Happy Sunday, all! I hope you enjoyed my last couple of posts about the beautiful city of Vancouver. Today I have another beautiful destination to share with you all, this one a little further south! If you’ve been keeping up with me on Instagram, you probably already know that Tania and I recently escaped to The Bahamas for a week in paradise (literally – our resort was on Paradise Island. Happy to report it lived up to its name!) This trip marked a couple of firsts for us both…
For one thing, it was the first time we’ve gone somewhere tropical! Getting to escape the Canadian winter for a week of warmth and sunshine was definitely an amazing experience. And it was the first time we’ve stayed at an all-inclusive resort! It’s something I’ve always wanted to experience – who doesn’t love the idea of lounging on a beach chair all day with access to unlimited pina coladas and overflowing buffets? Truly, that’s not an entirely rhetorical question: an all-inclusive definitely sounded like fun, but since we both enjoy active sightseeing vacations, we worried we might be a little bored. But it turned out to be wonderful, and I planned just enough off-the-resort activities to keep us out of trouble! Aside from one full-day excursion (which I’ll write about in my next post) our typical game plan was to spend the morning and early afternoon off the resort, return for a late lunch and spend the rest of the day relaxing, which ended up being the perfect mix.
Why We Chose The Bahamas
The Bahamas has been on my bucket list for a long time, and both Tania and I loved it there! There are a few reasons why we picked it over other tropical destinations…
- It’s close. If you live in North America (particularly on the East Coast) and hate to fly as much as I do, then you’ll love The Bahamas for this reason alone! Our flight from Toronto to Nassau was only three hours.
- It’s convenient for North American travelers. There’s no time difference, English is the native language, and USD is accepted pretty much everywhere.
- It’s not too hot. In the winter months, average temperatures hover around 22 degrees Celsius, with an average high of 27. I don’t do well in super hot or humid climates, so I found The Bahamas’ winter weather pretty much perfect.
- There are lots of things to do! Whether you stay in Nassau, Freeport, the Exumas, or somewhere else altogether, you’ll find plenty to do off your resort. I wanted to go to The Bahamas specifically for their famous swimming pigs (more on that in my next post!) but I was also impressed by how much there was to explore around Nassau and Paradise Island.
Staying Safe In The Bahamas
I couldn’t write this post without addressing the elephant in the room: I’m sure some of you are aware that Canada and the U.S. have recently issued travel advisories to The Bahamas due to high rates of crime in Freeport and Nassau. This advisory was issued just a few days before we left, and we weren’t about to cancel our trip because of it. First, because it was a relatively lower-risk advisory (i.e. “exercise increased caution” rather than “avoid all non-essential travel”.) Second (at least based on our own research) the majority of crime is targeted, gang-related and occurs in non-tourist areas (so far in 2024, none of the crimes have targeted foreigners.) Now, I’m not an expert on the matter (and I’m certainly not a government official!) so I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do. Disclaimers aside, based on our own personal beliefs, we felt that as long as we remained cautious and vigilant as always, we shouldn’t let fear stop us from traveling. Here are some general safety precautions we were careful to follow on our trip:
- We stayed in heavily populated tourist areas. While we did venture off the resort quite frequently, we only visited touristy areas, and we were always back at the resort before dark.
- We were vigilant of our surroundings. We weren’t staring at our phones while walking, listening to music, or otherwise distracted. We constantly had our eyes and ears alert to everything and everyone around us.
- We kept a close eye on our belongings. I used a shoulder-strap bag and always had one hand on it. I didn’t leave my purse or phone unattended on tables. I actually felt a lot safer in The Bahamas than in Italy, where pickpocketing and petty theft are common. (In Italy, I went so far as to use a suitcase lock on my purse when in crowded areas, and kept my phone on this anti-theft lanyard.) Another note about phone theft, which is increasingly common everywhere these days: I never give my phone to anyone I don’t know. Even if they’re a sweet-looking elderly couple offering to take a photo of us. Never, ever, ever!
- We didn’t draw attention to ourselves. We didn’t carry designer bags (okay, not that I have many of those!) or wear any flashy or expensive jewelry. We didn’t even wear our engagement rings – we left them with a family member at home. (This isn’t specific to our Bahamas trip; I rarely travel with any jewelry I’d be scared to lose.)
- We didn’t engage with strangers. If you’re in a touristy area, be prepared to be approached by people trying to sell you things, sometimes aggressively. In cases like this, a polite but firm “no thank you, we aren’t interested” is typically all it takes for people to leave you alone. Don’t get suckered into a scammy situation by being overly nice!
- We told our friends and family where we were. Our families had our flight and hotel information, and Tania even registered us with the Canadian government (something she does whenever we travel abroad.) It’s free and easy to do online!
Our Resort: The Warwick Paradise Island
Now that the practical stuff is out of the way, let’s move onto the fun part! We stayed on Paradise Island, which is just north of Nassau, at the Warwick Resort. Paradise Island is pretty much all resorts (and a couple of beautiful beaches) but it’s just a 5-minute drive (or 10-minute ferry) to downtown Nassau, where there’s plenty to see and do. We booked an all-inclusive vacation package through WestJet Vacations, which included everything: accommodations, flights, and a shuttle to and from the resort. The Warwick is a true all-inclusive, so all our food and beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) were covered in the flat-rate package. An added bonus: this resort is adults-only. Don’t get me wrong: Tania and I both love kids, but when you’re hoping for a relaxing (and relatively quiet) poolside vacation, adults-only is definitely the way to go!
We absolutely loved The Warwick and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Nassau area! Today I’m going to provide y’all with a full review of the resort, which I hope is helpful to anyone planning their own Bahamas trip. I’ve broken it down into key categories, but if you have any specific questions about the resort, feel free to send me an email! I’ll start with the basics…
The Room
We booked a Waterview King room, which is 300 square feet and includes all your typical amenities: an HD TV, a mini-fridge, a coffee maker and free Wi-Fi. The decor was simple but cute and beachy, with vibrant artwork, yellow furniture and palm leaf throw pillows. The bathroom was pretty standard. The view was pretty and we saw a couple of great sunrises… but truth be told, we spent very little time in our room!
Was the room anything luxurious or spectacular? No, but it checked all the boxes: spacious, clean, comfortable, and I thought it was a great deal for the price we paid. And as I mentioned, the nice thing about a resort like this is you’ll likely spend very little time in your room, and more time taking advantage of…
The Amenities
The reason I didn’t spend much time talking about our hotel room itself is because, at a place like The Warwick, it almost feels like the entire property is your room! I mentioned earlier that Tania and I spent fairly equal amounts of time on and off the resort, but even if you never left The Warwick, I promise you’d never be bored. The most important amenity of any resort (at least in a tropical climate) is arguably their pool and beach, so I’ll start there.
The Warwick’s pool is “lagoon-style”, which means its a freeform design that feels like several different pools in one. The pool is broken up by various bridges, waterfalls, rock formations, trees and greenery, which – in my opinion – is much nicer than having one massive rectangular pool. And don’t worry: with 330,00 gallons of water, it’s still huge! Tania and I would spend our afternoons migrating from one area of the pool to another, whenever we wanted a change of scenery.
In addition to the main pool, there’s also a separate lap pool and three hot tubs.
If you’re more of a beach person (which I certainly am!) then The Warwick’s got you covered there too. The resort has their own private beach called Harbour Beach. Now, it is on the small side, but we were always able to get a chaise so I had no complaints! (One of the nice things about The Warwick is its relatively small size: with only 250 rooms, it never feels too crowded.) There are nets set up for beach volleyball, as well as some fun hammock chairs you can hang out in. If you prefer a bigger beach, Warwick offers a complimentary shuttle to and from nearby Cabbage Beach, which runs every 30 minutes from 10am-5pm.
The resort also has an over-water boardwalk and lookout point: the perfect spot to take in some ocean views.
In terms of sports and recreation, The Warwick has an outdoor tennis and basketball court, a 24-hour gym, and lots of games to entertain guests: pool, ping pong and foosball tables; Jenga sets, and even a life-sized chess board. (It should also be noted – though I can’t comment on it as we didn’t partake in their services – that the resort has an on-site spa.)
The Food
I couldn’t review an all-inclusive without talking about the food! The Warwick has five restaurants, all part of their standard food and beverage package, so you’ll never get bored (or hungry!) Their main restaurant, Verandah, is buffet-style and is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Aside from their poolside grill Chickcharnie’s (more on that below) Verandah is the most casual and convenient restaurant at the resort: it doesn’t require reservations nor have a strict dress code (just ensure swimwear is covered up.) We ate breakfast and lunch here nearly every day. When it comes to breakfast, there’s every option imaginable: from classic breakfast staples (bacon, eggs, toast, home fries) to pastries (muffins, croissants, danishes) to an omelet station, a build-your-own waffle bar, and a scrumptious buffet of fresh fruits. I love trying a bit of everything, so I had fun building my own fruit plates each morning and seeing just how pretty and colourful I could make them. (This also made it easy to start each day on a healthy note, in anticipation of the cocktails and poolside pizza I’d inevitably be indulging in later on!)
At lunchtime, Verandah offers a rotation of meats and sides along with salads, pastas, cold cuts and cheese, a build-your-own nacho bar, and a tempting array of mini desserts. Verandah has both indoor and outdoor (poolside) seating.
While I thought Verandah’s food was pretty good, the best food at The Warwick can be found at their three specialty restaurants: Abbiocco, Edgewater Grill and Tings On A Stick. You must reserve these restaurants in advance, which you can do at the concierge desk two days prior to your requested dining date. These restaurants are only open for dinner, and they have slightly stricter dress codes. Check their individual webpages (linked below) for specifics, but in general, this means long dress pants (or jeans) and a dress shirt for men, and a dress or blouse with skirts/pants for women. In other words: no shorts, tank tops, flip flops, or hats… and certainly no swimwear! We ate at all three restaurants during our stay (some more than once) and each was fabulous.
Abbiocco is located indoors and serves Italian cuisine. Decor-wise, I think it’s the prettiest and ‘poshest’ of the three specialty restaurants. Every meal there starts with house-made focaccia and access to their amply-stocked antipasto bar, which includes salads, pasta salads and charcuterie. For your appetizer, you can choose between mozzarella sticks or pasta fagioli soup. Entrees range from classic pasta dishes to steak, chicken and seafood. Tania and I dined here twice and alternated between the pork parmigiana and sirloin marsala, both of which were excellent (and served in huge portions!) For dessert, I highly recommend the Cassata Napoletana (Italian ice cream cake.) I’m not normally a huge fan of ice cream cake, but this was so good that I ordered it on both visits!
Edgewater Grill is The Warwick’s outdoor restaurant, located in a beautiful gazebo overlooking the water. Because we were there during winter and it was cooler at night (though positively balmy by Canadian standards: light shawls were more than enough to keep us warm) they had plastic panels covering the windows, so I can only imagine how much prettier it would be in warmer months. Edgewater specializes in steak and seafood dishes, and like Abbiocco, they have a self-serve antipasto and salad bar. The first time we dined here, I ordered the pan-seared salmon as my main, and Tania got the grilled sirloin with blue cheese and chive sauce. (Each entree comes with two sides: your choice of jasmine rice, garlic mashed potatoes, a baked potato, gingered carrots or asparagus.) The second time, I got the grilled sirloin with blue cheese and chive sauce, and Tania got the grilled ribeye with caramelized onions. We tried all three dessert offerings between our two visits – coconut lime cheesecake, mille feuille and white chocolate guava bread pudding – all were great, but the mille feuille in particular is to die for! For appetizers, I highly recommend the shrimp cocktail.
Tings On A Stick specializes in Asian cuisine, serving dishes with Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Malaysian influences. It’s located indoors and has a bright, cheerful blue and yellow colour palette. This is the only specialty restaurant that doesn’t have an antipasto bar, but they make up for it by letting you choose two appetizers (trust me, you won’t go hungry at The Warwick!) We got the spring rolls, steamed shrimp dumplings and cashew chicken salad, which was so light and refreshing. For our main, we each ordered the sweet and sour chicken, which comes served on elevated silver trays – just like at an old-school Chinese restaurant! The food here was very good: Tania said it was her favourite of any restaurant on this trip. I only wish we’d stayed an extra night so we could have eaten here a second time!
The fifth eatery at The Warwick is Chickcharnie’s Pizzeria & Grille. This is not a sit-down restaurant, but a poolside grab-and-go (though they do have some countertop seating overlooking the pool.) It’s open daily from 10:30am-7pm, and reopens from 10pm-1am for your late-night snacking needs. Chickcharnie’s serves pizza, burgers, sandwiches, salads and other fast-casual options. My absolute favourite dish from Chickcharnie’s was their conch fritters – a Bahamian specialty! (I ate more of them on this trip than I care to admit…) Their thin-crust pizza is also great: it makes the perfect poolside snack.
The Drinks
Just like I can’t review an all-inclusive without mentioning the food, of course I have to talk about the drinks! The Warwick has two bars: the outdoor Hog Bar which overlooks the pool and the beach…
…and the Rum Cay Bar inside the lobby.
The bars serve wine, beer and any rail drink your heart desires, but what we loved most were the drinks everyone associates with all-inclusives: those sweet, fruity, slushy cocktails that probably pack more calories than a piece of chocolate cake (but that are so, so worth it!) Now, it was my goal to try every cocktail on the menu at some point (what can I say, I have lofty ambitions…) but I kept coming back to my favourites: the Pina Colada, Blue Hawaiian, Mai Tai, Mango Dream (basically a mango version of the Pina Colada) and naturally, the Bahama Mama. (They even have a self-serve pitcher of Bahama Mama at the lobby bar!) I’ve heard many people complain that drinks at all-inclusives tend to be watered down, but that wasn’t the case at The Warwick. The bartenders were very generous with their pours, and trust me when I say that one of those Bahama Mamas packs a punch! Overall, I was very impressed with the cocktails at this resort.
The Entertainment
I’m probably not the best person to comment on the entertainment at The Warwick, as Tania and I didn’t partake in much of it. We’re fairly early risers, even on vacation, and were pretty tired by the end of each day. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that we were in bed by 9 most nights! But for those of you who are into nightlife, you’ll be happy to know that The Warwick has a 4,000-square-foot indoor disco, “Junkanoo Beat”, where they host events and entertainment every single night: from live music and dance performances to movie nights, karaoke competitions and interactive game shows. We were able to catch a Junkanoo parade in the lobby one night and it was absolutely incredible! The costumes were so gorgeous and elaborate. (Junkanoo is a traditional Bahamian carnival that takes place every year on Boxing Day, and is famous for its ornate costumes, lively music and energetic dance routines.) For those of you more into daylife than nightlife, the resort offers plenty of fun activities during the day too: from sports tournaments to relay games to early morning yoga classes.
The Staff
There’s a reason it’s called the hospitality industry: at the end of the day, it’s the people who have the ability to make or break any hotel experience. And trust me when I say the staff at The Warwick are a huge part of what made our stay so great! From the front desk staff who greeted us with a big smile and a welcome cocktail as soon as we arrived, to the concierges who took care of all our restaurant bookings, to the shuttle drivers who transported us to and from the beach, to the pool attendants who were always checking on us and making sure we had everything we needed… everyone at The Warwick went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. I have to give two special shoutouts: first, to Cyntyech in the concierge office. When our swimming pigs tour – one of the main reasons we came to the Bahamas – got cancelled for the umpteenth time and we worried we’d lost our last chance to go (I’ll share more on that fiasco in my next post) Cyntyech was able to snag us the last spot on a tour going out the very next day! And second, to Rico at Verandah. Rico was our server on our first morning at the resort, and not only did he remember our coffee order, he brought it to us every morning after without us even having to ask! Talk about amazing customer service (and an amazing memory.) Seriously, guys… I truly can’t say enough great things about The Warwick team.
Well folks, I think that just about covers everything! For my first time at an all-inclusive, I really didn’t know what to expect, but I’m happy to report that every expectation I did have was surpassed. Even though Tania and I worried we might be bored at an all-inclusive, we weren’t at all, which I think comes down to planning a healthy mix of resort time vs. off-the-resort activities. And even as people who enjoy active sightseeing vacations, I have to admit, it was so nice to just allow ourselves to relax and have no plans… at least part of the time! Not only would we definitely do an all-inclusive again, but I’d highly recommend The Warwick to anyone looking to stay in the Nassau/Paradise Island area. If you have any specific questions about our experience, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email – I’m happy to provide advice wherever I can!
Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll be talking all about our swimming pigs tour in the Exumas! In the meantime, I hope you all have a great week ahead.
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