At only a couple of miles long and with a population of around 100 residents, Staniel Cay may be small, but it packs a punch! If you’re looking for a peaceful, yet fun vacation, read on to learn everything you need to know about Staniel Cay in the Exumas.
Initially, we were planning on spending 5 nights on the cay. It’s so small, we didn’t think there would be all that much to see and do there. We were wrong!
Our 10 day trip to Staniel Cay was incredible. We could have stayed longer
In fact, we ended up extending our stay to 10 nights and could have easily spent 2 weeks on and around beautiful Staniel Cay — there’s just something magical about this place.
Known for the famous swimming pigs, the Thunderball grotto, pristine sandbars and so much more, it’s no surprise people come from all around the world to visit this little piece of paradise.
In this guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about visiting Staniel Cay in the Bahamas.
Table of Contents
Getting to Staniel Cay
Where to stay in Staniel Cay
Things To do in Staniel Cay
Best Staniel Cay Restaurants
Best beaches in Staniel Cay
Amenities on Staniel Cay
Is Staniel Cay Safe?
Weather in Staniel Cay
Money and ATMs
Cost of travelling to Staniel Cay
Frequently Asked Questions
Staniel Cay travel Video
Enjoy Your trip to Staniel Cay
Getting to Staniel Cay
First of all, where is Staniel Cay and how do you get there?
Where is Staniel Cay?
This little cay is located in the Exumas, basically in the middle of the Bahamas. It’s around 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Nassau and 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Florida.
There are 365 islands (cays) in the Exumas district of the Bahamas, with Staniel Cay being one of them.
This is where Staniel Cay is located
How Do You get to Staniel Cay?
Unless you have your own boat and are sailing or cruising around the Bahamas, the best way to get to Staniel Cay is by flight.
There is a mailboat that leaves from Nassau and heads to Staniel Cay once a week, but that takes 12 hours and all of the locals we spoke to said they wouldn’t take it now that there are flight options.
From the United States, you can fly direct to Staniel Cay on a flight with makers Air from Ft. Lauderdale. Or, take a commercial flight from Florida to Nassau and then a direct, 30-minute flight to Staniel Cay with Flamingo Air.
There are numerous flights per day.
We flew with makers Air from Ft. Lauderdale direct to Staniel Cay
We flew with makers Air in a 9 seater plane from Ft. Lauderdale and the trip was comfortable and safe. We arrived at the hanger at the executive airport in Ft. Lauderdale just 1 hour before the flight was due to take off and enjoyed coffee and snacks in the lounge.
The flight was two hours and fifteen minutes, including a stop on Andros Island to complete immigration. The view from the plane was incredible!
What a view! The scenery on the flight to Staniel Cay was amazing
Once we arrived in Staniel Cay, we were greeted by Natajia from embrace resort and after a 2-minute golf cart ride, we arrived at our accommodation.
This was the easiest flight day we’ve ever had. getting to Staniel Cay is simple.
Where to stay in Staniel Cay
There are only a few accommodation options on Staniel Cay, including pricey vacation homes, bungalows, and the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. We spent 10 days at embrace resort and recommend it — we felt like family during our stay.
About embrace Resort
The resort, which consists of just 7 colourful villas, is owned and operated by an all-female, local team. The staff really made our stay memorable.
The owner (Nikki) and her daughter (Natajia) were both born and raised on Staniel Cay! They know everything there is to know about the area and are happy to share their home with visitors.
The wonderful women of embrace resort (Natajia, Nikki, Dexi and Gracie)
The Villas at embrace Resort
The rooms showcase Bahamian culture, and each villa is named after one of the islands in the country.
We stayed in both cat Island and Andros villas. cat Island is a cute studio bungalow perfect for a couple, while Andros is a 2-level villa with 3 bedrooms, perfect for families or a group of friends.
The villas come with a microwave, coffee maker, kettle, and mini-fridge. In the case of the 2-level villas, there is a full kitchen as well.
You’ll also finda flatscreen TV and as an added bonus, a cooler (icebox) to use on your daily adventures! Plus, there’s an ice machine on the property. Click here to learn more and search for the latest prices.
The colourful villas at embrace Resort
Amenities
Embrace resort is located right by the airport and they have their own private dock right near the resort. This makes day trips on the boat or renting your own boat really convenient.
The property isn’t oceanfront, but there is a nice pool that the villas face. The onsite restaurant is expected to be complete this summer, followed by a gift shop, gym, and conference room. lots of things going on here at Embrace!
Embrace resort isn’t oceanfront, but there’s a pool and because the cay is so small, beaches are just minutes away!
Currently, you can book tours, rent golf carts, and rent a boat on-site with 3N’s Exuma Vacations.
Finally, if you need a negative antigen test for your next destination (ie: the USA), embrace offers this service. The administrators of the test are professionally trained and first-aid certified.
We personally had two COVID tests each at embrace resort and the tests were pain-free, quick, and easy.
Things To do in Staniel Cay
We were never bored during our 10 day trip to Staniel Cay. Relaxed? Yes. Bored? Never. These are the top 5 things to see and do in Staniel Cay.
1. join a Day Trip
The best way to see the main highlights around Staniel Cay is to join a day trip. We booked this excursion with 3N’s Exuma vacations and it was so much fun!
The highlight was the famous swimming pigs of the Bahamas, but, the tour offers so much more than the piggies.
Seeing (and swimming with) the famous pigs in the Bahamas was so fun
The highlights include: seeing the pigs, swimming with nurse sharks at Compass Cay, exploring Thunderball grotto, stepping foot on the gorgeous pipe Creek sandbar, snorkelling over a sunken plane, and visiting the Bahamian rock iguanas at Bitter Guana Cay. There’s also a lunch break on the tour.
I could have listed all of these things to do in Staniel Cay as separate items, but this day trip covers them all and is definitely worthwhile!
Joining the highlights day trip is one of the best things to do in Staniel Cay. find out more here, or book on Viator if you’d prefer. pro tip: if you stay at embrace Resort, you receive 30% off the tour.
2. rent a boat and discover hidden Spots
Renting your own boat is possible in the Bahamas! hire a boat and be a captain for the day.
Renting our own boat for the day was an absolute dream – a must while in Staniel Cay!
The water around the Exumas is calm and safe. We had a 17 foot Whaler boat for 3 days during our stay in Staniel Cay and had a blast finding hidden coves to call our own. Our favourite area was probably the sandbars near Sampson Cay — what an absolute dream.
We found so many remarkable sandbars and empty beaches. It was a lot of fun mooring up, reading our books, suntanning, and then moving on to the next beautiful spot. speak to your accommodation about renting a boat.
3. explore by Golf Cart
One of the most unique things about Staniel Cay is the fact that people get around by golf cart here.
Getting around by golf cart in Staniel Cay is the best
Rent a golf cart with 3N’s Exuma vacations and explore. The golf carts are electric, which is so nice as it makes for a peaceful way of getting around.
Seeing Staniel Cay by golf cart is the absolute best way. pack the cart with your beach gear and a cooler filled with food and drinks and set off for a fun day of exploration.
Golf Cart rentals are $70 for 24 hours ($60 for embrace resort guests). learn more and book your cart here.
4. Lounge on the Beach
For such a small place, Staniel Cay’s beaches are varied and beautiful. We visited in February and had many of these gorgeous sandy spots to ourselves.
Bring your towel, a book, some food, and drinks, and enjoy the day. There are no facilities on any of these beaches.
Don’t miss Public beach (Town Beach), Pirate Beach, Ho Tai Cay Beach, South beach and ocean Beach. more on the best stretches of sand below.
5. watch Sunset
The sunsets on Staniel Cay are magical. grab a sundowner and head to your favourite spot on the west coast to witness the sun dip towards the ocean.
Our top sunset-watching spots were from the Yacht Club at the end of the jetty, and from Public Beach.Best Staniel Cay Restaurants
There are only a handful of Staniel Cay restaurants, which is why it’s so great that embrace resort is opening up a new one soon. For now, here are your options for dining out on Staniel Cay.
The Yacht Club
This is the main restaurant on the island. here you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or, just sit at the busy bar and sip on a drink while chatting with other travellers.
There aren’t many Staniel Cay restaurants, but the yacht club serves really good food!
Make sure to try the peanut colada, you can thank me later!
For lunch, I recommend the fresh fish of the day, the burger, and the Asian tacos. For dinner, you can’t go wrong with baby back ribs, lobster, or lamb.
For dinner, you must order in advance on the same day before 4:00pm. However, make sure to place your order as soon as you can, as you may not get a table.
You can find the menu here and reserve your spot by email.
Barbie’s Kitchen
Barbara (aka Barbie) and Tameka are a local mother-daughter team who serve up fabulous lunches on the weekend. We were lucky enough to arrive on a Saturday and had the fried grouper with tartar sauce, potato salad, rice, green beans and plantain for dessert.
This meal from Barbie’s kitchen was fresh, economical and tasty!
Ask at your accommodation for directions and the menu of the day.
Big Dogs
This is a chilled-out local bar with a nice atmosphere. The food here is Bahamian and is delicious. We ordered a lunch of stewed chicken with rice and peas and corn and were not disappointed! find big Dogs on the map here.
Cook for Yourself
Our villa at embrace resort had a full kitchen so we were able to cook for ourselves. It’s always more fun to dine out, but you could whip up a quick breakfast, and for lunch maybe some pasta, soup and sandwich, or another simple meal.
Best beaches in Staniel Cay
Considering it’s a cay, it’s no surprise that there are some pretty stretches of sand here. What surprised us, however, was that most of the time we had the beaches entirely to ourselves!
None of the beaches have any sort of amenities, so make sure you use the toilets before starting your beach day, and bring food and drinks.
These are the 5 main public beaches on Staniel Cay — of course, you could always search for your own hidden beach!
Pirate Beach
Located in the north of the island, this is a beautiful beach. The pirate beach offers soft, powdery sand and there’s some shade here as well. At low tide, you can walk around the bend.
Pirate beach is a beauty!
Keep in mind that there’s a channel of rushing water offshore (it’s very noticeable), so don’t swim out too far. find it on the map here.
Public beach (Town Beach)
This stretch of sand is located next to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, and while there are sometimes small boats moored up here, we still really loved this spot.
Relaxing on Public beach in Staniel Cay
During our stay, there were four lounge chairs available and before we had data on our phones, we were able to connect to the wifi at the yacht club. We also spotted some nurse sharks, rays and turtles here.
Public beach is also a great place to watch the sunset.
Ho Tai Cai
This is actually a group of two pretty beaches, which offers some shade as well. If you’re driving a golf cart, you’ll need to park near the airstrip and wal