Harborside Atlantis Grocery Shopping

Read many reviews to use foodstore2go. Seems soo expensive. I was curious if prices at the actual Super Value grocery store would be a cheaper option? I read some people bring a suit case and was up over the bridge. I mapped and it looks like 20 minute walk or 1 mile. If price difference wasn't much, I would take the convenience of having food delivered, but, if I can save some $$$ I'm willing to walk. Any suggestions?

We've used FoodStore2Go a couple of times, but this time (last week), we stopped at the grocery store on the way from the airport (it only costs an extra $15) which worked great for our party of 13. No way would I want to drag a suitcase over the bridge and back to do my grocery shopping!

Also, we brought some food from home for the kids - mac and cheese, granola, oatmeal, quinoa salad mixes, favorite snacks, etc. We rounded out our meal planning with fresh produce, dairy, and protein from the grocery store, and rum/beer/wine from the liquor store. I'd never shopped for groceries in the Bahamas before, so it was kind of fun to see what they had. We always over order at Carmines (doesn't everyone?), so that took care of a few more meals during the week.

We used Food2 Go and loved it. It was our first trip there and there were only 2 of us so the extra cost was worth it vs a taxi. He showed exactly at the appointed time and unpacked everything. Great service. When we go back,there will be 16 of us. I'll probably shop myself then because the service charge would be huge.

We ate the first night at Carmine's and had enough leftovers to last 3 more dinners. Schedule Carmine's early in your week before dinner shopping!

PamMo said:

We've used FoodStore2Go a couple of times, but this time (last week), we stopped at the grocery store on the way from the airport (it only costs an extra $15) which worked great for our party of 13. No way would I want to drag a suitcase over the bridge and back to do my grocery shopping!

Also, we brought some food from home for the kids - mac and cheese, granola, oatmeal, quinoa salad mixes, favorite snacks, etc. We rounded out our meal planning with fresh produce, dairy, and protein from the grocery store, and rum/beer/wine from the liquor store. I'd never shopped for groceries in the Bahamas before, so it was kind of fun to see what they had. We always over order at Carmines (doesn't everyone?), so that took care of a few more meals during the week.

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Were all 13 of you together in a van? Wondering how you fit all the luggage and groceries before check in. Carmines sounds good, we'll make reservations a few months before.

damianinpa said:

Read many reviews to use foodstore2go. Seems soo expensive. I was curious if prices at the actual Super Value grocery store would be a cheaper option? I read some people bring a suit case and was up over the bridge. I mapped and it looks like 20 minute walk or 1 mile. If price difference wasn't much, I would take the convenience of having food delivered, but, if I can save some $$$ I'm willing to walk. Any suggestions?

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Everything in the Bahamas is expensive. Remember, everything is imported and some products have duties added at importation. Foodstore2go might mark things up a little, but it's not like the prices you saw for stuff will be 50% less.

Add in that 'fast' is not one of the available speeds in Nassau, and avoiding the grocery store is worth quite a bit.

I just pay the $7 and take the van from the resort to the store across the bridge. We can get all we need for a 2 week stay in the 1 hour the van drops us off. No way I'm dragging food from home in a suitcase

Prices at foodstore2go are almost the same as in the grocery stores. In fact, we found a few items to be less expensive from foodstore2go. You might also want to know that the produce is almost always much better from foodstore2go than at the grocery stores. They employees even come in to stock your refrigerator and cupboards. I do not think that you would see much difference in total price between the two options (as the tip money for the foodstore2go people would probably be around the same as the taxi waiting or transportation costs).

Can I pack things like frozen beef/chicken and Deli Meat? Wasn't sure if that is allowed. I am bringing a suitcase with non perishables. I'm thinking some type of small cooler with meat. Any suggestions??

damianinpa said:

Can I pack things like frozen beef/chicken and Deli Meat? Wasn't sure if that is allowed. I am bringing a suitcase with non perishables. I'm thinking some type of small cooler with meat. Any suggestions??

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Depends - are you going to declare what you bring when you go through customs? Or, are you just going to smuggle it in? This is from Harborside:

Quimby4 said:

Were all 13 of you together in a van? Wondering how you fit all the luggage and groceries before check in. Carmines sounds good, we'll make reservations a few months before.

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We arrived at different times on three separate flights, so there were only 6 of us in the van (Sandra Ferguson's son Wesley picked us up at the airport), and we had plenty of room for groceries. I'm sure we saved money by stopping at the grocery store (the price difference on liquor alone was worth way more than the $15 stop), but there is something to be said for the ease of ordering food and having it delivered. As I wrote earlier, we were very pleased with FoodStore2Go in the past, and we use a similar service in Cabo when we don't rent a car.

As to packing meats, I know that some people have done it (Tugger MichaelColey comes to mind - http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164299), but that's way too extreme for me. I'd be afraid my luggage would get lost and I'd have a horrible mess on my hands - and we don't eat that much meat anyway. Part of the fun of vacationing for us is going out to eat, and there are some wonderful restaurants in Atlantis and Nassau.

damianinpa said:

Can I pack things like frozen beef/chicken and Deli Meat? Wasn't sure if that is allowed. I am bringing a suitcase with non perishables. I'm thinking some type of small cooler with meat. Any suggestions??

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How do you intend to cook the beef and chicken? There aren't any grills at HRA, and the oven in the units is an unusual microwave convection combo, which is not very good at anything other than microwaving.

Just wanted to chime in real quick...we are here at Harborside now for 8 nights, 4th time here. (family of 4) We pack 2 very large soft sided cooler bags. I freeze 6 meals flat in ziploc bags (double bagged)...this is our menu this week: spaghetti, shrimp scampi over linguini, a shrimp/sausage boil, BBQ from our farmers market (big hit this time! Froze beautifully), chicken fajitas, and chicken gyros. I also bring bacon, sausage, hashbrowns--lots of food and have NEVER had any problem with defrosting or bringing it into the Bahamas; no one ever has asked us. All meals are seasoned, prepped and ready for cooktop or microwave. I don't want much prep time on vacation either. =) Last summer I did the same thing for our trip to St. John; although I packed frozen filet mignons and chicken breasts to grill.

We bring tons of non-perishables in our suitcases as well. We pack our lunches everyday and hit the pools and beaches.

We have ordered from foodstore2go the past 2 years and have been extremely impressed. I order breads, tons of water, soda, juice boxes for the kids, fruits, chips etc...VERY impressed with their service and quality!

I realize packing foods this way isn't for everyone because it is alot of work, but just thought I'd share. I think for Harborside, we save close to $1500-2000+ on food and beverages alone.

Hope this helps someone! Happy planning!!!

-Polly

I'm glad you gave us your menus for the week. I've been scratching my head trying to
Think of meals to make without an oven or grill. Thanks so much.