Spending a Day in Nassau

I was really looking forward to spending a day in Nassau, one of only two stops on our weekend cruise. Maybe it is due to fond memories on a prior cruise when we checked out Atlantis, but I was excited to head to the beach.

Finding the right beach to relax for the day took some time, but in the end, we got a tranquil beach that was mostly empty and had a great lunch. Here’s what happened:

This article is part of my Cruise Trip Report: Weekend in the Bahamas including:

• Affordable and Efficient: Southwest to Florida
• Booking a Cruise: Triple Stack
• Liberty of the Seas: Interior Cabin Review
• Liberty of the Seas: Ship Review
• Perfect Day in Coco Cay Review
• Spending a day in Nassau
• Lounge Review: Centurion Studio FLL
• The Weekend Cruise… would I do it again?

Our Day

After getting off the ship and leaving the port, we made our way to the Avis location to try to rent a car for the day. Unfortunately, they were closed, as was the Hertz, so no rental car to beach hop around the island.

Someone had suggested we walk to the nearest beach, which we did. Quite frankly, it was packed with too many cruise tourists, beach vendors, and overall chaos, not to mention that it had views of cargo shipping docks for importing and exporting,  so we decided to shoot for something else.

The beach I had read good things about online, Jaws Beach, was too far away for a quick visit, especially without a car. Instead, we quickly looked online to learn more about Cabbage beach. We hopped in a cab and made our way to Paradise Island (the Island just across the bridge that is home to Atlantis.

Walking a little bit down the beach, we plopped our stuff down on our beach towels and went into the water. It was really quite tranquil, as no one was around. It was a beautiful beach. Just what you envision when you think about the waters of the Caribbean. Palms trees waiving in the breeze, beautiful white sandy beach, and turquoise water. The water was cool when you stepped in but quickly seemed to warm up. It was a beautiful sunny, warm day.

After our quick dip, we decided it was time for lunch, and, as luck would have it, we were right next to The Ocean Club, a Four Seasons property, much to our surprise. We ended up eating lunch there, which although pricey, was really good.

Lunch was a nice complement to the day at the beach. The restaurant was outside, adjacent to the pool and overlooked the ocean. We were able to enjoy some delicious food while admiring the beautiful view and sounds of waves crashing.

Unfortunately, the day was all too short. After lunch, we took a tour of the grounds, which were stunning, and made our way back to the boat. 

We were able to do some quick shopping before time to re-embark, which was a nice addition to our perfect beach day. Finally, we made our way back to the boat before enjoying our last evening on board.

The Last Point

We had no specific plans going into our day in Nassau besides going to the beach. Finding such a gorgeous beach with no one around was the cherry on top for our cruise and made this port of call easily the highlight of the quick get-a-way.

There is nothing quite like perfectly clear turquoise water with white sand. Additionally, getting a sneak peek at The Ocean Club, a property I have wanted to visit for quite some time, was a treat.

Overall, I would highly recommend skipping the crowds and the tours for a day in Nassau and finding a more secluded beach, whether Cabbage or another beach. Spend your day in the sun before making your way back to your cruise ship.