Rebecca

I hadn’t heard a lot of good things about Nassau so we decided to make it just a low-key day and hang out on our own, return to the ship early and get a discounted couple’s massage while the ship was in port. When we first arrived at the pier on Monday there was a light rain. We ate breakfast on the Lido deck and by the time we finished the weather was clearing up. We exited the ship from Deck 3 and took the walk down the wharf to the actual city. The wharf is maybe a quarter-mile walk. There were a few people waiting at the end of it offering us tours, but were not persistent when we declined. We walked into the “welcome-building,” which can be a little bit tricky. We assumed the official-looking people behind the counters were there to give us information, but apparently these are just tour operators with enough status to get an official-looking spot behind the counter! One woman offered to braid my hair when I asked her about local beaches, and the man next to her told us the only public beach was on Paradise Island and offered to ferry us there. I knew from reading reviews that this was not true, so we just decided to walk. Coming out of the welcome center, we went right down Bay Street, and walked until it dead-ended at the British colonial hotel private beach behind Senor Frog’s. We made a left and then another right on Marlborough to go around the hotel, and lo and behold on the other side of this huge hotel is a little public beach! I think it is called Lighthouse Beach, as it is right across a little bay from a lighthouse. We could see the Paradise about a half-mile away. There was a vendor there who offered to rent us chairs, umbrellas, etc., and to braid my hair, but again stopped bothering us after we declined. We laid towels down on the sand and went for a quick dip in the calm, warm, crystal-clear water. It is really a tribute to this beach that I got in at all – I used to love the ocean, but after five encounters with jelly-fish in South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida, I have developed a phobia of being in water that I can’t see into. This was like being in a pool it was so clear, I had no fears at all! After our swim, we laid out to dry off, reading our books. Around 11:30 we headed back the way we had come, and stopped at Conch Fritters across from the hotel to try this local delicacy. We had read on the web and in several guidebooks that this restaurant prepared it well. We split a Coke and ordered the fritters, which were delicious! Warning, for those of you who haven’t tried them – don’t ask what they are until you’re done! : ) We walked back through all the pier-side vendors and were back on the ship by 12:30.

Check out the shore excursions available in Nassau.
Nassau, Bahamas Shore Excursions

Ask a Question About a Caribbean Port