The base for any serious Exumas trip — the Staniel Cay Yacht Club is not a luxury hotel but a well-run marina resort in the heart of the Exuma cays, within boat distance of Thunderball Grotto, Pig Beach, and the national park. Bring your own boat or charter one here.
Why We Chose It
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club has been the hub of Exumas social life since 1956 — a collection of nine brightly colored waterfront cottages with their own dock, a bar that's the liveliest in the Out Islands, and immediate access to the greatest hits of the Exumas. Thunderball Grotto, where two James Bond films were shot, is a five-minute boat ride. Big Major Cay (the swimming pigs) is ten minutes. Nurse sharks at Compass Cay are twenty. The Yacht Club is a pilgrimage for serious Bahamas devotees and a base for sailing and bonefishing in the Exuma Sound.
What Stands Out
- Five minutes by boat to Thunderball Grotto — two Bond films
- Ten minutes to Big Major Cay — the original swimming pigs
- Bonefishing guides — among the best in the Bahamas
- The bar — Exumas social headquarters since 1956
- Boat access only — the isolation is the point