The location of not one but two James Bond movies – Thunderball and Never Say Never Again – the Exumas are made up of 365 islands and cays strung out like jewelled stepping stones across more than 120 miles of shimmering emerald ocean. The bright white sand of the deserted beaches contrasts strikingly with the deep aquamarine and jade hues of the water, making this chain one of the prettiest in The Bahamas.

Most of Exuma's 3,600 residents live on Great Exuma or Little Exuma, the two largest islands which are connected by a short bridge. These friendly and outgoing people, many of whom make their living by fishing or farming, are genuinely happy to welcome holidaymakers. 

As well as crops of onions, tomatoes, pigeon peas, guavas, papayas and mangoes, you'll also find wild cotton growing on Exuma - a testament to the importance of this plant in the island's history.

One of The Islands of the Bahamas' most prestigious events, the annual Family Island Regatta, is held every April in picturesque Elizabeth Harbour in George Town. A tribute to tradition, the regatta is a race between Bahamian workboats - hand-made sloops with wooden hulls, canvas sails and tall wooden masts. George Town is also home to the Government Administration Building, a pink-and-white building modelled on Government House in Nassau. A few steps north is St Andrew's Anglican Church, a beautiful 150-year-old white building with blue doors and shutters that is an active place of worship today. 

For a close-up encounter with the indigenous wildlife, make your way to the heart of the Exuma Cays and the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a 176-square-mile natural reserve which is home to brilliant coral reefs, exotic marine life and the rare Bahamian iguana which can grow to over two feet long.