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Located just about 50 miles from Fort Lauderdale, Bimini is the closest chain of Bahamian islands from the mainland US, making it a great boating destination. Bimini is made up of three islands: North and South Bimini (the two largest islands) and East Bimini. Bimini's main settlement is Alice Town, a collection of shops, restaurants, and bars on North Bimini on a road known as King's Highway. The second major road is Queens Highway, which runs almost the length of the island and is parallel to Kings Highway. We sailed to Bimini in December of 2022 and spent a week and a half exploring what it has to offer. The following are some recommendations from our time there. Where to Stay  Our Pick: Bimini Blue Water Resort Dock at a Local Marina Bimini's waters are very shallow and there aren't a lot of dinghy docks on the island, so we opted to dock our boat in a marina on the southeast side of North Bimini instead of anchoring. Our first stop was Bimini Big Game Club, where we had reserved a T-head slip for three nights. They didn't answer our calls on the VHF when we arrived, so after several tries, we called the phone number listed on their website (+1 242-347-3391), and the woman who answered said they would send someone out to help with the dock lines. The slip they told us to use was occupied, so we had to use an alternate slip (one that was much less protected). We tied up to the cleats as the pylons weren't secure enough. While the resort didn't look nearly as glamorous as portrayed on the website, it definitely met our needs. As far as amenities go, it featured an Outfitter Shop with a small selection of food, drinks, souvenirs, and miscellaneous sundries; an onsite restaurant where we ate a few times and found the food to be pretty good; and a small dockside bar and grill. There were no laundry facilities (at least that we could find), but they did have showers. There was a nice little pool in the center of the resort, and they also offered some paid excursions such as scuba diving, shark encounters, swimming with dolphins, and more. Bimini Big Game Club is located on the south side of the island, which is close to Radio Beach and where the locals live. This was also a convenient place for clearing customs. (Tip! Don't forget to submit your Click2Clear paperwork before you arrive.) We felt that Big Game Club's location offered a much more authentic Bimini experience than the marinas on the north side of the island, near the cruise port, so when our three nights were up there, we moved to a lower-priced option right next door, the Bimini Blue Water Resort (+1 242-347-3166). Our docking experience at the Bimini Blue Water Resort was fantastic! J.R., the dockmaster, was very skilled at handling our dock lines and gave us tons of advice on navigating the shallow waters. Blue Water Marina had onsite showers and a restaurant, which was located across the street. We didn't see any laundry facilities. All in all, it provided just enough amenities for our needs at a more reasonable price than the Big Game Club. Things to See and Do in Bimini  Radio Beach Relax on the Beach The most famous beach in Bimini is Radio Beach, and for good reason. This beautiful beach is quintessential "Bahamas." Radio Beach is located on the south side of North Bimini, and when we were there, it never got overly crowded—even when cruise ships were in town. Radio Beach has a few beachside food and drink stands, and you can sip a drink out of a coconut for a small upcharge.  The Gallant Lady shipwreck See a Shipwreck The Gallant Lady shipwreck is located on the southernmost point of North Bimini. It's said that this once freighter sailed out of Belize City and was smashed up onto shore during Hurricane Mitch in 1997. You can't really snorkel around her remains since she sits atop the beach, but we got a nice view from the rocky terrace above.  The Dolphin House Tour the Dolphin House No trip to Bimini is complete without a tour of the Dolphin House. Artist and author Ashley Saunders has been continuously building this ocean-inspired "museum" since 1993 out of recycled, salvaged, and donated items. It's located on the south side of the island, steps away from Radio Beach. When were were there, admission was $10 per person, and the artist himself personally conducted our tour. Since we didn't see a way to pre-purchase tickets, we simply walked over to the house. When we got there, Mr. Saunders popped his head out of an upstairs window and came down to let us in. We found Mr. Saunders to be a very interesting and humble host. Operating hours when we were there were Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tip! Mr. Saunders told us he plans to open sleeping accommodations within the house. I would stay there in a heartbeat! As of this writing, the rooms are still under construction, but I recommend checking his website for updates on this.  Bread from Charlie's Bakery Eat Some Coconut Bread If you're looking for some authentic Bahamian bread, Charlie's Bakery is the place to go. Located between Alice Town and Bailey Town, Charlie's Bakery offers delicious homemade bread in a variety of flavors. Be sure to arrive early, because it often sells out. It's not cheap (around $6-$7 a loaf), but we found it to be worth every penny. When we were there, the hours of operation were 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Take a Nature Walk We took a ferry from North Bimini to South Bimini to reach the Bimini Nature Trail. It's not easy to find, and it's a bit of a trek to get there, but we found this mile-long nature trail to be a wonderful experience. As a bonus, at the end of it, we got to see the ruins of Australian swimmer Percy Cavill's "conch house."  Golf cart rentals near Fisherman's Village Rent a Golf Cart There are two main ways to get around in North Bimini: by foot and by golf cart. (You can rent the latter in multiple places on the island.) And although we didn't rent a golf cart, we saw LOTS of tourists doing so. There's a huge rental site near the cruise port. We love walking, so we walked everywhere we went. We found that we could walk from the south side of North Bimini to Resort World on the north side in about an hour. We've read that you can find taxis in North Bimini, but we didn't notice any, and we also didn't see any Uber or Lyft cars. Conclusion
We loved our time in Bimini and the many people we met there. While it's not fancy, it boasts beautiful beaches and crystal-clear waters. We think a long weekend would be enough time to experience what this lovely little chain of islands has to offer. |
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