Small Hope Bay Lodge All Inclusive

“A place to get off the treadmill for a few days.”

If you like getting served umbrella cocktails by the pool, this isn’t the place for you. If you enjoy scuba, fly fishing, meeting new people from everywhere or just enjoying the solitude of a great book in a hammock surrounded by palm trees and blue/green water, then you should give it a go. I’ve b… lisää

If you like getting served umbrella cocktails by the pool, this isn’t the place for you. If you enjoy scuba, fly fishing, meeting new people from everywhere or just enjoying the solitude of a great book in a hammock surrounded by palm trees and blue/green water, then you should give it a go. I’ve been 3 times and I’ve never met a guest who wasn’t already planning their next visit. The staff is top notch. I’m looking forward to introducing Small Hope to family and friends in the near future. Make the time to visit. You won’t regret it.

vähemmän

“Epic Adventure to Small Hope Bay Lodge in Andros Island”

My wife and me, our son and his wife, and our daughter with her husband and three grandsons, had the most memorable family trip to Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros Island. The staff was absolutely attentive, making sure that all of our needs were met everyday, (such a special group of people). That b… lisää

My wife and me, our son and his wife, and our daughter with her husband and three grandsons, had the most memorable family trip to Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros Island. The staff was absolutely attentive, making sure that all of our needs were met everyday, (such a special group of people). That began with the office staff ,through to the Ambassadors / Dive Masters and Instructors. They could not have been any friendlier or caring. By the time we left, they all felt like family. We had the most delicious meals with an assortment to meet everyone's desire and needs. Any edible fish we caught were also prepared by chef Mel and served to us. We celebrated our son and daughter-in-law's anniversary while we were there and the staff made it very special. Our son-in-law along with our grandsons had the opportunity to obtain their resort scuba certification. Our adventures include, but are not limited to: Having the ability to snorkel and dive in crystal clear blue water, explore coral reefs, swim in Blue Holes, find starfish, battle and catch bone fish, relax on the stunning beach, explore the mangrove by kayaking in water so clear you appeared to be floating above the surface, take a batik fabric making class together, watch highlights of the scuba and snorkel trips each night, play chess, checkers or ping pong in the main building, sleep in sweet Bahamian decorated rooms, and truly enjoy the scenery. The one phrase that was repeated daily was that each day was 'epic'.... It truly was. Thank you so very much for such amazing memories.

vähemmän

“Eighth - and not the last - visit to SHBL”

I visited SHBL in April for the 8th time. Obviously, I love it there. The first six times I visited Iwas with family. The two most recent visits I went with a friend who is an avid diver. The cabins are clean and comfortable - but some people will consider them spartan: No TV, no phone, for e… lisää

I visited SHBL in April for the 8th time. Obviously, I love it there. The first six times I visited Iwas with family. The two most recent visits I went with a friend who is an avid diver. The cabins are clean and comfortable - but some people will consider them spartan: No TV, no phone, for example, but outside of sleeping and changing, - and once in a while, napping - I spend no time in the room. The food is excellent. The service is equal to the food. The site itself is spectacular. The entire resort is within maybe 40 yards of the water. Whether permitting - which is usually - meals are served on the patio, which is right next to the water. There are 2 bars - one inside and one on the patio. The staff double as mixologists but guests are welcome to make their own drinks, which I do often! The diving is terrific. (Ask to go to the Blue Hole!). All dive sites are a short boat ride from the dock. Usually about 15 mins. I recommend the shark dive, which is offered if there's sufficient interest. Night dives are offered too. Dive masters are the best I've encountered anywhere. And the dive masters mingle with the guests through out the day, having meals with the guests. They're all very interesting people! In addition, I've met many fascinating people among the other guests. Downsides: They only allow one beer at lunch if you're going on the afternoon dive. While getting to Nassau is easy and inexpensive from the east coast, getting from NAS to Andros can cost as much or more than the flight to NAS and scheduling can mean a longish wait, depending on which option you choose. I've gone by scheduled flights (which are pretty reasonable) and chartered small prop planes. The charter is really convenient but doesn't make financial sense unless you have 4 or 5 people. Having said that, I've sprung for the charter with fewer than 4 people simply for the convenience. The staff at SHBL can hep you with those logistics. (Shout out to Annastasia!)

vähemmän

“Excellent Trip to Small Hope Lodge”

We really enjoyed our week at Small Hope. I am a diver while my wife is not. I dove three times a day for five days. Nitrox was available and I used it on my second and third dives each day. The first dive was deeper so Nitrox would be riskier at those depths. The dive crew was exceptional and… lisää

We really enjoyed our week at Small Hope. I am a diver while my wife is not. I dove three times a day for five days. Nitrox was available and I used it on my second and third dives each day. The first dive was deeper so Nitrox would be riskier at those depths. The dive crew was exceptional and unique to this resort the dive masters also did other roles around the resort including mixing and serving drinks, fixing things, etc. Also the dive crew would mingle with the guest at meals and at happy hour. Never seen so much mingling and the staff was all very friendly and attentive. As other reviews have noted they become almost like friends and family. My wife didn’t dive and the staff was always concerned about her as well. She mostly hung on the beach, walked, and rode bikes by herself. She found lots to do while not diving and enjoyed the mingling with the dive crew at meals and happy hours. The food was exceptional and more than enough. Drinks were included and many premium liquors are available. Wine was limited but tasty. Our room was quite comfortable. We paid extra for air conditioning as I like to sleep in a cool room. Housekeeping was good and they kept us supplied with towels, etc. Back to the diving - we must’ve come at slow time as I was often the only diver on the dive boat. I give them extra props for still going out with just me (some morning dives I was joined by a diver staying in a long term Airbnb near the resort). I have been at some resorts where the dive boats would not go out with only one or two divers. They filmed all of my dives and showed them after dinner each night and gave me access to download copies of all of the films of my dives. The dives were all varied. The deeper dives all had dramatic topography with cool swim-throughs and small caves. Dove also a wreck, a small sunk airplane, and a structure previously used for underwater submarine provisioning. Also dove Small Hope’s coral nursery, where the Small Hope foundation is growing new coral to try and keep the reefs restored. On several dives I saw reef sharks and a close encounter with a hawkbill turtle. On some of the shallow dives I saw a lot of algae growing on the coral which can kill the coral eventually. Small Hope is trying to deal with this by cleaning off poisonous algae infesting some of the reefs, and then locating sea urchins on to the cleaned corals. The urchins will eat normal algae and keep it cut down, but the poisonous variety will kill the urchins. I wish Small Hope good luck with this project to deal with the algae infestation. Alll in all, it was a very enjoyable and memorable vacation.

vähemmän