Bottom Line
THIS IS MY NUMBER 1 DESTINATION EVER! I don’t see changing my mind either. In all of the dozens of Caribbean locations I’ve traveled to over the years, no place has this special combination of personal service, comfortable and classy accommodations, 5 star food, and freedom of adventure. I really mean it, this tops them all! I should mention that they are not sponsoring or paying me to say this, I just love the place that much.
Take Away Summary
- Your private Villa comes with your own personal boat!
- It’s Expensive ($1,700 – $4,000/Night) depending on villa, and worth every penny
- Excellent Food! All food and drinks are included in the price of the stay, including the amazing private chef prepared lunches and dinners.
- You get your own golf cart to drive around the small island
- Never croweded with only 6 villas on the island with a max capacity of 28 guests
- 3 beautiful beaches on the island, complete with an assortment of non powered water toys like kayaks and paddle boards
I found out about Fowl Cay Resort in an inconspicuous paragraph buried in some travel magazine 6 years ago. What caught my attention was mention that during your stay you would have access to your own boat to explore all of the neighboring chains of islands. Ashley and I love boating, and the opportunity to have us boating around secluded Caribbean islands and solitary beaches together seemed like an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. After a little more research Ashley and I knew we needed to go. In fact, it’s where we honeymooned! This article will be a review of the Fowl Cay Resort, in a separate post I’ll describe our entire trip there.
Fowl Cay Resort
Fowl Cay (pronounced “key” for all of you land lovers) is a 50 acre island nestled in the Exuma island chain of the Bahamas. The Exuma island chain is made up of over 365 islands that stretch linearly for almost 120 miles. The area is widely known for it’s calm turquoise waters and an influx of celebrities who have purchased islands along the nearby island chain. Those celebrities who have purchased islands close by include Johnny Depp, Faith Hill, David Copperfield, and Nicholas Cage.
After arriving by aircraft to Staniel Cay, you’ll be greeted off the tarmac by the friendly pair of individuals who are responsible for managing the resort. You’ll walk down to a small center console and enjoy a 10 minute boat ride across calm crystal clear waters to Fowl Cay’s dock. You’ll pass the infamous “Pig Beach” which is a widely known for it’s swimming pigs and stop to feed them.
When you arrive on to the dock you’ll be helped out of the boat and escorted to your villa via a golf cart and given an island tour.
The resort hosts 6 private villas as well as a main lodge called the Hill House. At maximum capacity the resort will only host 28 guests, so you’ll never see a crowded beach. The island also has a tennis court, beach games, and all of the non powered water toys you could want.
A typical day for Ashley and I involved waking up to enjoy our light breakfast provided daily to the villa. Afterwards we’d walk around to one of the beaches enjoying the morning sun. We’d then return to our villa to prepare our personal beach bags for a day on the boat. At 9 am we would arrive at the dock with our plan on where we’d be taking the boat that day. After picking up an ice chest that had been pre-stocked with our food selections we’d be off and running. I’ve listed most of the experiences we had with the boat below. Most of the time we’d be out for the entire day, although we did return to the island mid day once or twice.
After arriving back to the island from a day on the boat we’d head to our villa, shower, and get our “dressy” clothes on for dinner. Prior to going to the Hill House for the 6:30pm cocktail hour we’d walk back to one of the beaches to enjoy a drink we’d prepared ourselves and watch the sun set. Once it was dark we’d walk up to the cocktail hour and visit with some of the other guest to see what they did that day and if they had ideas for the next day.
We’d then enjoy an amazing chef prepared dinner and return to our villa ready to do it again the next day.
Food
One of the perks of my day job is that I get to enjoy eating out twice a day at a plethora of amazing and often very high end restaurants. I’ll tell you that the food here was very good by any standard. Better than most other places I’ve been to in my travels and better than any in this price range or less.
To begin, your villa comes with a fully stocked kitchen. You’ll have everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to fresh fish, condiments, lunch meat, etc. You will have the opportunity to request any other specialty items stocked in your kitchen prior to your arrival. Every morning your host will drop a fruit and pastry breakfast tray in your room in addition to what is stocked in your kitchen.
Lunch is often done via a picnic ice chest that is delivered to the dock at a time of your choosing. There are daily lunch options you may choose from, otherwise you can request specialty items to be packed for you. I personally recommend the blackened snapper wraps for lunch. Remember, the biggest draw to this resort is the ability to get into your boat and explore dozens of uninhabited and a few inhabited islands. So getting an amazing lunch to set up elsewhere is the most popular choice.
Dinner is served nightly at The Hill House, which is the largest standing building on the island. The night typically begins at a 6:30pm cocktail hour. It’s a great time to get to know other guests and ask about what they did that day. Two choices are offered as a dinner selection each night, a meat and a fish option. Selections can vary each night from burgers, steak, salad, and the fish you caught that day.
We found the chef to be very accommodating and excellent at his art. Ashley and I visited with him on the beach early in our stay and he said he’d get us whatever we wanted and ensure it was cooked to perfection. Almost anything goes with food selection but keep in mind special requests can take a couple of days to get to the island. So if you want Wagu steak every night you’ll want to give them a heads up. They are also flexible on how you’d like to enjoy your meals. During your stay you’re free to request Ribeye every night, or have dinner set up on the terrace of your private villa and eat by candle light. Talk about service!
Villas & Pricing
Fowl Cay hosts six unique and individually named villas which are privately situated across the 50 acre spread. All come with an incredible view of the turquoise water and white sand beaches. They feature AC, wifi, satellite tv, and a fully stocked kitchen.
The beds were very comfortable and the bathrooms were nice. There is also a daily turn down service. I’ve read some reviews that said a couple of the villas needed some updating and showed some wear but this was not the case for the Lindon villa (where we stayed).
The Boat – What To Do With It
This is by far the best part of the stay. As part of the package you get use of an 18ft center console. It’s hardly an offshore vessel; however, it’s PERFECT for scouting around the shallow water between the long chain of islands. There are some ground rules that you’ll go over prior to getting in the vessel. First you’ll get in with one of the Fowl Cay staff and go over how to operate the boat as well as how to communicate over the radio. It’s a simple process that takes less than 30 minutes. Usage hours are restricted between 9am-5pm since the sun is higher in the sky and better illuminates the coral outcroppings that speckle the turquoise landscape. Once the sun gets lower to the horizon it is more difficult to see where the shallow coral beds lay.
Your boating day will start with meeting the staff at the dock anytime after 9am. The boat will be ready to go with whichever food and water toys (Snorkeling Gear, Fishing Poles, etc) you’ve arranged to take with you that day. You’re food will be neatly packed into a small ice chest. Most of the destinations below are within a 20 minute boat run from the island. After you’ve had your fun and are ready to return to the island you’ll call in to the fowl cay dock over the radio when you’re 10 minutes out and a staff member will meet you to tie up the boat.
Each one of the destinations described here deserve it’s own lengthy article but here are some of the ones we visited during our 5 night stay.
Pig Beach – Pig Beach is actually located on an island called Big Major Cay which is only a 5 minute boat ride from Fowl Cay. This experience has recently grown in popularity due to the pigs’ appearance on the bachelor and the area being highlighted on many Caribbean Travel shows. As you boat up to the beach the pigs will begin to swim out to greet you. They’ll swim right along side of the boat looking for whatever food you’ve brought. It’s recommended to feed them in the water since consuming too much sand can harm them. There are plenty of photo opportunities since they are not shy and are safe to swim and walk with on the beach. There are several stories on how they arrived to the island, one of the most popular involves a guy who brought them to the destination in the 90’s to start a self sufficient island after to concerns with Y2K.
Thunderball Grotto – So named from the 1965 James Bond Film “Thunderball” which was filmed at the location, this destination is a must visit for snorkelers and about a 20 minute boat ride from Fowl Cay. There are two different caverns which can be accessed from your boat. At low tide you’ll be able to see a small entrance less than 1 foot above the water indicating an underwater tunnel leading to a large underground cavern. At high tide the tunnel is totally underwater but once in the cavern the ceiling opens up 20+ feet revealing several rock formations and a small “skylight” that illuminates the blue water.
Compass Cay – Compass Cay Marina is famous for its nurse sharks. Here visitors are welcome jump in and snorkel with up to 25 of the impressive animals. They are accustomed to swimming with humans and are beckoned to the dock by a hatchet chop indicating the fisherman have arrived and are ready to throw in remnants of their catch. This was the only thing on this list that Ashley and I didn’t get a chance to experience although we certainly will next time.
Bitter Guana Cay – Bitter Guana Cay is only 15 minutes by boat from Fowl Cay and one of 7 islands in the Exuma chain that hosts the critically endangered Exuma Island Iguana. For being an endangered species the iguanas certainly are not shy. They are used to being fed by tourists so they will walk or run up to you hoping for fruit or vegetables. These harmless creatures are amazing to watch but can be intimidating if you’re scared by 5ft 25lb lizards. Bitter Guana Cay also host some beautiful soft white sand beaches and impressive snorkeling locations. Our friends at Uncommon Caribbean have a good post on this destination HERE.
Rachel’s Bubble Bath – This is a unique feature on the Northern end of Compass Cay only 1 mile from Thunderball Grotto. Rachel’s Bubble Bath is located on the ocean side of the island. You’ll anchor along a broad white sand beach and walk about a quarter mile across the island along a low are. HINT, where sandals since there a few sharp rocks when you get there. Rachel’s Bubble Bath is a shallow wading pool that starts with a gradual sandy entrance that deepens as you approach the ocean. It’s flanked on two sides by large rock out crops which funnel ocean waves over a low rock barrier. Waves come over the barrier into the wading pool making it look like a spa, hence the name!
OTHER THINGS – I’ve listed just a few of several amazing destinations you can access with your boat from Fowl Cay. Other amazing destinations include Johnny Depp’s Island, snorkeling through a sunken airplane, visiting the underwater life of the “Gardens”, strolling Honeymoon Beach, wading on a sand dollar covered sand bar, and running along a 1/2 mile sand bar at low tide. All of these features we did without seeing another boat!
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