Day 7 January 14, 2017 Half Moon Cay Bahamas

 What a beautiful Island.  It's really all about the beach itself. 

We were at Half Moon Cay for about 6  hours today, and we spent all but about 30 minutes either in the water or walking round trip the entire length of the beach, barefoot along the water's edge (which is so long it takes about 80 minutes). It simply doesn't get any better than that. 

We ate lunch from the BBQ on the beach- chicken and ribs and lots of fruit. There was a lot more to choose from, but we wanted it limit it to easily eaten finger foods, as we couldn't bear to leave the beach and sit at a picnic table to eat with silverware. The last tender back to the ship was at 2:30pm.

In 1997, Holland America Line purchased Little San Salvador from its previous owners for a cool $6 million. Today, the 2,400-acre island is known as Half Moon Cay and serves as a private retreat for passengers on the line's Caribbean and Panama Canal sailings. (Carnival ships sometimes visit, too, as Holland America is owned by Carnival Corp.)
The line invested $15 million to spruce up Half Moon Cay, but just two percent of it has been developed. Located less than 100 miles southeast of Nassau, the island houses its passenger facilities on less than 50 acres; much of the remaining land serves as a preserve for migratory birds. Day-to-day operations are handled by nearly 100 employees who reside on nearby islands.
Physically, the island boasts a 2.5-mile-long crescent-shaped beach -- the source of the name Half Moon Cay. Facilities are divided into three sections: the welcome center, Bahamian Village and Tropics Restaurant. The welcome center features an information booth, restrooms, a bar, a Bahamian straw market, an ice cream shop, a post office, a first aid station, an island shop and tram stop.