Bimini Island Travel Guide - Celebrity Cruise Port of Call

When stopping at Bimini Island, whether by private boat, flight or a cruise, there are a few places worth checking out. But be sure to bring cash as most shopping and area attractions do not accept credit cards. You may find some luck with Cash App or Zelle but cash is king.
Since we aren't big drinkers or gamblers, the two most popular things to do on Bimini, we set off solo, looking for our own adventure on a budget.
Bimini is best known for the fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving along with swimming in the picturesque, Caribbean, and year round, tropically warm water. Located only 54 miles west of the Florida peninsula, this tropical oasis is easy to get to.
Stepping off the Celebrity Reflection, we loaded up on the courtesy tram which transports you to the Hilton Hotel, Casino or Golf Cart Rental facility. Haggling with the locals, even during off season, wasn't happening so $120 later, we had our own 4 seater, gas powered golf cart to enjoy with a return time of 4:30pm. They didn't ask for a drivers license or to fill out any paperwork. In hindsight, since we only used the cart until about 1pm, we could have easily turned it over to a different family for them to enjoy the remainder of the time. If it didn't get returned, there was no paper trail (not that there is far for it to go anyways). While you can hoof it on foot or grab a taxi here and there, the overall experience was much more enjoyable with our own golf cart. Be sure to make sure your golf cart works right, has working breaks, forward and reverse etc, before leaving the lot. We didn't experience any issues other than shotty brakes but hearing from others, the carts aren't very well maintained. You may also try your hand at haggling but don't expect to win that battle.
Outside of beaching, gambling and drinking there really isn't too much to do on the island. The small island can be quickly seen by cart for a bit of sightseeing and there are several little vendor shops scattered about with the usual fanfare and some locally handmade items. We only purchased a Conch Shell but be forewarned, you need to ensure it's been properly processed for customs checks and you MUST get a receipt. Otherwise your purchase will be confiscated either upon return to the ship or upon arrival back to the states.
While shopping, we asked a local islander if any recommended places to visit. The islanders are a close knit group of people and exceptionally friendly and willing to recommend some places to check out. One such recommendation that I strongly encourage anyone to check out is the Dolphin House Museum. Builder Ashley Saunders is quite the amazing individual and admission is only $10(USD). Since this house turned tourist attraction has been worked on for over 30 years (and counting), this is a spot to visit time and time again as it will always be different. Check out my related video for an overview on that.
The other place I'd recommend is a little place on the water called Ebbie's for some amazingly fresh seafood. The staple item is conch and conch salad as the surrounding waters are bountiful with this replenishing food source. Prices are on the higher side as they are taking full advantage of vacationers and our conch salad cost $14(USD) each and a bottle of water was $6(USD). They do not accept any form of payment but cash so be prepared. We did not have any extra cash after renting a golf cart, buying a souvenir and visiting the Dolphin House but luckily they begrudgingly accepted a Zelle transfer and even more lucky, I had an international data plan to access the internet and my mobile banking app but don't expect the same results. This place isn't very well marked and sits back off the road behind another building, through a wood fence with a small sign.
It would be much better to carry a small backpack, or similar, with your own drinks on hand to save a bit of money. We only carried off 2 bottles each but with the heat of summer, we quickly exhausted our personal supply and didn't want to return to the ship to grab more, though that is always an option.
Outside of those two spots, we didn't see too much else the island had to offer. There are several local eateries but most seemed to be located inside houses that looked less than appealing and we were concerned about food quality and food safety so diecided to not to risk it.
We ran the island tip to tip (or as far as we legally could go) and ventured up and down the side streets on some neat sightseeing. The locals we encountered were friendly but we still kept our guard up. Crime rates are reportedly very low but we never saw law enforcement except at the port gate and don't take chances, keeping our situational awareness on high alert.
So pack a bag with some towels and goggles and take in the views underwater, definately check out the Dolphin House Museum and grab a refreshing conch salad at Ebbie's and Pats.
#travel #bimini #island #review #vacation #bahamas

[@robertasprague7375]

Didn’t get the name of the place with conch salad

[@SandhillCaptain]

Sorry for the late response. That place is Ebbies (Ebbie and Pats). Ask a local when visiting and they will point you in the right direction!