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Nassau/Paradise Island Reviewers
When Visited: March 2000
We flew down from Boston on Allegro with no problems. Breakfast consisted of Raisin Bran, milk, etc. Better than the gray green eggs you sometimes get on domestic flights. I was impressed with the arrival operation in Freeport. Four of five customs lines had us all through in ten or fifteen minutes, and TNT was waiting to get us into the taxis for the run to Fortuna. We checked in, had a little more breakfast, and headed for the beach. By 09:45 we were on chairs in the shade of a palm tree. Just after lunch, we went to find our bags. The maid let us in, and called down to the front desk that the room was ready, so by 13:00 we were into our rooms, well ahead of the 15:00 posted check in time.II Rooms The room was fairly spacious. Two queen beds, bath with large shower, small chest, closet and balcony with two chairs. The floor is tile, and makes it easy to remove sand. Unfortunately the tile does stain somewhat, but it isnât the end of the world and beats a wet sandy carpet. We had a partial waterview from B1211, and could turn the balcony chairs to face the beach. There were no bugs anyplace, including an amazing lack of bugs outside considering that it was 80 degrees.
III Food and Beverage The only relative weak spot. Fair, good, poor, call it what you want, I'd call it School Food. It didn't kill you over 13-17 years; it's not going to kill you over four days. I did hear that "The buffet gets old after a week" from some people. We ate one dinner in the main room, one at the Italian place. The Italian place was a nice change, and I would try to get in there every other night. For our third night we went to Churchill's at Our Lucaya. Our Lucaya is an entirely different kind of operation; dinner for two approached $200, but was very good. As for the drinks, I thought they were fine. Not a lot of top shelf liquors, and a few people were complaining about a lack of strength. You can drink all you want, so get another one if there isn't enough booze in it. Maybe they got some crazy idea that the drinks are supposed to enhance the experience, not be the experience. I was surprised at how many people were ordering pina coladas without the run, I'd say close to 50%.
IV Activities and General. This place is best described as "Dirty Dancing" by the beach. There is a wide range of guests, from a group of high school looking girls to older couples, families, and a few college kids. The emphasis is on the outdoors. We had perfect weather, so I don't know if there is a "Plan B" for rainy days, but it might be tough sledding if not. Among the things I did in four days- two games of beach volleyball, an hour on the archery range, some kayaking, a windsurfing lesson, numerous snorkel trips to the reef, some sailing, one long swim out to the flats offshore, a dance lesson and two evening shows attended. I can't say enough about the shows at night. The quality was better than on the cruise that I went on a few years back. Amazing considering that the performers spend most of their day handing out kayaks, leading aerobics, etc. The choreographer, a young man from Mexico City, is very talented. Some of the staff are also good dancers, and the rest are enthusiastic One fellow's turn as the Chief from the Village People is beyond description, but I will say that I don't remember laughing that hard in a long time. The gentleman from Milan is also quite humorous. If you have swam at Old Silver before July, Sandy Neck or Nauset before August, or Hampton or Old Orchard EVER, you can handle the water in March. Just jump in, youâll be ok in a minute. They are phasing out the free snorkeling gear because people are idiots. DON'T STAND ON THE REEF, FOLKS, it destroys it! If you don't want to swim out, snag some shrimp from the lunch buffet, move away from the swim area, and feed the silver fish near shore. They will take shrimp from your hand, and seem fairly toothless. Do watch out for rays. They are quite beautiful from a bit of a distance, but I saw a large one inshore of the reef, and word was he more or less lives there. Shuffle your feet and you shouldn't have trouble, if you're snorkeling, check before putting your feet down.
V. Recap Much better than a three or four night cruise, but if you have teenagers, make sure they can handle a few days with no arcade, no dataports, no email or IM's. As long as you don't think you're going to Sandals or Breezes, you won't be disappointed. My wife, who I love but consider somewhat picky, had no complaints, and that is the highest compliment I can think of. For more information, contact Matt Cleary
Joe McKibben's Nassau/New Providence Review
When Visited: February 1997
The Bahamas consist of over 700 islands and cays, less than 50 of which have any permanent inhabitants. The island of New Providence is home to the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau. Joe and his wife visited there in February1997 and found it to be an ideal antidote to the Midwestern winter. They went there on an Apple Vacations package. Joe says, "We've taken 3 vacations through Apple and have been happy with every one. They're a good value and they practically lead you by the hand from home to your destination and back." The charter flight from Cincinnati to New Providence took about two and a half hours. "We stayed at the South Ocean Golf and Beach Resort, which is all by itself on the southwest end of the island. It's fairly isolated and is about a half hour cab ride to town. If you want to be in the thick of things, this ain't the place to go." Joe also reports, "We were very disappointed in this property. It used to be owned by Ramada but has changed hands in the last couple of years and has been allowed to go downhill. It wasn't a dump, but there were lots of little things that needed fixed and a ton of minor annoyances and inconveniences that, when combined, made for an unpleasant experience. Next time, I'd go for someplace on Cable Beach or Paradise Island." The island itself was very pretty, with lots of gorgeous beaches and crystal clear water. He adds, "Nassau itself is a pretty bustling, commercial city. There's a definite tourist area downtown, but a lot of the town caters to banking and other businesses." Shoppers would be kept busy here. Joe says, "the Straw Market was a maze of tacky crap that all looked alike, and was being hawked by aggressive, but nice women. I never felt pressured to buy anything. The key is to smile, and keep moving. There were some good deals on china and ceramics. There were some cool shops selling Island-ish decorative items." Joe says that there's a fair amount of sightseeing in Nassau. "Take a hike up to the Queen's Staircase and then over to Fort Fincastle." You can then take the world's most cramped elevator to the top of a water tower that has a spectacular view of the harbor the eastern half of New Providence. "There are lots of freelance guides who light into an impressive sounding spiel about whatever you're looking at, and then politely ask for a tip at the end of their presentation. They were nice and more enthusiastic than your typical tour guide so I figured they deserved a buck or two." Joe says another must see is the Atlantis Hotel and Casino on Paradise Island. It features an aquarium display that would rival most major zoos, with a clear tunnel that allows you to "go underwater" and watch sharks, barracuda, rays, and other fish swim around and overhead. "Next to the Sunset at Mallory Square in Key West, it's the best free attraction I've seen!" Joe also recommends taking a day trip to one of the tiny, uninhabited island around New Providence. Renting a car isn't really necessary as bus and taxi service is easy to find. In keeping with the British tradition, they drive on the left. The US dollar is readily accepted and exchanges evenly with the Bahamian dollar, so changing money isn't required. As their hotel was all-inclusive they didn't eat out a lot. "We did eat at Papagayo, a restaurant at the South Ocean that's pretty highly rated and it was good. Most Bahamian restaurant service seems pretty leisurely, so be prepared to wait a while." Eating out can be expensive in Nassau so an all-inclusive isn't a bad idea. Joe offers this tip, "Be careful if you're planning to buy some Cuban cigars. They're offered everywhere and rumor has it that about half of the Cohibas and Monte Cristos are fakes." Joe says, "We'd definitely go back, just not to the same hotel. I'd like to stay at Atlantis next time. We saw Regis Philbin there, so if it's good enough for he and Miss Gifford, it must be okay!" For more information, contact Joe McKibben
Jeanne Bailey's Nassau/Paradise Island Review
When Visited: May 1996
Jeanne owns a time share in the Bahamas and has visited there a number of times. Paradise Island is a small cay just across from Nassau, and the home of many lavish resorts. She takes a "puddle jumper" from Ft. Lauderdale directly to Paradise Island. Total flight time from DC is 3 or 4 hours. She reports that the humidity is high but not noticeable due to the gentle breeze. Temperatures in May are in the mid to upper 80's during the day, cooling only slightly at night. She adds, "(there's) not much rain in early May. Mid-May is the beginning of the rainy season, though." Their time share is in a small resort hotel, with a small kitchen, bedroom, living room and balcony overlooking the lagoon. There are any number of sightseeing activities in the Nassau/Paradise Island area, shopping, visiting British forts, or touring the island. There are also two different casinos in the area if you like gambling. Jeanne recommends a trip to an Out island for a day of snorkeling or diving or relaxing on a secluded beach. She does add that if you're not into shopping, avoid the Straw Market. She adds that Coral World, an aquarium, can be missed too. For restaurants Jeanne recommends Paradise Paradise. This is "a great restaurant on Paradise Island. The Island Restaurant is really a native restaurant-not fancy at all, but real Bahamian." For night life, she stays close to home but says that the Atlantis Casino on Paradise Island has a lot of bars and a Comedy Club. Renting a car is unnecessary because of the plentiful taxi service. Changing money is not a problem either since US and Bahamian dollars exchange at the same rate; either one is readily accepted. Owning a time share means that Jeanne will go back to the Bahamas many times. She describes them as, "Beautiful clear warm blue water, incredible fish, happy Bahamians, white sandy beaches-what's not to love? Be prepared to slow down and relax there-it's the unwritten law!" For more information, contact Jeanne Bailey
