Mystery and Luxury in Bimini Bay

“Lift your arms over your head. Can you breathe?”

With a nod to the affirmative, snorkellers zipped tight into wetsuits are ready to slip into the sea in search of the Lost City of Atlantis.

Images: Top 10 Bahamas beaches
Images: Top Caribbean beaches

Moments before, aboard a gently rocking boat, tour owner Bill Keefe provides the lowdown on The Bimini Road believed by some to be remnants of Plato’s famed lost civilization. Keefe tells a fascinating tale of predictions, calculations and personal discovery.

Peering through a face mask, the “road” of rectangular stones lies in 4.5 metres of water a mile offshore of North Bimini, looks to be in the formation of a road or wall.

Since the 1970s when a prediction made by American psychic Edgar Cayce in the 1930s appeared to be realized, the site has been explored by thousands of divers, scientists and TV crews.

From the mysterious underwater road we next snorkelled a colourful coral reef, abundant with the wonders of the Caribbean. The chance company of a pod of wild dolphins including a mother and baby rounded out a perfect voyage with Bimini Undersea Adventures.

We took the boat tour directly from Bimini Bay Resort and Marina — itself just a 30-minute plane ride from Fort Lauderdale.

The luxury resort on North Bimini features pretty pastel-coloured condominiums and estate vacation home rentals. Choose from one, two and three bedroom suites — all with “beachy chic” decor.

The largest marina in the Bahamas is on site as well as high-end restaurants and a breathtaking infinity pool.

Hammock and hot tub haven

Gilligan’s Island in colour. That’s the lingering impression I have of Small Hope Bay Lodge, home to just 21 rooms, each approached by a sandy palm-treed path from the beach.

It’s a path I walked alone after emerging from a relaxing beach-side hot tub after dark. No worries.

With a mission statement that includes “To help guests rejuvenate their bodies with good food and sound sleep and gentle recreation,” expect nothing less.

Bare feet, serve-yourself bars with posted recipes, and an honor-system gift shop round out the picture.

The lodge built with coral rock and pine, has operated on Andros island under the philosophy since Canadian Dick Birch opened it 50 years ago.

His son, Jeff describes the quiet vacation spot as “the thinking man’s resort.” To that end, the superb meals are served buffet style with communal seating to encourage conversation among the guests and staff.

The Finnish ambassador to the Caribbean, Mikko Pyhala and his wife, Pia joined us for an evening meal. A keen birder, Pyhala told me he was seeking the Bahamian mockingbird. Mission accomplished the next morning.

Beyond its quiet shores, the lodge offers a range of diving, snorkelling and fishing excursions. A tour of the big island’s Androsia Batik Factory and outlet store is just three miles from the resort.

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Nevis a small wonder

Looking to escape the stresses of modern life? Try Nevis. Tranquil, charming, unhurried and unspoiled, all the adjectives used to describe this tiny Caribbean island -- only 12.8-km-long by 9.6-km wide -- are true.

Nevis is a short ferry ride away from its sister island St. Kitts and perfect for a daytrip, especially if you like to combine relaxation with sightseeing. It has plenty of attractions. Here are just a few:

Botanical Gardens of Nevis

One of the island's prettiest places, you should budget at least 40 minutes to stroll around this garden in the shadow of 985-metre-high Mt. Nevis. See the roses and the orchid terraces with statues of leaping dolphins; venture into the rainforest conservatory where rare plants grow amid thundering waterfalls and Mayan-like sculptures; or enjoy tea in the recreated plantation-style greathouse, where the upstairs affords wonderful sea views. The 3-hectare garden is also home to towering palms, egrets, herons, fountains and lagoons.

Charlestown

The ferry from St. Kitts will deposit you steps away from Main St. in Charlestown, the capital, which is easy to explore on foot. Founded in 1660, the town has several historic buildings -- some made of stone such as the courthouse, and others with elaborate gingerbread fretwork and wooden shutters. The Museum of Nevis History is in a rebuilt Georgian-style house originally built in 1680. It may have been the home of American patriot Alexander Hamilton. The remains of a Jewish cemetery and synagogue are also worth seeing.

Plantation inns

Nevis has several historic inns that were former sugar plantation estates. These include the Hermitage, with its old-style West Indies cottages and opportunities for horseback riding; the Old Manor Hotel, which is built of stone and surrounded by pieces of antique plantation machinery; and the elegant Montpelier Plantation Inn.

Two other plantation inns have recently been renovated: Nisbet -- billed as "the Caribbean's only historic plantation inn located on the beach," -- and the Golden Rock Hotel -- an 18th-century estate with seven cottages that is now owned by American abstract artists Helen and Brice Marden.

Heritage Trail

You can drive yourself -- or hire a cab -- to follow the Nevis Heritage Trail. Starting in Charlestown, road markers lead to 25 sites around the island. Along the way, you'll learn about the slave trade, military history, sugar industry, and see Fort Charles, the Coconut Walk Estates -- with the largest windmill on the island -- and pass several churches including St. Thomas Anglican, the island's oldest, built in 1643.

Old walking trail

If you prefer to walk, lace up your sneakers and head for the Upper Round Road Trail. This 14-km route passes villages, quaint West Indian homes, ruins, a rain forest, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens. Constructed in the 1600s, the path was part of an extensive road system built to provide access to estate cane fields and communities that once surrounded Nevis Peak. Now the trail is a favourite place for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking.

All things Horatio

One of the most famous historical figures with ties to Nevis is British naval hero Horatio Nelson. The admiral arrived on the island as part of an assignment that involved tracking illegal trade between England's Caribbean colonies and the U.S. While here, he fell in love with Fanny Nisbet, a young widow who he married on March 11, 1787.

Learn more at the Horatio Nelson Museum of Nevis, which is said to hold the largest collection of Nelson memorabilia in the western hemisphere. On display are china, figurines, vases, and hundreds of art works depicting Nelson's life. Later, visit St. John's Figtree Church, built in 1680, which has a copy of the couple's marriage certificate on display.

Bath Hotel

Built in 1778 and reputed to be the first hotel in the Caribbean, the Bath Hotel was a popular place in the 19th century, and not just among the English landowners on Nevis. Some of its best-known guests have included Nelson; physician Sir Frederick Treves, author of The Elephant Man, who also wrote a travelogue of the island; poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge; and Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence (and later King William IV of England) who travelled two months by ship to get here.

Today, the hilltop building at the south end of Charlestown houses the Premiers' Ministry. The nearby Bath Spring house is no longer in use but you can take a dip in a small thermal spring outside.

Beach time

What's the Caribbean without time spent on the beach? Of all the island's beaches, Pinney's, on the west coast, is one of the most beautiful. No wonder the Four Seasons built a hotel along the 6-km-long stretch of golden sand and palm trees. Other options are Newcastle Beach -- good for snorkelling; quiet Lovers Beach; and Oualie Beach, which provides excellent opportunities for water sports from snorkelling and fishing to windsurfing and kayaking.

See nevisisland.com.

WRITER@INTERLOG.COM

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How to get the best seat on the plane

NEW YORK – You wanted that spacious seat in the exit row but someone beat you to it. Or you reserved a seat online, but checked in for the flight and found your seat was given to another passenger. There's a trick to getting a coveted seat and preventing it from being given away.

Here are some suggestions on how to get the best seat and hold onto it.

SPACE TO STRETCH

You're booking a flight online, and you want to get the best seat possible. But it looks like the coveted emergency exit row is full. Not necessarily, says Matt Daimler of SeatGuru.com.

Seats in the exit rows generally open up only 24 hours before a flight. So you can't get them when you book, but you can snatch them when you check in online. But you'll want to check in as soon as possible: there are cases in which frequent fliers can get preferred access.

And remember, emergency exit rows are not ideal for families. Passengers have to be at least 15 years old to sit in these rows.

If you are lucky enough to grab an emergency exit row seat, select a seat in the second row, Daimler says. In planes with two rows for emergency door access, the front seats generally don't fully recline.

Another option for extra space? The bulkhead seats. These are the seats at the front of each section of the plane — so you won't have to deal with anyone reclining in front of you. But not all bulkhead seats are created equal.

Because the bulkhead seats face a wall, some often offer space for the knees but not enough space to stretch your legs. Some planes — generally those with a first-class section _have a cut out in the wall that allows for your legs to extend.

Bulkhead seats in first-class often are not desirable seats because they don't offer enough legroom. This is why sometimes, Daimler says, you might find a better seat in coach.

BY THE NUMBERS

When booking a seat, pay attention to a little number the airlines call seat pitch, especially if you're tall. The legroom factor, which generally hovers around 31 inches for domestic flights, is listed on SeatGuru.com for numerous aircraft types at every major airline. You can also check other small, but important details, such as whether the seat you're about to book is too close to a restroom.

Some seats within a single plane cabin have different seat pitch. By way of comparison, United's economy plus section has more legroom than its regular seats, but about the same as JetBlue's standard seats.

"So many people shop by price (when choosing a flight)," Daimler says. "This is when a little homework really goes a long way."

UPGRADES

You're preparing for a long flight, and you're hoping to move up to business or first class? There aren't any magic bullets here. The keys: Fly a lot and be nice.

The most effective way to raise your chance of an upgrade without paying through the nose is to join frequent flier programs and rack up points, says Jami Counter, senior director of TripAdvisor Flights.

Aside from that, a potential upgrade will require a little charm. Many people underestimate how much power that overworked gate agent actually has, says Counter. An agent has the power to choose whom to upgrade, and in some cases, whom to bump. So make airline workers your allies: When you reach the gate, ask the agent if any seats have opened up in the front of the plane.

For a fee that ranges between $50 and several hundred dollars — much cheaper than the difference in price when you book — you'll be able to move on up.

ODDBALL SEAT ISSUES

Sometimes you book on a travel site like Expedia or Orbitz, but you check in the day before your flight and you don't have a seat. Why does this happen?

According to an Orbitz spokeswoman, most airlines only allow about 75 to 80 percent of their seats to be booked before flight time. If you're booking too close to your flight, you might be out of luck.

The remaining seats are issued at the airport on the day of departure. Airlines will then move people around to accommodate families who aren't seated together or people with disabilities and special needs.

Another reason you might not end up with the seat you booked? Sometimes an airline will change an aircraft at the last minute due to weather or an operational issue. If the aircraft changes, seat assignments may need to be adjusted.

Some airlines also keep more seats or rows for premium travelers. You won't always know which seats these are when you book. This is especially common on seats on a codeshare flight — where one airline sells tickets but the flight is operated by another. (Example: you booked a US Airways ticket but the flight is actually operated by United.)

How can you prevent it? There isn't a lot you can do to avoid being moved around by an elite frequent flier. But to ensure you have the seat you booked on a travel site, visit the airline's Web site after you book. If the site doesn't reflect your seat request, call the airline and see if you can make a reservation over the phone.

THE FUTURE

It wouldn't be the airline industry without extra fees. Counter of TripAdvisor says passengers should be prepared for a new charge on the horizon: a seat selection fee. Allegiant and Spirit already do this. United and JetBlue charge for roomier seats.

The one time a seat fee didn't work? In the summer of 2001, when American removed some seating from the cabin and announced it would charge extra for "more room throughout coach." It didn't fly. The airline reinstalled extra rows of seats in 2005.

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Jack Nicklaus' golf courses

Jack Nicklaus turned 70 in late January, has an artificial hip and plays golf less than once a month. But he can still hit the ball longer and truer than most purveyors of his courses and he knows this.

So listen to him talk about his designs — now numbering some 340 worldwide — and you hear him say things like “something for everybody.”

That’s not to say the Golden Bear, winner of 73 PGA events during his storied career, has softened. It’s that he likes to create golf courses out of what nature provides, aiming to challenge the talented while not intimidating the ordinary.

His latest, Bahia at Punta Mita resort development just north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is like that, a championship 18 holes with a half-dozen water holes on one side and the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains on the other.

It doesn’t have a trademark hole like “Tail of the Whale” island third at his neighbouring Pacifico course, but it overall plays less like a resort course and more like something a guy like Nicklaus would enjoy.

It’s not especially long – 7,000 yards from the back tees – but then Nicklaus’ view is size isn’t everything.

“The game of golf has changed a lot, in my opinion,” he said during a whirlwind visit for its November inauguration, all but cursing the technological advancement in clubs and balls.

“Golf is 80-90% power today. Now, I was a power player but I much more enjoy a course where you have to finesse your way around, to strategize.”

That’s what you find at Bahia. And he’s not finished tinkering yet.

“I like to take the driver out of a player’s hands,” he says, noting the tighter fariways, thoughtful undulations, shrewd bunkers and a certain “spice” to the greens.

The course has eight of his classic short par 4s, five par 5s and and five par 3s. The same, in fact, as Pacifico, which also plays to approximately the same length, although with fewer obstacles — Tail of the Whale being the exception.

For the uninitiated, that’s hole 3B on the course, thought to be the world’s only natural island hole, a par three that requires a 150-yard drive over the water — and playable only when the tide is low.

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Normalcy returns to Vancouver

VANCOUVER — Vancouver awoke to a mass exodus and an eerie sense of calm on Monday, the morning after the Olympic flame was snuffed out and the 2010 Winter Games drew to a close.

Olympic visitors left in droves from the city’s airport, crews were already busy dismantling the pavilions and temporary Games structures, and the wandering crowds that had been partying for more than two weeks had all but disappeared.

An estimated 39,000 people were expected to fly out of Vancouver International Airport, where clowns and a children’s choir entertained bleary-eyed travellers on what was expected to be the facility’s busiest day ever.

The airport’s terminals were coloured by people wearing jackets and sweatshirts identifying their home countries, many of them snapping pictures with their flags as they said their final goodbyes.

“I cried a lot because I don’t want to go back, I want to stay here,” said Leticia Rodrigues, a 17-year-old heading back home to Brazil.

“The people are very friendly, and here it’s very good for living, and I love it here because of everything.”

A long line snaked from the international departures entrance past restaurants and boutiques, while dozens of volunteers handed out apple lollipops to keep the mood light.

Quatchi and Sumi, the furry Olympic mascots of the Games, were even doing their part to help out, hugging travellers and helping to push along luggage carts.

The airport had set up a remote terminal nearby to process the extra passengers, particularly the Olympic athletes returning home.

Back in Vancouver, the downtown core felt surprisingly ordinary for a part of the city that, up until a few hours earlier, had been the scene of a massive Olympic celebration where tens of thousands of people packed the streets wearing Canadian flags and screaming into the night.

Traffic began to flow on many of the streets that had been closed during the Games, and security perimeters around some venues were already coming down.

At Robson Square, which was ground zero for the nightly hullabaloo, the provincial government’s stages and tents will stay up for the Paralympics later this month, but the crowds had vanished.

“I can breathe,” sighed 23-year-old Mildreth Lozano from behind her roasted chestnut stand at Robson Square, where she worked during the Olympics.

“It’s quiet, it’s peaceful. Now I can walk and run if I want.”

Much of the revelry was fuelled by alcohol as much as Olympic spirit, and on Monday morning the distinct smell of urine still hung over Granville Street, which one newspaper columnist had labelled the “River of Vomit.”

Vancouver police officials were taking stock of the events of the past few weeks, giving themselves top marks for an international event where the major concerns turned out to be protests and crowd control.

Deputy Chief Doug LePard said confrontations with anti-Olympic protesters proved to be the most tense moments during the Games.

A large demonstration coincided with the opening ceremonies on Feb. 12, when protesters threw objects and spit at officers, although the confrontation didn’t escalate. A smaller demonstration the following day saw a group of black-clad protesters smash the windows of the Bay’s Olympic store and clash with riot police.

But LePard said the major concern for the 400 or so extra officers on duty every day — which doesn’t include thousands more that were part of the RCMP-led Integrated Security Unit — were the downtown crowds.

He said officers handed out more than 1,200 tickets for open liquor consumption and arrested more than 250 people for being drunk in public. Early liquor store closings appeared to curb the excessive drinking, he said.

On the final night of the Games, two officers were hurt while trying to break up a fight. The officers went through a plate-glass window, and one of them needed surgery.

“The biggest threat that we had was the incredible number of people compressed into a fairly small area — just the sheer number of people creates certain hazards,” he said.

Still, he said the celebrations were mostly peaceful.

“We were joking this morning about how sore our hands are from all the people that were high-fiving us,” he said.

Even though the Olympics are finished, Vancouver’s party isn’t over yet: the Paralympics begin with opening ceremonies on March 12.

The Paralympics are much smaller than the Olympics, with fewer athletes and volunteers working at fewer venues, but it will be another chance for the city to celebrate.

The Paralympic torch relay was set to begin in Ottawa on Tuesday, travelling west before kicking off 10 days of events in Vancouver and Whistler.

John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver organizing committee, known as VANOC, said the work continues, but there are fewer people steering a much smaller ship.

“We are now a smaller organization than we were yesterday,” Furlong told reporters at Vancouver airport.

“For many of (VANOC workers), their last night was last night — a lot of tears.”

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Dallying around Darwin

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA -- Cycling down Gardens Rd., with sun-sparkled Fannie Bay beckoning on my left and the fountains and flora of George Brown Botanic to the right, it's hard to think of this idyllic scene once blotted by mass destruction.

Yet more bombs fell on Darwin and its waterfront in the initial Japanese raid of Feb. 19, 1942, than on Pearl Harbour three months earlier. And in that short span, the attackers had developed greater accuracy, wrecking key buildings and military installations as well as bringing the death toll to 243 civilians and Allied military personnel.

Only recently -- thanks in part to last year's epic Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman -- has there been full disclosure of the raids, downplayed by officials for fear of hurting morale during the war.

So as much as visitors flock to Darwin's tropical beauty and fiery Timor Sea sunsets, you can still see scars from when this part of Oz bore the brunt of the Pacific war.

While showing us the Burnett House at Myilly Point, Steve Noble of Darwin Walking and Bike Tours points out the bullet holes that Japanese Zero fighters punched in the front gate as a calling card.

At the water's edge between Bicentennial Park and East Point is a memorial to all those killed in raids. There were more than 1,000 casualties here and throughout the Northern Territory before the tide turned in 1944.

A deck gun recovered from the destroyer USS Peary points to her final resting place in the harbour, sunk with the loss of 80 men in 1942.

Man-made devastation was trumped in 1974 when Cyclone Tracy scored a direct hit on Christmas Eve, with 71 people killed and $1 billion in damages.

SANDY BEACHES

Today, modern Darwin is a multicultural gateway to the Northern Territory or NT, the start of the north-south Stuart Hwy. A thriving nightlife, highlighted by the twice-weekly Mindil Beach Sunset Markets and the Deckchair Cinema under the stars, lures locals and tourists alike to the sandy beaches.

At kid-friendly Aquasecene, you can feed a wide species of fish at high tide, or take up Wildlife Park's invite to interact with giant freshwater stingrays and pig nose turtles.

Thrill seekers will want to test the Cage Of Death at Crocosaurus Cove, where the teeth marks and scratches on this protective viewing cubicle are testament to the raw jaw power of Burt, Bubbles, Clancy, Houdini, Bess and Chopper, six of the rogue residents who gained notoriety in the area for attacking cattle or eluding capture.

It was Burt who made the grab for Crocodile Dundee's girl in the movie and these 5-metre monster reptiles look just as impressive from underwater or face-to-snout in specially designed viewports.

LANCE.HORNBY@SUNMEDIA.CA

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IF YOU GO ... TO DARWIN, AUSTRALIA

GETTING THERE: For all travel information on Darwin and the Northern Territory, check australiasoutback.com.

Air Canada offers flights to Sydney from Toronto and Vancouver -- check aircanada.com for fares and departures.

Virgin Blue Airlines offers daily flights from Sydney to Darwin with fares starting around $215, one way, on the net. For extras, purchase a Premium Economy fare and enjoy fully inclusive food, beverage and entertainment. Check out virginblue.com.au for specials and bookings.

Formal connecting flights are also available to and from other destinations in the U.S. and Australia.

If you fancy extra leg room, exit row seats in international Economy are available for purchase at check-in from $110 US. Check vaustralia.com for specials.

BMW S1000RR: 200 hp, 300 km/h, $17,300. Any questions?Dallying around Darwin

High on the Bahamas

Our cameras landed on the pristine white beach before we did -- packed with towels aboard a cooler.

Swimming from the boat was the only way to reach the secluded shore for our expensive gear, our lunch and ourselves.

With flippered feet I swam the 100 metres, but relied on others including Bahamian guide Sanfred Rolle to carry or float the cargo.

Initially alarmed by the captain's order to swim with our belongings above our heads, the undertaking is now a fond memory, one of many adventures on a six-day tour of the Natural Wonders of The Bahamas taken this month.

This beach at Cape Santa Maria, Long Island, was named by Christopher Columbus who reached San Salvador in The Bahamas in 1492. It is billed as one of the best beaches in the world.

We enjoyed a couple hours on the silky white sands stretching some six kilometres.

A driver escorted us through a trail to a taxi back to the Stella Maris Resort.

Another best-in-the world adventure awaited us a 45-minute drive down the coast.

The mysterious and secluded Dean's Blue Hole has long fascinated divers, snorkellers and swimmers as well as stirring the imagination of others. It's the deepest blue hole in the world at 202 metres, twice the depth of others.

Blue holes, or sink holes, were formed during the ice age, 15,000 years ago.

Sanfred Rolle leads us up a rocky trail high above Dean to get the full impact of its spectacular setting. It's surrounded by a high cliff, beach and bay.

At 30 metres across, it's big and bold and provided pure pleasure to this snorkeller who simply floated on top, eyes peeled for any unusual sea creatures that might emerge from the dark.

On this day only the usual suspects -- bone fish and a few other snorkellers -- swam nearby.

We arrived at Long Island earlier in the day aboard a small plane operated by the resort's air service direct from the island of Andros.

Flights from Nassau take about one hour, travelling 265 kilometres.

Stella Maris, or star of the sea, has been operating since the early-60s as a "paradise" for divers, snorkellers and fishing enthusiasts.

In addition to the wonders below the twinkling Caribbean sea, the resort is set on a gorgeous garden estate with palm trees, tropical flowers and several swimming pools. Accommodation ranges from hotel rooms to self-catering bungalows and villas, all with great views of the Atlantic.

Snorkelling from the boat we'd enjoyed the tropical fish, and coral reefs, but it was particularly novel to observe divers far below.

Many of the German, American and Canadian guests who advised they'd chosen the intimate Stella Maris because of its diving excursions and tranquil nature were eager to share tales of their day's diving adventures. The shark-feeding dive is a favourite.

One evening our group of five, guests of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, was entertained by an impromptu performance of an original song and guitar accompaniment by vacationing Carleton University student Ayeila Daneshmend.

Stella Maris is at the north end of the 130-km long island. Its largest community, Clarence Town is in the south with plenty of attractions in between.

Cars are available to rent. (Just remember, founded as a crown colony of Britain in 1717, Bahamians drive on the left side of road.) Frequently "honking hello" seems a bona fide island tradition.

Genuinely friendly to each other and visitors seemed the natural order on this island as well as the two others we visited.

Sunday in Clarence Town was quiet. Rolle noted it is customary for islanders to attend church, then spend the day with family.

With mass over at St. Peter's Church, the bell towers beckoned the agile. Climbing a rickety wooden ladder, then shifting 'round to the next ladder over and over, higher and higher, was the most precarious task of the trip. The spectacular view of the pretty harbour town including a twin church --St. Paul's, built first by Father Jerome Hawes who then converted to Catholicism and built St. Peter's -- was ample reward.

Rolle served as driver and guide for our day-trip, regaling us with dozens of interesting island facts. Among them:

--The walls of churches and schools are built 22-28 cm thick to withstand hurricane force. Islanders will head to them as safe harbors where supplies will be at the ready.

-- Goats roam free on the island, revered as a mascot.

-- The island's "potcake dogs" got their name from their habit of eating the burned rice at the bottom of the pan.

--Pirates of the Caribbean two and three were filmed off Long Island.

Although Johnny Depp's Captain Jack has long sailed from this island, there are many real-life characters to meet and greet.

One famous son is Max (Gary) Ritchie who operates the popular Max's Conch Shack and Grill on the island's main thoroughfare, Queen's Highway.

Cold Kaliks (the beer of the Bahamas) refreshed us while the cleaver-wielding owner, cracked a conch and extracted the big snail. Following a flurry of slicing and dicing it plus lime, apple, tomato and peppers and other fresh ingredients we were served a delicious, spicy conch salad, reputed to be the best on the island.

Behind the stand I was fascinated to find a virtual conch graveyard -- mounds of pink shells retired after performing their culinary duty.

Chef Ritchie previously worked as a daring diving guide, earning his nickname "Mad Max" I was informed by some "local" Americans.

The three pals -- including Georgie who is building a house on the island -- stopped by to collect friendly bets on what would be the next Sunday's Super Bowl. They'd be enjoying the big game in Max's parking lot on a big screen.

Canadian siblings Joedy and Jillian Weatherby were also chilling at the outdoor shack this day. Joedy, who has been enjoying the friendly relaxed ambience of Long Island for years, is having a house built here to spend his winters.

"I can leave my home in Sarnia at 4:30 a.m. (grab a flight from Detroit to Nassau) and be at this conch bar enjoying a cold Kalik by 3 p.m.," he boasted.

And that's the get-here-easy attitude the Bahamian tourism industry is hoping more travellers will embrace.

A steady stream of small-plane charters and regular flights can be booked from Nassau to many of the some-700 islands offering more sand, sun and natural wonders and less hustle and bustle of larger resorts.

IF YOU GO

Bimini Bay Resort and Marina

www.biminibayresort.com

from $275 per night per suite

Small Hope Bay Lodge, Andros

www.smallhope.com

from $235 per person, all inclusive

Stella Maris Resort, Long Island

www.stellamarisresort.com

from $175 a night per person

Out Island general information

www.myoutislands.com

barbara.taylor@sunmedia.ca

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