Long Weekend in Nassau, Bahamas

My mother and I went to Nassau, Bahamas for a long weekend earlier in June.  My mother had wanted to return to Cable Beach for a while.  She spent vacations there when she was a child, and took me back several times when I was little (photos below circa 1978.)  So, when Southwest started offering direct flights from BWI, we planned a trip.  The flight was quick, and we were on the beach by 2:30 pm.

There are some condo and timeshare accommodations directly on Cable Beach, but we weren't interested in those.  We chose the Melia Nassau Beach all inclusive.  There is also a Sandals on Cable Beach, but Sandals is not really our style...so Melia it was! 

The beach was the reason for whole trip.  It is a wide sandy beach with beautiful, clear water.  It is a great beach for long walks, swimming, and just floating around in the water. At the Melia, kayaks, snorkeling gear, aqua bikes, and stand up paddle boards are available for no charge.  I love to paddle board and the calm water was perfect for paddling.  If you have never tried, this would be an ideal chance to try it!

The Melia is a large hotel, with 3 pools and a big section of beach.  It was not quite full the weekend we were there, so there were plenty of beach and pool chairs.  It might feel crowded at peak times.  The other hotel guests were a mix of families with young children, families with teens, young couples, and several groups of women having a girls weekend.  It did seem like they could accommodate every group pretty well.  The pool at the center of the resort had a swim up bar, music, games, and activities all day long.  But if you wanted a quieter day, the two other pools and the outer areas of the beach were away from the craziness.  The food at the main restaurant was typical resort food (it reminded me of cruise ship buffets), but the dinners at the Cilantro and Nikkei restaurants were very good.  You do need to reserve these ahead. Based on TripAdvisor reviews, we booked a "Level" room, and it was worth the extra cost. We took advantage of The Level amenities a few times-the quick check in was great, restaurant reservation help was wonderful, but the separate beach area was probably the best perk.  Beach waiters would bring bar drinks, sodas, and water to your seat on the beach.  More shade was also available in that cordoned off beach area-I'm a shade lover!

The huge Bahamar complex is being built next door, but construction is halted while financing is being reworked.  Their beach is empty, and not regularly swept, so it was a great place to find shells.  You can walk or run a long way down this part of the beach.  

 A few notes about Nassau

• We took the jitney bus into town one morning-$1.25 each way.  It picks up right by the hotel.  There are many duty free shops and restaurants/bars in town that cater to the cruise ships that come in each day.  The Straw Market has straw bags and other souvenirs.  The hotel had vendors come to the hotel one night at dinner and during the day another day-with the same wares.
• Taxis were readily available at the airport, no need to book a transfer ahead.  The fees are set, but make sure to agree on the price before getting in the cab.
• When leaving, they ask you to allow 3 hours at the airport.  On a busy day, that is probably good advice.  The men at the hotel desk said we would not need quite that much time leaving on a Monday.  We got there about 2 1/2 hours ahead and it was more than enough time.  We bought sandwiches at Starbucks and used the free wifi to pass the time.
• You go through US customs and immigration in Nassau-it is a preclearance port.  You check your bags at the airline counter, then proceed through security.   Customs and immigration follow security.  You do not need to physically drag your checked baggage through all this (as you do in St. Thomas.)  It was very efficient.  We were pleasantly surprised!  Global Entry kiosks are available, but there is no TSA Pre-Check.