Experience the best of two worlds and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday here in the Bahamas!
The vibrant culture of the Bahamas blends colorful art, lively music, and a relaxed sense of community, which results in a laid-back hospitality that feels welcoming to all who visit. The overarching mood is a celebratory one, making it a perfect holiday destination. While the Bahamas don’t officially celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, many locals still observe this day of thanks along with many visitors from the United States. Here in the Bahamas, we appreciate any opportunity to be thankful and feast with our loved ones.
Thanksgiving in the Bahamas
About 7 million people visit the Bahamas each year, and quite a few of them visit during the holiday season. The Bahamas offer an eclectic blend of cultures, drawing the best features from African cultures with some strong British and American influences, too. Instead of recognizing only a few holidays and festivals, Bahamians enjoy them all, embracing as much joy as possible. This includes Britain’s Guy Fawkes Day, the African art and dance festival Junkanoo, and American Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving in the Bahamas is much like the American Thanksgiving holiday. Here, tables also groan with turkey and all its trimmings. However, as you’d expect, we put our own Bahamian twist on Thanksgiving, by adding crayfish stuffing, fresh Johnnycakes, conch salad, coconut sweet potatoes, and plantains, and finishing up with Bahamian cocktails and Kalik to drink.
Of course, if you prefer to DIY your Thanksgiving holiday feast, you can opt for a meal delivery service, which provides you with all the ingredients and meal components to prepare your own home-cooked meal. These programs typically include locally sourced produce, pre-made components, and ingredients prepared by Bahamian chefs. You can then prepare your own Thanksgiving day feast in your fully equipped gourmet kitchen at the Grand Isle Resort!
The Bahamas in November
While much of the rest of the world is preparing for cold weather and dismal skies, here in the Bahamas, things are just fine. Temperatures rarely drop below the mid-70s at night or exceed the mid-80s during the day: perfect for exploring and enjoying everything!
As it turns out, there is plenty to do here, including:
- Feeding the swimming pigs of Staniel Cay, which are friendly and used to human contact and will swim right up to you
- Visiting the wild iguanas of Allen’s Cay, which is one of the most endangered iguana species in the world
- Diving for conch, which you can do on a private tour or a group tour and allow you to get the freshest conch meat available which you can then enjoy grilled or on a salad
- Touring the cays via seaplane, enabling you to see many or even all the islands via a custom itinerary, including some of the most secluded cays and most breathtaking views of the sandbars in the Exumas
- Kicking back on Cocoplum Beach, a quiet beach located just off Queen’s Highway with a shallow sandbar that allows you to walk nearly a quarter of a mile into the water before reaching deeper water
There are so many things to do here, you can fill your itinerary and still have more options. As always, though, remember to leave room for dessert during your Thanksgiving trip to the Bahamas and plan your trip now. While the Bahamas might not recognize Thanksgiving as an official holiday, the number of expats and visitors who celebrate is high. This means that spots fill quickly, and the time to make your reservation is now.
Remember, our doors are always open here at the Grand Isle Resort. Here, you can enjoy the warmth, beauty, and hospitality of the Bahamas in pure luxury. Whether you are relaxing on the silken sands of the Emerald Bay or taking a dip in the turquoise waters, your stay will be nothing short of magical. Contact us today to make your reservations!
