The Black Girl’s Guide To Travel: A Bahamian Reset For Busy Moms

There’s an old adage about parenthood and the passage of time: the days are long, but the years are short. It’s well known that time seems to go into warp speed while we watch our babies grow. Blink your eyes and they go from bouncing on your knee to crossing the graduation stage.

However, we rarely speak about the ways life can speed right past Mom in the meantime. Once the fog clears on the fourth trimester (a bumpy ride for many of us, to say the least), it’s quickly time to get to incorporating solids and babyproofing the house for fledgling footsteps and curious hands. Next thing you know, there’s a first birthday bash to plan and new speech milestones to track. Between pampers, potty-training, and playdates, suddenly you look up and realize you haven’t had a moment to pause and focus on you in the long months between teething and tantrums.

Nearing two years into motherhood, I found myself in this exact position. It was time for a getaway. The timing could not have been more serendipitous – my baby girl was down south visiting grandparents for the first few weeks of summer, and work schedules had also mercifully aligned for me and her father to drop everything and jet to the Caribbean for a few days.

I was elated to have the opportunity to briefly shed the daily grind of toddler motherhood with Rosewood Hotels and Resorts at their Nassau location in mid-July. This summer, the resorts are focusing on immersive experiences that leave guests with an indelible connection to each of their respective locations. The Bahamas, and Nassau’s Baha Mar in particular, already held a special place in my motherhood journey. This respite and reset, steeped so deeply in local culture, gave me the steam I needed to power forward through that inevitable,” terrible two” energy. Here’s how the Bahamas helped get me back on track.

Rest and Reset

With room decor modeled after a modern Bahamian estate, fully marble bathrooms with deep soaking bathtubs, private balconies with a view of the gardens below, Cable Beach, and the ocean beyond, the property’s rooms are primed for maximum relaxation. But the biggest kicker for a perpetually tired toddler parent like me was the Beautyrest Black Napa™ Luxury Firm mattresses and pillow toppers used in Rosewood Resorts worldwide. Seriously. I slept like…well, someone with no children.

Accommodations are available at several levels, from king rooms to suites, and even three to six-bedroom beachfront villas, depending on how many people you plan to escape with – optimum rest guaranteed.

Connect With Nature

Among its lush winding pathways and breathtaking private beachfront, Rosewood Baha Mar holds a sanctuary for some of the most iconic members of the island’s wildlife: flamingoes. While they spend their days casually sunning and balancing in a private lake, they strut out each morning to stretch their legs and mingle with guests. I had the opportunity to experience a personalized encounter with the flamingoes, guided by their keeper. Getting up close and personal with my favorite animal, and being “embraced” by one of God’s most beautiful creatures, was a healing, meditative experience that set my stresses (and Mom guilt) aside and placed things in perspective.

A unique offering only at Rosewood’s Baha Mar location, guests can book “flamingo yoga” to stretch, balance, and recenter alongside the animals. You can also join them on their daily morning walk along the beach, schedule a private encounter, or simply observe them sunning in their dedicated pond on the premises for a moment of peace.

Work out the kinks

One lingering postpartum souvenir I unfortunately managed to bring with me to the Bahamas was hip tension. Though it’s something that has crept up at random intervals on my right side since shortly after I gave birth, I was surprised and dismayed that it recurred on the first evening of my trip, making it nearly impossible to move comfortably by the end of the night. Fortunately, I was able to schedule a treatment at Sense, a Rosewood Spa. Opting for their Intuitive Therapy massage, I was able to address my specific concerns with my therapist before an intoxicating massage experience that incorporated aromatherapy and targeted my body’s particular needs – both tackling the problem areas I was aware of and relieving tension in spots I didn’t even realize I was holding.

Sense offers numerous services rooted in natural health remedies derived from the islands’ African and Indigenous traditions, incorporating native roots, leaves, and weeds for wellness. Try their Arawak Body Balance treatment using local Moringa Leaf and alternating hot and cold temps for immune support, circulation, inflammation reduction, and relaxation.

Don’t Forget to Eat Your Heart Out

Of course, any trip is taken a level up by upscale culinary experiences. In this respect, the Bahamian property certainly did not disappoint. Rosewood’s gourmet breakfasts, served in the lush outdoor grounds at Breakfast Café or barefoot under the sun at Tingum on the Sand, feature morning staples with island flair and refreshing elixirs that set the tone for the day. The biggest dinner standout during my stay was Costa, the resort’s traditional Mexican restaurant featuring dining cabanas moated by an active koi pond. The lobster tacos paired with a mango margarita (or three) were just the adult dinner I needed to feel like myself again.