#Bimini island racer series#

One of the best ways to get around and see North Bimini is by renting a bicycle or a golf cart if you’re in a hurry (pro tip: don’t be in a hurry, you’re in Bimini!). I won’t lie, the island is pretty small, but it’s quite funny how even in such a small place there’s just not enough time to do and see everything. It’s a place to unwind and sort of just be. It’s also said that the tales of gigantic fish are what inspired Hemingway to eventually write titles such as “The Old Man and the Sea.”īimini isn’t just for cranky old men who fancy dry martinis and short sentences. During his time there it’s said he wrote “To Have and Have Not” and spent most of his days offshore in search of marlin and swordfish. For all you literature fans out there, Bimini was also home to famed-author Ernest Hemingway from 1935 to 1937. The Hilton is also home to the largest marina in The Bahamas, an ideal stopping point for deep-sea fishermen able to dock just under 300 boats. As someone who frequents the spa at home–mostly for deep tissue and sports massages–it was nice to work with a massage therapist who was just as knowledgeable as those back home. The Hilton also has a connected casino, a rooftop pool, swim-up bar, and a formidable spa which I attended on my final day. Juxtaposed in the Hilton’s main room are a few restaurants, serving everything from casual fare and sushi, to breakfast buffets and fine dining in the evenings. The hotel features a very different multi-use lobby, which helps make a small island (and by American standards, a small resort/hotel) feel alive. While it’s set on a less commercialized island, the hotel does a great job of making us spoiled Westerners feel as though we have all of the little amenities we’d come to expect while staying abroad. Since opening, the Hilton at Resorts World Bimini has become an ideal place to serve as a homebase for exploring all of what Bimini’s shores and sea has to offer. The 300-room hotel opened just last year, and is by and large the only real “hotel-hotel” on the island. To give you an idea, our shiny little 70-passenger plane was by far the largest thing on the runway all weekend.įrom the airport, we boarded a ferry which took us directly across the channel to North Bimini, right to the doorstep of the Hilton at Resorts World Bimini. We landed at South Bimini Airport, which is nested between some overgrown brush and the sea on every side–this already set the tone that the visit would be more scenic than I’d expected. The ease of the direct route-and just dealing with a smaller airline in general-made the visit that much easier. Elite recently opened a direct flight from Newark International Airport right to South Bimini, with a travel time totaling about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Headquartered in Portland, Maine, the airline commenced operations in 2014 and now has roughly 11 planes in service–most of which seat about 70 passengers. It was around that time I was introduced to Elite Airways, a niche airline that specializes in those under-the-radar cities and destinations in and around the U.S. But without access to my own personal jet for the weekend I was left scratching my head. For those living in Florida, Miami specifically, there’s quite a lot of options: seaplane, niche airlines, flying private, even by boat. I’ll admit, I initially thought getting to Bimini from New Jersey would be quite the chore. With a population of about 2,000 and an area of less than nine square miles, Bimini is a place that embodies slow-living, island life-one with no massive towers or cruise ships blocking the view.įlying above the Marina at Hilton Resorts World Bimini

#Bimini island racer series#

Bimini is comprised of two larger islands (North and South) and a series of other small cays and mangroves. My eye-opening realization came prior to my recent trip to Bimini, the westernmost island(s) of the Bahamas located roughly 50 miles due east of Miami. What’s more, many of these districts have quite the storied past-a rich cultural history that I’d not anticipated. (Who knew there were that many?) The urbanite in me certainly didn’t. But it wasn’t until recently that I discovered how little I knew about the Bahamas.įor one, there are around 700 islands and cays, some of which are completely uninhabited. And as a result, I learned a lot about myself as a traveler. Having grown up right outside NYC, I wanted to feel as though I was somewhere completely foreign from home.

I’d exchanged crowds and cruise ship-goers for a more scenic getaway. I found myself traveling further and further away longer flight times were worth it. These few experiences created, for me, a stigma that left me quite reluctant to return to the well-known archipelago indefinitely.