It’s an area we know well, as these islands are little more than an hour’s flight from Orlando. This is our go-to bolt-hole when we need to drop out and recharge, a sybaritic refuge guaranteed to enchant and enliven in equal measure.
That’s because there are two sides to the Bahamas, and visitors can pick and choose between them.
Perhaps start – as we did earlier this year – on New Providence, home to the capital, Nassau, and some of the most action-packed, high-energy resorts in the Western Hemisphere.
The mammoth Atlantis has been the standard-bearer of the Bahamas’ big and bold face for more than 20 years, a dramatic exemplar of action, adventure and gambling, with just about every holiday activity known to man, including a 141-acre “waterscape” of aquatic wonders.
Bigger and bolder still is the new mega-resort of Baha Mar: 2,200 rooms spread over 1,000 acres, the largest casino in the region, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, high-end shopping, a gigantic array of restaurants, and an outdoor recreation area roughly the size of the Cotswolds.