Love is in the air . . . Or the Water!

On one of our recent dives, our guests and staff happened upon two mating loggerheads. Birds do it , bees do it. Even Loggerhead turtles do it. Let's do it. Let's fall in love . . . .

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What our guests have to say about Small Hope Bay Lodge . . .

We truly get the most wonderful guests at Small Hope. I suspect that the type of people who choose to go to an off-the-beaten -track resort on a (mostly) deserted tropical island, with no TVs in your cabins are just the coolest anyway!

Our guests bring with them great stories of families and travel and we get to share all of it. The staff and guests here mingle and chat about everything from world politics, to the environment, to the new Star Wars movie, and the most recent Duke game.

Our cocktail hour has seen different people come and go. Many of our guests have made life-long friends here among the other guests and the staff as well. It is such a treat to live and work among some of the most interesting people in the world!

Check out some of what our guests have said about their stay here . . .

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The Bonefishing Capital of the World!!!

If you are a serious fly fisherman there is a very good chance you have already heard about Andros Island. This is place to be for bonefishing. This large island, with our giant bights running through, and so many ocean flats to choose from, is ideal for the sport! Not to mention you probably won't see another soul around, just you and your guide all day!

This type of fishing is known for the challenge. Bonefishing is what we call "active hunting". This means you spot the fish (difficult to do since they camouflage so well with the water and sand), then you have to cast the fly just right (you can't cast it too far or the fish won't see it, but it can't be too close or the fish will spook); then, if the fish chooses to bite it is pound for pound one of the best fights you'll get!

It's no wonder bonefishermen are so passionate about it. Here are some Bonefish Facts.

We offer great packages for all levels of fishermen, and we have lots of different fishing spots to choose from. Check out our checklist of what to bring on your fishing trip.

Small Hope Bay Lodge is unique because we offer a multitude of fishing opportunities for beginners and experts alike. But we also offer activities (and inactivities) for other members of your group who may not want to bonefish all day!

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We love our repeat guests!!!!

It's been over 55 years since we first opened our doors at Small Hope and we are still going strong. Over the past 5 decades we have had the most amazing people come and stay with us. And many of them enjoyed their stay so much they came back over and over through the years!

To say thank you to the guests who come back to us we started designing t-shirts for our repeat guests. We do a new one each year and every time a guest returns they get a new shirt! The back of the shirt is always different, but the front always says the same thing - "I am part of the family!"

We now have so many years of doing this we started hanging up the past shirts in our Games Room. Do you see yours? Do you have a repeat shirt that is not hung up here? If so, send us either the shirt or a high res photo of the back so we can display it!!!!!

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Christmas is Coming to Andros . . .

Tis the season . . . for all kinds of fun, food, love, and laughter. Then again, it's that season here year round! But the holidays are upon on us and here is how we celebrate them here on Andros:

1. Get our tree! We get a locally grown Andros pine to be our Christmas tree. It goes right in our lounge near the dining room and is bedecked with lights and homemade decorations done by our guests each year!
2. Decorate the resort. Every year our staff goes wild hangings lights, "snowflakes", garland, tinsel, Androsia stockings, and more. It becomes a magical winter wonderland, conveniently located in the Bahamas, and so very comfortably warm.
3.  Feast!!! On Christmas day, the kitchen staff prepares us an incredible culinary extravaganza. These vary every year but often include such things as roasted pig, smoked turkey(s), spiral ham, mashed Irish and sweet potatoes, lobster salad, coconut shrimp, steamed vegetables, pumpkin soup, etc. Our insanely
   
   tasty dinner is then followed by the dessert to end all desserts. No less than 20 (and usually several more than that) homemade sweets such as pumpkin pie, coconut pecan cookies, Bailey's marble cheesecake, apple pie, sweet potato pie, key lime pie . . . . and the list goes on. And on. And on. Then food coma sets in and we just kind of stare around at each other in a happy daze of food.
4. Then we scuba, snorkel, kayak, hot tub, etc for a week until New Year!!!!!!!

Come back for how we spend New Year here at Small Hope  . . . .
*spoiler alert: it's a crazy, awesome, fun, and hilarious party!!!!!!!

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Island Hopping in the Bahamas, the best way to get around . . .

With over 700 islands in cays in the Bahamas it's nearly impossible to see them all. But we can still try! A great solution to getting to see a couple of the islands while visiting the Bahamas is Island Hopping. This means you can "hop" from one idyllic tropical island to another, without a discouraging layover in Nassau.

Private pilots visiting this beautiful country have been island hopping for decades. The Bahamas is a dream destination for private pilots, with our many international airports and special fee credits as well. We even offer specials with other participating hotels for private pilots to island hop too!

But not all of us are pilots or have our own planes . . . yet. So there's another option. Small Hope Bay Lodge, on beautiful Andros Island, has partnered with Staniel Cay (famous for their swimming pigs), in the Exumas, and Watermaker's Air to make island hopping easy. See our Island Hopping package!

Contact our office at info@smallhope.com or call us at 1-800-223-6961 to plan your island hopping adventure in the Bahamas

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Mmmmmm, Delicious Bailey's Marble Cheesecake Recipe

Some things in life are just wonderful. For example, cheesecake. Another example, Bailey's. What could be tastier than mixing those two together? Pretty much, nothing! Here's the recipe below so you can make at home:

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

Filling

• 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur
•  1 tsp vanilla
• 6 squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions:
For the crust, combine the melted butter and chocolate wafer crumbs. Press into the bottom of a 10" springform pan. bake for 10 minutes at 325 F. Then, in a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time while beating. Stir in sour cream, Bailey's, and vanilla.

Pour 2/3 of the cheesecake mixture over the crust. To the remaining mixture, stir in the melted chocolate. Spoon the chocolate mixture over the plain cheesecake mixture. Run a knife through it a few times to create a marble effect.

Bake at 325 F for about 1 and 1/2 hours, until the center is raised and set. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

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Our Coconut Farm and Garden

Here on Andros, we are a world away from the busy "rat race". Things move at a slower pace, and that's a good thing! But it also means we have had to become very self-sufficient in many ways. We make our own furniture; we compost our food scraps; we turn used wine bottles into drinking glasses; and we grow our own plants for landscaping and some food too!

This means one of our favorite things here is our coconut farm and our garden. Our garden has all kinds of native and complimentary plants we use in our landscaping and for soil retention in the storms. We grow hibiscus, aloe vera (great for our sunburned guests too!), bougainvillea, seagrape, buttonwood, and more.

Our coconut trees come from the mature trees right here on property. Our grounds staff collects the fallen coconuts, plants them in a bucket of sand, and keeps them in the coco farm till they are large enough to be transplanted to their permanent home somewhere on the grounds.

Of course, some coconuts do not make it that far. Sore we use for their delicious water and meat for our staff and guests!

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The Beautiful Birds of Andros Island

Andros is a wonderful place for so many things - diving, snorkeling, eco-tourism, getting away from it all and relaxation. One of the other things we are known for is great birding. There is a great variety of birds that make Andros Island their home, or pass through it every year.

At Small Hope we even have an Audubon Society certified birding guide on staff. We lead our guests to the best local spots to enjoy the ornithological life on Andros. And sometimes we don't have to go very far. The Bahama Oriole, indigenous only to Andros, and one of the most sought after birds to see here often like to make their nests underneath the palm branches right by our dining patio or next to our guest cabins!

We had a guest this past year who took some incredible photos of the local birds and was kind enough to share them with us. Thanks Nicole!

 See our website for more information on our birding program and tours!

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Justin Trudeau, Small Hope's friend . . . oh, and the new Prime Minister of Canada!

We want to formally congratulate Justin Trudeau on his recent election as Prime Minister of Canada! He as his lovely wife Sophie, and their children stayed and dove with us in 2012. 

I recently overheard Jeff Birch (owner/manager of Small Hope) chatting at the bar the other day. He was talking about 2012, a year he got to dive with Pierre-Yves Cousteau (son of the famous Jacques Cousteau) and Justin Trudeau (son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau). This was very significant for Jeff because both of those men's fathers dove with Jeff's own father, Dick Birch. It's a small world at Small Hope!

Jeff mentioned that there was a headline in the Globe and Mail, as well as major newspapers in Nassau, back in the 60's that read: "Where's Trudeau?!?". Well, we know where Pierre was. He was here at Small Hope with Dick Birch, Joe McGinnis, Bahamian Prime Minister Pindling, and other visiting friends. 

As Jeff is the youngest of the Birch kids he has relied on his older sister Margo's recollections of the visit. They both think Pierre came 4 times, a couple of which were with his wife, Margaret. Margo asserts (though who can know for sure) that Justin was probably conceived in Cabin 17. Jeff says that that would mean that "There is big hope for Small Hope!"

When Justin came with his family in 2012 Jeff says it was like meeting a long lost brother. They had a warm embrace, and he knows that, with his family, there was some soul searching for their future while here. Jeff having been born in Canada knows democracy is one of the greatest ways of governance. He says, "We hope that Justin and Sophie and their family are happy in the unselfish giving of their lives for their great country of Canada, and that Canadians are happy that one of their own can lead them to positive change in a complex world and continue to make my old homeland, Canada, a great nation." Jeff laughs and says, "Maybe Canada can catch up to his new home, the Bahamas."

I personally remember the Trudeau family's visit in 2012 because Justin built the coolest sandcastle I have ever seen on these beaches! See here for that cool story! 

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Sassy: 4 1/2 Years of cuteness!

 In May of 2011, Sassy and Scuba, came to live at Small Hope Bay Lodge. They immediately were a hit with guests and staff alike. Not surprising, considering how adorable they were/are! Just about everyone was tempted to put them both in their suitcases and smuggle them home.

Sassy and Scuba are what we call "Potcakes". A Bahamian term essentially meaning mutt.

 Despite very different appearances and highly contrasting personalities, Sassy and Scuba are brother and sister, litter-mates. Sassy is very mellow, intelligent, and rather lazy. Scuba is highly energetic, athletic, and very sweet though not the "sharpest tool in the shed". It was determined after a short while that Scuba was probably better suited for life up at Jeff's (owner/manager of Small Hope) home.

 Sassy has proven to be a WONDERFUL dog! She loves welcoming the new guests arriving by taxi, monitoring what all the staff members are up to, checking to see who gets to give her illicit snacks each day, and watching over cocktail hour and dinner time on the patio, letting us all know that she, too, likes conch fritters!

She even comes on some of the morning dive trips. She is always very concerned when people jump into the depths, but she is immensely relieved and overjoyed to see us all return to the boat safely.


 Sassy is absolutely, 100% part of the family, as well as the staff. She sees her role here as part watchdog, part groundskeeper (picking up any food dropped), and part fisherdog (she chases those little fish but hasn't caught one yet).

We love her to bits. She makes everyday a little bit better and we are so glad this is her home.

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