Nassau, Bahamas

on may 12,2007 my husband and i arrived in nassau,bahamas and fell in love. we fell in love with the island, the people and all it represent. just like america it has its good and bad but unlike america the people are a humble and friendly group of people. as an american i can tell if someone is truly a nice person or just smiling to sell you a bag of crap. i say thank you to the island and we will see you in 2008.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Nassau. My first of 2 dozen trips began at the ripe age of 16 before The Bahamas were independent. I saw the country through its independence and through its slow rape of New Providence by greedy developers and greedy government hacks. Once isolated beaches were turned into the Miami of the Caribbean. This didn't happen overnight. But the years took their toll. Once friendly cab drivers slowly became too surley to pick up a ride from your hotel if it wasn't long enough and they actually had the audacity to say "No" to a fare! What happened to these once "beautiful people?" [Perhaps they learned the surly habits of Americans?]Although the days of eating peas and rice with conch fritters at the houseboat take-out on the wharf at 2AM are over [it burned years ago], and the once stately and proud Nassau Beach Hotel has turned into the seedy "Riviera" [Las Vegas] of the Bahamas, I will forever cherish my memories of love of life, love of the people and the... Read more

Many of you can sit here and bash my home town but many of you have never been to real beautiful places. For one thing the city has been around since the 1600's It was a pirate haven. Some of the best diving sites in the world can be found in Nassau, not to mention the coveted tongue of the ocean, which is a 6,000 ft plunge into the abyss of the ocean. Yes there are impoverished areas as there are in any city, hoever Nassau has the highest GDP than any Caribbean City, and the land values range from 30,000 to well over millions of dollars. Visit areas like Lyford Cay, Old Fort BAy, Coral HArbour,Coral Heights, Coral Lakes, Coral Vista, Sea Breeze, Treasure Cove. How can you visit a place once and give it a firm rating? If you want to know more about Nassau and The Bahmas we have a website which you can visit. If you ask any Caribbean native which city they'd rather live in, the majority will tell you Nassau cause the standard of living is second to none.

April 1-8 2006 was suppose to be a beautiful week in Nassau Bahamas. Upon our arrival at the Nassau Palms and Beach Club Resort we were tired and quite frankly we were impressed with the grounds and outer appearance of the place. We registered to find the room would not be available until 4:00 p.m. Returning at the time of registration and given the key we were not ever verbally informed of those hidden charges..... Going to the room was when the reality set in that this was not the ritz, but clean would be nice! Opening the door and seeing the nasty carpeting made us realize it would be time to look for littel critters. Did not find those, (whew) we were locked into this place for an entire week, lets make the best of it. That night while trying to sleep above the hotel band that could be heard for a ten mile radius, and the Spring Breakers whooping it up, our first night was not one of much sleep. The next night we were experiencing the same, no sleep again, I don't think so. I went... Read more

Not the best of the Caribbean, but is a lot more affordable to visit compared to the other cities/islands in the Caribbean. A quick flight from the US, it serves to satisfy your international fix of tropical fun in the white sand, fun little island getaways (try rose island, very nice) leaving from Nassau daily, and traditional Caribbean cuisine (aka conch fritters, yum!). Home of Atlantis the casino, a cruise ship port, and the straw market---this place is a tad bit touristy! Locals will try to sell you goods along the sidewalk, and you will be gouged of your money! Overall it is a ok place to getaway for a weekend. The airport is not very nice. The hotels charge alot of excess taxes. Other than that be prepared to have a little fun, in this mix of broken rural neighborhoods, touristy paradise island, and home of the somewhat bitter locals.

There is a wonderful karaoke bar in Nassau called The Casablanca, which is probably the greatest place on the planet

I've been to the Bahamas 5 times and this was my best visit(March 2004). Had a wonderful time because we got away from the tourist traps/shops and walked throughout the city. Visit Nadyia's Frozen Yougart off of Bay Street(between Bay St Clothing and Shoe Store, kinda like the alley) and don't let the name fool you, the food was wonderful & priced reasonably. Owners were very friendly and accommodating. Bahamas has really cleaned up the place since my last visit so there's not too much begging/soliting. Looks really good and clean. The newest annoyance is the hotels trying go get you into time share schemes.

Went here with my family while I was in high school and it was a very thought provoking experience for some middle-class white kid. First experience was jaunting through the hoards of women wanting to braid American women's hair for a dollar. Passed on that one after seeing 45 year old women from Wisconsin with Snoop Dogg hair, though I did make a donation to their cause. In an attempt to escape my parents I went into the back streets of Nassau past the tourist shops that all sold the same things. Mostly I got a lot of stares until a grandmotherly figure walked me back out to the tourist area, telling me how foolish I was being by walking through those streets. She was so nice. This experience got me thinking about what tourists see when we go to parts of the world like this and how Americans can be so sheltered from reality when we travel. I believe waave who says that all of Nassau is not all that poverty stricken, afterall I only saw about six blocks, but it got me thinking a... Read more

I agree with Enrique (above). Those comment makers with negative opinions regarding poverty and crime must be living in a parallel universe or have been looking through stereo-type colored glasses. I have been all over Nassau and its island of New Providence. Overall, it has about the least poverty of any country I've seen (USA included). The people have a high standard of living. They take tremendous pride in their educational system, with attractive schools and colleges everywhere. In fact, they take pride in everything they have and do. It shows in their homes, public buildings, proportionately high achievement in all fields, friendliness and generosity. A more honest complaint would be that because most of the populace lives in modern homes and drives modern cars, it looks a little like U.S. suburbia. (In fact, New Providence has one of the highest car to person ratios anywhere) But, even then, the homes have those decorative touches that are uniquely Carribean. Leave your pre... Read more

Nassau is truly a tropical paradise!!! Not as cultural as the other Caribbean Islands because it is very Americanized due to its promixity to the US. In response to the poverty comments posted here, I have visited many Caribbean Islands and this island boasts one of the Caribbean's highest standards of Living. Yes there are poor people everywhere even in the GREAT USA.. but there are alot of well to do people who live there also. Maybe you can check this out the next time you vacation there!!

The Bahamas like every other place on earth has its ups and downs - but how can you possibly trash one of the most beautiful places on earth with silly comments that I read here is beyond me. I love it there, I have friends there and I visit often - yes it is crowded but it depends on where you go on the island. The younger tourists especially love it - the clubs the beaches the bars, the five star and fast food restaurants. Nassau is a place where you can have it all - vacation wise. For the older tourists there are 699 more islands in the Bahamas that have a slower pace. As for the poverty - do your research people Nassau has almost no poverty - its just that the poor areas are close to the tourist areas - check this link for further proof. http://www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/aag/bhs_a ag.pdf I suggest that you explore the entire island instead of just being scared of it and see how people really live before you judge it. Nassau also happens to be the most developed and highes... Read more

Between the bridges, there is heaven and hell. Heaven is Paradise Island. Hell is NASSAU! Let's just say it's not the safest place for a tourist who is alone or has no clue where to go around the island. It's almost another New York City except with small buidlings. Traffic is always bad. Do not attept to drive on the roads or cross them yourself. Take the taxi (and even that is major expensive). Crime is rampid everyday (from petty theft, to drug rings, to massive murders). The cops only carry batons with them. So, even they cannot protect themselves....let alone the citizens and tourists. Never wear anything expensive there as well (clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc.) unless you want to get mugged or killed.....seriously. Everything in the shops is expensive too. Whatever you would pay for anything at any type of store, multiply that number times three. There's also a lot of diseases you can catch at the docks from stray dogs, small creatures, and garbage. Do yourself a favor and stay on ... Read more

Nassau is a very real, beautiful place. By real I mean you see "real" people, Bahamians, and a real, working marketplace. People say it's impoverished, well, it's not any worse except that snotty tourists don't want to see how real people live. Nassau is lovely, and the people are very nice. There are a lot of tourists, however, and the island is rather dirty in some spots. It's a shame they don't take care of their paradise better.

You got to go to Atlantis. The only problem is the poverty outside the resorts.

The only thing I can say about Nassau is the beautiful ocean around it. But otherwise it is a dump, there is nothing to see here but a bunch of shops selling cheap garbage to cruise passengers and tourists. If you go to the Bahamas, go to one of the Out Islands like Eluthra, don't even bother with Nassau.

The people are nice + the weather is prertty.

Why people choose to vacation on an over-run, commercialized island full of fat american tourists is beyond me.

Nassau, Bahamas is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Nassau bahamas is a beautiful place but the poverty that exists there is very evident. If you stay in your resort you will imagine it's all the same.

The beaches are very beautiful.