Part 3: Treasure Cay – A Bahamas Marina Tour

“Not all treasure is silver and gold mate.”

Oh Jack Sparrow, you silver tongue pirate you. You don’t know how right you are.

The third island on our Association of Bahamas Marinas tour is the island of Abaco and the Treasure Cay Resort & Marina. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here. Was the waking up at 4:30am to catch the 6am Bahamas Air flight out of Nassau to Treasure Cay worth it?

Do pirates like rum?

Treasure Cay is a community on the main island of Abaco, located about 30 minutes north of Marsh Harbour. I was probably the most excited about this leg of the trip because it was new territory. I love experiencing new places for the first time with Castaway Crystal. Everything is exciting and there is so much to do and explore. And we were eager! I had read up on the famous Treasure Cay Beach, but how nice could it be? I’ve seen the blazing blues and white sand bars of the Exumas, would it compare?

Getting Our Feet Wet

Because we arrived so early, our suite wasn’t ready at Treasure Cay Resort and Marina yet. The great staff took our luggage and we set off across the street to Coco Beach Bar & Sea Grille. We were simply exhausted from the 25min flight from Nassau to Abaco (sarcasm), so a Bloody Mary and Mimosa were just what the salty doctor ordered. (when are they not?)

As we approached Coco Beach Bar, we walked up the stairs, and for the first time the Treasure Cay blue smacked us in the face. Wow.

We took a seat on the out door patio and soaked it in. Treasure Cay Beach is a huge stretch of soft white sand that transitions into some of the bluest waters I’ve seen. And I’ve seen quite a bit of Caribbean water. It instantly took our breath away and put our jaws on the floor.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, there’s just something different about the water in The Bahamas. It glows as if it’s plugged into electricity. Now, I understand why this place is called Treasure Cay. It doesn’t have anything to do with gold coins and silver bars, it’s because of that Bahamian blue, that’s the real treasure here.

We settled in for breakfast and welcome drinks and started to plan out our itinerary and how fast we could get into that water.

Here are a few shots of the stunning Treasure Cay beach from ground and drone level.

The Resort and Marina

The Bahamas is a boater’s paradise, and Treasure Cay is no exception.

We checked into our suite that over looked the marina and all its activity. Our room was a cute two-level space with the bedroom upstairs as a loft. It had everything you need to spend a good amount of time there; full kitchen, living room, wifi, and two bathrooms. I’m pretty sure we could have lived there if they would let us. The room also had a large outdoor patio with table and chairs. Once I saw that, all I wanted to do was go buy a bottle of wine, a bottle of rum, and a couple Sands and watch the boats come and go. But there were things to do.

We needed to get a lay of the land. Once we did, we found the property had a lot to offer. For dining they have:

• Junkanoo Javas – Serving traditional coffees, specialty coffees, teas, delicious frozen concoctions as well as food. It’s open 7:30am to 11am. This is the morning spot and there was a line out the door every morning we were there.
• Spinnakers Ocean Grille & Wine Bar – This was the upscale (upscale casual) restaurant on the property. Great for happy hour and a nice night out.
• Coco Beach Bar & Sea Grille – As I mentioned before, Coco Beach Bar sit right on the white sand of Treasure Cay Beach. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a casual atmosphere.
• The Tipsy Seagull Pool Bar – Every good marina has to have a marina bar. It’s a great place to relax for a drink, a jump in the pool, or just watch the world go by. Oh, and if you are a Billy Currington fan, and know his People Are Crazy song, you might recognize the bar.

The marina also had a selection of fishing charters and boat rentals. I told Castaway Crystal the next time we visit, we are definitely renting a boat and going out to explore that blue water and the hand full of barrier islands that are easily accessible from Treasure Cay.

Nippers Beach Bar…I’ll meet you next time!!! Nipper’s is a famous salty pirate hangout located out on Great Guana Cay. You’ll want to go…trust me.

For you boaters, the marina has it all. Here is what you can get:

• Slips : 150
• Moorings : Yes
• GPS INFO : 26.0 Degrees, 39.59 N Latitude
• VHF Channel : 16
• Fuel : Diesel & Gas
• Lodging : Yes
• Laundry and Shower Facilities : Yes
• Internet and Cable : Yes
• Water : Yes
• Outermost marker: 77.0 Degrees, 16.20 W Longitude
• Entertainment: On Weekends, See Resort Reception.

Things to To Do

Any time Castaway Crystal and I travel to a new place, it’s really hard to sit still. We don’t want to miss a thing! To make sure we don’t, we often rent a car and go exploring, but in Treasure Cay you really don’t need one. What you can rent though is a golf cart!

We rented one for 24 hours and had a blast. Although I think I could have jogged faster than that thing, but hey, island time right!

We explored the beach all the way down to the end where Sunrise Cay sits just off shore. This little spit of an island is fantastic because at low tide you can wade out to it on a sand bar. More exploring right! The wind and tide were coming in when we planned our walk out, so instead of being trapped with our camera gear on a little island, we decided to play on the sand bar and fly the drone around instead. Here’s what we saw.

Other activities you can do are:

• Boat rentals which I mentioned would be awesome!
• Golf – Treasure Cay’s Dick Wilson designed course stretches a healthy 6,985 yards from the back tees with fairways framed with thick island vegetation.
• Tennis
• Fishing
• Snorkeling & Diving
• Drink wine and rum on the patio – oh, did I mention they have a grocery and liquor store on property were you can provision your room? They do! And we took full advantage!
• And of course that amazing beach

Here is a video of what the trip was like.

Does it make you want to go?

Treasure Cay Resort and Marina was the cherry on top of our Association of Bahamas Marina tour. It’s a boater’s dream. It’s a beach lover’s paradise. It’s a Castaway’s #JustGo. I highly recommend a visit, because your jaw will drop open when you lay eyes on the electric blue waters and your toes sink into the soft white sand. And as any good pirate knows, Treasure is the main pursuit, only this time it’s Treasure Cay beauty instead of booty…mate.

Cheers!

RumShopRyan