{"id":1819,"date":"2013-09-25T06:32:11","date_gmt":"2013-09-25T10:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~travelwriting\/?page_id=1819"},"modified":"2013-09-29T06:38:24","modified_gmt":"2013-09-29T10:38:24","slug":"as-hemingway-wrote-biminis-perfect-place-to-swim-eat-drink-work-read","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=1819","title":{"rendered":"As Hemingway once wrote, Bimini’s place to swim, eat, drink, work, read"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted September 25, 2013<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By ANABELL BERNOT<\/p>\n

ALICE TOWN, Bimini, Bahamas — “Swim, eat, drink, work, read, talk, read, fish, swim, drink, sleep.”<\/p>\n

That’s Bimini, summed up by a character in Ernest Hemingway’s novel “Islands in the Stream.”<\/p>\n

\u201cBimini is a place to relax, and that\u2019s exactly what I do when I come here,\u201d said Angelo Rojas, Miami native.<\/p>\n

Rojas, like many others, agrees with Hemingway.<\/p>\n

Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas composed of a chain of islands, North Bimini, South Bimini, and East Bimini. In total, the population reaches to a mere 1,600 inhabitants.<\/p>\n

Hemingway lived on the small island chain in the Bahamas from 1935 to 1937 and famously drank vodka martinis, tossed back rum with locals, and snorkeled in clear water Reefs.<\/p>\n

Visitors today tend to follow the same routine with a few twists, such as the extraordinary chance to interact with wild Atlantic spotted dolphins that gather north of the island, casting flies for bonefish on the flats of The Bahamas Bank, kayaking to the legendary \u201cFountain of Youth\u201d (a natural spring amid the mangrove mud that pumps lithium and sulfur) and scuba diving on wrecks, reefs, \u201coff the wall\u201d or atop the mysterious Bimini Road that some believe is remnants of a man-made causeway perhaps built by Atlantis\u2019 own civil engineers.<\/p>\n

Bimini is a serene escape where Miami locals can enjoy the same pleasures Hemingway wrote about rather than just reading about them in his novels.<\/p>\n

This tiny island chain in the Bahamas is only 53 miles east of Miami, therefore it is easy to visit the enchanting island.<\/p>\n

With its sparkling waters and powder white sand, Miami locals are giving up the sweaty crowds in South Beach and trading it to experience this remote retreat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe water is like 50 different shades of green and blue. It\u2019s absolutely gorgeous. No pollution and no pesky rocks bothering you while you walk in the water barefoot,\u201d said Anthony Lewis, Miami native.<\/p>\n

The small island of Bimini is big on beaches.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to be around Alice Town, Bimini\u2019s main settlement that dates back to 1848, you can enjoy Radio Beach, Blister Beach, and Spook Hill; the three most popular beaches in North Bimini.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like having your own private island,\u201d said Gina Lewis, visitor at the Bimini Ocean Villas, located in Alice Town. \u201cWe were able to go snorkeling in front of the villa with a small reef loaded with fish and at night, we could walk to a local bar and enjoy fresh seafood.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Alice Town, you will also find a cozy collection of shops, eccentric bars, family-owned restaurants and not one street light.<\/p>\n

If you prefer a beach backed with a strip of colorful vegetation, blooming flowers, and thatch palm, Tiki Hut Beach is the perfect destination located in South Bimini.<\/p>\n

Anthony Stuart, general manager of the Bimini Tourist Office, said tourists come to Bimini looking for a getaway.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want to forget city life when they are here. They want to sit on the beach eating fresh made Bimini bread, talking to locals, and relaxing,\u201d said Stuart.<\/p>\n

Since eating the local cuisine and gaining a couple of pounds is part of being a tourist, other than biting into a buttery, sweet loaf of Bimini bread, you can try what some call \u201cthe best pi\u00f1a colada in the world\u201d at Sherri\u2019s Beach Bar in Radio Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is damn good food,\u201d said tourist Eric Lopez. \u201cThe best sunset I have ever seen and the best conch fritters and pi\u00f1a colada I have ever tasted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other than Sherri\u2019s, other popular casual seafood restaurants that serve local cuisine include Anchorage Restaurant and Bar, Captain Bob\u2019s, and Joe\u2019s Conch Shack, all located in Alice Town.<\/p>\n

Even though many tourists complain that the service is on \u201cBahamian time\u201d meaning servers are not in a rush to deliver your food, it is more of a reason to spark up a conversation with a Biminian.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are fun people to be around,\u201d Aldo said, smiling, a native of Bimini and local fisherman. \u201cPeople here are hard workers, but they don\u2019t forget to appreciate what\u2019s around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

If You Go<\/strong><\/p>\n

Restaurants and Bars<\/em><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n