But size is deceptive. For the towering Rick Fox, these tiny
islands have always been nothing short of paradise.
"I feel like I grew up on a boat, 21-by-7, filled with culture," he
says.
Actually, he grew up on Johnson Road, on the eastern side of
Nassau, where his mother and father and a sister still live. So
it's only natural that the former first-round draft pick and his
clan - including his wife, one-time Miss America turned
singer/actress Vanessa Williams, and five kids - pack up and head
for those 700 islands in the sun whenever they can. Here's where
they go when they do.
Should we focus on Nassau, since it's the
capital?
"Well, Nassau is home for me. But
the Bahamas are so encompassing.
I went to camp in Abaco. I've been to the Grand Bahamas. Each
island brings its own spices of Bahamian culture to the table. The
other islands are literally so close you could take a boat or
puddle-jump to a number of the other islands."
Where do you stay when you're with the kids?
"The Atlantis. It's about as fun and family-friendly as you're
going to get. I think it's the best resort in the
Caribbean. I've
been to
Jamaica,
Antigua, Barbuda, and other
Caribbean islands, and
in terms of entertaining your kids and allowing the adults to still
be adults, which means being able to bask in the sun and also
hitting the casino or sightseeing, this is it. They have a whole
department set up there, basically like camp, where you send your
kids. They pretty much wear them out for the whole day."
What about when it's just you and Vanessa?
"We tend to stay at the Ocean Club, which is owned by the same
group that owns the Atlantis, and is nearby, so you share the
amenities of Atlantis. The Ocean Club is for a quieter, more
romantic getaway. It is obviously pricier; it's the high-end
hotel."