We started this trip by first going to Grand Turk. The best place to stay is at the Island House (pictured below).
The seas were a little too rough for a whale watching tour, but we were able to do a snorkel/picnic lunch on Gibbs Key. This is an all day trip where we stop to free dive for conch before heading to the key. The afternoon is spent on an unihabited island where the intrepid crew prepares a feast of hamburgers, hot dogs, and fresh conch salad. Stingrays also enjoy the conch, and will bonk you hoping for a fresh snack.
Heading south, we overflew the island of Hispanola, then flew to the ABC islands of the Dutch Antilles. The B island is Bonaire (A being Aruba and C being Curacao.) The Bonaire Carribean Club offered us a large comfortable room, gracious hosts, and one wise guy parrot named Rees. Rees would climb up onto the rattan chairs and nibble on the rattan when the owner of the resort wasn't looking.
Having already discovered the joys of heading beneath the surface, we once again took a discovery course, and headed below.
We spent time exploring the beautiful island, and saw many beautiful sights. Lake Gotomeer is a flamingo sanctuary. Rincon is the solitary Spanish village on a primarily Dutch island. There are beautiful iguanas with multi-colored tails, and fences made of cactus. The island has a very European feel, with pastel colored buildings, and cozy little restaurants such as the one pictured below.
We headed back north, stopping in Santo Domingo for fuel, and then continued north to Stella Maris on Long Island in the Bahamas. We stayed at a very European style resort. Driving the island, we found that it's name of Long Island is appropriate, but we did see many beautiful sights. By taking little side trips, one can find little paths that lead to several unihabited miles of pristine coastline.