Callaloo

Leaving for Staniel Cay tomorrow morning, and am trying to pack as light as possible -- 35 lb. weight limit on Watermakers Air. We'll be using one of SCYC's runabouts, but want to know whether they supply you with a handheld VHF radio, or whether we need to bring our own? (Not bringing mine would save a precious pound!

albee622

hi callaloo......have a great time...we loved, loved loved staniel cay and are returning in july. yes they do supply you with a radio, some mats to sit on, lifejackets and a pole to push yourself off. bring tons of sunscreen, no cover on the whalers and of course your cooler packed with lunch and drinks. you can also purchase drinks and lunch from sampson cay or compass cay or perhaps dock and grab lunch there....both are gorgeous and worth the visit. actually, everywhere is worth the visit there. have a great time and don't forget scraps for the pigs...hilareous, we visisted them every day. make sure to get to fowl cay as well, the area around that place is drop dead gorgeous with sandy cays to stop on, electric blue water and tons of marine and wildlife.....oh i wish i was back there right now. captain tony and captain wayde are fabulous if you want to go further out, which is worth every penny. watermakers air was a dream, nice people...if you have a layover walk up the block and grab lunch on the docks before your flight...great food! have a safe and wonderful time!!

happy travels,
albee

Callaloo

albee, thanks so much! I can't wait!

ishkribbl

Callalou- have a wonderful time- we loved SC. We went to Club Thunderball for lunch one day in our rented golf cart- the food was very good and it was a beautiful view. We also enjoyed a peaceful swim at Pirate Trap beach every late afternoon- just a few minutes away in your dinghy. For a day trip up to the Land and Sea Park, "Breadboy" was a fun and interesting guide (ask at the bar at SCYC to put you in touch). The iguana islands are worth a trip (the farthest one is the prettiest island by far) and there is some snorkeling on the plane wreck very near the cottages but better elsewhere.
Oh- they put canned fruit cups in your picnic lunch from SCYC- the fish at Thunderball Grotto love it and you can feed them by hand with the peaches! The pigs are a hoot- we had to go every afternoon because my husband got such a kick out of it.
Have a great time- please post a report!!
ish

loves2sing

Are there markets to buy snacks around the area or must you get them at the restaurants?

ishkribbl

love2sing- we found a couple of very, very small markets (even by Bahama out islands standards)- the one that had the best supply was closed the first few times we went by. I can't remember the name of it but as you leave the airport you go right to SCYC at a small roundabout but left and across a tiny bridge then immediately right to the store. We found mixers, fruit (limes, etc. for porch drinks), cheese and crackers, etc. there- they had chips, cookies, etc. and were very nice. We packed a few things my husband finds necessary but hard to find down there- Atkins snack bars (he is insulin resistant and has to eat low sugar things), small packages of mixed nuts, a small jar of peanut butter- we bought an ice cream bar from Nikki at her cart shop at the airport and she had some chips and candy bars if I remember correctly.
Are you staying at SCYC or renting a house? If I had been renting a house I would have packed much more but we had the meal plan (well worth it) at SCYC. I think we may have paid a little extra once or twice for some conch fritters at cocktail time but, for the most part, we didn't need anything else.
Oh- the coffee service in the room was fine- coffee, coffee mate, sugar, etc. - tea bags, too, I think. Some people had said to bring your own coffee if you were picky but I did not bother and it was fine- nice to make that first cup and drink on the porch enjoying the view before heading over to breakfast. I did bring some Splenda with me and a few Splenda flavor packs that my husband (not a big coffee drinker like me) took in his pocket to breakfast- not sure there was much in the sugar substitute choice.
Have a great time!!

loves2sing

I'm still contemplating whether or not to do the inclusive meal plan as we don't often eat three meals a day, but then again, we will want use of the boat and the fuel. Thank you so much for the info!