Skimming across the aquamarine ocean under the beating sun of the Caribbean, reggae music blasting out of the speed boat’s speakers and sipping an ice cold drink with the wind whipping in my sea-salty hair, it was difficult to think of a better way to spend a Friday. I was in the Bahamas, spending a few nights at the famous Atlantis resort on Paradise Island – but today, we were on a long-awaited luxury excursion to see the famous swimming pigs of Exuma Cays.
The swimming pigs of the Bahamas are a delight to behold
The pigs were the fourth item on the jam-packed itinerary, which had begun with a visit to Allen’s Cay, home to hundreds of Bahamian rock iguanas. “Grab a piece of lettuce before you get off!” shouted our jovial captain, from tour company Aqua Shores, handing out the green vegetable to everyone in our group as we climbed down the ladder of the boat into ankle-deep, crystal-clear water just off the beach - which was teeming with iguanas as far as the eye could see.
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My daughter, who had never seen such a big lizard before, was enraptured as she carefully held out the lettuce and allowed the reptile to munch on the end of it. Twenty minutes later, lettuce supplies depleted and phones full of surprisingly cute photos (the iguanas were lovely!), we climbed back aboard the boat – and our next stop was Pablo Escobar’s sunken drugs plane, which lies fully submerged in the shallows off the shore of Norman’s Cay (where famously they had – or rather, didn’t have in the end, Fyre Festival). We didn’t disembark (though on some tours you can snorkel the site which would have been amazing had I not had a child with me) and after a few minutes bobbing around the sunken aircraft, we were on the move again.
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The beaches are so peaceful
"This is Johnny Depp’s private island!" The crew suddenly announced, eliciting gasps and “oohs” from the passengers as we sped past a large and gorgeous slice of paradise with its own beautiful Bounty advert-style beach. We also saw islands owned by Tyler Perry, the Bacardi family and Louis Vuitton en route to our next stop, Compass Cay Marina, where we had chance to swim with and pet – yes, pet! – wild reef sharks.
Everyone will enjoy the crystal clear waters
From there we took a short hop across the azure waters to Big Major Cay aka Pig Beach – where three intrepid hogs swam out to greet our boat as we approached. It felt like a real ‘pinch me’ moment; I’d seen so many photos of these swimming pigs and now here we were, meeting them (from a distance – they’re massive and a little bit scary for us city-dwellers!) in real life.
It was the most unforgettable day of an unforgettable trip, which ended with us swimming off the most picture-perfect sand bar, trying desperately to imprint the scene before us in our minds before leaving.
You won't want to leave the heavenly resort
We’d been keen to get out of the resort and experience more of this beautiful country, but if you’re more of a fly and flop type, there’s actually no need to leave the Atlantis resort at all. It’s so huge you could stay for a fortnight and still not get chance to try out all the different activities and attractions on offer, and it’s the perfect place to go to keep your children entertained while you relax.
The Atlantis Paradise Property is a sight to behold
What to do
The 141-acre water park on site here is world-famous for a reason. For older kids and thrill-seekers there’s the Aquaventure park, which is split into various zones. The Power Tower, which boasts rides including The Surge, The Abyss, where the ground literally drops away beneath you into a near-vertical 50ft drop, and The Falls.
You might be brave enough to try the near-vertical waterslide
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We weren’t quite brave enough for any of that, but we did love The Serpent at the Mayan Pyramid, a ride you take in an inflatable ring either alone or as a pair, which, after twisting and turning in the darkness of the pyramid, emerges into the shark tank. Floating along in a tube as sharks and fish swim around you is quite the experience!
Ride The Serpent at the Mayan Pyramid
The River Rapids were fun, too. There are plenty of pools (11, if you’re counting) and you’ll never be stuck searching for a sun lounger, but if sea swimming is more your thing then the property is surrounded by five miles of beautiful, white-sand beaches.
Relax in the Mayan Temple Pool
One thing we made sure to try out was the Mermaid Adventure, which my seven-year-old daughter is still talking about long after our return from paradise island. It’s for children only (which gave us grown ups chance to enjoy a Bahama Mama cocktail or two at the swim up bar at The Coral pool while we waited for her!) and is amazing, offering kids the chance to swim with a real live mermaid (who says “Shello” instead of “hello”, my daughter tells me) and have a photo taken with her.
A real mermaid adventure
Mermaid crafting is also on the agenda, and snacks, and then everyone leaves with a mermaid bag, a toy mermaid and the piece of art they’ve created during their time there. “The mermaid was kind and I’ll remember it forever!” said my daughter when I asked her for a quote for this article.
Children can come face to face with a mermaid
The other thing we wanted to check out was the Junkanoo Parade, which takes place every Friday evening at the resort and gives holiday makers a glimpse at this traditional Bahamian carnival, which traditionally takes place every New Year’s Eve. The colourful, high-energy performance shakes and shimmies its way through the Marina at 9pm, then in the Casino at 10pm, and is well worth making time for to get an insight into the local culture.
Enjoy the Junkanoo Parade
We headed out into Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, too – there are plenty of taxis which can be arranged by staff and it’s only a ten minute drive – and we shopped for traditional crafts at the famous Straw Market, which was well worth a visit.
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Where to eat
There are 21 restaurants and 19 bars and lounges at Atlantis, so you won’t be going hungry. Top of our priority list was to try traditional Bahamian cuisine, and we weren’t disappointed by the feast laid on at Frankie Goes Bananas in the Marina Village. To the sounds of the live band playing outside we enjoyed conch fritters, rice and peas, fish tacos, jerk chicken with guava (amazing) and fried plantain, washed down with local beer, before heading back to our room and stopping in the various jewellery shops en route. The Marina is well worth a visit in itself, just for the shopping and the chance to glimpse rows of luxury yachts. Dinner at Olives, one of the resort’s fine dining restaurants, was also delicious. The air-conditioned eaterie is situated in the casino, but we requested an outdoor table and the staff were more than happy to comply, meaning we had another view of those spectacular yachts while dining on our Mediterranean cuisine.
The beauty is in the detail
We’d also recommend Fish by José Andrés, definitely the most romantic and ‘grown up’ experience we came across during our time at Atlantis, and giving us the chance to check out The Cove area of the resort, which is where the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stayed during their visit in March 2022, in the £19,000-a-night penthouse suite.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales thoroughly enjoyed their time in the Bahamas
For lunch there are plenty of options but we loved the open-air Lagoon Bar and Grill so much we returned day after day for the Tropical Green Salad (with mango, coconut, pineapple, sunflower seeds and red onion, yum!) and the amazing flatbread pizzas. The breakfast buffet at Poseidon’s Menu is the most extensive breakfast buffet I have ever visited; it’s quite pricey but you can definitely get your fill, and again, if you opt for an outdoor table you can watch the sharks gliding past as you eat.
The accommodation We stayed in the family-friendly Royal Towers, which are themed around the mythology of the lost city of Atlantis and feature a full-blown aquarium in the huge lobby area. Our two-bedroom suite, with a balcony boasting views of the whole resort and the Caribbean sea, was incredible – spacious, all the mod cons and with the most enormous, comfy beds. Well – if this resort is good enough for Kate and William, it’s good enough for us, too!
Rooms in the Royal Towers start from £305 per night. Visit www.atlantisbahamas.com for more information.
For more information and to book an Aqua Shores adventure tour to see the famous Exuma swimming pigs visit www.aquashoresbahamas.com