A Kosher Babymoon in the Bahamas

Early February we were debating on where we should spend our babymoon; for those of you unfamiliar with the term, a babymoon is a vacation that soon-to-be parents take to relax before the big day. I should be embarrassed to admit how many hours we spent planning and searching where we should go and for good reason. We were a bit picky this time around, we wanted to be somewhere that would offer us luxury, a bit of adventure, somewhere neither of us had been, and most importantly some unique kosher food experiences, all within the EST time zone. That’s when it happened, we heard juicy news about the Caribbean's first ever kosher restaurant within an internationally recognized hotel. Now if you would have told us that we’d be spending our final vacation in the Bahamas, we would have laughed. How is a pregnant woman supposed to eat and thrive on an Island, and besides sitting on a pool chair what are we possibly going to do for an entire week? Well we were going to take our chances and wing it, so we booked a flight completely disregarding all our responsibilities and set off a few hours east to land on one of the 700 islands of Bahamas; specifically Nassau where we stayed at The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

The Baha Mar

When we arrived at the Baha Mar, we were absolutely mesmerized by the architecture, the art work, and the vastness of what the Baha Mar had to offer, and do keep in mind that this chain is actually a cumulation of 3 separate hotels. The Baha Mar is famously known for having the largest casino in the Caribbean, so of course we decided to press our luck one evening and bet everything we owned on a chance to double our earnings. Okay, they only accepted cash and we had $100 and eventually lost it all, but we did get several “free” drinks and at one point we were up $47 on the craps table. It was our first time ever playing craps and so it did take 30 minutes to learn the game, and after several youtube videos, googling guides on how to increase your hedges, and tons of reddit posts, we did finally learn what we were doing, until we started asking what does this square do. If you’re looking to have a good laugh, enjoy gambling away $100, and get delicious frozen virgin and non-virgin drinks then spend a night in the main lobby of the Baha Mar - you will not regret it. And hey, worst case scenario you make enough money to cover the cost of your trip, we sure didn’t but that didn’t stop us from enjoying our time.

Without doing much research we accidentally, although fortunately for our kosher adventure, booked our trip during the middle of Yeshiva week. The Baha Mar and Chabad launched a popup restaurant that would facilitate kosher meal options throughout the entire 2 week period for breakfast and lunch, and dinner would be provided by the restaurant in the hotel. Since we came towards the end of the Yeshiva Week program, we decided the only viable solution to quench our thirst for unique experiences was to order everything on the menu. The food was exquisite, it literally melted in your mouth. I’d go as far to say as the team that worked this restaurant even surpassed their neighbors downstairs. Word is that they’ll do more of these pop ups in the future.

We also discovered that there were a few shops within the Baha Mar resort grounds that offered snacks, ice creams, and other options that were kosher, but due note they were not cholov yisroel.

There is one more Kosher option at the Bahamar but it was not open yet when we went. It's a beachside Cholov Yisroel food truck called Knosh. They serve sandwiches, bowls, breads and more!

Now for the more permanent restaurant that recently opened, Cinko Asian Latino Grill. It’s a fusion between Peruvian cuisine and Chinese cuisine, known within the Peruvian food scene as chifa. It is a fleishig (meat) restaurant that offers a luxurious high end food experience at very reasonable prices considering the location and quality of the hotel.

After coming here almost every night for a week, we got to try a good chunk of the menu.

We particularly enjoyed their sushi and fish dishes, and the burgers were great too! At night time if you sit outside you can enjoy your dinner with a view of the water show that takes place about every 20 minutes. Each dish was plated with aesthetics as a focal point, and they did not miss any marks.

We dedicated one night to eating as many items as we could on the fish menu, which we believe was the better choice between that and the meat menu. We started with multiple dishes of sushi and without a doubt Cinko did not make it easy to pick a winner. Our top two choices were the Tropical Crunch roll and the Cinko Futomaki roll. The Tropical Crunch roll was a fresh bite of mango, crunch, and salmon.

After finishing our appetizers we each ate a different seafood entree, but what stood out to us both immediately was the Red Snapper Pescado. This perfectly cooked and seasoned dish was a must have. If we weren’t stuffed we would have ordered two - and if we debated it for 5 more minutes we would have. The second evening we ate at Cinko we decided to eat everything from the meat menu. We did the traditional thing and asked our waiter what he recommended, and since we just couldn't decide we practically ordered everything. Let’s just say we really were hoping to win a game at the casino tables. The dishes that really stood out to us were the Cinko beef burger and something we’ve never tried before called the Chicken Katsu. On an island over 180 miles away from any Jewish community, you’d be happy to just eat a burger, but Cinko doesn’t leave you hanging. Cinko chefs delivered a mouth-watering and flavor-packing jumbo burger. It took mere minutes to gobble that beast down but that makes sense when every bite leaves you wanting more. The Chicken Katsu was no different, what seems to be a traditional schnitzel was transformed with a Peruvian twist. This dish was paired with some homemade sauces that literally left us asking for more. Albeit, a new restaurant and with some expected mishaps with dishes, the overall experience was absolutely amazing. The staff and team at Cinko was unparalleled from many of the Kosher dining experiences we’ve had. It wasn’t uncommon to see both the chefs and managers walk around tables and greet their patrons and explain the story behind the restaurant, their ambitions, and the journey of how the first-ever kosher restaurant in a hotel came to be. On several occasions, we had the luxury of speaking with Rabbi Shalom, the mashgiach of Cinko and also the Rabbi at Bahama’s local Chabad community. Cinko was truly an experience in paradise that we never thought imaginable. Bahamas is changing the narrative of what a kosher restaurant can be and we are all for it.

On Shabbos the Baha Mar and Cinko provide an experience like no other - a fully kosher dining experience for both Friday evening and for Saturday lunch, they had a takeout option. On Friday night we arrived with several other guests and had a minyan in the outdoor section for Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat. It was a great way to meet other guests staying at the hotel whom we’d come across throughout the rest of our stay. We then went indoors and took to our seats. The tables were already set with a challah for each plate, red wine for Kiddush, and some dips. We were given a 3-course meal, consisting of fish, salad, a soup, and short-ribs with rice, and a dessert. What we found most interesting was the guests that were present that weren’t Jewish and wanted to experience a fine dining kosher experience. Shabbat lunch was a bit more relaxed and in a takeaway box which fit perfectly with the pool + lunch vibe that resonated with the Baha Mar pools setup. Each box contains sushi, a salad, desert, wine, and challah and dips. Although a great option, we opted to visit the local Chabad Shul and spend shabbos with the locals. It took roughly 15 to 20 minute walk from the Baha Mar to the Chabad, but if you walk through the park and exit through the side the walk is 30% shorter – we learned about this shortcut on the way back and we’re so happy we did.

The Chabad Shluchim in Nassau Bahamas are Rabbi Shalom and Sheera Bluming. Rabbi Shalom moved to the Bahamas in 2017 after the Baha Mar opened and an influx of Jewish life came to be. His passion has led the community to grow and prosper, with the opening of a shul, a daily minyan, a delicious Shabbat Kiddush, Holiday curriculums, and most famously, with the help of his wife and some community members, the launch of the first Kosher restaurant in a nationally recognized hotel. It would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge how wonderful our shabbos was due to the amazing Rabbi and Rebbetzin of Bahamas and the local regulars and tourists who joined us. Our recommendation, arrive before shabbos and meet some new friends through Chabad and Cinko. These luxury resorts are always more fun when you find some new vacation friends, that’s a fact!

Activities to do at the Baha Mar Resorts

One of the caveats of staying at the Baha Mar was having unlimited access to their water park. The park was completely bigger than we anticipated and had a lazy river, several large water slides, some moderate slides, and a section for children. To be completely candid, we did find ourselves spending more time than we’d like to admit, but how could you blame us when there is a massive bucket that drops gallons of water on you. But to top it all off, the park had a $5,000,000 FlowRider wave machine which we (mostly Menahem) spent hours upon hours for multiple days. Hands down this was probably the best part of the trip.

During various times of the day, the Baha Mar resort offers the opportunity for guests to interact with various wildlife creatures. The Wildlife Sanctuary offers guided tours where guests can observe and learn about the natural behaviors of our marine wildlife from animal professionals. On these tours guests can also feed and interact with nurse sharks, stingrays, green sea turtles, and Caribbean fish. The Baha Mar also has an on-site flamingo habitat called the Flamingo Cay where you can see and photograph flamingos completely complimentary. The resort also offers the ability to have up-close interactions with the flamingos at select hours and for a fee. On some dates, Baha Mar offers Yoga classes at the Flamingo Cay, offering an experience unprecedented to even the most adept yogi.

Atlantis

Atlantis, famously known as the Lost City of the Bermuda Triangle, is a myth that every adventurer fantasizes about discovering. With six different hotel options, any guest can experience the legend in a way that fits their vibe. Packed with several activities, no guest can leave saying there wasn’t anything to do. Aquaventure, Atlantis Paradise Island's water park, is a one-of-a-kind 141-acre waterscape consisting of multiple Atlantean-themed towers, thrilling high-speed water slides, a mile-long river ride with rolling rapids and wave surges, 20 swimming areas, a spectacular kids water-play fort and 11 pools. Given its proximity to the marina, Atlantis offers multiple marine adventures where guests can interact with marine wildlife up-close and personal experiences with stingrays, sea turtles, and more with snorkeling and scuba diving options.

Dolphin Swimming

Everyone knows that when you’re vacationing in the Carribeans, you’re going for the beaches and the water. But you can’t say you experienced the Bahamas if you don’t see dolphins or turtles or go on some excursion. Interestingly enough, the Bahamas is known for its pig excursions, which we didn’t have the opportunity to do, but if you’re looking for something unique that would definitely check off a bucket list item. We went on an excursion to the Blue Lagoon Islands, which is a small island off the coast of Nassau that provides several tour options including dolphin experiences. They also have a segway tour around the island perimeters that take you through the island’s “Safari” and beaches.

Downtown

Downtown Nassau is home to your usual stores and shopping malls but what stands out is the Straw Market, which is your typical island tourist trap market but hey if you’re into t-shirts with the name of the location you're traveling in at overpriced rates, some wooden crafts, and tchotchkes. We decided to walk around and see what the town had to offer, our recommendation – don’t. There wasn’t much to see and it was a bit devastating to see the status of how buildings were maintained. But if you’re into art history, museums, and activities within that niche there are several options available; especially late-night ghost tours and pirate tours.

If I were to summarize our experience in the Bahamas in two words it would be blissful-paradise. If you’re looking for a chill vibe vacation, whether you're celebrating your honeymoon, a babymoon, your anniversary, or simply a weekend getaway with your loved ones, Bahamas has always been a perfect option. But now, with the first ever kosher restaurant within an all inclusive resort outside of Israel, there’s really no other choice. The Baha Mar is packed with things to do, from nature tours to an action packed water amusement park, from tourist excursion options across the multitude of Islands to shopping sprees on premise. In short, there is never a dull day when you’re staying in paradise in the Bahamas.

For a full visual recap, check out our Bamahas highlight on Instagram.