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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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I just returned May 7th-14th 2001 from our 4th Trip to the beautiful Island of Anguilla and once again had a great trip. One thing I noticed and found out about Anguilla is there are a number of Hotels/Resorts and New (old) Villas on this small Island. Via this report, I wanted to offer some advice of which to choose a Hotel/Resort or a Villa. Including some suggested or recommended Villas and Resorts. If you have $ 21,000.00 Plus in low season or around $ 31,000.00 in high season, you can rent the New Altamer Villa on Shoal Bay West. This is for the Ultimate in Pampering. Private Chef, Valets, Butlers etc_. It is a Beautiful and Very modern Villa. Contact: 264-498-4000 or e-mail: info@altamer.com Web Site: http://www.altamer.com/ If you are like me and don't have any extra cash lying around then you may want to consider the following location: Splash Villa - Beautiful 3 Bedrooms, 2 baths. On a Hill with beautiful views of St. Martin, Very Private area. Contact: Janine at 264-497-3666 or e-mail: Edwards@anguillanet.com Web Site: http://www.splash.ai This is one to consider Renting. Janine can also help you with other Villa's that she manages. Another location, you may want to consider is The MainStay@Elsie Bay Web Site: http://www.mainstayvilla.com/. I do not know much about this Villa, just heard about it. Advantages to a Villa. After four (4) stays on the Island, I found them to be more cost effective. I would rather have the coffee maker, make my coffee and enjoy it when I am ready rather then at a Hotel/Resort where they bring you the Continental Breakfast during a certain time that you determined the night before. What if you and your someone special want to sleep in? Privacy - The Pool is yours unless you are sharing the Villa with your family (in a Villa you do not have to rent another room for the kids) or another couple (also a benefit - spread the price of the Villa out). Food - If you feel like eggs or cereal at a hotel/resort you go out to their restaurant or have room service deliver. A bowl of cereal at a Resort cost us about $ 6.00 delivered. At the Villa, you can shop and make your own breakfast. Villas - feels more like home away from home Caribbean style, most give you more living space and are great for families. Independence - convenience of your own cooking, washing facilities etc. Advantages of a Resort/Hotel: If you enjoy being pampered and not having to shop then consider a resort/hotel. Someone bringing you bottled water and sherbet when you are beach, poolside, or delivering a continental breakfast room with coffee to your room every morning. Turndown service in the evening, I am sure you can arrange it at the Villa. Resorts/Hotels to Consider: Cap Juluca for the ultimate in luxury and one of my favorite hotels. No, in-room TV. Pool is ok. Beach is beautiful. Rooms are the best. Complete continental breakfast also, your in-room refrigerator is stock with complimentary beverages. Web Site: http://www.capjuluca.com/ CuisinArt Resort also offers you a luxury resort. Rooms are nice. Landscape is the best and their Art Gallery is beautiful. Pool is Fantastic. TV in the room. Very Limited continental breakfast and your in-room refrigerator is also limited, complimentary BOTTLED WATER ONLY. Soda etc is about $ 3.00 can plus SC. Beach is very nice. Try for a 3rd Floor Luxury Jr. Suite. Web Site: http://www.cuisinartresort.com/ One note: Use Jill Walker at TainoWellness (tainowellness@hotmail.com) vs. their own Spa_ She is much better at a reasonable rate. Jill can also come to your Villa for in-Villa Body Treatments. Cinnamon-Reef appears to be a nice resort. Featuring individual villas. I do not know a lot about this location, they have a nice secluded inlet and they are a little off the beaten (no pun) path. Great Restaurant - Palm Court. Web Site: http://www.cinnamon- reef.com/frmain.html If you need a quick get-a-way in the off season and are on a budget but want something a little special Jill Walker has linked up with Allamanda Beach Resort on Shoal Bay for a Spa Retreat package. Tel. 264-497-5217 For more details contact Ava at allamanda@offshore.com.ai or info@allamanda.ai Web Site: www.allamanda.ai Here are some comments about the restaurants : During our one-week stay in May 2001 on Anguilla, we enjoyed many of the local restaurants, some were your local or not well known by the tourists and some were your tourist places. For excellent food, a great evening and the best service go to The Overlook in South Hill. Deon Thomas is the Chef-Owner and Ambrose (sp) was our Host and waitperson. We had the best Buffalo (VERY HOT) style Calamari for an appetizer. The Garlic Crusted Snapper and Mahi, Mahi was fantastic. We ended our week stay here and wish we went their almost every evening. Chocolate Rum Cake Desert was fantastic. Try for a table by the window for a great view and very Romantic setting. $ 140./couple. This was our favorite. Barrel Stay in Sandy Ground. Great food and good service. Kind of a local place. Their Vietnamese Flavored Grill Fish was Great and the Shrimp Scampi was great. $ 100/couple no desert, beer/wine glass. Bob Mazza owner for 21 years is from the NY area. Roys was a disappointment. We have been there before and had great food. My Snapper was supposed to be their Cajun Style but it had no flavor and my wifes shrimp was just so, so. Service was fair to poor. Everyone raves about their fish and chips. $70./couple No desert. Hibernia in Island Harbour Had Great Food, but we made the mistake of going there lunch time and the menu/prices are the same. Go there for dinner stay away from there lunch time. Lunch $ 50/person. The Palm Court at Cinnamon Reef another favorite of ours for food and service Arnel(sp) was our host/waitperson and the hotels concierge, one of the best personalities around. Jamie is the chef. Great Place for Lobster. Try for a table by the window for a great view and very Romantic. $ 140./couple. Worth the drive down their road. Old House on George Hill was good for lunch, great lobster salad. Local place. $43./couple. Ripples in Sandy Ground for lunch Great Salads. We miss her Lobster Fritters, Good Dinners also. Blanchards it is a Tourist Place but the food was great and service was good. Snapper was great and their spicy shrimp was spicy. Great Flavor. Dinner $ 150./couple 1 - glass wine, 1 desert. Santorini at CuisinArt Resort. Service was good, food was also good. Great Chocolate Desert. Their poolside caf‚ has great food and good service. Tastees Caf‚ on the main drag. Great Breakfast - local place. However, watch out Our food Cost $ 14.00. Coffee was $ 10.00 or $ 24.00 total. I think we paid a tourist coffee surcharge Places we would have like to go if we had the time or for our next trip out there. Le Beach on Shoal Bay Great Place to have lunch on the beach. We heard good things about Smokeys at the Cove and Top of the Palms at La Sirena. Trattoria Tramonto - old Paradise Cove in Shoal Bay West - Great Northern Italian Food. Straw Hat also is good if you want a Tourist Place. Notes: Dinner prices unless noted included appetizer, bottle of wine and desert. Call the restaurant to verify they have Lobster and Crayfish it has been very Limited
(Ed Note: This report is Copyright c 2001 by Jim Jordan)
Bahamas Trip - February, 2001 In all my travels to the islands in and around the Caribe Basin over more than thirty years, there has been one group of islands that I had consistently missed visiting -- The Bahamas. And, this was somewhat unusual, in that this group of islands lies just off of the east coast of Florida and thus they are the closest tropical vacation destination to my home in South Carolina. During the winter of 2001, following a cold spell even for the sunny South, I decided that it was high time for Nina, my wife, and I to see for ourselves what The Bahamas had to offer. But, we decided that it would be folly to go to just one of the myriad of islands and cays that make up The Bahamas. To that end, we decided we wanted to first see New Providence Island and Nassau, the capital and largest city in the group. I had always been somewhat in awe of Nassau, since it played such an important part in the founding of the New World. Our plan was to then fly to the Out Islands for the remainder of our trip. SHORT BAHAMAS HISTORY The Bahamas are rich in history, since it was there that Christopher Columbus discovered New World and the Bahamas, on his first voyage in 1492. He spent 12 days there before sailing on to Cuba and Hispaniola. There has been some contention as to exactly where he first landed, but it's fairly well agreed now that he first made landfall at San Salvador (subsequently called Watling Island --but later reverted back to the name San Salvador). In The Bahamas, Columbus found friendly Arawak Indians, or Lucayans. These were descendants of the same South American tribes that had been the earliest inhabitants of a number of areas in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. These peaceful people had been driven north from South America and later other islands by the warlike Carib Indians. The word "Bahamas" was derived from the Spanish "Baja Mar" meaning shallow sea. It is hard to know whether the Spanish lost more ships to the shallow banks and reefs or to the English and French freebooters. Nevertheless, neither the freebooters nor the Spanish chose to settle and stay in the Bahamas. Like the Arawak predecessors, the settlers who eventually inhabited the Bahamas would be mostly fishermen and farmers. GEOGRAPHY The Bahamas consist of an archipelago of more than seven hundred islands and cays covering almost five hundred miles from north to south. Concentrating on the ones we visited, New Providence Island is situated in the center of the group. It is approximately 21 miles long and seven miles wide, one of the smallest major islands, at only 80 square miles, yet two thirds of the population (about 180,000) live here. The other venue we visited, Great Abaco, is about 100 miles north of New Providence. It's large, but somewhat sparsely settled. However, its primary town, Marsh Harbour, is the third largest town in The Bahamas and was our jumping off place for a week on Elbow Cay. Elbow Cay, just east of Marsh Harbour, is just six miles long and about 1/4 of a mile wide. Hope Town, it's principal settlement, was settled by British loyalists after the Revolutionary War, mainly from South Carolina -- so it was most appropriate that we made it a major stop during our trip. NEW PROVIDENCE ISLAND We flew direct from Charlotte on US Airways in mid February. Our flight path took us across South Carolina and out over the Atlantic at Charleston. The ocean was obscured by clouds until we were about even with Jacksonville, and from there the blue of the ocean was broken only by Grand Bahama Island as we overflew it. Arriving at Nassau International Airport, it's apparent that The Bahamas are now fully in the twenty-first century. It is a modern airport and is regularly served by a number of major airlines, as well as some small and charter air carriers that provide inter island service. We cleared immigration and customs after a long walk from the arrival gate into the main terminal building. We then checked with Avis and quickly were able to load our bags in the trunk of our rented car and be on our way. FIRST IMPRESSIONS - NEW PROVIDENCE ISLAND Driving in from the airport I was struck with the excellent road -- John F. Kennedy Drive. It is smooth, well maintained and well marked. This is in contrast to roads we've observed on many other Caribbean islands. In fact, for the most part, I would rate New Providence's roads to be on a par with those of Grand Cayman and nearly as good as those on Bermuda and around Cancun. ACCOMMODATIONS I had reviewed the rates of various resorts on the internet prior to our trip and already knew that Nassau was a pricey place, especially at "high season" and, since we planned to be out and about much of our time on New Providence, we opted to pass on staying at one the many elegant, all inclusive resorts. Instead, we found a small local "resort" that had the basic amenities -- pool, television, restaurant and "across the road from the beach" -- which appeared it would meet our needs. Plus, we were scheduled to be on New Providence Island for only four nights, so we decided that we could take most anything for such a short period. The place we had reservations turned out to be "somewhat" less than we expected, but it was "all right" -- Nina called it "Motel One!" (Notice that I am purposely not including the name of the establishment here, for obvious reasons.) I won't go into the gory details, except to say that there were problems with the air conditioning (it was located in one room of the two-room suite and only cooled the one room). In addition, the bathroom had some minor problems, and those weren't corrected, even after the manager was notified. However, suffice it to say that next time I will be more attuned to paying whatever the rate is for better digs! Also, though the property is indeed "across the road" from a beautiful beach, it was only after checking in that we discovered there was a wall between the road and that beach! DINING You can find just about any type of food you want in Nassau from Chinese, Italian, French, English and American to, of course, Bahamian. All of it is relatively expensive -- remember that virtually everything is imported -- so be prepared for entrees costing 25 to 50 percent more than the same meal would back home. Fast food restaurants have also invaded The Bahamas, but the pricing index still holds -- your Whopper and fries will cost you at least 30 percent more than back home. We only had two meals in the on-premises restaurant at the hotel -- lunch the afternoon we arrived and breakfast the following day. The food was all right but it was as expensive as the other places we dined and not nearly as nice. It's basic saving grace was its location -- being on site, it was convenient. Suffice it to say that next time I will be less attuned to convenience and more to overall ambiance. We found that our best venue for breakfasts was the Cafe' Johnny Canoe located adjacent to the Nassau Beach Hotel (http://www.nassaubeachhotel.com) on Cable Beach. It was comparable to most any stateside Shoneys -- Nina called it "Shoneys Bahamas" -- but the two mornings we ate there the food was good, the service excellent and there weren't any surprises. We took the advice of a long time friend and had lunch one day down at Heritage Village, beside the road to Arawak Cay. He didn't specify exactly which place he recommended, but we picked what looked like the more frequented place and settled in for a lunch --Bahamian style -- of conch salad. Bad choice! It turns out that conch salad contains conch meat, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, all chopped up and covered in a lime juice marinade. I'm sure that there are folks who find conch salad something to adore -- but I'm not one of them! I realize that one should try local dishes when traveling to exotic destinations. But, I once spent time in Scotland -- and I didn't like haggis either! At least the Kalik beer was cold! After searching for a good place to have lunch, we did go to one that wasn't Bahamian at all -- a plain old Subway -- but it was good! We finally lucked up -- when Nina was searching each street we passed for an ice cream cone -- and found the Lickety Split! It's just a small sandwich and ice cream shop -- but it's clean, run by locals and has delightful sandwiches, soups, and salads, along with super ice cream (according to Nina). I can't provide accurate directions to it, but it's located in Shirley Street Plaza, between Williams Street and Okra Hill, just north of Shirley Street and west of the southbound bridge from Paradise Island. For dinner, we tried four places and I can't complain a bit about any of them. The first was at Compass Point Beach Club (see more later), part of the Island Outpost group. It is located at Gambier Village, way out on West Bay Street. I had heard a great deal about Compass Point and we decided that it would be a prime place for our first evening meal on New Providence. And an excellent choice it was! We dined on the terrace, with the Atlantic Ocean providing a moon sparkled backdrop. The meal was all I had expected -- well cooked, well served and pricey. But, after all a person seldom gets to an such elegantly casual place, so we thoroughly enjoyed our meal and our evening at Compass Point. (http://www.islandoutpost.com) Our second dinner restaurant was at the out-of-the-way Traveler's Rest, out West Bay Street just before Gambier. The restaurant is situated just across the road from the water's edge -- the full moon was shining down, causing the ocean to put on a light show for us while we had a delightful dinner. I had cracked conch -- it was somewhat bland, but I'm not an expert, so perhaps that's the way it's supposed to be. Again the meal was expensive. On Valentine's Day evening, we dined at BBQ Beach at SandyPort, and it was as good as you can get! Neale and Troy have created a unique eatery -- the restaurant has the only wood fired oven on the island and specializes in wood-oven cooked dishes -- the food is cooked in an oven fueled by a wood fire, adding a savory smoked flavor to the meats. I went all out and had the Valentines Dinner and a finer meal I can't remember. The lunch menu offers a plethora of delectable dishes, so I'll definitely make a point of having lunch there next trip. (http://www.sandyport.com/restaurant.htm) One other restaurant that was highly recommended to us was the Poop Deck, located just across the waterway from BBQ Beach. We did look in there, but decided to eat at BBQ Beach that night. However, next time I will definitely go to the Poop Deck at least one time. (http://www.poopdeck.com/) For our last night in Nassau, we had a super supper surprise, at a super resort -- SuperClubs' Breezes Bahamas! Our dear friend from Jamaica, Gary Williams (formerly general manager at both Hedonism II in Jamaica and the first general manager at Breezes Bahamas and currently SuperClubs' Vice President - Breezes), provided us with a complimentary night pass for two, to Breezes Bahamas! (I think he did it because he thought we looked as though we really needed a good meal!) I must say that it was sumptuous and the fine culinary staff at Breezes put on one heck of a buffet. And, the desert bar was awesome -- and Nina even had her needed nightly ice cream cone! In addition, Breezes -- the largest of the SuperClubs' properties -- is a real class resort of the nth magnitude. We stayed for the evening's entertainment and, since it was toga night there, I got an opportunity to tie a toga for a fellow! I also took time out to watch the Thursday night episode of "Survivor!" I know one thing, I'll definitely stay at Breezes next time I go to Nassau -- and that won't be all that far in the future. (http:///www.super- clubs.com/bahamas/location.html) (Thanks, Gary!) TOURING NASSAU In most of our Caribbean travels, we tend to simply vegetate on a beach and soak up sun and shade and sea and some sand --unless it's our first time there. If it is, we take on an aura of the eternal tourists and "do" the local area from one end to the other. And, since this was our initial visit to New Providence, we "did" the island from -- stem to stern. Our trusty Avis rental car provided us with good, dependable, albeit expensive transportation -- gas there is about US$3.50 a gallon, and even with it being an imperial gallon, that is pretty pricey stuff. I had no problems with the fact that everybody there drives on the "wrong" -- or left -- side of the road. Having done left-side driving elsewhere in the Caribbean, such driving doesn't daunt me, particularly with Nina's almost constantly screaming, "Left! Drive on the left -- you're on the wrong side!!" During our excursions around the island -- and we actually did go all the way around New Providence Island -- we found some interesting things to do and see. I would recommend the following to anybody... Fort Charlotte Located on a hill overlooking the western entrance to Nassau Harbour, this was the first fort we visited. Built in the late 18th century and comprised of three separate, connected battlements, Fort Charlotte has a commanding view of Arawak Cay and beyond it, the ship channel into the main cruise ship docks of Nassau. Tours occur every half hour from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Fort Fincastle Commissioned by Governor Lord Dunmore, Fort Fincastle was built in 1793. Near the fort is the Water Tower and Lighthouse, which is 126 feet tall and provides a panoramic view of Nassau. Tours are available from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm each day except Thursdays. Located just east of the fort is Queens Staircase. This steep natural staircase is thought to have been cut from solid limestone by slaves in the 1790's as an escape route from Fort Fincastle into town. Fort Montagu The smallest of Nassau's forts, Fort Montagu is located on the point at the eastern end of East Bay Street, and was positioned to protect the eastern end of Nassau Harbour from being accessed form the sea. Parliament Square The site of the Queen Victoria Statue and Chambers of Parliament -- House of Assembly and the Senate -- it is located on Bay Street between Parliament Street and Bank Lane. The Loyalist influence is evident in these buildings which are based on Governor Tyron's Palace in New Bern, the ancient capital of North Carolina. Straw Market Nassau boasts a very large and lively "straw market" offering handicraft straw goods created by the locals, myriad T-shirts, souvenirs and wood carvings. The Market is located downtown Nassau between East Bay Street on the south and Woodes Rogers Walk on the north. In addition to the hubbub of the countless vendors stalls, the second floor of the building is also the home of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. As an aside, I made a point of going to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, to meet an old friend -- and one I had never actually met! Some year ago, a nice chap was active on The Caribbean Travel Forum on CompuServe, which I manage. His name is Jim Hepple and he works as Deputy Director General for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism in Nassau. He had been a regular contributor to the forum by posting answers to questions about The Bahamas. So, since we were in Nassau, I had made it a point of looking Jim up -- and I did!) Government House Located at the intersection where George Street meets Duke Street, Government House is the official residence of The Bahamas Governor General, the Queen's representative. Pirates of Nassau Pub & Museum I highly recommend that anybody interested in history -- and especially pirate history -- make a point of going here. Located at the corner of George & Marlborough Streets, the creators have done a magnificent job -- they even have a recreated pirate ship inside the building! Plus, the walking tour -- with an interesting and informative guide -- has some wonderful interactive sound and light areas that include vignettes showing how life was for the pirates of old. Admission is US$12 per person, but there's a tourist map -- and possible other sources -- that has a coupon for $2.00 off of the regular admission. Hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily except holidays. (http://www.pirates-of-nassau.com) Christ Church Cathedral This beautiful old Anglican church was originally built in 1670, though the Spanish burned it to the ground twice and termites destroyed the third edifice here. The fourth time, it was built with stone in 1753 and stands today as a beautiful old church in the midst of bustling downtown Nassau. It's located at the corner of George and King Streets, across from the side of the Pirates of Nassau Pub & Museum. TOURING AROUND THE ISLAND Arawak Cay As shown on the Nassau maps, Arawak Cay appears to be an interesting place to go. However, there is little to see there other than some light industry. The road winds out to the west and around that end of the island, with virtually nothing there. At far the end, there is what appears to be a park with a nice beach. And, following the main road, the visitor ends up at what looks like an abandoned entrance gate, leading to a high, concrete, one land bridge that crosses over to Silver Cay. Silver Cay At foot of the bridge on the far end is a manned gate, where I was told by the gate keeper that Silver Cay was pretty much devastated by Hurricane Floyd on September 14, 1999, and the island is now completely closed. He said that he understood there was some talk of rebuilding. Some later internet investigation revealed that Silver Cay had been Coral Island Bahamas, the third park developed by Coral World International. The park was the biggest park planned and developed by the company. It was originally opened to the public in 1987 and immediately became the No. 1 tourist attraction in Nassau. The Coral Island Marine Park incorporated all the usual features: a marine museum; an underwater observatory (which can still be seen from Cable Beach); aquatic animal pools for sting rays, sharks and sea turtles; a "touch pool"; a snorkel trail; and a somewhat secluded villa hotel. In 1995, in accordance to Coral World International's global strategy, the park was sold to the owners of the Marriott Nassau Beach Hotel. Marriott renamed it Crystal Cay Marine Park & Villas (part of the Crystal Palace and Casino on Cable Beach). Sadly, nothing has been done to date, to open the island back up to the public. A call to the Marriott offices resulted in the writer not being able to confirm what the company plans are for Silver (Crystal) Cay. Cable Beach Of all the beaches that surround New Providence Island, there is no doubt that Cable Beach is the most beautiful -- it has been called the "Bahamian Riviera." And, it is for this reason that all (or almost all) of the major hotels have staked their claims to a portion of Cable Beach. Facing generally northeasterly, it stretches approximately a mile from the public park on Goodman Bay to just beyond Casuarinas on Deleporte Bay. It is here that many resort hotels are located (the other prime location for up scale hotels, etc., is on Paradise Island). The main road passing Cable Beach, from downtown Nassau, is West Bay Street and along the road, the hotels abut each other on the beach proper. Along the other side of the road, there are ancillary facilities -- a golf course, parking lots, shopping areas, etc. The area is well maintained on the divided road, with it's occasional round-about. In order from east to west, one encounters SuperClubs' Breezes Bahamas (formerly the Wyndham), Nassau Beach Hotel, Nassau Marriott Resort, Radiisson Cable Beach, Westwind Club, Guanahani Village, Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort & Spa, and Casuarinas on Cable Beach. And, located directly between and accessible from the Marriott and the Radiisson is the Crystal Palace Casino. As an aside, I had the pleasure of meeting, for the first time, a young man who has been active on The Caribbean Travel Forum of CompuServe, Gavin Knowles. Gavin has posted some excellent information about the Bahamas, much of it the work of his mother, Fay Knowles. I made it a point of contacting Gavin by e-mail prior to our trip, in order to set up a meeting with him. We went to the offices of Knowles Realty on West Bay Street, located at one of the round- abouts. There we met Fay and her husband, Erskine, along with Gavin. Knowles Realty is a very up scale agency specializing in real estate expertise in the specific areas of Nassau/ New Providence Island, Paradise Island and Long Island. It also provides valuable information and support for investors seeking real estate opportunities in the Bahamas. While touring around New Providence, we frequently saw for Knowles Reality's for sale signs, but only on the most desirable properties. (http://www.knowlesrealty.com/) Deleporte Point Beyond Cable Beach, one next comes to Deleporte Point. This is the site of SandyPort Beaches Resort, a huge development. (See Resort Reviews below for information about SandyPort.) The Caves The Caves are located on the western end of the island, out West Bay Street, at Caves Point. The cave entrances are easily visible from the road. The caves once served as a shelter to the early Lucayans. Lyford Cay At the western end of New Providence is the gated community of Lyford Cay. It is definitely worth driving out there if only to see how the "other half" live. The homes are huge, with grand vistas of the Atlantic. There is a beautiful golf course, a small "village" with shops, a grocery and a gas station. As an aside, we did drive through the gate, with nobody asking us anything. The homes there are huge, well maintained and show easily how the "Rich and Famous" of New Providence live!) Clifton Point This is the western most location on New Providence and the location of the power plant that provides electricity to Nassau and the island. There is a tanker dock where oil tankers tie up to offload the oil that fuels the power plant. Commonwealth Brewery Just around the end of the island from the power plant is Commonwealth Brewery. Unfortunately -- for us, we were told at the gate that plant tours are no longer available. They didn't even offer a sample of Kalik! Clarion Resort The area just to the east of Commonwealth Brewery is what appeared to be a fairly large resort area, but we didn't stop here. It's on the extreme southwest corner of the island and we didn't see much that was of interest to us. Adelaide Village East of Clarion Resort is an area that has a huge wall running for what seemed to be a long distance. This is apparently the Adelaide Village that shows on the maps, but we weren't able to see any roads that accessed the area. Coral Heights Beyond Adelaide Village is an area that is directly south of the Nassau International Airport and some few blocks south of the main road. We explored out the road and found an interesting area of Coral Heights. It consists of canals interspersed with residential streets in such a way that each house backs up to its own canal. It appeared that a number of "working boats" are docked there and that the area is generally the home to locals and isn't a tourist area. Barcardi Rum Distillery - Millars Back on Carmichael Road, east of what becomes Adelaide Road farther west, we turned off onto Millars Road and found the Barcardi Rum Distillery. While it also no longer has visitor tours of the distillery, it does have an excellent visitor's center, replete with a bar and a host who provides liquid libations of the products to thirsty tourists! I highly recommend a visit to this bar -- there is no charge! South Beach The southern side of New Providence has few beaches to speak of. There is a road leading out to South Beach, which apparently at one time was used by the locals. The area is located in the southeast quarter of the island, the beach is shallow and extends out a long distance. The shallows contain some young mangrove trees and I would not be at all surprised to hear that new land is accreting and the island being expanded in this area. SIGHTSEEING ON PARADISE ISLAND Paradise Island was once a scrubby feed lot called Hog Island. This spit of land just off New Providence has been transformed into the high rise gambling and leisure haven connected to Nassau by a bridge. The center of everything is the Atlantis Resort, which was developed by a South African, Sol Kerzner, and it has turned into one of the most complete resort - casino - mega - hotels complexes in the western world. The large property includes a 14 acre water-scape with waterfalls, a river for tubing and -- the highlight -- a giant outdoor saltwater aquarium filled with sharks -- you can walk through a glass tunnel right in the middle of them. There is also a lagoon for snorkeling just off a wonderful white sand beach. Both the Atlantis Casino and the water-scape are public areas, open to non guests, though I believe there is now an entrance fee. The tunnel through the aquarium may be free but I'm told that you pay fees to rent tubes or mats for the attractions that require them. There is so much to do that you could easily spend the day there going from one activity to another. The complex also includes two resort hotels, as well as a number of restaurants. We didn't had a lot of time to do all I wanted to do, nor to do everything that is available to a visitor to Nassau and New Providence Island. The Atlantis Aquarium on Paradise Island is one attraction that I will definitely visit on my next trip to Nassau. Another is the Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon Island, based on Paradise Island, beneath the main bridge to Nassau. Both are well regarded and lack of time was the sole reason that these were passed on for this trip. There are beaches other than Cable Beach and those on Paradise Island, but most tourists end up at one of these two wide, white hot spots. The others tend to be slivers by comparison, and transportation to and from them is difficult and undependable. NIGHTLIFE There are two casinos on Nassau and both are extremely large. There is the afore mentioned Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island and the Nassau Marriott Resort and Crystal Palace Casino on Cable Beach. You can play the slots 24 hours a day, and the gaming tables are open from 10:00 o'clock each morning until 4:00 o'clock the following morning. If you're an inexperienced gambler, the casinos will teach you the basics and attempt to put you at tables with other novices. RESORT REVIEWS I decided that I wanted to try and see some of the resorts that have made The Bahamas one of the prime vacation destinations for visitors from the United States, Canada and Europe. That would enable me to better provide answers to the countless e-mail questions I regularly receive asking about the islands and the resorts. While we didn't visit all of the resorts on New Providence I would have liked to see, we did get to the ones I wanted to visit most. Below are some thoughts about those we did see. Compass Point Beach Club Having been to Jamaica a number of times and being familiar with the extensive realm of Chris Blackwell and having heard of his Compass Point Beach Club, I wanted to see what he had built there. And, it is awesome, to say the least! Blackwell, the founder of Island Records (which brought the music of Bob Marley to the world) and Island Outpost, have again conceived and created one of the truly unique resorts in Compass Point. The resort is small by Caribbean all inclusive standards -- a collage of brightly painted cottages, cabanas and huts sitting on Love Beach. (http://www.islandoutpost.com/CompassPoint/) Sandals Royal Bahamian Having seen (but not stayed at) some of the Sandals properties in Jamaica, I was well aware what Gordon "Butch" Stewart does with regard to all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Thus, it was no surprise to find that Stewart has created Sandals Royal Bahamian on Cable Beach. I made it a point of stopping in and requesting a tour of the property. The staff was most cordial and gave me full run of the property. Unfortunately, no one offered to provide us a guided tour of the resort. Therefore, we were left to our own devices, to walk around and see the exterior facilities -- which are awesome. However, we didn't get an opportunity to see any of the interiors -- rooms, dining areas, etc. -- to my disappointment. Sandals is a huge resort and the rates are in line with it's size, location and the general high season in Nassau. When we visited it, the resort appeared to be close to full capacity -- that is if the number of guests congregated around the pools and along the beach was any indication. However, since the resort limits it's guests to couples only, I noticed, as I have at one other Sandals property, the tendency of guests to pretty much stick with their partner and not mix with other couples. I did make it a point to speak to a few guests and all commented on what a wonderful resort the Royal Bahamian was. (But, in line with my above comment that guests appeared to stay to themselves, it was apparent that I surprised the ones I spoke to -- obviously nobody else had spoken to them there!) (http://www.sandals.com/main/bahamian/ba-home.html) Sandyport Beach Resort I had been asked by a member of The Caribbean Travel Forum on CompuServe to check out Sandyport Beach Resort -- she had plans to stay there in April of 2001 and wanted to get first hand comments from somebody who had visited the complex. I promised I would stop in and give it a look see, though I was somewhat afraid that I might be in for a timeshare presentation! As it turned out, my fear was ungrounded, the resort is magnificent and will be even better when the planned units and expansion underway is completed. First, the complex consists of two separate parts -- the area on the west side of the Sandyport canal is the Sandyport Marina Village, consisting of a group of permanent homes within a private, gated community. The canal opens directly to the Caribbean, affording guests and homeowners access to the sea for boats. On the east side of the canal is the beautiful low rise hotel, the Sandyport Beaches Resort consisting of a reception building, ocean front restaurant (BBQ Beach Restaurant -- see above for more under DINING), ocean beach, lagoon beach, three swimming pools and the most beautiful suites on the island. SandyPort has three bedroom deluxe, two bedroom deluxe and one bedroom deluxe suites, also one bedroom standard suites, studios and hotel rooms. In addition, the resort is an RCI Gold Crown Vacation Club participant for folks interested in time share interval ownership. (http://www.sandyport.com/) As an aside, I had the opportunity to meet the Marketing Coordinator for SandyPort, Leslie O. Pindling -- the son of the late former Prime Minister, Lynden Pindling, leader of the Bahamas for 25 years, died in August, 2000, of prostate cancer at age 70. Pindling became prime minister in 1967, when the islands were still a British colony, and led the Bahamas to independence in 1973. His son Leslie was most courteous and invited us to return to sample all that SandyPort has to offer. Breezes Bahamas Under the leadership of Chairman John Issa, SuperClubs originally created what has now become known as the "Caribbean all-inclusive concept." Based in Jamaica, Breezes Bahamas was one of SuperClubs first forays outside of that island. Taking over the original Wyndham Resort on Cable Beach, SuperClubs completed a major renovation of the property and launched it under the Breezes name. The property is the first resort site one encounters upon driving out West Bay road from Nassau proper. Breezes is the largest of the SuperClubs properties, with it's four hundred rooms, including suites and oceanfront deluxe rooms. Each room has either two double beds or one king size bed. All rooms are air conditioned, equipped with satellite TV, direct dial telephone, hair dryer, safe deposit box, coffee maker, soap and shampoo dispensers, CD player, AM / FM radio and iron and ironing board. The accommodations are situated in two towers -- the eight story high west wing and the four story east wing. Between the two towers is the lobby building with the dining, entertainment and lobby areas on the south side, and the pool complex and beach on the north side. Dining options encompass the Main Dining Room, which is air conditioned and offers casual buffet dining at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The resort also has a sit down restaurant, Pastafari, which is an air conditioned pasta bar where long pants required -- it is open for dinner only. There is also a Pool Grill, where guests can obtain snacks from midday to early evening. Breezes offers complimentary weddings and renewal of vows for its guests. These include a wedding cake, champagne, flowers, marriage license and non-denominational marriage officer. Witnesses can be provided upon request. All the necessary paperwork is handled by the couple, but the resort staff requires three working week's notice to complete all formalities. A guest is required to be in Nassau 15 days before the ceremony can be performed. However, a three day waiver can easily be obtained. A super aspect of Breezes Bahamas is it's meeting facilities, one of the best I have seen at any Caribbean resort. The facility is located above the lobby in a quiet, out-of-the- way area. It can accommodate groups of up to 500 people, theater style, in the Grand Salon. Breezes Bahamas provides TV monitor, VCR, overhead & slide projectors, screen, public address system, microphone and podium. Banquets and private receptions can also be arranged for large groups. Breezes Bahamas has plenty of activities. In addition to having one of the best beaches in the Bahamas, the powder white sands of Cable Beach, the resort offers guests a variety of other water related venues -- a Jacuzzi, a Sip & Dip pool, a Play pool, the Main pool and a Misting Pool. Breezes' water sports include -- at no additional cost to guests -- wind surfing, salt water kayaking, water skiing, sailing, pool volleyball and scuba diving lessons in swimming pool and all with instructions and equipment are included. Motorized water sorts are also available nearby at an additional cost. Land sports include three lighted tennis courts with free instruction, basketball, beach volleyball, bicycles, table tennis, an indoor games room and a jogging trail. Tennis is available on three tennis courts, lit for night play. Free tennis instruction is also included. Golf is available at the nearby Cable Beach Golf Course (not included). There is a fully equipped Fitness Center, with stationary bicycles, Stairclimbers, Nautilus-type equipment, free weights, rowing equipment, Aerobic classes, Aquacise classes, and the direction of the staff Fitness Instructor. As with all of it's sibling resorts, a guest's stay at Breezes Bahamas includes the resort's own brand of "Super Inclusive" items which are all available without any additional charge -- all accommodations, all meals and snacks, wine, unlimited premium bar drinks, sports and entertainment included in the rates. In touring the facility with SuperClubs Vice President Gary Williams, I was most impressed with both the resort's location at the east end of Cable Beach and the, as yet, undeveloped area of the property between the resort and its tennis courts, beside the public park area fronting on Goodman Bay. Gary indicated that there are already plans to extend the resort to the east, and this will no doubt make for the resort further becoming a prime property on New Providence. For our final night in Nassau, we had the pleasure (as noted in the DINING section above) to spend an evening at Breezes, courtesy of Gary Williams. The facilities, including the dining areas, the bars, the pool complex, the entertainment area, the shops and the lobby are all intended to impart a feeling of casual elegance, and the goal is fully met. I made a concerted effort to speak to a number of the guests, to get a flavor of how they liked the resort. All comments were highly laudatory, with no exceptions! That certainly speaks well of the effort that Gary and the staff of Breezes Bahamas have made to create excellent value for the price. The resort is expensive, though well in line with other properties in and around Nassau. I was most impressed that the guests at Breezes appeared to be more into mingling with other guests -- this is something that I've seen at other SuperClubs' resorts and to this Caribbean traveler, it is something that tends to make for a more memorable vacation. (http://www.superclubs.com/brand_breezes/resort_bahamas/) DEPARTING NEW PROVIDENCE All too soon, our short stay on this island was nearly over and it was time to head for our next port of call -- Elbow Cay. To reach there meant that we were required to return our Avis rental car, get our prearranged tickets on Bahamasair and fly to Great Abaco (http://www.bahamasair.com/). The above was done quickly -- all except the actual flight. Oh, it wasn't actually the flight that was slow, it was the waiting for the flight that seemed to take an eternity! Luckily, we met up with a delightful couple -- a retired army colonel and his wife -- and conversation with them helped the time to pass pleasantly. Finally, our plane was on the tarmac and we were able to board, and we were quickly winging our way north to our next destination. THE ABACOS The geography of the Abacos is unique in the Bahamas, because the Abaco Sound offers so much protected water. The Abaco Sound lies between Great Abaco Island and a string of barrier islands -- or cays (pronounced "keys") -- which arch from Little Harbour northwest over a hundred miles to Walker's Cay. The west coast of Great Abaco, known as the Bight of Abaco, is very shallow and is rarely visited by cruising boats. History of The Abacos The history of the Abacos started with the end of the American Revolutionary War. Thousands of Loyalists moved to the Abacos to remain loyal to the British king. They were seeking respite from the harassment back in their former home colonies. A total of 2,500 Loyalists and their 4,000 slaves fled to the Bahamas after the war. Most of them came from Florida and settled in the Abacos. Those who came from east Florida had been exiled from Georgia and the Carolinas. From west Florida Loyalists whose original homes had been farther north relocated to the islands. March Harbour Arrival >>From the plane, we caught glimpses of the Cays to Eleuthera stretching from just northeast of Nassau to North Eleuthera, before we crossed the southern tip of Great Abaco. Soon, the plane made its approach to the southeast and we dropped lightly for a touch down between the tall pine trees lining both sides the runway at Marsh Harbour. As we passed through the gate from after deplaning, I suggested to the couple we met at the airport, that we would be happy to share a cab with them. We hailed a van, loaded all the bags and were off. Since the other couple was headed to meet a yacht at the marina and we needed to stock up on some items at the grocery store, the van driver dropped up first and then took the couple to meet their friends. We shopped and quickly found that many of inexpensive items at home were highly expensive here/ Once we had our staples for the next few days, the driver arrived back to pick us up. Passing the whisky store, he inquired if we needed anything in the liquid libation department. Nina spoke up and said she sure would like to at least check the prices. And, she found a real bargain -- a two-pack of canned Cokes bundled with a pint of Barcardi rum for US$2.00! She bought four -- she said the rum bottles were "cute"! Then it was on to the ferry dock and out waterborne way to Elbow Cay. ELBOW CAY For the remainder of our Bahamian excursion, we had rented a delightful little house -- it was more of a cottage to my mind -- from Elbow Cay Properties. However, though we had never been there, I already knew that we were going to enjoy our stay in it. The house belongs to a friend, Marjorie Colley of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Marjorie had been an active member on The Caribbean Travel Forum (http://go.compuserve.com/Caribbean/) on CompuServe at one time and at her request, I had scanned some pictures of her house on Elbow Cay, in order that she could have them as graphic images. Therefore, I knew that the house would be imminently suitable for our purposes -- right down to the Pawley's Island hammocks strung between the casuarina trees in the front yard! History of Elbow Cay Hope Town on Elbow Cay was founded by the Tory widow Wayannie Malone, who moved her family there from Charleston, S.C. in 1783. By 1880 the island had one thousand people, engaged mainly in farming and ship building. It was the administrative center of the Abacos, but this later moved to Marsh Harbour. "Wrecking" (salvaging the contents of wrecked ships) had mainly been a part time "occupation" in the Out Islands from the time of the earliest settlers. But it became a way of life after emancipation. Sea charts of the waters in and around The Bahamas were at first nonexistent, then later only slightly better than somewhat unreliable. There were no lighthouses until 1836 to provide aid to ships. The Out Islander wreckers didn't always depend on storms or navigational errors to cause ships to founder on the reefs. Sometimes they actually lured ships onto the reefs. Often, a lighted tree was placed on the beach to simulate a beacon. The British Imperial Board of Trade dealt a blow to Bahamian wreckers by ordering erection of lighthouses. Hope Town residents on Elbow Cay blockaded workers building their famous candy stripe lighthouse, which today is the most photographed sight in The Bahamas. They refused them food and water, and sank a barge bringing in building materials. Elbow Cay averaged a wreck a month before the lighthouse was built. In 1860 it was estimated that property valued at more than a hundred thousand pounds sterling had been picked from wrecks in the waters off the island in just over a year. Hope Town's population was by then about five hundred and fifty. Although they often risked their lives to save shipwrecked sailors, they lived almost entirely from the profits reaped from salvaging the cargo and equipment from the distressed vessels. Albury's Ferry Service To reach Elbow Cay the traveler must rely on the regular ferry service between Marsh Town and Hope Town, Elbow Cay's principal town - - and the third largest settlement in The Bahamas. Albury's Ferry began operation on February 18, 1959, the day the airport opened in Marsh Harbour. The "Ferry" (as it is known throughout the Abacos) remains a family owned business today with Ralph Albury serving as General Manager. The first ferry was the "Junonia", a 40 foot lobster boat built in Maine. As Albury's service grew, additional boats were built of wood at the yards of Edwin Albury on Man-O- War Cay. The conversion from wood construction to fiberglass began 21 years ago. Today the entire fleet is made up of nine boats -- "Donnie I" through "Donnie IX" -- wide body fiberglass, diesel powered boats built to Albury's Ferry own specifications in Florida. The boats fall into four size categories; 34 feet, 39 feet, 45 feet and 51 feet. The "Donnie IX", the latest, joined Albury's Ferry fleet in the fall of 2000. Today, the ferry serves Elbow Cay and Man-O-War Cay from Albury's Ferry Dock. Great Guana Cay and Scotland Cay are served by boats out of the Conch Inn dock and the Union Jack dock. Ferry times to and from Elbow Cay and Man-O-War Cay take twenty minutes each way, while times to and from Great Guana Cay and Scotland Cay take thirty minutes each way. (Note: Scotland Cay service requires prior notification to Albury's Ferry Office.) All of Albury's ferries are partially enclosed, fully licensed and inspected, and operated by experienced and licensed captains. Equipment includes fire extinguishers, life jackets, VHF radio, and first aid supplies. (http://www.oii.net/alburysferry/) Arrival at Elbow Cay On the ferry ride from Marsh Harbour, I asked the ferry boat captain to call Elbow Cay Properties, in order that they could pick us up at the North Dock at Cook's Cove -- it is located just above the entrance to the Hope Town harbor and is convenient to the houses on the North Point of Elbow Cay. Elbow Cay Properties(http://www.elbowcayrentals.com/) We were met at the North Dock by Don Cash and he put our luggage in the back of the pickup truck -- Nina rode in front and I piled in back with the bags. It was only about two hundred yards from the dock to the house, so we were there before we knew it. Not having to lug all the bags and groceries from the dock was a nice touch. (For a map of the island go to http://www.elbowcayrentals.com/, and you can see "Leeside" on the bay side of the North Point or access http://www.elbowcayrentals.com/photos/leeside/ to navigate there.) I can't say enough about Don and Cary Cash, the owners of Elbow Cay Properties. As I said above, Don met us and drove us to Leeside. He helped unload our bags, gave us a complete tour of the house, pointing out things that we would need to know during our stay and generally gave us a good feeling that we had picked the right property on the right island through the right property management company. Don also returned on our last day and drove us -- and all out stuff -- back to the North Dock, to catch the ferry back to Marsh Harbour. Don is also a descendant of one of the original families on the island -- I believe he said he was a sixth generation Elbow Cay descendant. Leeside We found Leeside to be exactly as we expected. The house sits on a shallow beach, facing west and is surrounded by tall casuarina trees. It contains a fully equipped kitchen, adjacent to the large living room-dinning room area. There are two air conditioned bedrooms, one with a queen size bed and the other with two twin beds, and both with their own baths. There is a wrap-around porch facing the sound. The location is about a mile from Hope Town and just a five minute walk to community North Point dock. The rental rate is $995 per week. The cottage accommodates 4 people and no chided under age six are permitted. There's no television set, but Marjorie has a fine selection of music and a player. Also, there is a regular two way VHF radio, with its own 12 volt power supply and a tall antenna on the roof. Each morning, I tuned into the Abaco "Cruiser's Net" on VHF Channel 68. It's like a party line, with each separate island checking in with what's happening on the islands that day, weather reports, various sail boats checking in for e-mail, etc. It's a folksy "program" and I heartily encourage anybody with access to a VHF radio to listen in each and every day. (See below.) There is also a nightly weather report on VHF channel 9, by "Deja Vu" a local on-island weatherman. "On this 'Net you'll find the Weather forecast, reports on conditions around the Whale Cay Passage, announcements covering everything from e-mail for cruisers to Happy Hour Specials - Arriving and Departing Boats, a Swap Shop, Navigation Tips, and even 'open Mike'." (Copied from http://oii.net/boats/news.html#net.) Since there isn't much else to do -- which was exactly what we had been looking for -- our stay in "Leeside" afforded us plenty of time to catch up on reading -- I finished four novels while we were there! Out and About However, the stay wasn't entirely taken up by doing absolutely nothing at all -- we rented a 17 foot Boston whaler outboard boat, with Center Console. The boat was rented from Island Marine Boat Rentals, owned by Dave and Phoebe Gale and operated by their son Jeff Gale and niece Lory Kenyon. Island Marine Boat Rentals located on picturesque Parrot Cay, just a short distance from Elbow Cay. (http://www.islandmarine.com/) All of Island Marine's boats are fully equipped with life jackets, anchor, lines, a swim ladder, flares, flashlight, first aid kit, compass, rod holders, large built-in gas tank, and large fold down Bimini top for maximum sun protection. In addition, when a person rents from Island Marine, he is provided with a chart of Abaco Sound and a hand held VHF radio to use if needed in an emergency or to provide the marina with information about return times, etc. The boat had a 70 hp Evinrude engine and electric trim and tilt. We were able to use the North Dock, which is shared by all of the houses in the community on the North Point. I had contacted Island Marine by phone prior to our arrival on Elbow Cay and reserved the boat. Upon arrival at "Leeside" I called and arranged for the boat to be delivered the following morning. Bright and early the next day, we were picked up at North Dock and went back over to Parrot Cay, to sign for the boat. Then, we were off on our own, to explore. Man-O-War Cay Our first stop was back at North Dock, in order to get "provisioned" and then we were away, headed across the Abaco Sound to Man-O-War Cay. With the aid of the chart we easily made the crossing and headed into the harbor at Man-O-War Cay. I had heard on the Cruiser's Net that morning, that the school on the island was having a flea market. We decided that sounded like a neat thing to visit. The crossing from the north end of Elbow Cay was relatively uneventful, though there was a brisk breeze. We headed toward Matt Lowe's Cay to miss the shallows to the east of Johnny's Cay, then turned north past Sandy Cay to enter the cut into the harbor. The docks were packed solid -- we finally found one where we could tie up, and walked "downtown" to the Pavilion. There we found the festivities were in full swing. We ran into our friends from the plane and exchanged pleasantries with them and the yacht owner and his wife. We decided to buy hamburgers at the flea market, since the proceeds were for a worthy cause. After getting our burgers, we retired back to our boat and headed across the channel, to the lee of Matt Lowe's Cay for a floating picnic lunch. Hope Town Our other excursion destination was into the Hope Town harbor a few times. It sure beat walking the mile into town by road! A couple of times, we would motor from North Dock into the harbor for meals. It was nice to be able to simply cruise into the harbor, pick a place, tie up at one of the public docks and walk to the restaurant. A couple of places were excellent -- Cap Jack's and Club Soleil's Restaurant at Hope Town Marina (http://www.abacoyellowpages.com/cws/clubsoleil/), the latter where we had the Sunday Brunch. Also of note were Harbour View Grocery Store, where we shopped once and Vernon's Grocery. As an aside, be sure to check out Vernon's Grocery. While we were shopping there, Mr. Vernon came into the store with a batch of fresh baked bread! It was fantastic! We also went into town one time, just to explore the lighthouse. The Hope Town Lighthouse, as noted above, was built in 1863 and it still uses the original wind up brass mechanism to turn the reflector, sending the beam out as far as twenty miles. This lighthouse is also the most photographed attraction in The Bahamas. Another time, we took the boat and cruised south, putting in at White Sound south of Hope Town and then on down the island to Tilloo Cut, opposite Lubbers Quarters Cay. Not being thoroughly familiar with either the boat or the local area and being aware that Abaco Sound has numerous shallow areas that can severely damage a prop or motor, we decided that we had explored far enough afield for our first visit to the island. However, I do plan to return someday and see more of the beautiful islands that make up the outline of Abaco Sound. THE END OF THE TRIP As always happens, this trip to The Bahamas ended far too soon. We returned the boat to Island Marine and the next morning Don Cash came to Leeside and helped us back to North Sound. We bade him good-bye, with the promise that we would be back. The ferry picked us up and too quickly we were back at the dock at Marsh Harbour. A short van ride and we were at the Marsh Harbour Airport. We checked in, boarded our US Airways plane to Ft. Lauderdale and we were homeward bound. I can't say enough how much this trip meant to both of us. It was busy and laid back. It included exploring and doing noting at all. It was a great equalizer to our usual trips to other Caribbean locations. But, we will return, because the Baja Mar of The Bahamas will definitely be calling to us!
July 2001 We recently spent a week at the Atlantis on Paradise Island. We booked the trip through Liberty Travel. Liberty does a large percent of the Atlantis booking. When we checked in at least half of the people were using Liberty vouchers. Liberty has a preferred travel program were for $50/yr they will upgrade transfers to your hotel for all your trips booked through Liberty to a private Limo. We were really glad that we did this and the Limo service at the airport and the return was very smooth. Our flight was out of Philly on US Air and was uneventful. The airport at Nassau was very well organized and we were out of the airport with our luggage in less than 40 minutes. I was traveling with my wife, in-laws and my 8 year old daughter. We booked two rooms with a non-ocean view in the Coral towers. We requested non-smoking and connecting. We arrived at the hotel at 1230pm and were told the rooms would not be ready until 3pm. I think the Atlantis will not release rooms even if they are clean until after 2pm. We saw lots of people checking in and not once did anyone get in before 2 pm. I think that maybe the Atlantis has figured out that you will go to lunch at the Atlantis while waiting for your room. That is what we and most other people did while waiting. A little after 2 pm they gave us our room keys. We did not get the connecting rooms we wanted but were able to get adjoining. We asked about this and were told that they had no connecting available. I also asked if they could give a room on a higher floor. No Luck! Our rooms were on the 5th floor and had no view of anything but a very large and overgrown palm tree. We did not expect a ocean view as we did not pay for one but had hoped for a view of something. We do not spend much time in our room during the day or night except to sleep so this was not a major issue for us. The room itself was average except for the bathroom which was in need of major overhaul. The bathroom had lots of peeling paint and the bathtub needed replaced. There was no mistaking this room for a 5 star hotel room! Another issue popped up that evening on our bill. We had mini bar charges of over $50 when we did not touch the mini-bar. The front desk apologized and removed the charges promptly. We made a habit of checking our tab each night on the in-room TV but had no further problems. We avoided alcohol at the Atlantis because of the expense. We had brought dry mixes from home and purchased several bottles of alcohol and a six pack (very cheap!) at the shopping center across the street. We would have a couple of drinks after coming in from the day while getting ready for dinner. We also brought some snacks with us from home to have during our "cocktail hour". We had included the meal plan in our package deal which was $57 a day per adult. We ate most breakfasts at the Marketplace and did the buffet. The food was good but not excellent. They had the usual buffet stuff. The service was excellent in the Marketplace and the staff very pleasant. For dinner we ate at several restaurants. The only one that required reservations on our meal plan was the Waters Edge. We ate there once during the trip (made reservations several weeks in advance) and the food was quite good. The service on the hand was poor. Our waiter Bradley was not interested in us once he determined we were not going to order any alcoholic drinks. (This was the only time we had poor service during our trip at the Atlantis, in fact most of the staff went out of their way to be very friendly and nice!) The Atlantis adds a 15% tip automatically to each meal (based on inflated menu prices not meal plan prices) and therefore it is in the waiter interest to have large drink tabs. We did the buffet at the Marketplace and Seagrapes twice each. The food was good and plentiful but probably not worth the $40 a head they were charging. The lines to be seated started backing up at around 7- 7:30 and sometimes it could be more than a ½ hour wait. We ate several nights at the Atlas bar and grill in the casino. The menu was simple sandwiches and was a nice change of pace after eating so many heavy meals. The Atlas has limited seating and is quite popular so if you don't want to wait in a long line, plan to show up around 6 pm. At 7 pm you can expect to wait at least ½ hour or more. No reservations are taken here. The beach area was very nice and had lots of chairs available anytime you wanted. The water was clean and free of rocks. The vendors were kept away from the property but were right over the property line. My daughter had her hair braided at one of these stands. The cost was $2 per braid. If you were getting a lot of braids done the price would come down. The pools at the Atlantis were awesome. They have at least six very large pools with several by each tower. The large slides are by the royal towers and are a lot of fun. You have to be as least 48 inches tall or you will not be allowed to use the slides except for two very small baby slides. They enforce this rule without exception and if you are a ¼ inch shorter you will not be allowed on. I saw many children in tears over this so if your children are not 48 inches tall you better prepare them for the fact that they will not be using the slides. Also, no jewelry or watches are allowed on the slides. Leave your necklaces and bracelets in the room when you going to use the slides. The slides were crowded most of the time and you could expect a 15 to 20 minute wait during the middle of the day. If slides are your thing, try going at 9am and getting your fill before the line gets long. We spent a morning going down the slides at the royal towers and had a blast. There is medium size slide called the Goombay slide near the Coral tower that is fun and my daughter wore out a swimsuit going down it. No day was complete without an hour or so going down this slide. The line here was almost always short. I went scuba diving with Bahama Divers and was impressed with the operation. The divemaster and crew were very professional and very concerned about not damaging the coral reefs. We went to the Lost Blue Hole and to Barracuda reef for our two dives. On the first dive at the blue hole we went to 90' for 15 minutes. Not much to see. The second dive at Barracuda reef was great! The reef was at 25' and was full of things to see. Too numerous to mention here. The only hitch was when we got back to the dive shop they took over an hour and half to take us back to the hotel. All and all it was a great time! We had booked my daughter and wife to swim with the dolphins at the Blue lagoon back in February. The weather the day we were scheduled was very bad so we called ahead to check to see if the program had been canceled. We were informed that it would go as scheduled. So we got a taxi (it was raining and lighting so bad we did not want to walk the ¼ mile in the storm). When we got there we were informed that the program was canceled and rescheduling would be impossible. A ½ hour later, after much discussion, they found a place the next day. The whole program was tremendous and both my daughter and wife had a wonderful time and could not stop smiling. The foot push was awesome. The program was simply the highlight of our trip! Bring plenty of 800 speed film so you can catch the action. You can also buy pictures and video they take but I was able to take far more and better pictures than they did. On a rainy day, we toured the new harborside timeshares. We were given $75 a couple and a lite lunch to take the two hour tour. The units are very nice and sleeps 10. It has a large master bathroom and two nice sized full kitchens. The units cost $26,300 for one week in the summer low season (the prices are higher for the winter high season but we were only told the price for the season we inquired about) and have a $1200 maintenance fee per year. You own the week for 40 years. After 40 years the site is sold and you split the profits with the other owners. The unit can be divided into two smaller units and you can lock off the smaller side and give the other side back to get a addition week in the one side. Both sides have a full kitchen and master bathroom. You can also trade it for other timeshares in different places. We had to visit the Doctor's Hospital in Nassau for a antibiotic prescription. We found the hospital to be clean and well run and were seen right away. Many US emergency rooms can not beat the service we had. Dr. Johnson was very profession and treated my wife and I very well.
July 2001
We left Chicago for Paradise Island on Tuesday morning making a
connection in Fort Lauderdale. Despite it's small size Fort
Lauderdale has four separate terminals. Make sure you know which
terminal your connecting flight leaves from. We were led to the
wrong building and by the time we got the airport shuttle to the
right terminal we were bumped from our overbooked flight to Nassau.
We got to the Nassau airport at 2:30 and had free rum drinks at a
small stand in the terminal while we waited for our bags. Customs
was a breeze. The cab ride took about a half-hour and we were
charged $31.00. Make sure you negotiate the charge before you
leave. Our ride back to the airport was only $25.00 so we obviously
we paid extra for the "scenic" route our first cab driver took along
the coast.
We stayed at the Sheraton Grand because I was able to get the room
for half price by redeeming Starwood points accumulated on business
trips. The hotel is located next door to Atlantis and shares the
same beach. For the money we paid the Sheraton was a good value,
however there is nothing outstanding about the place other than its
location on a great beach (Cabbage Beach). Our room had a small
balcony with a nice view of the beach and the pool. Unfortunately it
also had a view of the loading dock for the Atlantis Beach Towers,
whose rooms looked directly into ours from across our pool deck. If
I went back I would request an east view (even numbered rooms) that
just looks over the beach. The hotel's air conditioners are located
on that side so it might get a little noisy but it would be a better
view and more private. The rooms are typical Sheraton rooms with
hair dryers, irons and the usual toiletries. Overall, service at the
hotel was prompt and friendly.
The Sheraton's facilities are adequate. The small, shallow pool has
a waterfall at one end. The poolside snack bar consists of white
plastic tables and chairs on the pool deck. The beach bar would be
more inviting if there was a way to get out of the sun. There are no
roof and no umbrellas covering the chairs and tables and there are no
stools to sit at the bar. Atlantis, however, has a great beach bar
just down the beach. Head over there when you're ready to get out of
the sun and sip a tropical drink.
The beach is long with soft white sand. The water is very clear and
calm although it gets deep pretty quickly. The hotel provides plenty
of free beach chairs. There is para-sailing, banana boat rides and
many noisy jet ski's available on the beach. The beach can get quite
crowded when cruise ships are in port. It's pretty long and good for
walking. I would definitely recommend the Sheraton for its views,
location and service as long as you can get in there for a reasonable
price.
We spent a lot of time at Atlantis, which was next door to our
hotel. Although the pools and slides are off limits to non-guests
you are free to walk around the complex. We walked through all the
buildings and the Dig, which is a spectacular aquarium (the largest
in the world) which replicates the lost city of Atlantis. I think
they charge for tours but no one stopped us from walking through on
multiple occasions. Atlantis is a spectacular hotel. Every other
hotel on the island suffers by comparison. The pools, lobbies,
restaurants and casino are all elaborately beautiful. The
restaurants and shops are very expensive. We saw the Jimmy Buffet
musical " Don't Stop The Carnival" in their theatre. It's a small
theatre with great sight lines throughout. The musical, while no
South Pacific, was well done and very entertaining, particularly if
you are a Parrot Head or read the book (A perfect book for your
Caribbean vacation)
Here are our reviews of the restaurants.
Sheraton Grand
The breakfast buffet at the Veranda is OK for $12. Typical eggs,
potatoes, meat & omelets, fruit & pastries. It's unfortunate they
don't offer outside dining given their location right on the beach.
The pool snack bar is a good place for lunch. We had their Tuesday
night poolside barbecue ($25). Good food, great location with live
music.
Poop Deck
It seems like you could walk there from town or from the hotel but it
is longer than it looks. Nice outdoors location on the harbor with
views of Paradise Island and docked boats. Good food, not
terrifically expensive.
Compass Point
By far our favorite restaurant. Great outdoor patio right on the
water with sunset views. The food and the service were excellent and
the prices were reasonable compared to other restaurants on the
island. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You will need
a car to get there from Paradise Island unless you are willing to pay
$18-$20 each way for a cab. They also have some very colorful
cottages with great views and a small pool.
Dune
Very sophisticated but expensive food (over $50 per person) with very
polished décor & service. Great beach view if you are outside or by
the window. We were disappointed to find that all the outside tables
were reserved the night we were there. If you want to eat outside
ask for an outside table when you make your reservation.
Café At The Hall Of Great Waters
Located in the main lobby of Atlantis surrounded by the aquariums of
The Dig. Like all Atlantis restaurants this place was very
expensive. Salads were $13 and entrees were $28-$40. The food,
location and service were all top notch, but not good enough to
justify these prices. However, after realizing that they charge $28
for stir fried chicken and broccoli at their Oriental restaurant
these prices actually seemed reasonable.
Columbus Tavern
Nice, casual restaurant on a deck overlooking the Nassau harbor.
Overall we found the service at all restaurants to be prompt and
friendly. We never experienced the slow service people warned us
about before we left.
There is a ferry that runs between Paradise Island and Nassau for $3
each way. Since taxi's run about $7 you don't save much if there are
two of you, but you should try it once for a different perspective of
the port. Overall we found Paradise & Providence Islands to be very
clean, safe and friendly, but not particularly scenic. The roads
were all well maintained. Paradise Island has the look of a planned
community and has little or no island flavor. Nassau is a bustling
town (particularly when cruise ships are in port) with restaurants
and lot's of shopping. The Cable Beach area has a few large hotels
and a casino. Given the reasonable airfare (compared to islands
further south in the Caribbean) and proximity to Florida, Paradise &
Providence Islands are perfect for a quick get-away for beach resorts
and casinos. We enjoyed our Bahamian vacation and would recommend it
as a vacation destination.
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