[Music]
hello this is Alyena and today I'm going to be showing you some of my favorite places when I was
in the Bahamas this is my first ever travel vlog and I am staying in sandy port Beach Resort in the
Bahamas and I'm going to be showing you some of my favorite sites so far as well as making some
delicious signature cocktails of the Bahamas so keep watching we start our vlog today with
the amazing view from the airplane the water is crystal clear and absolutely stunning and I can
wait to land and get in it we took a 10-minute taxi ride from the airport to the beautiful sandy
port Beach Resort where we were greeted by the sweetest woman Pam and her associate Thank You
Pam and everyone who made our stay so lovely after taking the red-eye from Los Angeles we
definitely needed a pick-me-up so we walked over to the blue sail restaurant and snacked
from their delicious menu one thing I definitely recommend trying is the conch fritters because
they are a signature dish of the Bahamas the blue sail has really amazing food especially the pizza
and we quickly got into the island spirit after trying some of their amazing cocktails we loved
the Goom bass smash cocktail so much we decided to make it one of our cocktails featured on a
leonis kitchen Bahama drink series the next day we caught a bus to Nassau you can go anywhere
for a dollar 50 a person I know chief right and the bus has come along every few minutes so it's
super convenient and just a few minutes walk from downtown Nassau is fort Finn castle the
water tower and Queens staircase fort Finn castle was strategically placed atop Bennett's Hill the
highest point on the island in 1793 to protect historic Nassau and its harbor from Pirates as
it was never attacked and it's cannons never fired it was turned into a lighthouse until 1817 then it
used as a signal station this four is a really great place to feel the history of NASA it also
provides beautiful panoramic views of the city Paradise Island and the cruise ships that dock
in the harbor and of course it's a great place to take a selfie with the fam the water tower
was erected in 1928 to maintain water pressure on the island it is the tallest structure on
Nassau at 126 feet if you are in the mood to shop there's lots of friendly vendors with cool items
on display too I'm still regretting not getting this beautiful sweatshirt the Queen staircase is
a must-see and was hand-carved by approximately 600 slaves who used pickaxes and hand tools to
cut their way through solid limestone decades later the impressive a hundred and two foot
staircase was named in honor of Queen Victoria because she abolished slavery when she became
Queen the next day we were off to Rose Island to swim with the pigs we departed from Paradise
Island at 10 a.m. and upon boarding we were given a tropical cocktail these trips sell out quickly
so make sure to book your trip in advance to get the day you want as we left the harbor we got a
close-up view of all the huge yachts and gorgeous mansions also just a warning if you sit at the
back of the boat there is the chance that you may get splashed because once an open water the
boat really picks up speed and before you know it the 25 minute boat ride has flown by upon docking
we were greeted by the sandy toast staff and a couple of their pigs you then take a short
walk up some stairs and through a mini tropical paradise full of gorgeous peacocks and free-range
chickens then the trees open up to the magic of Rose Island this private island destination will
take your breath away once we found our place to make camp for the day my dad and I did the one
our guided snorkel tour and then my mom hit the bar to have it's waiting for us when we returned
thanks mom and now it's time to swim with the pigs did you even know that pigs could swim I
certainly didn't and here comes babe the pigs are raised from piglets by sandy toes so they
are tame and safe the guys that worked with babe Wilbur and Pumbaa not to mention the other pigs
were so cool and really helped us with getting that perfect shot they also take water safety
very seriously and had a medic and lifeguard overlooking the water the entire time we were
there and after all that swimming and snorkeling I was ready for lunch and it was perfect timing
because sandy toes was providing a complimentary lunch of salad and barbecue and did anyone say
hammock time I have to say it was so nice seeing my workaholic dad relax and really get into the
island lifestyle well all good things must come to an end and now the pigs are going home for
the night and it is time to head back to Paradise Island on the way home though look what we passed
a floating bar so cool right and I want to say a big thank you to the sandy tow staff and we can't
forget the lovely pigs this was our favorite day of our trip and that says a lot because every day
we loved I definitely recommend visiting Rose Island from the NASA Harbor you can take a 20
minute water taxi ride to Paradise Island but because of the rough water due to the wind they
were not running so we caught a cab and went via the bridge the view from the bridge is so
spectacular that we wished we had walked across did you know that this island used to be called
Hog Island arriving at Paradise Island by car can get a little congested but once on the island it
is as the name says paradise and there she is the beautiful Atlantis Hotel the Royal tower lobby has
a series of aquariums that make up the largest open-air marine habitat in the world meant to
represent the city of Atlantis we then went outside to see the gorgeous Paradise Lagoon
and protected beaches we so wished we had more time to spend on this beautiful island because
there's so much to see and do not to mention the water park also if you like to shop you will enjoy
the crystal court shops but as a college student I am only window shopper and after a long day of
sightseeing we were so happy to get back to our side of the island and have a nice dinner as
the blue sail every morning we started our day at bond Beyonc cafe in the sandy port marina village
if you consider yourself a connoisseur of a great cup of coffee or tea and prefer oat milk to whole
milk well they've got you covered because they strive to give you the very best quality and
every single drop and I can attest to that I must mention their incredible quiche and pastries and
they even have vegan options too which I love bon viens transitions into a cocktail bar at
night and is the first true cocktail bar in the Bahamas dedicated solely to the art and history
of the craft cocktail their drinks are not only super pretty but they taste great too another
cool part of the cafe is Young's fine wine they are an exclusive importer of hand-selected fine
wines champagnes artisanal liquors and premium bottled waters from France Italy and America now
don't mind me I'm off to deliver an order I've got to pay off my bar tab somehow they also host
a locally grown organic farmers market every Saturday and we were lucky enough to meet the
co-owner of chick tiny farms Aaron and his son Ajani arond a former basketball player at Texas
A&M and his wife Giovanna our third generation Bahamians armours offering fresh organic fruits
vegetables prepared salads breads and so much more it was so nice talking to them and learning
about the sustainable farming industry in the Bahamas a couple other great restaurants we
had the pleasure eating out while in Sami poor are the sprits restaurant and bar a family-owned
Italian restaurant with a casual cozy atmosphere overlooking the canal and then we also loved the
twisted lime which is a sports bar and fire grill and it's a great place to have fun eat and watch
the game and another restaurant we absolutely loved was the poop deck and it's right on the
water and has spectacular views and of course I've already mentioned the blue sail restaurant several
times one of my favorite things we did in the Bahamas was filming for cocktail recipe videos
for a leonis kitchen we made a gloom Bay smash and my personal favorite a strawberry daiquiri with
ice cream next we made a Bahama Mama smoothie that was so delicious and refreshing and we
started it all off with a signature drink of the Bahamas the Bahama Mama we would love it
if you checked them out because they were so much fun to make and let me know what you think I want
to say a special thank you to the people of the Bahamas as well as the island of the Bahamas for
housing me while I've been here also I read all of my comments and try to respond as best as I
can so please let me know what you think about this vlog and if you have any suggestions or
any recommendations on places to go so thank you so much for watching and I'll see you next time