A Great Little Beach Shack in The Bahamas

The sign says Conch Salad.

But I’m here for the daiquiris.

On a hot day on the harbor in George Town, Exuma, an impossibly cold mango daiquiri is the only prescription.

Of course, once you order a daiquiri you’ll order more — whether it’s fresh conch salad or the best fish fingers in Exuma — or conch fritters or garlic lobster.

This is Sonia’s, and it’s been here for eight years in the heart of Great Exuma’s epicenter, a place that’s one of the truly great towns in The Bahamas.

Proprietor Sonia Davis honed her skills at the former Four Seasons Great Exuma, followed by the Sandals Emerald Bay, before going out on her own.

“I decided to leave and do this for myself,” she tells Caribbean Journal. “I wanted my own customers.”

And that’s where Davis is most in her element — even if you’re just stopping by to sip a mango daiquiri, you’re instantly a cherished guest.

“I like the one-on-one intimacy with my customers,” she says.

It’s another reason to spend an afternoon strolling around historic George Town, a place happily tucked at the edge of some of the most stunning aquatic scenery on earth.

And the food lives up to the hospitality, with perfectly blended Bacardi-and-Ricardo daiquiris and superb conch and grouper — the latter served up with a splendid spicy sauce.

Even after a bit of prodding, the sauce’s recipe remains, unsurprisingly, secret.

Thankfully, Sonia’s restaurant isn’t.

— CJ