10 things I learned on Bahamas vacation

At Billy Joe's on Grand Bahama. Photo by a very nice tourist.

It's November in Baltimore, and the weather has finally turned cold and wintry. Did anybody else see those snow flurries on Tuesday? I'm shivering just thinking about it.

That's why right now is the perfect time for a little island getaway (or, alternatively, to start planning one). If you're in the market for a vacation, you could do worse than Grand Bahama Island. It's a fairly easy flight from Baltimore - there's a layover in Charlotte, but total flight time is still under three hours - and it's everything an island vacation should be. How do I know this? I spent last Wednesday to Sunday on Grand Bahama with my husband, Cooper, and our friends, Mike, Alicia, Bill and Jen. 

Conch, just before becoming a delcious ceviche salad. Photo by Alicia Barger. 

It was a good trip - both relaxing and educational. Here's what I learned during my four nights on Grand Bahama:

1. Bahamians each eat an average of 100 pounds of chicken per year. That explains all the chicken farms we passed between the Freeport airport and our condo in Port Lucaya. It also explains why Bahamians are absolute geniuses with fried chicken.

2. Conch spine, when eaten raw, is considered an aphrodisiac. Cooper and Bill both tried it, but I'm pretty sure the only thing they noticed was that it tasted like salty gelatin. However, the conch salad (mine was made with the very conch shown in the photo) - a ceviche of conch, tomatoes, peppers, onions, hot sauce and lots of lime - was outstanding. Kind of like conchy salsa.

3. Billy Joe's on the beach in Port Lucaya makes the best pina colada in the world. At least the best one that I've had. They're so creamy, they're like milkshakes.

It's hard to leave this view. Photo by Alicia Barger. 

4. Beer, when sold by the case, is crazy expensive on Grand Bahama. We bought a case of Coors Light cans for $54. Seriously. But in the bars, beers are usually two for $5. Either way, we should've skipped the CL Smooths and stuck with Kalik.

5. The sand on Grand Bahama puts Ocean City to shame. It's super soft and the water is so foamy it's like a bubble bath.

6. Tourists and locals mix everywhere on Grand Bahama. We never felt like we were in a designated "tourist" area. Everyone was nice and friendly, too. It's a comfortable spot.

7. There is, actually, a difference between "island time" and just plain old bad service. While many (all) of our dinners were slow compared to Baltimore meals, we only had bad service during one (meals mixed up, not delivered, etc.).

8. Conch fritters aren't that great - they're mostly big piles of fried junk - but fresh red snapper is amazing.

9. Bahamians like their wine sweet. I mean, really sweet.

10. When you're in the islands, it's easy to make big plans, but then to ditch them in favor of laying on the beach and just hanging out. And you know what? That's OK.