A Wonderful Day of Giving Thanks . . .

Thanksgiving is a day to reflect on how thankful we are for what we have. At Small Hope we are thankful for this beautiful island of Andros; our fantastic guests; and of course, the exquisite feasts our kitchen prepares for us!

Check out the spread for this past Thanksgiving: Roast turkey, smoked turkey, whole roasted pig, jerk and Carolina ribs, lobster, shrimp salad, stuffing, mashed potatoes . . . and then DESSERT. 23 mouth-watering desserts like pumpkin pie, macaroons, ginger snap cookies, red velvet cupcakes, guava creme brulee, and chocolate lava cake, to name a few.

We serve feasts like this 4 times a year - US Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, and Easter. Book your holiday now so you can enjoy the holidays with us! Pin It Now!

A Memorial, and Saying Goodbye to a Good Friend . . .

We lost a good friend recently. Carol Heimann has been coming with her husband and two kids to Small Hope for several years. The four of them are passionate divers and they loved diving as a family with us.

In December of 2015, Carol lost her battle with cancer. As per her wishes, her friends and family gathered here at Small Hope to spread her ashes at one of her favorite dive sites, the Blue Hole.

All of us at Small Hope are very touched and honored to share this moment with her family. And we are glad she will always be in a place she loved so much.

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Get to Know the Staff: Meet Tony!!!

 

Introducing . . .

the Terrific Tony!

Tony is notorious around Small Hope for his hilarious (and often quite accurate) impressions of other staff members.He has at least 3 of his own concoctions on our bar list and they are all favorites among the guests and staff alike. He definitely keeps us all laughing!

Fun facts about Tony:

# of years at Small Hope: 4

# of Kids: 2. Tyrese is 4, and Charisma will be 2 this summer

Favorite Thing to do Outside of Work: Take his son snorkeling

Favorite Thing about Working at Small Hope for him: Great diving, meeting and forming relationships with new people

Favorite Food: Sheep Tongue Souse

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Movie: Kings of New York

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Get to Know the Staff: Meet Alvin!!!

Introducing . . . 

the incredible Alvin!!!

Alvin is one of the amazing "behind the scenes" members of staff. He is incredibly hard-working and dedicated. He is also a wonderfully versatile staff member. He does it all! He works in the kitchen, in maintenance, on the grounds and nursery. He has even been known to lend a hand on a dive or fishing trip.


Alvin has many awesome traits. He is pound-for-pound the strongest person on the island! I have seen him pick up an entire picnic table as if it weighed 5 lbs! He is also famous (or notorious) for his wicked dance skills. At our annual staff party, Alvin is the first out there shakin' it!!!!

He is great to have as a co-worker. Staff and guests alike appreciate all he does for them!

Fun Facts about Alvin:

# of Years at Small Hope: 10

# of Kids: 5

Favorite Thing to do Outside of Work: Work is his favorite thing to do. And with 5 kids, it's work, work, work - here or at home!

Best Part about Working at Small Hope: The variety. Each day is something new.

Favorite Food: Junk food (Bad Alvin!)

Favorite Superhero: Jeff. "He has done so much for me and my family. And I have learned so much here."

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Easter 2016 at Small Hope

WOW! What a fun Easter! We had a full house - couples, families, new guests, and repeaters. We dyed Easter eggs, had a hunt for candy, and ate an incredible, mouth-watering feast.

It was a gorgeous Bahamas day here - sun shining, palms swaying. Our guests went diving, snorkeling, fishing, swimming, and relaxing. The kids got crafty with their Easter eggs, and loved their candy hunt (duh).

Then a beautiful evening with dinner served on our outside patio. We had roasted turkey, smoked turkey, pork tenderloin, roasted suckling pig, two kinds of ribs, shrimp, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and Greek salad.

And the desserts! Whoa. 30+ of the best desserts ever - creme brulee, chocolate chip cookies, mini chocolate cheesecakes, Bailey's parfaits, cocnut cream pie, marble cake, key lime pie, and so many more . . .

A great time (and a great meal) was had by all!!!

Happy Easter!

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The Story of Dick's Tree, by Rosi Birch

Small Hope has such a beautiful and long history. There have been so many stories of love, loss, friendship, humor, and adventure here. Some of these stories stretch back over generations and several decades.

One such story is how Dick's Tree became known as Dick's Tree. Click here for the story, written by Rosi Birch, Dick's wife at that time.

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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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Cat and Dan's Wedding on the Beach!

We were honored to be a part of a beautiful wedding ceremony this past Saturday. Cat and Dan decided to celebrate their love here at Small Hope, under a canopy of buttonwood and palm trees. They had visited Small Hope once before and were enchanted by the family-style atmosphere and beautiful scenery. This time they brought a small group of loved ones with them to enjoy the special day.

Congratulations Dan and Cat!!!!!

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Jeff is Back and Kicking!!

 Jeff is Back and Kicking!!!

What started off as a simple and amazing family vacation, turned for the worst when our vehicle went off the side of a dark road, and crashed into a wall. Brian, my son, sustained minor injuries, while I shattered my tibia and fractured one of my cervical vertebrae. 

However, just as the kingsmen placed humpty dumpty back together, the amazing surgeons in Hawaii were able to put me back together as well. 

I am now on the road to recovery, and though my bones may have been broken, my spirit is still intact. I would like to thank you all for your words of hope and encouragement. They truly meant a lot to me. Small Hope is all we need when the going gets tough, and allows us to persevere!!!!

Love Always, 
Jeffrey Birch 

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Great Place for an Island Wedding

Small Hope Bay Lodge is a beautiful destination for a beachside wedding. We have two secluded beaches, beautiful island flowers, a great kitchen staff to prepare delicious food, and a staff willing to accommodate anything you can imagine for your wedding. This month we have lucky enough to host two weddings.

Brent and Carolyn came to Small Hope with their three kids to celebrate their wedding. They stayed for a week - some tried diving, some snorkeling, bike rides and more. They had their ceremony on the north beach and it could not have been sweeter. Congratulations to them and their family!

Sam and Diana came to escape some of the craziness that go along with wedding planning. They left all the plans up to us and had an intimate ceremony on the south beach. As they came alone, they were able to combine their wedding with their honeymoon. They tried diving, snorkeling, biking and more. Congratulations Sam and Diana!

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