Staniel Cay | View a sample itinerary for this location

"It's all about the water." These are the words that kept running through my mind as the view from the window of the plane changed from the deep blue of the Gulf Stream to the iridescent blue of the waters of the Bahamas. We were on our way to Staniel Cay, located mid-way down the Exuma chain. We had flown out of Ft. Lauderdale, made a quick stop in Andros to clear customs, and now were approaching Staniel Cay. Gary, the owner of the yacht we would be staying on, was excited as a kid in a candy shop. Grinning and pointing, he indicated several of his favorite places in the area, varying from white sand cliffs to secluded anchorages. We were on our way to paradise.

There are no non-stop flights to Staniel Cay. You have two choices: fly to Nassau, clear customs, then take a "puddle jumper" over to the island; or fly from the states, clearing customs in Andros, then on to Staniel. There is a 3,030 foot landing strip, but no Customs and Immigration facilities at Staniel Cay, hence the need to clear into the Bahamas prior to landing at Staniel. Of course, you could also board your yacht in Nassau and meander down the Exumas to Staniel Cay.

It was just a short golf cart jaunt from the airport to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club Marina, where our charter yacht, Slumber Venture, awaited us. Slumber Venture is a power cat, with plenty of space to spread out and every imaginable toy to play with. I knew it was going to be a good trip!

We chose to head north for our charter, but there is a myriad of cays, coves and secluded anchorages to the south, too. No matter what the weather, no matter which way the wind blows, there is always a snug harbor, there is always someplace to play when you visit the Exumas. What season is best for a visit? The winter: when the cold winds blow and the snow piles up in the northern states, the sun is shining and the white sands beckon. The summer: it's hot, hot, hot everywhere else…but in the Bahamas, the gentle breezes blow off the ocean, the seas are flat and serene, the water is warm and inviting and perfect for long snorkeling adventures. The spring and the fall: when fewer boats are around, and the migratory birds and fish stop by for a visit. What season is best? Gosh, they all are perfect.

Staniel Cay is inhabited by about 80 locals, about the same number of vacation homeowners, and numerous cruising yachtsmen. WIFI is available at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, and if you are lucky (or unlucky, depending upon how you view it) your cell phone just might work while you are there. The main mode of transportation is golf cart. I have always maintained that golf carts are the best part of playing golf, so using them for the running about makes errands fun. Just in case you wondered, no, there isn't any golf at Staniel Cay. It's all about the water, remember?

There are several small grocery stores, which are always fun to poke about in. Close to the Yacht Club, there are two: one is PINK! and one is BLUE! There is also a small store across the road, they all sell locally made baskets and crafts. You are going to need to bring presents home; a local basket trumps a t-shirt any day. Even if you choose to explore by walking, rather than by golf cart, it won't take long to wander around the island. The best place to end your walkabout is at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club; the beer is cold, the people are friendly and you quickly feel at home.

Once you pry yourself off the barstool at the Yacht Club and wander back to your charter yacht, it's time to start the real adventure. The best way is to anchor out, not stayed tied to the dock. We left the dock and Staniel Cay behind as we headed over to anchor near Big Major's Spot, by Pig Beach. Yes, you read that correctly: Pig Beach. Aptly named because there are several oinkers of varying colors and ancestry that reside there and cheerfully swim out to your tender when you come close, begging for food. We also spotted a herd of goats on the beach in the morning, but they haven't seemed to figure out that if they swim out to the boats, handouts are generous.

While we played, the Slumber Venture crew put the toys in the water. Soon, everyone was heading their separate ways: working on the perfect tan, stretched out on one of the teak lounge chairs, playing on the jet skis, exploring the nearby cays for the perfect beach.

I will say it again: it's all about the water. The Exumas are perfect for people seeking a laidback holiday, where dressing up for dinner means putting on a shirt and flip-flops. It's for people desiring an active adventure: diving, snorkeling, fishing, jet-skiing, sailing, exploring in the tender. It's for people who want to see the stars sparkling in the heavens above, stars you don't see when city lights obscure them. It's for people who enjoy sipping that first cup of coffee and watching the sun peep over the horizon. It's for people who want to get away from traffic jams, cell phones, newspapers and noise. It's for people who can entertain themselves and enjoy each others company.

Slumber Venture, like most charter yachts, had a big screen plasma TV. We didn't watch it. There were DVDs to watch, we ignored them. We played hard all day, dined and chatted into the night, fell asleep exhausted and woke up refreshed to start it all again! There is so much to do, you can't scratch the surface, even if you stay a week or more.

If you love to snorkel or dive, you will be in paradise. There deep dives, shallow dives and drift dives. Sink holes wait to be explored, reefs that are home to Christmas tree worms, flamingo tongues and basket starfish. The key is to be flexible and listen to the suggestions of your dive master, as they are looking out for your best interests. Tides run strongly throughout the Bahamas, and what could be a lovely place at slack tide to spend an hour's dive exploring a reef that resembles a fish bowl, when the tide is running, the entire dive will become a 10 minute drift dive as you zoom past. One of the best, most knowledgeable and passionate dive masters/fishing guide/environmental guru is Exuma Vicki. Every captain knows her and can arrange a tour or dive for you with her.

Thunderball Grotto, made famous by the James Bond movie Thunderball is a place everyone talks about, and most everyone visits. Accessible to snorkelers at low tide, the Grotto is a small, partially underwater cavern with a skylight. The light beams down from the opening in the roof, illuminating the crystal clear blue water below. The ocean floor lies about 20 feet below, and the light sparkles off the myriad of fish that swoop and flit through the area. Whether you visit Thunderball Grotto, dive the reef in the middle of Conch Cut or just snorkeling in the water behind your anchored charter boat the waters of the Bahamas are jewel like, both above and below the surface.

Fish abound here. Stalk the wily bonefish that inhabit the shallow waters, try your hand at bottom fishing, or head out to deep water. Not to be outdone by the glittering fish, conch move about at their own slow speed, pulling themselves along with their curved claw-like foot. If you "catch and clean" your supper, you will need a fishing license, which your charter agent can arrange for you. Conch are off-limits to sportsmen, available for gathering only to native Bahamians. While we were visiting, one of the local guides, Capt. Wayde Nixon, caught, "bonked", cleaned a couple of conchs which he then made up into one of the delectable conch salads I had ever eaten. What a lovely thing to do with a conch. Wayde specializes in sportfishing in the Exumas…he knows the area like the back of his hand, and loves sharing his knowledge with you.

Conch Cut, which I mentioned earlier, marks the southern end of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. This wonderful park is 176 square miles of protected waters and cays, established in 1959. The entire park was declared a "no take" zone in 1986, so the numbers of fish, conch, lobster, iguanas and birds are astounding. It is well worth a day of your charter holiday to visit this pristine area, if only to see for yourself how well strictly enforced laws can protect and encourage wildlife to thrive.

To the north of Staniel Cay, lies Sampson Cay. There is a small marina there, with flats rising out of the water at low tide. There is a restaurant there; the Sampson Cay Club. If you are planning on dining there, put your order in early. Check on it several times during the day to make sure they still have it. Don't be surprised if, when you sit down to dinner, the order has been lost, and the only thing you can get is what they have left in the kitchen! On the other hand, on the stroll over to the club from the marina, we did see two flitting hummingbirds, which almost atoned for the lack of dinner that evening.

Beyond Sampson Cay are a multitude of smaller cays which make up the archipelago of Pipe Creek. Sampson Cay is included as part of Pipe Creek, which runs north up to Compass Cay. With in the Pipe Creek area, there are many shallow areas which are dry at low tide. As with any charter, people want to do different things at different times. Lucky for us, Slumber Venture had more than enough toys to go around. A few of us kidnapped our captain to be a tour guide for the afternoon, and off we zoomed on Slumber Venture's very comfortable center console tender. The shallow draft was perfect for exploring the many inlets and coves. Everywhere we looked, there were beautiful beaches, perfect white sand…with nobody around. The captain nosed the tender up onto a sandbar at one point. I jumped off the bow onto the sand, to discover the sand was so fine and powdery that I sank past my ankles! It was hard not to giggle as I "plop, plop, plopped" my way down the beach. In fact, I was laughing so hard by the time I got back to the boat, I couldn't get enough leverage to jump back on, so the captain reached down and literally plucked me out of the sand. I have never walked on sand so soft. What a treat.

Compass Cay is a private island that everyone visits. Visitation rites are available for $5/person. And well worth the money. There is a school of nurse sharks that live by the dock, exciting for both the youngsters of the group and the still-feellike- youngsters. If you are up for a hike with a delight at the end, head for Rachel's Bubble Bath. The "bath" derives its name from wave action. It is separated from the ocean by a rocky outcrop, but at mid-to-high tide the waves get high enough to crash over the rocks and into the pool, crating bubbles of white foam much like a Jazuzzi. Compass Cay is also home of the "Low Tide Airport", which is a flat that dries out (obviously) at low tide. Not sure if an airplane could actually land there, but it worked well for a helicopter. Morris and Joanie Kuhn are both pilots and own a chopper. We met them at Sampson Cay on their boat Ty-kuhn, and ended up having them give us a chopper tour of the area. Seen from above, with running commentary from Morris, the cays, sand bars, beaches and shimmering jewel-like color of the water brought home what a jewel this area is, and yet how fragile.

All too soon, our holiday was over and we were back on the golf cart, heading for the airport on Staniel Cay. The pilot of our charter plane graciously agreed to do a fly-by of all the places we had visited and fell in love with. Our plane gained altitude as we left behind the iridescent waters of the Exumas and the only thought in my mind was: "it really is all about the water".