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Katy's
Split Level Suites are about an hour's flight from Ft. Lauderdale to the airport that serves Bluff House,
Treasure Cay airport (TCB). Air
carriers from Ft.
Lauderdale, Miami or West Palm Beach to TCB are available on-line at Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity,
Trip.com, etc., or from your travel agent--Expedia
and Orbitz usually have the best prices, but that can change.
Accommodations
can be booked directly with Bluff House by phone or e-mail using their reservations
web page, or through your travel
agent. It is advisable to book as far
ahead as possible--three to six months in advance is not too early to assure both
accommodations at Katy's Split Level Suites and a reasonable airfare during the busy
season. It is also a good idea
to confirm your airline tickets 24 hours in advance--their schedules sometimes
change.
On
the way from Florida to TCB you will complete a Bahamas Immigration card--available when you check in
on your Florida-TCB leg--for each person.
After arriving at TCB you and your luggage will clear Bahamian Customs and
Immigration (5-15 minutes--the aiport is tiny). Be sure to bring a passport or birth certificate for each
person, and save your copies of the Bahamian Immigration cards--they must be
surrendered when you depart the Bahamas.
Next,
you will take a 5 minute cab ride to the water taxi to Bluff House. The water taxi is a
30 foot enclosed vessel specially designed to take passengers to several points
on Green Turtle Cay, the next island out, including Bluff House. The trip is short, usually about 15
minutes, but the water taxi usually makes several stops on Green Turtle Cay--just
tell the captain you want Bluff House.
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Because Bluff
House knows when you are arriving, they will meet you when the water taxi drops
you at the Bluff House reception dock.
When
you return home the process is reversed. The day before you depart,
you should confirm by phone at least the TCB-Florida leg of your return flight--TCB air
schedules can change. The Registration desk has the phone numbers. On the
morning you depart just tell Bluff House when
your flight leaves and they will schedule you on the water taxi back to the
airport. When you check
out be sure you have enough cash for the water taxi and the cab to the airport,
and Bahamian departure tax (currently about $40 per passenger total).
At
the TCB airport you will check in with your airline, pay your departure tax,
surrender your Bahamian Immigration cards, and pick up your US Customs card. When you arrive in Florida, you will clear US
Immigration
then pick up your luggage. Next, you and your luggage will clear US Customs,
and you will then proceed to your final U.S. destination--by air you will recheck your luggage with your airline to your final U.S. destination.
(See the What to Bring link on the Home page for what not to bring back to the
U.S.)
The trip to Bluff House on your own boat usually takes about a day. You should plan to take
all the usual precautions for an open-ocean crossing. For example, many
boaters send their family by air while they drive their boat across. Don't
forget to stop in the New Plymouth harbor for Bahamian Customs and
Immigration--there is a fee of about $150 to enter the Bahamas. Your local marina should be able to explain the process of
re-entering the U.S. locally from the Bahamas.
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