Monthly Archives

October 2019

travel

Exuma, Bahamas Travel Guide with Grand Isle Resort & 23 North GR

October 22, 2019

It has been almost a year since our last trip to Grand Isle Resort (you can read that post here) and I was so excited to bring Roman back this time with us!  Last time we only stayed two nights on the resort and brought Lainey, this time we stayed 4 nights and also brought our friends to experience it!  I felt like we were able to appreciate the slower lifestyle Exuma is known for this time around and I always love visiting a place a second time because you know what to do, where to go, and where to eat by then.  Also since our last visit, Grand Isle opened up a new area with an Adults only pool & new restaurant known as 23 North Beach Club.  See below for the latest about the island 🙂

(The new adults only pool at 23 North GR)

About the Island:  “Exuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, also called cays. The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma, by a small bridge. The capital and largest town in the district is George Town.”  Exuma is located on the southern Bahamas.  They were not affected by the recent hurricane and a percentage of all bookings at Grand Isle Resort is going towards the relief for the northern Bahamas (Abaco islands) that was directly hit by Hurricane Dorian.  Book here for last minute escapes!

How to get there:  We flew directly into Georgetown Airport this trip from RDU, with a quick connector in Miami, FL and it was the best experience so far.  We have flown into Nassau before because we missed a connector in Atlanta (you can read about that story here) & hopped over to Exuma later in the day on another connector flight and it made us miss an entire day.  Highly suggest just flying directly into Georgetown Airport!  From there, the resort is a quick 10 minutes away!

What to pack:  I got this question a lot which was surprising to me since it is a typical island lifestyle to me!  It is a small island, nothing fancy, so I was either barefoot or had sandals on with a maxi dress half the time and the other half in a bathing suit!  The weather year round stays in the lower 80s, so just pack comfortable.  If it did rain, it only last maybe an hour throughout the day then the sun would shine.  I usually pack a sweater as well to throw over in the evening when the sun goes down!  Also I always pack my own beach bag with all the kid pool accessories they love.

Where to Stay:  Of course we love Grand Isle Resort!  We stayed at other properties in Exuma before and the experience was not even close to the service and luxury accommodations Grand Isle Resort has to offer.  You can choose between 1-4 bedroom luxury villas.  We stayed in a 3 bedroom this time, but actually ended up switching to a 2 bedroom because apparently only 2 bedrooms have whirlpool tubs and my kids love baths!

Dining Options:  At Grand Isle Resort you have a few options for dining.  You can eat at Palapa grill by the pool for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  23 North also just opened up their newest restaurant which is Asian-Bahamian inspired food that is open for lunch or dinner.  We had an amazing dinner there on one of our nights, see all behind the scenes on my Instagram stories here.  During Hurricane Season a lot of places shut down on the island so options are slim.  We enjoyed taking the boat to Staniel Cay for lunch one afternoon and also make sure to do Sunday Buffet lunch at Chat & Chill!  You have to take a boat to both of these places, you can easily rent your own at Minns Water Sports!

Excursions:  We did a private boat tour for the first time with Triple A Adventures and I will always do that moving forward especially with a group in Exuma!  It also made our day a lot smoother on a private boat with toddlers.  We had a group of 8 people and I loved it because we were able to schedule the day how we wanted and avoid the other boat crowds at key tourist spots (swimming with pigs and shark pictures you see here).  You can customize your private boat tour for a half day or full day depending on what spots you want to visit.  Book your next adventure with Triple A Adventures here!



Thank you to the amazing team at Grand Isle Resort for hosting our stay!  As always, all opinions are my own!

lifestyle

Guest Suite Makeover with Home Depot

October 9, 2019


(this was the before! Scroll for all the pictures after the makeover!)

We styled our downstairs Suite room at the beach house over the last couple months with The Home Depot & I am so excited to share the before and after results!  Everything you see in this room was shipped directly from The Home Depot & styled by one of our favorite designers Upstaged Wilmington.  I wanted something cozy & bright with a more updated feel.  See below for all the updates with links to the specific products to easily shop!

I used the Hook Strap Black Rolling Barn Door Hardware Kit in 5 inch wheel from The Home Depot and had a local contractor create a chevron barn door to give the room a southern beach feel.  I have always wanted to have a barn door in my house and I was so excited The Home Depot’s hardware was so easy to install with my vision.


The entire bed is so cozy.  We have had several guests come stay at the beach house and mention that this is the most comfortable bed they have ever slept in!  I layered the bed with StyleWell Down Feather Blend White Comforter and the Home Decorators Collections Quilted Gel Memory Foam Matress Topper from Home Depot. The pillows are Stylewell every position allergy relief king pillows! The bed frame is Home Decorators Collection Hillcott Charcoal Gray upholstered king bed from The Home Depot, I love the dark grey tones it brings to the room.


I fell in love with these South Shore Lionel 2-Drawer Seaside Pine Nightstands on their site.  It’s the perfect balance of white and grey distressed for that new trend.  It compliments the bed frame so well.  You can also shop this Safavieh Passion Turquoise/Ivory rug pictured here, we chose the 8ft x 11ft area rug.


This BrandtWorks Weathered Gray Full Length Floor Mirror is perfect for getting ready at any time of day.  The grey tone blended so well with my theme.  Also you can shop the South Shore Lionel 6-Drawer Seaside Pine Chest that matches the nightstands.


I also bought these additional Amerock Carrione Marble White Drawer Pulls I plan to switch out in the future on the dressers  & Nightstands for a pop of white!  The Home Depot has so many options for hardware choices to be creative!


I’ve always loved beds that had a bench at the end of it for taking off your shoes easily, and the Home Decorators Collection Ivory Bench is so well put together.  I love the cream shade!


For organization I put this Liberty Graywash and Satin Nickel Hook Rack on the right side wall for guests to easily hang their bags, towels after being on the beach!   I also have been using this Natural Jute Decorative Storage basket by LR Resources to store things in the closet.