BananaKeet Villa — Hotel in Exuma

My husband and I are so happy we chose to stay at Bananakeet Villa. The pictures are obviously what attracted us initially. And I can attest that those pictures don’t even do the house justice. It is an immaculately clean and beautiful villa on the most pristine and virtually private beach. From the kitchen and large family room to the bathrooms, everything is just gorgeous. And the large patio - We watched beautiful sunsets over the ocean with a cocktail in hand while playing cards every night. I even had to take a peak at the sunrise one morning. Stunning!

Keep in mind that this is a new construction home so there are not as many reviews yet. Please don’t let this deter you from staying here because you will regret it! We almost passed on the house for fear of the lack of reviews. My husband wanted to speak to the owner, Scott, on the phone before booking, and Scott graciously understood and gave us his time. From there, I can say a new friendship formed! We booked and never looked back. Before we even arrived, we felt extremely prepared with what we wanted to do around the island thanks to the guidance and amazing suggestions from Scott and his wife Mary Ellen and their wonderful house manager Nicka.

This house is in the perfect location to visit the most breathtaking beach, CocoPlum Beach. Go at low tide and walk for miles in the water while you stumble across countless sand dollars. It is hands down the best beach on the island, and it is the shortest drive from Bananakeet.

Bananakeet is also just a short drive to Georgetown where we loved renting a boat one day from that area and island hopping to Man-o-War Cay at low tide (an absolutely unreal sight to see), Sand Dollar Island, Star Fish Island and Da Sand Bar. Another day we took a water taxi to Chat n Chill and swam with the friendliest sting rays. Again, Georgetown is an easy drive from Bananakeet Villa.

We actually drove one day after we did a Hydrobikes Tour of the Moriah Harbour and the Lazy River all the way down to Tropic of Cancer beach. You hear of this area a lot, but honestly, I’m so thankful for the location of Bananakeet because I even loved the beach Bananakeet is on way more than Tropic of Cancer! The water is so calm and clear. Scott and Mary Ellen provide all the floats and paddle boards, and we thoroughly enjoyed just floating in the water. You don’t even need a pool (and I’m a pool girl, but I didn’t miss having that one bit!). Also, the ice maker Bananakeet has and the cooler Scott provides are so convenient. It makes your beach days and boat days out so much easier!

Food options are plentiful near the villa. Cocoplum Bistro is a short walk on the beach away. But our favorite restaurants were 23 North and Palapa at the Grand Isle and that is only about a 3 minute drive away. You can also have Nicka, the amazing house manager, stock your fridge and kitchen with groceries before you arrive. We cooked steaks one night on the grill Bananakeet provides because who wouldn’t want to stay in and relax in a stunning villa like this with breathtaking views. Not to mention, Prime Meats grocery store where we got the steaks from is just a quick drive away.

We honestly can’t wait to return to Bananakeet. This time we want to go with our four children because they would love it! It’s the perfect place for a quiet couple vacay, a family vacay or a vacay spent with friends. Don’t hesitate. Just book...

Exquisite BananaKeet Villa, Flamingo Bay, Exuma:

My wife and I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing a relaxing week off the grid and away from the busyness of our lives in Scott and Mary Ellen Ractliffe’s BananaKeet Villa on Flamingo Bay in Exuma.

Awe-Inspiring Location:

While the powdery white sand, crystal clear water, breathtaking views and seclusion of the Flamingo Bay location were enough to lure us back to Exuma once again, the stay at BananaKeet Villa was certainly the icing on the cake.

Warm Exuma Welcome:

Our BananaKeet experience began with a warm welcoming smile and greeting from Nicka Musgrove the caretaker and local contact for the villa. Within a few minutes we had a quick tour of the villa, a rundown of the many amenities available to us and dinner reservations for our first evening on Exuma at Cocoplum Bistro, located a short walk down the beach. Nicka’s service-first attitude, warm personality and welcoming smile couldn’t have set the tone any better for the relaxing week we were about to experience, and even better, we had our own island concierge just a phone call away in case we needed her.

Gorgeous Well-Appointed Villa Inside and Out:

Inside: While we had extremely high expectations for BananaKeet Villa based on the online photos we had viewed; it absolutely exceeded all our expectations. We quickly noticed Scott and Mary Ellen had a guest-forward view of their beautiful villa even in the design phase. The ice maker (a life-saver to not have to worry about finding and fetching bags of ice), spacious bedrooms and walk-in closets (comforting not to have to live out of a suitcase for a week) and walk-in showers (with shower heads mounted high enough for us tall people) all amenities not typically found on our previous island trips to other islands. The beautiful “great room” with its high ceiling that featured an abundance of natural light provided the perfect atmosphere and spot for cool comfortable relaxation when we retreated to the confines of the villa.

Outside: We were thankful Scott and Mary Ellen also had a vision for the guest experience outside of the villa. We not only had an incredible place on the villa patio to view the sunrise while enjoying our morning coffee, we also had a grill to enjoy times when we just wanted to stay at the villa and chill. Also provided were an array of water necessities from beach chairs and umbrellas to floats, paddle boards and even bag toss / cornhole boards.

Amazing Memory Making Week:

My wife and I have taken our share of island vacations. We rely on the reviews of others to help us plan our experiences and adventures. While I apologize for the length of this BananaKeet review, I hope it paints a picture of our experience for you as you make plans for your next memory-making experience.

Craig and Donna Miller BananaKeet Villa –...

Our family of six stayed at BananaKeet in late July of this year. We were only the fourth or so family to rent this incredibly beautiful and thoughtfully appointed home. The owners are so kind and it was truly a 5 star experience. The location is perfect! It is an easy walk down the beach to lunch/dinner or a quick drive to 23* North and numerous other restaurants. Our daughters, ages 4 and 6, absolutely loved the beach. No steps (except stepping off the deck into the sand) for my husband's parents who were celebrating their 50th anniversary. There were plenty of sand and water toys for the kids and grownups. We did several tours while on the island but honestly, some of the best snorkeling was right in our own "backyard" of this home. There is a small coral reef with lots of beautiful fish and a sea turtle that was there every day!!! I absolutely love Nicka, the house manager. She got in touch with us as soon as we booked our vacation and gave us the best suggestions for what tours to take, beaches to see, things to do, and answered any and all questions I had. She and her husband greeted us on our arrival to the home and although we encountered no problems, she was available any time we needed her for simple questions and checked in often to make sure we had everything we needed during our stay. She delivered our grocery order and had everything already put away for us when we arrived so we were able to start enjoying our vacation immediately instead of having to shop and schlep our groceries first. We cooked breakfasts and steak dinners at the house and had absolutely everything we needed, just like we were at our own home - and it all worked and the knives were sharp! Small things you don't often encounter in a vacation rental. There were plenty of beach towels supplied and a huge, new washer and dryer so we didn't have to pack a whole lot for our week. Our week at Bananakeet was Heaven on Earth and we hope to return again...