Bimini Or Bust? My Honest Answer May Surprise You

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I recently returned home from a group trip to the Bimini Islands in the Bahamas. Six of us were able to make it on this annual girls’ trip, and I have to say that it was one for the books. I am not sure exactly what genre of book, but we will definitely be talking about our trip to Bimini for years to come.

Today, I am going to help answer the age-old question: Bimini or Bust? There is a lot to unpack here, and I am not just talking about my cute outfits. So, I will start with the highs and the lows, including the free detour to Exuma, the private charter plane home, and so many more twists and turns.

So, buckle up, and let’s go to Bimini!

Our Trip To Bimini, Bahamas

Bimini Islands are located just 50 miles off the coast of Florida and are often called the Gateway To The Bahamas. Our group of fix girls traveled to Bimini at the beginning of March from Southeastern Alabama. We opted to fly out of Tallahassee on Silver Airways, connecting in Fort Lauderdale before heading onward to Bimini. I have to preface this by saying that I knew Silver Airways was a lower-cost carrier, but I have flown Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant before. So, how bad could it be, right?

Our tickets to Bimini, Bahamas, were approximately $450 each round-trip, so we weren’t necessarily paying discount prices. However, Silver Airways is the only commercial airline that flies from the US mainland to Bimini.

For accommodations, we booked two rooms at Resorts World Bimini, which was at the time a Hilton resort located near the cruise ship port on North Bimini Island. I really liked this property, and earning Hilton Honors points and using my Hilton Honors status for free breakfast was a big perk! However, it turns out that in the last month, they parted ways with the Hilton brand. Assuming that it keeps up with the standards I experienced, Resorts World is still the best hotel in Bimini.

This was a short three-day weekend trip that, after flight issues on both Friday and Monday, essentially only gave us two days on the island. So, let’s jump in! I will tell you what went right and then what went wrong.

Bimini: What Went Right

As an eternal optimist by nature, I have to share the things I enjoyed about Bimini, Bahamas, before sharing the travel headaches that we encountered. Because, as you’ll learn later, it really is a great place to visit—by boat!

First, we had amazing warm weather, and the beaches and clear blue waters were second to none. We spent time at the Virgin Voyages Bimini Beach Club, which is super nice. It is easy and inexpensive to rent Golf carts on Bimini. Renting a 6-seater golf cart in Bimini allowed us to venture out to other parts of the island, including spending a few hours at Radio Beach.

Fishing and tourism reign supreme in Bimini, so it’s no surprise that we enjoyed fantastic seafood all weekend long! In addition to dining at the Resorts World restaurants, we visited several local restaurants, including a great dinner at the Bimini Big Game Club.

Bimini: What Went Wrong

Now for the low points of our trip. Our travel headaches were essentially all due to air travel hiccups on both ends. But, to be honest, they were significant enough that I would never recommend anyone book a flight to Bimini with Silver Airways.

So, what happened? Leading up to the flight, one of our friends joined a Bimini travel group on Facebook and started relaying some horror stories from members whose flights to Bimini were canceled without warning or significantly delayed. As an air travel enthusiast, I tracked the flights in Flight Aware but didn’t see many flights delayed or canceled in the month prior. I did my best to reassure everyone!

Our Silver Airways Flight To Bimini

On the Friday morning of our trip, we left Dothan, Alabama, at 4:30 am, bound for Tallahassee. On the way there, our flight to Fort Lauderdale was delayed. After more delays, we took off hours late and were sure we would miss our next flight to Bimini. However, when we landed in Fort Lauderdale, our friend who traveled separately told us to go straight to the counter. It turns out they were combining the flight to Bimini with a flight to Exuma and were about to board. I travel a lot, and this was a first for me!

After getting reticketed at the counter, we were the last ones to board and were told just to sit anywhere. We did, thinking we would be in Bimini shortly. Turns out, we were going to Exuma first! If you have access to a map, you’ll see how far east of Bimini Exuma is. But we were on the plane, and things were looking up!

So, we flew an hour and a half to Exuma, where we deplaned. We went through immigration and security before going back outside, reboarding the plane, and heading back to Bimini. We arrived in Bimini at sunset, several hours late, but we were there. I was shocked that we made it at all and grateful that it all worked out. I promise that I am a very easy-going traveler!

Our Silver Airways Flight Home From Bimini

On Monday, we woke up planning to spend half a day at the pool before our early afternoon flight home. But everything changed when one of us got a text that the flight was canceled. However, when we went to the Silver Airways website and checked the flight status online, it showed on time. I spent almost two hours trying to call Silver Airways but never got off hold.

The buzz around the hotel quickly confirmed that the flight was canceled. We were not rebooked and couldn’t get any answers from Silver Airways. The small Tropic Airways flight was full, and the next Silver Airways flight or ferry wasn’t until Wednesday. And, while I work remotely, our group consisted of a doctor and, ironically enough, an airline Captain who both had to get home for work.

My friend, let’s call her Donna, jumped into action and found us a private plane charter. The plane held eight passengers, so another couple joined us, and we secured a private plane charter home. All in all, it only came out to about $550 per person total, which isn’t completely insane, but it didn’t come without a few extra hoops. The Bimini airport required us to pay for our customs and security fees with hundreds of dollars in cash, which, luckily, we were able to scrounge up.

Fly Live Charters

But Fly Live Charters saved the day! They ferried a plane in and picked us up right around when our original flight was to have taken off. And I have to be honest, it was really cool to take a private plane! I was grinning ear to ear for the 45-minute hop back over to Fort Lauderdale. We landed at the Executive airport and had to take a quick taxi over to the main airport. Once there, we went to the Silver Airways ticket counter, and they confirmed that we could get on our second leg back to Tallahassee.

We never could reach Silver Airways customer service, and they did not issue any type of refund or credit for that canceled leg. I thought about making a claim with my travel insurance, but I am not sure if a private charter plane and cash payments to the Bahamian government would have flown with them—no pun intended!

The strange thing is that when I tracked the flight online and in Flight Aware, it looked as if it took off as planned, when, of course, it didn’t. So, if you are a savvy traveler like me, you may also be taken for a ride here!

Pool at Virgin Voyages Bimini Beach Club

Visiting Bimini In The Bahamas

All of the aviation headaches aside, Bimini is a great place to visit. However, I do not recommend that you rely on Silver Airways flights, especially their connecting flights, to get there. So, how do you get to Bimini, Bahamas?

Getting To Bimini

The main ways to get to Bimini are by ferry, private boat, small plane, or cruise stop. So, if you are planning a trip to Bimini, here is a rundown of the various ways to get there.

#1 Visit Bimini By Ferry

The Balearia Caribbean Ferry offers a direct 2-hour ferry trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Bimini, Bahamas. The ferry typically runs three to four days per week, departing Fort Lauderdale in the morning and returning from Bimini late in the day. Some people even do day trips to Bimini by ferry because arriving mid-morning and leaving at night often gives you a full 8-hour day to enjoy the island.

We were not able to take the ferry because it would have required us to come in a day earlier and leave a day later, and there just wasn’t time. However, if you are local to southeast Florida and can take the ferry, it’s a great, quick weekend trip or a side trip on a longer Florida vacation. Just make sure you have your passports!

#3 Visit Bimini By Plane

Beyond Silver Airways, you can also fly to and from Bimini on Tropic Ocean Airways’ seaplane. I would have loved to have flown on this! You can also use a private charter company such as Fly Live Charter. Flying private charters is a luxury and much easier on the budget when split with a group of friends. However, Fly LiveCharter often has empty leg flight offers. This means they have a plane flying a particular route on a specific day, and it’s heavily discounted.

For example, these are currently empty-leg offerings from Fly Live Charter. They post prices on Instagram, and they are often around $1000 for that leg (plus airport fees). So, if you could plan a last-minute trip around one of these empty legs, you can fly up to eight people in a private charter for less than a commercial flight!

#3 A Cruise Stop In Bimini

Most people see Bimini via cruise ship! Several cruise lines make Bimini a port of call, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival, and, of course, Virgin Voyages. As I mentioned earlier, Virgin Voyages has a fantastic beach club not far from Resort World.

On days when a Virgin ship is in port, this popular Bimini Beach Club is closed to the public and reserved for cruise guests only. On all other days, anyone, including other cruisers, can purchase a day pass to Virgin’s Beach Club at Bimini. As guests of Resorts World, we were able to enjoy the beach club for free on those days when a Virgin cruise ship was not in port. For our trip, it meant we could go on Sunday but not Saturday.

BIMINI TIP: Click this link to see what cruise ships will be in port during your stay.

#4 Bimini By Boat

The other way that people get to Bimini is by private boat. We saw many beautiful yachts docked at the marina while there. I have heard that it’s good to have a friend with a big boat if you want to visit Bimini, Bahamas! Most of the people arriving by boat are specifically interested in the great fishing near Bimini. There are also a number of dive sites nearby, including Bimini Road underwater rock formation.

Where To Stay In Bimini

So, if you can find a reliable way to get to and from Bimini—emphasis on reliability—where should you stay? Your main options are going to be at the Resorts World Bimini or other small hotels or vacation rentals.

Resorts World Bimini

I really enjoyed staying here, and I think it’s a great option for quick trips, couples trips, or just any traveler who wants to make it easy. We enjoyed the pools, full-service restaurants, lobby entertainment, and casino! Our rooms were clean, and I loved arriving at the hotel via water taxi from the airport.

Vacation Rentals in Bimini

There are also many vacation rental homes and condos on Bimini, each with its own amenities. When we initially planned this trip, we intended to rent a large house, but after looking at many listings, we found a common theme. Most of the rental homes seem to have a lot of wear and tear and deferred maintenance. As an Airbnb host myself, that doesn’t surprise me, as most are party pads and accommodate large, often careless, groups.

We also did not want to worry about going into Alice Town or Bailey Town and getting groceries on such a short trip. With six of us traveling, all in our forties, a hotel gave us more flexibility and was able to best cater to all of our needs. It was a great home base from which to explore the island.

Click here to browse vacation rentals on Bimini!

Should You Plan A Trip To Bimini?

If you are reading this post, chances are that you are asking the same question. To be 100% honest, this was logistically the craziest trip I have ever taken, from the free round-trip tour of Exuma to the last-minute private charter back to the United States.

That said, I do not recommend visiting Bimini if you plan to fly with Silver Airways. Even after the first travel day, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, the lack of communication, disorganization, and non-existent resolution sealed the deal for me.

So, I would definitely encourage a trip to Bimini, but only if you are taking the ferry, flying on another smaller airline, or stopping there on a cruise ship. Or, if you have a private boat. In that case, take me with you!

More Travel Inspiration

If you enjoyed this post, I have so many more travel blog posts full of first-hand information! From practical travel tips and essentials to city guides and top tours, I’ve got you covered. You can browse the entire travel section of my website for both United States and International travel. And here are a few blog posts that you’ll enjoy!