Complete Staniel Cay Guide | Exuma Cays, Bahamas

Welcome to the Complete Staniel Cay Guide

We have put together a complete Staniel Cay Guide in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas, to help you plan your trip to paradise.

75 miles southeast of Nassau lies the magical island of Staniel Cay in the Exuma Cays chain. The Exuma Cays has 365 islands, and Staniel Cay is in the center of a chain of small islands.

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How To Get To Staniel Cay

There are two ways onto Staniel Cay, air or sea. We went the air route and flew from Nassau with Flamingo Air. They offer two flights a day to and from Nassau 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The same plane turns around from Staniel Cay, heading back to Nassau at 8:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. Our round-trip tickets were around $250.

Makers Air offers flights from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Tickets are approximately $650 round-trip.

Staniel Cay can be reached by sea using the mail boat. I spoke with a few locals who said this takes around 12 hours, as the boat makes several stops at neighboring islands.  Departs Nassau on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and returns on Saturdays at 9 a.m.

Please note if you choose this option, you may be sharing your seat with LIVESTOCK! Not many choose this route due to the time, and a flight is only $50 more.

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Best Places To Stay on Staniel Cay

Affordable Luxury 

Embrace Resort is the newest accommodation option on the island and the place we called home for a week on Staniel Cay. Embrace Resort offers affordable luxury villas to fit everyone’s budget. Prices range from $219 per night for the Mayaguana one-bedroom villa to $589 per night Andros 3 bedroom/2 bath villa with a complete kitchen.

We stayed in the Ragged Island honeymoon villa, complete with a jacuzzi. Embrace Resort’s grand opening is scheduled for 2017 and will consist of 7 villas, a pool, a meeting room, a restaurant, a spa, and a fitness center.

Mid-range

Staniel Cay Yacht Club offers waterfront bungalows, ranging from $185-$460, depending on the season and bungalow chosen. NOTE: Travel during the offseason is, on average, $100 cheaper a night than during the high season. Staniel Cay Yacht Club also offers packages that include three meals a day, bikes, snorkel gear, and kayaks.

High-End Luxury

Staniel Cay rents three villas that are available as vacation rentals.  Their most expensive villa “Dolce Vita” is a whopping 9,000 square feet, five bedroom suites, oceanfront, pool, full-time caregiver, sleeps 12, all the bells and whistles you could buy for $19,000 a week or $ 3,500-night minimum of 5 nights.

The “Farniente” villa has 6,000 square feet of decking surrounding a pool, hot tub, outdoor living rooms, sun decks, and beach access. Inside the  5,000 square feet, the villa has four bedroom suites, sleeps 8, and is available for $14,900 a week or $ 2,800-night minimum of 5 nights.

The “Lazy Bay” villa is located in the center of the island, but alongside an ocean-access creek and only a short walk away from the ocean beaches. The Lazy Bay is 1,200 square feet, with one bedroom, two baths, and a wraparound deck for $2,500 a week or $400 night minimum of 5 nights.

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How Big Is Staniel Cay and How To Get Around?

Staniel Cay is small…very small! Staniel Cay is less than a mile square, and there are only 80 full-time residents. You could easily get around on foot, but most locals & tourists bum around in golf carts. You can rent a golf cart by the day $50 or by the week $320.

Many of the roads are gravel and very rocky, so I don’t think a bike would be very comfortable. I am glad we had a golf cart, as it let us visit all the beaches easily. For the best rates on the island, contact 3N’s and speak with Nikki.

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Best Time To Visit Staniel Cay

Is there ever a bad time to visit the Bahamas? I would suggest visiting Staniel Cay, not during the high season. The seasons are:

• Off Season: Sept 10-Nov 20
• High Season: Dec 18-Jan 5, March 1-August 1
• Season: Jan 6-Feb 11, Feb 16-Feb 29, August 2- Sept 9
• Mid Season: Nov 20-Dec 18, Feb 12-15

Visiting during the off-season will yield lower rates on accommodation, fewer tourists, and most likely a private beach all to yourself.

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Staniel Cay Weather

The weather in Staniel Cay is near perfect year-round, with an average high of 77-86 degrees Fahrenheit. The coolest month is February, with average lows of 65 and average highs of 77, and the hottest month is July-September, with average highs of 86.

The wettest month is October, with an average of 12 rainfall days. December- July has an average of 6 rainfall days a year. Water temperatures are great year-round at 70-80 degrees.

We visited in mid-November, and we had one full day of rain, and the other six days, it rained for small periods throughout the day.

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Best Beaches in Staniel Cay

There are four main beaches on Staniel Cay that can all be reached on foot. You will have to park the golf cart to get to a few of them.

Town Beach

The most accessible beach to access in Staniel Cay is Town Beach. If you are staying at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, you will be either right on Town Beach or right next to it.

Town Beach is between Staniel Cay Yacht Club and Taste & Sea Restaurant, right on Kings Cross Highway. This beach is a great place to come and watch the sunset before heading out to dinner.

Pirate Trap Beach

Our personal favorite beach on Staniel Cay is Pirate Beach. Pirate Beach is accessible only on foot. You’ll have to park your golf cart up at the top and walk down.

Bring sandals, as you must walk on rocks/coral to access this beach. Also, be prepared for the rocks to be covered depending on the tide. We basically had the beach to ourselves every day on our trip to Stanley Cay.

Ho Tai Cay Beach

Hoi Tai Cay beach was the most difficult for us to locate due to the road being washed out. When we visited Staniel Cay, the airport was under construction, and rains had washed out the road to Hoi Tai Cay beach, so we had to park our golf cart next to the airstrip and walk.

Hoi Tai Cay Beach doesn’t have a ton of dry sand, but like all the other beaches on Staniel Cay, it’s gorgeous. Definitely worth finding when spending a week on Staniel Cay.

South Beach

Looking for a sandy beach on Staniel Cay, head to South Beach. We never saw anyone else here. If you are at Hoi Tai Caty Beach, follow the trail a little further, and you will end up at South Beach.

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach isn’t a beach for swimming due to the number of rocks and the size of the waves. There were a few signs to Ocean Beach, but the road was washed out due to rain, so we had to abandon the golf cart and walk. I’d suggest coming here for sunrise in the mornings.

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Best Restaurants On Staniel Cay

When it comes to dining in Staniel Cay, there aren’t many options. There are only three restaurants on Staniel Cay, and all are within 3 minutes from each other.

Staniel Cay Yacht Club

The most popular restaurant in Staniel Cay is the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. Breakfast is from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., with breakfast plates ranging from $12 to $14. The lunch menu is offered from noon to 9p.m. and offers salads, sandwiches, and catch of the day.

Adam loved their conch po’boy sandwich (pictured above) for $14 served with fries, and I typically went with the hamburger with fries for $12. Dinner is served Bahamian style. Reservations are required, and your order must be placed before 3:30 p.m. that day. Depending on the season, they will have 1-2 dinner seatings. When I visited in November, they had one at 7 p.m.

Dinner entrees range from $23 to $42 and include soup, salad, and dessert. Beverages are $3 soda, $4 beer, and $10 daiquiri. NOTE: 7.5% VAT and 15% Gratuity are added to all bills at Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

Taste & Sea Restaurant

One cook, one line, good food takes time… that’s the slogan at Taste & Sea. This is a true Bahamas joint. We ate here every day for lunch. All the local construction workers came in for lunch, and they were a loud, hungry group!

If you plan on eating at Taste & Sea, you need to get there early in the day, as they often run out of food. They are open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Dinner Tuesday through Sunday.

We typically got their cheeseburger or chicken burger with fries, and all were good. Prices are reasonable, and there are no additional taxes and fees like at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

Big Dogs Bar

Big Dogs is right across the street from Taste & Sea. We never eat here. We did, however, stop in for one beer. Note I said one beer. Well, one beer turned into two, and two beers turned into five. We had a blast chatting with the owner and the other bar patrons.

There is no official menu at Big Dogs, we stopped in on a Friday night, and they were serving traditional Bahamian “souce.” A local favorite, Souce, is a soup/step made with chicken, onion, pepper, carrots, potatoes, allspice, and some other secret tasty spices.

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Grocery Stores On Staniel Cay

I wouldn’t call these grocery stores per se. They are more like mom-and-pop mini-stores. There are three mini-stores on the island: Pink Pearls, General Isles, and The Blue Store. Make sure to do all your shopping during the week and always before 5:30 p.m., as we found hardly anything was open on Sundays or during the evenings.

Pink Pearl was our go-to lady. If she wasn’t open, she would open for us. Her prices were the best we saw on the island. Super friendly lady, and happy to see us come daily.

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Day Trips from Staniel Cay

Get out and explore the nearby gorgeous islands. Either rent a boat and explore on your own or have a local guide/expert bring you to the best of the best!

Swimming With The Pigs

The highlight of our stay and one of the main reasons we came to Staniel Cay was to swim with the pigs on the neighboring island.

A short boat ride landed us on to a beach where the only inhabitants walked on four legs and had funny noses. Our arrival woke up the pigs from their afternoon naps in the sand.

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A group of them came to greet us, sticking their snouts over the sides of the boat. With GoPros in hand, we hit the water. The big male of the group was the most adventurous, swimming out past where his short legs would keep his head above the water.

We had fun splashing and running around the crystal-clear water with the pigs. It’s not every day that you get to play with pigs in the Bahamas!

Make sure to bring some snacks, as these are some hungry pigs. WARNING: the pigs aren’t the biggest fans of selfies…One of the pigs snipped at me, so be careful.

Make the pigs work for the food. We brought the food out in the ocean, getting them to come out and swim with us. We were fortunate to have Pig Island to ourselves, just us and some fat lazy pigs!

Thunderball Grotto

Just off of Staniel Cay lies Thunderball Grotto, an underwater cave system. The grotto got its name back in 1965 from the James Bond movie “Thunderball” which was shot here. Several movies since have been shot here.

Hire a boat to bring you out to Thunderball Grotto at low tide, as this is the only time snorkelers can get into the cave. Entering at high tide is possible with diving equipment. Thunderball Grottos is a popular spot for underwater cave diving, but diving is not required to have an amazing time. Expect to see exotic marine life, bright coral reefs, yellowtail snappers, angelfish, and much much more.

Our hotel, Embrace Resort, arranged a boat with a local guide, Cliff to take us.  Cliff brought us to Compass Cay to swim with sharks, Thunderball Grotto, Iguanas on the beach, and swim with the pigs on Pig Island. Just ask for Cliff. Everyone on Staniel Cay will know him.

Staniel Cay Plane Wreck

It is said to be one of the most accessible plane wrecks in the world and sits just off the shore of Staniel Cay. In just 6 feet of water lies the remains of a small plane. Just a short boat ride from the Staniel Cay Yacht Club pier or even closer to the Happy People Marina and Government docks.

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Are There ATMs Or Banks On Staniel Cay?

There are no ATMs or even a bank on Staniel Cay. Make sure to bring more than enough spending cash to the island. Credit cards are accepted, but expect to pay a 5% fee.

If you’re coming from the United States, the USD is used widely. As the exchange rate is fixed $1 is 1 Bahamas dollar, and often, your change will be half Bahamas currency and half USD.

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Average Daily Spending On Staniel Cay

Staniel Cay is not a budget destination. Don’t leave home without your wallet. Expect to pay $30-34 for breakfast for 2 with coffee at Staniel Cay Yacht Club, $25 for lunch at Taste & Sea for two people with a soda, and  $60-120 for two people to have a formal dinner and a drink at Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

If you stay at Staniel Cay Yacht Club, which offers a meal package, this can be savings depending on the person. I’d suggest bringing $150 a day for two people, as you can always use your credit card at Staniel Yacht Club, but there is a service charge for doing so.

We spent an amazing week exploring Staniel Cay and can see why people come back year after year. By the end of our week on Staniel Cay, the locals recognized and already knew our names. I could really get used to island life. Have you been to Staniel Cay? Share some of your tips below so I can add them to the complete Staniel Cay guide. 

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