The Bahamas is one of the few countries we've been to more than once, and it's a real family place for us. My parents built their dream compound there — six homes on one plot, one for each branch of the family — so the Bahamas isn't a stop on a cruise itinerary for us, it's where the extended Johnson clan gathers.
Our most recent trip was March 2024, when we flew down from Tampa to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday on Exuma. A full family reunion: my sister, her husband, their two kids, my parents, my grandparents — everyone in paradise for a week. We did the staples: beach bars, boat days, island food, and the family-compound lifestyle that makes Exuma feel less like a vacation and more like home base for the week.
Honestly, the Bahamas hasn't progressed much since my grandparents first built there — a lot of the flowering shrubs and cabbage palms got chopped down over the years, and the family pieces of paradise we remember from childhood photos look different now. But for celebrating milestones with the whole family, it's hard to beat.