The Cays, Great Exuma, The Bahamas

The Cays is a very nice house development in a secluded area about 10 mins drive from Georgetown. The house where we were staying, Coconut Cottage, was a beautiful 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms house, with a large and well equipped kitchen and living area. The patio was spacious and well equipped and the house itself was spotless. The swimming pool area and bar were very nice as well. The downside was that there was no real beach to speak of: the nice beaches are a short drive though. We were 3 adults and two kids (one was a baby) and Julie was super helpful, providing us with a crib and a high chair. A couple of times the power got cut off, which was an inconvenience, but it came back up fairly soon. We had also some other small problems (the oven was broken for the whole duration of our stay - but the stove worked, and there was a horn wasps right at the front door) but Julie solved the issues we had the next day). In the evening, mosquitos were everywhere and it was impossible to stay out too long but in the house there were coils). Julie was also very nice in doing some grocery for us before our arrival. All in all, it was a great vacation!

Norman and Julie are very accommodating and nice people to work with. The home was spacious as depicted on the web site but views of the water are minimal at best. The house was not very clean (sand in the bed upon arrival), toilets were stained, and dirt/dust throughout. Porch was very dirty. Grounds keeper should invest in a blower for the outside and tiki bar area. Sides of the pool were heavily stained and the water fall was broken. So much potential with a little TLC. Also, no wadeable flats for bone fishing. That said, it's still better than most of the rentals on the island for the price.

The rental process and the rental (home) itself were both excellent! Mr. Normal Wells --our primary contact person -- was a stellar resource in every way: from the initial contact and right down to the moment we left --he was "right there" --for us!!

We looked at a few places, but I am so glad we decided on this one for so many reasons. Firstly the house is clean & beautiful & has everything we need. A well stocked kitchen, large living room, laundry facilities, king size beds, walk in closets. Way better than we expected. The pool is a nice size & is overlooking the ocean. The sunsets were beautiful every night. Norm & Julie were fantastic managers. They organized fishing for the men & helped us with whatever we needed help with. We enjoyed the atmosphere of several homes sharing a common pool & bar area. It was fun to meet people for drinks around 5 & socialize. The location was great. 10 mins from the airport & to Georgetown. We stumbled upon another place we found on line by accident & was so pleased we chose this one over that. It was so isolated & not on a beach & we would have felt disappointed for sure. We will return to The Cays because it was a perfect choice for us. Our husbands love fly fishing & they could have fished right off of our beach if they wanted to. They took guided trips but as we sat around the bar at sunset the odd bonefish would swim by. A couple suggestions for people. Bring bug spray & use it. The sand flies come out at sunset & if you have the right tasting blood, they will eat you alive. I was one of the lucky ones who they did not like. Pack a few basics in your suitcase because groceries are expensive. e.g.) toilet paper, snacks, chips, peanut butter. Some things like booze are cheap while other basics like tp are very expensive. Bring a bit of laundry soap. Thanks again Norm & Julie for creating the perfect tropical holiday retreat!! Come to the Cays, you will not be disappointed!!

We stayed in House #7 at The Cays for the month of March 2014 and couldn't have been happier. Norman and Julie (Haggis, Rascal and Cricket!) were wonderful hosts. They were very helpful both before and during our stay. They answered our many questions, arranged a car for us, met us at the house when we arrived and came down to say goodbye when we were leaving. They provided a wonderful shopping service so we would have supplies when we arrived (we had a Sunday flight that landed after the stores closed) and were always readily available to answer questions and make recommendations. They even helped us with printing out business documents we needed while we were there! The house was very well appointed, spacious and comfortable. We had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 were ensuites) and a large living/dining/kitchen area. Everything we needed to prepare meals, BBQ, do laundry, hang out at the pool or head to the beach was provided. The beaches - wow - the most beautiful in the world! We even had WiFi. The only thing that we would have preferred during our stay was a king size bed in the master bedroom. The house was only steps from the pool and Tiki bar where we spent the afternoons chatting with Norman, Julie, the dogs as well as the other guests who were staying there. Everyone was so warm and friendly, we truly felt like we were at home with family. And the sunsets - wow! I think I took over 100 pictures of sunsets alone! We are now blessed to count Norman and Julie (and a few others) among our lifelong friends. We would very highly recommend a stay at The Cays to anyone and we will be back very soon - Cheers!

What a wonderful place! Our friends, my husband and I rented a villa in the Cays. It is a lovely area with 14 villas nestled amongst palm trees, and beautiful scenery. The pool was fabulous and meeting the locals and other guests at the tiki bar to watch the sunset was a favorite part of our day. Norm, the villa manager made us feel so welcome. Our villa had 4 bedrooms with a huge living room and kitchen...plenty of space for our group of 6. Exuma is a beautiful island, but our vacation was complete thanks to our time spent at the Cays! We can't wait to go back!!!

Magnifique villa en bord de mer, accueil très sympa, c'est le paradis!

we spent three weeks with norman and Julie, altough we intended to go back after 2 weeks.Just from the beginning on, everything was perfekt. The car we rented was already parked in front of our house. The house was situated in a wounderful gardenlike area, with a huge porch where we spent most of our evenings just to relax(good barbecue facilities). The house was very spacious(6 persons with no problem) and in a good modern condition,equipped with evertything you need.The poolarea is beautiful to relax on day,cause most of the time nobody is there.Sunset everyone meets there to have a beer and Norman and Julie tell you all about Exuma-where to go , where to eat,the beaches, fishing, snorcling etc..So they know it all and if you have a problem they are there to help you.We never met people who run a place that professionel and friendly. So next winter we will be there again and we hope that norman and julie stay well untill then. Patricia,Leon and Ingo from Berlin

The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 islands. Some uninhabited (most of them), some inhabited. The most popular island is New Providence (Nassau) with its Casinos and the most famous atlantis Hotel. But, the real treasure of The Bahamas lies in Exuma. Empty beaches, no crowds (no line-up), excellent foods, nice people. Exuma won't be your regular ''all-inclusives''. Exuma, you need to customize. Exuma will be what you want you to be. Don't look for glitzy attractions but, if you look for a fishing trip and a lunch on the set of ''The Pirates of Caribbean'', this is the place. Exuma or exotica, i would say both, Frenchy

Just returned from a weeks stay at Coconut Cottage at the Cays. We stayed from 17th-23rd of February. The cottage was everything we could of hoped for. It was very spacious and clean. The home had everything we need to cook, entertain and just relax. The general manager Norman and his wife Julie where the best. They helped us with everything from getting us groceries before we got there to recommending restaurants and beaches! One of the best parts of our day was to go to the gazebo every night to watch the spectacular sunsets and to chat about the day with other guest stay at the resort. There are so many beaches on the island! One of our favorites was Hoopers beach. It is across the street from the entrance road to our resort. Long and beautiful. A must is taking the ferry to Stocking Island. A great hike to the Monument. Also, on Sundays the Chat and Chill has a great pig roast. The restaurant next door to the resort has great food and entertainment on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The name is Catch a Fire. If you are looking for a great day trip I would recommend the 007 boat trip. It is a great day trip that takes you through all the Exuma Cays. You will see and experience things you cannot see on the island!! Overall I would highly recommend the Cays and Exuma!!