was still beautiful.

On The 4th day we were there we went on a Water Excursion with 4c’s Charter. Smiley was our guide. The tour was great, we opted for the half day guide because were not sure how Layla would do. We got to see many of the outer islands…they call them cays. We went to blowhole beach, iguana island , we went snorkeling at a blue hole and my FAVORITE part of the trip was we got to see the SWIMMING PIGS!! When we arrive at the island where the swimming pigs were you did not see anything at first. When smiley came up to the island, we just sat there for moment and then he revved the engine. Then the pigs came out of the bushes!! It was so cute. There were even little piglets. We fed them bread. They followed us around, then pooped in the water we were standing in : / But they were cute anyways.My second favorite part of the trip was tropic of Cancer beach. I have never seen nature this beautiful before. Full disclosure, these photos have VERY little enhancement. I did use polarizer filter but YES the water really does look like this. The photos actually do not do the place justice.On the last day were were there we rented a boat and toured the Habour. We went to an island and walked around. Found some pretty shells and swam in the pool like water. We then went to the Chat and Chill which is exact what is sound like, A little bar where you just chill, we had some drinks and ate some lunch.

When we go again…and we plan to go again. We will probably stay in the same area. Maybe a different house. We like our house but just to try something new. I will bring two bathings suits, one outfit, two coverups and FOOD….LOTS OF FOOD. I literally wore my bathing suit 24/7 and the restaurants are not that nice so I never needed any of the cute outfits. I WAY over packed! I will use the extra space in the suit case for food. Everything is so expensive. A loaf of bread is $7-$9. A 5 pound bag of flour was $25…YES $25. Little Debbie Nutter butter bars…they have the american price of $2.59 printed on the box but they actually charge over $5 for them. Oh and a case of water was $23, compared to a case here in the states for $4. I could go on about the food cost but lets just say eating in didn’t really save any money.

We rented a house on the west side of the island. That side is much calmer than the Atlantic. The house we stayed at was really cute and the view was awesome. When we arrived there were 15-20 mph winds. I was hoping the wind would die down while we were there but it didn’t. Supposedly the water looks like crystal clear turquoise glass when the winds are calm. Even though it was windy, the water was still beautiful.