A Wonderful Vacation... But Bring Your Own Food
Written: Feb 12 '02 (Updated Feb 19 '02)
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Pros: Natural Beauty; Friendly, Trusting People; Jitney Bus Service (never a wait)
Cons: Most expensive food & drinks I've ever encountered... and I've traveled the Caribbean!
The Bottom Line: I've been to St. Croix, Cancun, Aruba, and Nassau. Nassau comes in second place for its natural beauty and friendly people (St. Croix comes in first).
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| virginian's Full Review: Nassau |
Just got back from beautiful Nassau! ...well, Cable Beach actually, which is about 10 mins away. Took my 11 yr old son, and we had a blast.
The first afternoon we toured the 3 main hotels on Cable Beach (Radisson, Marriott, and Nassau Beach), which are all connected... interestingly enough. You can literally walk from one to the other and never go outside! Conversely, you can walk along the beach property of each and not know for certain when you're leaving one and entering the next..., which is nice.
The only bummer about the facilities is $8/day fee to use the workout room. What's up with that??
The same company owns the Marriott and Nassau Beach, but the Radisson is pretty lax in checking which guests are using their beach, jacuzzis, etc., so we went over there too (we stayed at the Nassau Beach).
The next day we went on Sea Adventures' all-day Rose Island snorkeling trip, which included lunch ($55/adults, $30/kids). They picked us up from our hotel at 9 a.m., drove us to the dock in Nassau where we boarded a two-deck ferry of sorts, which transported us to Rose Island. There we disembarked, were given snorkeling lessons, and allowed to snorkel the reef, hang out on the beach, lay in the hammocks, play Frisbee, hula-hoop, volleyball, ping pong, whatever. Sea Adventures has a snack bar on the island w/ adult beverages as well. At 1 p.m. they fed us lunch and at 3 p.m. we boarded the ferry to head back to Nassau.
The next day we went shopping in Nassau in the a.m., then went to Dolphin Encounters in the p.m. ($75/per person). Dolphin Encounters arranged for a charter bus to pick us up ($7/roundtrip), which took us through Nassau and over the bridge to Paradise Island to a nearby dock.
There we boarded one of those two-story ferryboats again, which took us to Blue Lagoon island. There we were briefed on the dos & don’ts of touching dolphins, and then divided up into groups of about 15. Then we went to a special 10 ft square tank to meet our dolphin. We each took turns petting the dolphin, getting a kiss from the dolphin, dancing with the dolphin, hugging the dolphin, and getting our picture taken with the dolphin ($14/photo; $48/video). It really was thrilling! And the ride out to Blue Lagoon and back was beautiful.
The next day, we played miniature golf at the Marriott ($8/adults, $6/kids), went down the winding water slide at the Marriott, and snorkeled at the Nassau Beach Hotel (we brought our own snorkel gear). In the afternoon, we went to the zoo ($12/adults, $6/kids), which is pretty hands-on compared to zoos in the states! You can walk up to many of the animals, feed them, and have your picture taken with them. They have 50 flamingos that walk around wherever they please, as do many of the other birds (peacocks, etc.), and they aren't too shy. In fact, most of the zoo animals were pretty active and seemed interested in visitors.
That night we went back to the Nassau Beach Hotel and threw a Frisbee and football around until it was too dark to see.
The next morning, our last on the island, we ate our breakfast out on the Hotel beach. It was a beautiful end to a wonderful trip.
WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
I would strongly encourage anyone going to the Bahamas to bring a suitcase of food... I'm not kidding! When we were leaving, I sat next to a lady on the plane who had done just that! She was attending a wedding at the Atlantis Hotel and brought enough food to provide at least one meal a day. In this way, she enjoyed a daily picnic on the beach and probably saved a couple hundred bucks.
A typical hotel breakfast for two in the Bahamas runs $18-$25! Lunch is about the same. And a "basic" dinner is more like $40-$50! Add to that, afternoon soft drinks ($2-$4 each) and evening cocktail ($5-$7 each), and it begins adding up... quick! It's very challenging for two people to "survive" in the Nassau area for less than a $100/day food budget (that's JUST food & drink... activities and souvenirs can double that easily). Gratuity is automatically added to bar, restaurant & snack bar food, but sometimes, being American, if the person gave me the time of day I feel compelled to tip on top of that (and it didn't help that receipts have a space for "Additional Tip").
Adding insult to injury, Nassau seems to have an absence of good cooks. Almost everything we ate was either very bland, or so hot/spicy you couldn't eat it. They don't seem to have fresh vegetables available, so canned veggies dominate. And nearly everything is cooked in a generous amount of oil (creating the "bland/heavy" taste). Even simple things like omelets are overly saturated/bland. And since there are no cows on Providence Island (that I know of), the milk sold is from a powder (my son didn't care for it).
I spoke to some people staying at the Breezes all-inclusive hotel, and they seemed to feel it's a better deal than having to pay for food & drinks separate. I'm inclined to believe them. I understand the Radisson also has an all-inclusive plan.
The only other option to cut down on the high cost of food & drink is to stick with the fast food chain restaurants, like Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, Sbarros, etc. The prices are about what they are in the states. These restaurants are all located in downtown Nassau, so if you're staying in Cable Beach you still have to get transportation for the 10-min drive.
The last morning we were there, we bought bagels & coffee for $8.75 (a bargain in the Bahamas), and ate them in the lounge chairs ON the beach. It was great. If I had the trip to do over again, I would have done that almost every morning. Not only was it cheap, it was a beautiful way to start the day.
If we had one more day on the island, we would have liked to have toured Atlantis ($25/person... but there's $5-off coupon in the "Things To Do" book at the hotel). I understand the aquariums there are amazing... jellyfish, seahorses w/ babies, etc..
MISCELLANEOUS
While in your hotel, you may encounter a desk with a big "Royal Holiday" sign and very friendly desk staff who want to get you to sign up for a "free drawing". This is a time-share deal, so politely tell them "no" and move along, lest you get stuck with the 2-hour hard sell.
The jitney bus is great! We took it to the zoo and to downtown. You just stand outside your hotel for a minute or so (max), and get on. Cost is only $1 each way. But they stop running at 7 p.m.
Taxis don't like giving change, so if you want to avoid having to pay $20 for a $15 airport ride, make sure you have the exact amount.
Cuban cigars are everywhere, but they aren't too cheap. "Cheap" ones are about $10/apiece. Most are in the $15-$20 range, and there's no shortage of ones in the $45+ range. Better buys can be found in the Nassau cigar shops (rather than the hotel gift shop)... that goes for souvenir shopping too. But there are some exceptions.
Liquor is a great buy (the only bargain on the island) -- almost half the price as in the states! But you're only allowed to bring back two fifths per adult.
The currency accepted throughout the island is American and Bahamian (even exchange). They take Visa & MasterCard, but prefer not to have to deal with Discover (apparently it takes too long to approve). Some shops will accept Discover.
Purchase a plastic waterproof money holder before coming to Nassau, so you can swim with your valuables. They sell them in Nassau gift shops, but they cost $9.
Hotel room safes work good and only cost $2/day. I found Bahamians to not only be friendly, but trustworthy. They know the tourist trade is their livelihood, so they don't want to do anything to make tourists feel threatened/uncomfortable.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
virginian
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
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