Bahamas Vacation, Part 1: Fun, Fun, Fun

The kids and I spent a few days last week in the Bahamas. This was our first "far away" vacation together in years. I'm sure you all know how challenging it sometimes can be traveling with young kids. When you have children with special needs--plus you are a single mom--it is that much trickier. So this was a major milestone for us, and, happily, it went swimmingly (pun intended). We enjoyed fun and laughter pretty much all-around (sorry you can't see the smiles in these photos). More vacation pictures--of food, sea, sun, and views--to follow soon.

We arrived in the Bahamas late in the day, but still caught about an hour of daylight at the beach. It was the clearest aqua water I have ever seen, and the beach was very calm and mild--perfect for the kids.



Our hotel (the Sheraton Nassau) had several fantastic swimming pools. R. could not get enough of what she called the "Cave Pool" with its waterfalls.


We chose the Sheraton Nassau over the showier Atlantis because the Sheraton was quieter and less overwhelming (and less expensive, too). We did buy guest passes to Atlantis one afternoon, though. OMG the sticker shock. But R. wanted to go there with a classmate who was also in the Bahamas in her family, so we splurged. R. loved the water slides there. Here she is making her entrance into one of the many pools:


R. (left) and her friend take in the incredible marine life at Atlantis. My girl has some curls, doesn't she??


Right outside its main grounds, Atlantis has a very pristine, cutesy village of shops including a Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor. S. does not eat sweets, so while everyone else cooled off with cones, he enjoyed a drive:


One of the highlights of our Bahamas trip was our visit to Blue Lagoon Island for our "close encounter" with a dolphin, through a company called Dolphin Encounters. This is our new friend Salvador the Dolphin, who is 6 years old (R. mused that he "must be a first grader at dolphin school"). I don't have pictures of it (our cameras were in lockers, so we had to buy a few souvenir prints instead), but R. and I danced with, hugged, and even kissed Salvador. It was definitely a memorable outing.


We spent one afternoon in downtown Nassau and visited the British Colonial Hilton, a historic property. S. was most impressed by the grand staircase, which he climbed up and down at least 5 times.



We didn't do much shopping in town, because mostly there are souvenirs of this variety:


Our evenings were filled with intense ping-pong tournaments...


...and, of course, it wouldn't be the Caribbean without some limbo contests. In S's case, his generous height (nearly 4 feet at age 4 1/2) worked against him!


The kids were sad to leave the Bahamas at the end of our stay, but we managed to have fun even at the airport ("Look, Mommy, it's a shell toilet!"):


I can't begin to tell you how fantastic it was to be "away" with the kids--to see them experience a new place, to relax and forget about our busy schedule at home, and to have real bonding time in such a beautiful setting (our life in New York isn't always so relaxing--or pretty). I think I fell in love with each of my kids a bit more during this trip. They are so amazing, each in their own special ways. It was a virtual lovefest...hopefully, the feeling is mutual.