Nassau in September

Author: Mike
Date of Trip: September 2013

Myself and a girl friend went to Nassau, Bahamas the last week of September. We intentionally stayed at Cable Beach, away from the hustle and bustle(and inflated prices)of Paradise Island. This was our 1st ever trip to the Bahamas and Caribbean in general. In short, we were very happy with our choice and the weather was excellent.

The beach was very nice as that and the ocean were highlights of the trip.
Even though the forecast was for 30% chance of rain every day, we only had 2 hours of rain for our entire 5 day stay. During the day it was 85-88 degrees, and about 70 at night. We stayed right on the beach and had a breeze the entire time which helped a lot during the day.

We rented a condo, The West Wind II right on the beach. We were very satisfied with it. The reviews online are pretty accurate so I wont go into too much detail on it. But excellent location, great beach, and good price. It is right next door to the Sheraton and Wyndam hotels. But it offers much more privacy and more of a vacation feel. The last thing I want to do on a beach vacation is take the elevator to the 15th floor and stay with a thousand other guests. There are only 54 units at West Wind, on 2 levels. We had unit #8 on the 2nd level which had a great view of ocean from living room and balcony. Has 2 pools and an outdoor bar/restaurant. Had a good breakfast there at a great price of $6. The bar was convenient to drink poolside. The inside was clean, but dated. Could use a fresh coat of paint. Kitchen is fully stocked and came in handy for lunches. Staff was friendly and helpful.
Seemed like all of the other guests were repeat guests while we were there. I would stay there again.

Cable Beach info: The Bahamas are expensive so here is some info on dining/shopping/getting around. The #10 Bus will take you everywhere except Paradise Island, only taxi’s go there. The bus is $1.25. Taxi’s are pretty much $15-20 to go anywhere including the airport or downtown Nassau.

There is a full grocery store on West Bay St at Cable beach. Yes the prices are more than back home. We just bought the necessities and some food for lunches. Making your own lunch did save money and TIME rather than going out every day. There are 2 liquor stores near this grocery store. The local Kalik beer is fantastic. And Curly’s a local bar sold real Cuban Cohiba’s. There’s nothing better than smoking a cigar at night on the beach. Also there are local shops, restaurants and a couple American fast food joints all in this same area as the grocery store. All walking distance.

We had a great lunch at local Skyline Deli. They have sandwiches, salads and a few entrees. Good European meats, cheeses and olives also. The best dinner we had was at Compass Point, which is about a 15 minute taxi ride West. Great outdoor seating overlooking the ocean with a cool breeze. Amazing food, but fairly expensive ($87 dinner for 2 people and 4 beers) I recommend the Conch or Salmon. We went to the local Fish Fry area near downtown. It was kind of a seedy local area, but a good experience. We had fish at Twin Brothers. Good meal, $46 for 2 and 2 beers. We had a great breakfast buffet at the Sheraton. Very high quality food, but $25 a person.

The downtown are was a disappointment to me, and I am glad we didn’t spend much time there. Same goes for Paradise Island. I would recommend the Blue Lagoon Island(Salt Cay)Day trip. It is a nice boat ride from Paradise Island to an exotic uninhabited island. Very good views from the boat of Nassau and paradise island.
Overall I was happy with my 1st visit to the Bahamas and would return.