Island Rating: Nassau

Population: 250’000

Date of visit: November 2016

Beaches & scenery: 5/5
Attractions & sights: 2/5
Nightlife: 1/5
Safety: 3/5
Low budget factor: 1/5
Total: 👍👍/5

The island in a nutshell:

The capital of the Bahamas might be an ideal destination for travelling families and people who just want to relax at the beach. But beware, Nassau doesn’t have more to offer than beaches and casinos. It’s also one of the overpriced destinations in the world.

Where to stay:

Paradise Island is the best area to stay. The only problem is that most of the hotels on Paradise Island have terrible ratings, but are still very expensive. Be aware that you are a second class-tourist on the island, if you don’t stay at the Atlantis (why? see: Country #46: (the) Bahamas).

The Good:

The beaches. Nassau has some really good ones. That’s the island’s biggest asset. In my opinion the only asset.

The Bad & The Ugly:

If you like huge resorts, relaxing on the beach and swimming in the ocean, then this island is definitely your place to be. For me, four nights in Nassau have been a very boring experience. People who are not into beaches don’t have a single reason to go there (unless you collect countries like I do).

Downtown Nassau isn’t worth a visit. It’s pretty dead at night, and there isn’t anything to see there. Public transport is nonexistent (or I did not notice) and there are also shady areas on the island.

The worst thing in Nassau are the prices. It’s a heavily overpriced destination and even the cheapest things cost a fortune. We paid $24 for two ice creams in a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlor. Most expensive ice cream ever. As if that wasn’t enough, you have to expect to pay a commission of 6-10% when you withdraw money in Nassau.

 

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