Staniel Cay

Staniel Cay is a settlement of a few hundred people in the middle of the Exuma chain, with an airstrip, a yacht club, a couple of shops and a position that makes it the hub for everything nearby: the swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, Thunderball Grotto on the reef, the nurse sharks at Compass Cay, and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park to the north. Boats and golf carts are the transport, and the pace outside the marina is slow.

What you actually see

• The yacht club dock - the social centre of the cay, with nurse sharks under the fish-cleaning station.
• The village - a few streets of painted houses and two small stores.
• The base position - pigs, grotto, sharks and the park all within a short boat run.
• The airstrip - a single strip taking small aircraft direct from Florida and Nassau.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the peak. Boat trips depend on weather and winter fronts can shut the water down for days. Summer is hot and hurricane season runs June to November.

Honest expectations

Accommodation is limited and expensive for what it is, and books out months ahead. Everything on the cay is brought in by boat, which is reflected in prices. Without a boat you are limited to the cay itself.

Nearby

Big Major Cay and the pigs are a few minutes north, and Thunderball Grotto is off the western shore.