Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Do YOU Speak like a Bahamian?

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - words you need to know ... LOL!  Take the "Talk like a Bahamian Challenge"!



 

So homeowners, Mudda -sik Dred!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Resort Host Pew Environment's Shark Summit

Directly from the Bimini Sands Resort and Marina page:


The Bimini Sands Resort and Marina was proud to host Pew Environment's Shark Summit meeting with dignitaries from throughout the Caribbean and special guest speaker Sir Richard Branson. We are proud to do our part to help protect and promote Shark Sanctuaries, not only in the Bahamas, but around the world.

Bimini Sands really is the "place" to be!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - What is VAT?

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - What is VAT?



As a homeowner or frequent visitor to the Bahamas, you will now be asked to pay VAT on many goods and services.  VAT stands for "value added tax" and while it is new to the Bahamas (as of January 1, 2015) it is something that is used in over 160 countries worldwide ... in Hungary the VAT is a whopping 27%!  The VAT rate in the Bahamas is set at 7.5%. 

Value Added Tax (VAT) is a broad based consumption tax that is applied to most goods and services bought locally or imported into the country or a consumption tax charged on goods and services.

Why VAT?

(This comes directly from the government page)

Since the coming on stream of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and The Bahamas’ impending accession to the WTO,  the Government can no longer look towards the Customs Division to contribute the same share of revenues that it presently brings in. Reform is therefore needed to strengthen tax administration and ensure that there is no significant loss in revenue.

VAT in The Bahamas is therefore being introduced against the backdrop of:

  • Government’s desire to undertake a programme of Tax Reform for the administration of its tax and non-tax revenue collections

  • Broadening the tax base and making it more equitable by including both goods and services.

  • Bolstering revenue collections to meet the increasing demands to provide efficient public services to its citizens and meet other financial demands of the Government
So how will this really affect you as a visitor?  You can visit the FAQ's of the government page here and most of your questions will be answered. 

The  Hotel Accommodation Tax will be replaced entirely by VAT.  This is good news ... in the past travelers have been charged an additional 10% on their hotel rooms.

Bimini Sands HomeOwner ... What Happens in Bimini ... :-)

Bimini Sands HomeOwner ... What Happens in Bimini ...

As anyone who has spent time over in Bimini knows, it is a place unlike any other.  It is certainly a place to reflect and let your hair down, so to speak ...

Some of the best stories that I share with others come from "quality" time in The Bahamas.

So, my friends ...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - AHHHhh .. The Infinity Pool is Incredible!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - AHHHhhhh ... The Infinity Pool is Incredible!


Here is a quick view from the top!

Refreshing on a warm Bimini day!

... and a terrific way to watch a spectacular Bimini sunset ...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Infinity Pool is Under Construction

 Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Infinity Pool is Under Construction!



 

I can hardly wait to jump right in!

Bimini Sands ... They are Moving Dirt!

Bimini Sands Homeowners .... ATTENTION!!!!!

The infinity pool is finally underway ... WooHOOO!!!

Here is the picture to prove it ...

I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to having a cold Kalik poolside soon.

Be sure to send me your latest pictures when you visit so I can post the progress!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - What $50 Will Buy

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - What $50 Will Buy ... this is an update to my earlier post "What $10 Will Get You".

So, as a loyal shopper I went to the local liquor store and found out that for $50 I could buy ...


That is ....

  • 3 Kinds of Rum
  • 2 Bottles of Vodka
  • 1 Bottle of Tequila
I'm not sure what this means, but to my untrained eye it seems that the liquor is cheaper than the food ... LOL!  Perhaps when you visit Bimini Bahamas you should simply drink and not eat.

Bimini Sands HomeOwner update.

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Let's Play!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner when you visit Bimini Sands there are a boatload of things to do in Bimini Bahamas ...


Katie and Grant are always ready to show you and your family all the FUN stuff to do at Bimini Sands.  Be sure to check with them at the recreation office.

I spoke with one couple recently who were thrilled with the boat tour that Grant took them on.  They saw dolphins, sea turtles, stingrays and so much more.  It really made their vacation stay here perfect!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner reporting.

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - The Boat Came in ... Time to Shop

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - The Boat Came in and it is time to shop!  Here is what $10 will buy in Bimini Bahamas


I'm just saying ... living in paradise is not so cheap!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Latest Fast Ferry Dock Pictures

Bimini Sands HomeOwner with the latest Fast Ferry Dock Pictures.  Let me tell you, they can't get this dock done soon enough.  For the people having to travel back and forth on the local North-South Ferry ... at low tide it can be a 4 foot drop.  Not so easy for short folks ...





Looks like things are progressing .... although don't have any idea when the ferry will actually be up and running.

Stay tuned and check back often at Bimini Sands HomeOwner.

 Here is the latest from our friend Marlene on Facebook:

From March 10th ... this is the latest that I just heard... "Dredge is done 70%, but company had contract default, so they quit and left...waiting for resolution - or new company to finish. Ferry is doing very well to Freeport though...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - And Then The Winds Came ...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner ... and then on Sunday the winds came.  It was blowing so hard we could hardly open up our front door!  Several golf carts covers were torn apart and talk about sand .... YIKES!



Then the surf came up ...



Glad to report that things have settled down today and we are back to sunny with light winds in Bimini!


Bimini Sands HomeOwner - It's Beautiful!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner ... It's beautiful here today ... where are you?

Tornado's, snow and high winds ... here in Bimini it is a comfy 85 degrees with a light wind ... isn't it time you planned a visit here?

The wall on building #10 has been stuccoed and painted ... nice job, guys!


The beach  is once again the star of the show ... what can I say?


What ever direction you look!


Bimini Sands HomeOwner .... just another day in paradise!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Can You Say STUCCO?

Bimini Sands HomeOwner reporting the latest ....

Stucco is now being applied to Building 10 ... I must say it is much quieter than tearing the stucco down ... LOL!



The roof on the beach side of Building 2 looks to be completed, but the "street" side has not ... no gutters yet.

The channel dredging has stopped and the equipment is standing on the beach ... don't know if more dredging to come or it is just "parked" there for a while ... as you can see, the pile of sand has been removed ...



Pool picture is the same as last time.


Maintenance guys are rounding up the stray conch shells from the marina ...



All in all ... a pretty quiet day in paradise ... Bimini Sands ... Bimini Bahamas ...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner reporting ...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Pacific is Back

Bimini Sands HomeOwner reports that the mega yacht Pacific is back and made a pickup in their "tender" today in the Marina ...



It sure beats my inflatable "tender" ... LOL!


BTW ... anyone know who the Pickup in the purple shirt is??????
Bimini Sands HomeOwner is standing by ... Bimini Bahamas!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Mega Yacht Pacific!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner the Mega Yacht Pacific has been anchored off the coast of Bimini Sands for the last week.

It seems to have cruised off sometime last night.  There has been much speculation as to who the wealthy owner really was ....


At 279 feet, it caused quite a stir around here!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - It's NOT a Holiday in the Bahamas!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner ...  It's NOT President's Day here in the Bahamas!

The guys were up bright and early ... 7:30am ... tearing the side wall off of building 10.



... and at lunch time ...




Keep checking back at the Bimini Sands HOmeOwner for more updates!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Some Gable Work

Bimini Sands HomeOwner -  Some Gable Work.

The roofing guys have taken some time out to hop over to building 10 to do a little gable work ...

Glad I'm not hanging out up there!  Great job guys!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Infinity Pool ... the Beginning ...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner -  Infinity Pool ... the Beginning ...

All good things have to begin somewhere and so it goes ... the pool "dudes" have arrived!

At 8:00am the pool site looked like this:

At 1:00pm we have some action!



OOPS!  By 5:00pm they had filled it back in ... must have been a "test" dig ...



Stay tuned for the updates from the Bimini Sands HomeOwner in Bimini Bahamas

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Dredging the Channel

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Dredging the Channel to Bimini Sands Marina is something that has to be done every once in a while.  Turbulent seas, currents and crazy winds all create conditions that shoal in the cut.  In fact, sand is constantly moving around the Bimini Islands and that is why every cruiser knows they have to watch the water depth as they approach.

Our friend, Jaime is hard at work here ...



Bimini Sands HomeOwner will keep you updated on the progress ... stay tuned!

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Fast Ferry ... Work Progress

Bimini Sands HomeOwner just visited north Bimini and snapped a few pictures on the latest progress of the Ferry Express "fast" ferry to Bimini Bahamas.  Didn't see any dredging going on, I don't know if it is complete or they pulled the equipment to a different place while we had the high winds and rough seas. 

It does seem that things are moving on as far as the new dock installation ... pilings are being driven in and the local south to north ferry is coming in around the corner now.  Not so easy to get on and off the local ferry as the "curb" is quite high on the north side, crumbling concrete and then you have to step on a very large (at least 12") metal pipe that is rusted to navigate to flat ground.  I hope this improves once they get the Fast Ferry dock in place.





These pictures were taken on 2/14/12 ...

Bimini Sands HomeOwner will keep you updated on the latest progress on the Ferry Express dock in Bimini Bahamas

Bimini Sands HomeOwner - Roof & Pool ... Latest Updates

Bimini Sands HomeOwner -  Latest Updates on my morning walk.

The roof project on building #2 is making progress .. from the beachside ...

From the front of the building ...

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Status of infinity pool ... seems to be the same ... no pool "dudes" have shown up yet ...

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Both the Petite Conch and the Bimini Twist are offering Valentines Day specials that sound pretty tasty!

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The Bimini Sands Marina is very quiet ... right now no visitors except the "Ocean Drive" with Maya, Dieter and their little dog Calypso!

Maybe it is time that you take your sweetheart by the hand and head over to Bimini Sands for a quick Valentines Day celebration in the Bahamas.