Thursday, September 30, 2010

Ellie & Aniela from Europe



We were lucky enough just recently to have a visit from Ellie who is from Switzerland and Ellie who is from Germany. They were very kind to do testimonial for us in German. 
They both enjoyed there time here at Small Hope where they enjoyed the diving,learning to dive for Ellie,the staff, the food and the large amount of things Small Hope had to offer like bonefishing,cycling and kayaking, also how it was a great place for relaxing and family's





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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Captain Bills In-Land Blue Hole Clean Up

Group Picture of helpers on the day
Mel
                                                 
                                                 Joe

Aidan

                               
                                          Silt and Algae where all the trash was hiding
On Saturday 25 September the dive masters of Small Hope Bay Lodge helped clean up Captain Bills In-Land Blue. We found The following is what we collected:
Plastic bottles: 21
Glass bottles: 742
Aluminum cans: 458
Shoes: 4
Pull tabs : 5
Toys; 2
Shut gun shells; 1
Bait containers: 1
Buoys/ floats: 1
Ropes : 3
55 Gallon drum; 1
Lighters; 2
Chair: 1
A big thank you to Gabrielle from  Ancat  Andros Conservancy and Trust for organising it all. All so a big thank you to Andros Island Divers, Greenforce, Forfar and Bahamas National Trust for their help.
55 Gallon Drum 


Pulling up the trash

Sorting the trash










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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Bahamaian Curry Chicken

Having trouble desciding what to have for dinner why not try cooking up this recipe....

Curry Chicken



Ingredients

12 lbs Chicken wings, cleaned disjointed
¼ cup curry powder
2 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
¼ cup lime juice
1 onion
2 carrots
3 potatoes
¾ cup curry powder
2 tsp. salt, as needed
2 whole allspice
1 bay leaf
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar.


Method

1. Clean the chicken wings, appropriately.

2. Season with curry powder, salt, pepper, and limejuice.

3. Toss until well coated. Set aside.

4. Cut vegetables as directed. Set aside.

5. Heat a pot on the stove until nice and hot.

6. Place the curry powder in the pot and cook in dry pot until nice and toasted, about 3 minutes.

7. Add the chicken and toss in the curry powder until well coated.

8. Add enough liquid* to pot just enough to barely cover the chicken.

9. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low.

10. Add salt, whole allspice, and bay leaf. Cook for 15 minutes.

11. Add the vegetables to the pot, and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

12. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

13. Thicken with cornstarch and cold water if to watery.
If bitter, add equal parts sugar and pineapple juice, until taste has been adjusted.

*Note: For extra flavor chicken stock can be used instead of water for liquid, but reduce the amount of stock.

Note: Serve with White Rice and Coleslaw

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Closing time at Small Hope.........

Dennis painting outside of cabins


Moose making new tank racks 

Antonio painting Ralphy



We have been closed for a little while now, and the whole family is working hard to get ready to re-open on the 14th of October. The rooms have been striped, painted, and fixed up. The boats have been sanded and are ready to paint. New tank racks and seats have been made for the big boat. The maintenance sheds have be sorted out and cleaned so that they're prepared for a new year. The kitchen has been packed up, and it is getting a deep clean and a new coat of paint. Also, the office has started its clean up; it has been all hands on deck! As the saying goes, "Many hands make light work..."

Dive masters study hard


The dive masters have been studying hard in the past weeks, and they are ready to further their dive education with Mike. They have all passed their first two exams for Technical Diving International (TDI) Understanding Nitrox and TDI Gas Blender!! So a big congratulations to all dive masters, and keep up the good work in the coming weeks with your training!!!








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Monday, September 20, 2010

Beach Wedding @ Small Hope

The wonderful couple Gary and Liz came to Small Hope to get married!  They were after a quite, intimate, and romantic setting, and Small Hope had all that and more.  The flower arch was built, the bouquets were made, and the outside bar was ready for the celebration.  Once the lovely bride and groom were ready, it was wedding time!!

The day was perfect; with the waves lapping at their ankles, Gary and Liz were united in holy matrimony. We're glad they enjoyed their tropical island wedding in the relaxing environment that is Small Hope!!!

Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYz86Ur0A34
to watch the wedding video...... Pin It Now!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Small Hope Bay Lodge Staff Party 2010


Lunch Time


SMALL HOPE BAY LODGE 
STAFF PARTY 2010
CAPTAIN BILL'S BLUE HOLE
Chillin' time







We have all recovered from a fabulous staff party at Captain Bills In-Land Blue Hole!
Dancing Time





It was a great day and a big thank you to Jeff for a great day out. 



We had great food prepared by Bobby and Michelle, grilled by Renauldo. 



There were kayaks to paddle around Captain Bills, dancing was a popular way to pass the day, plenty of jumping of the platform.

Abba and Jeff about to jump!

Party Time

Moose was teaching us his bombing technique, and Jeff even got Abba to jump with him which was great to see. 





The day was great success with great food, beverages, and awesome company :-)




Jeff and Moose
Check out the Small Hope staff party video on our YouTube site http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYF_JDrLMWY 


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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

SHBL Its closing time.........

Its closing time for Small Hope for another year
 OUR 50th… going into ANOTHER 50th!
Figure that out???

We are very excited to be closed so we can freshen up Small Hope ready to re-open on October 14th.



As we do every year on the eve of closing chef Renauldo with assistance from Denise cook up a fabulous 7- course meal for all of us to enjoy.
Mel and Joe made some delicious sushi and Sashimi to start the evening off.

It was a great evening with good food and good company all that was missing was all of YOU so we will see you all when we reopen all fresh as a daisy and raring to go….


Re-Open 14th October See you all then!!!
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Monday, September 6, 2010

Eric and Myriam from France

Renctley we were luckly enough to have a visit from Eric and Myriam from France. Here are a few words they had to say about there stay here at Small Hope Bay Lodge in English and French............

Eric et myriqm


Nous avons trouve un petit coin de paradis ici au SMALL HOPE BAY LODGE
Nous avons trouve le personel d’ici vraiment adorable et tres prevoyant
On se sent vraiment comme a la maison autour d’une grande famille.
Nous avons passe deux semaines ici et les mots manquent pour decrire cet endroit, la tranquilite de la bay le fait de ne penser plus a rien et d’etre coupe du monde. C’est un endroit qui ne ressemble pas du tout a ces usines d’hotels sur Nassau.


J’ai (Myriam) plonge ici j’ai decouvert le “Blue Hole” qui reste ma plongee preferee ici car unique au monde je pense et j’ai aussi adore le plongee “ SHARK DIVE” qui consiste a regarder en tant que spectateur comment les requins dans leur milieu naturel attaquent une boule congele de poissons.
Eric est un pecheur et a adore peche le Bone fish a travers la mangrove le long de la plage.Mais conseil d’Eric si vous voulez attrape du poisson prenez un guide (demandez a Jeff le proprietaire du lieu ou Giles un habitue des lieux) Eric a pris tout de meme une dizaine de Bonefish.

We have found a little piece of paradise here at Small Hope Bay Lodge.
We have found all the staff very gracious and helpful. It felt like one big family.
Small Hope Bay Lodge feels like a home away from home. We have spent two weeks here and words can not fully describe the feeling of Small Hope, from the peacefulness of the bay, to the relaxing and in formalness of the whole place. Small Hope is very different to big resorts in Nassau in a good way.
I (Myriam) really enjoyed the diving especially the Blue Hole dive and the Shark Emporium dive, as it was a lovely display of seeing these magical creatures in there natural enviromnet and the gracefulness of watching them feed.


Eric  is a keen fisherman, and enjoyed bone fishing in the mangroves, along the beach , and with one of Small Hopes fishing guides. Eric also met Giles a return guess and they many hours talking fishing and fishing. Giles was kind enough to give Eric some pointers on bone fishing.




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