Nassau, The Straw Market or Tiffany's?
Written: Feb 27 '06 (Updated Mar 10 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy walk from cruise ships
Cons: Not overly attractive. Has trouble holding onto the quaint feel with all the mega-buck stores.
The Bottom Line: Just another stop for the cruise ships. I didn't see anything overly attractive.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Nassau |
Nassau is the main town of New Providence Island, Bahamas that is smack between popular Paradise Island and Cable Beach. Both areas are growing and will look quite different three years from now. Demolition and new construction will be at a high mark there. More later.
The Old & New, Simple and Superb
Within the old terraced buildings on the main and side streets, just a short walk from Prince George Wharf where all the huge cruise ships come in, (we saw four) you will find every sort of shopping experience you may (or may not) want to encounter. On street corners you'll see some local Bahemians showing some wares or telling you where to go for bargains. Many of the local ladies will be offering hair braiding at promised good prices. Being bald I wouldn't know what a good price would be for that service. I can tell you to shop around and be sure that you really are purchasing 'Cuban' cigars when some of the slow moving but fast talking stogie sellers spew their spiel.
The streets are full of tourists with shopping bags and cameras in hand. We saw many young local girls with lovely smiles dressed in colourful school uniforms. Stately looking horse-drawn coaches contained passengers being given tours of the city. The backdrop of all this action are store-fronts with names like Rolex, Gucci, Cartier, Bvlgari and Coach. My wife and her sister walked into at least four of the many Solomons Mines within a two block area. In between these high-end names are smaller shops that seem to be getting crowded out and pushed to less traveled streets. You can still find some small local eateries among the Hard Rock Cafe, KFC and McDonald's signs. I used an Internet service to check my mail in a small eatery on a side street.
Straw Market
This was my first visit to this particular Straw Market in the Bahamas. It was a completely enclosed in a tent-like covering that ran deep from the rather narrow street-front area but expanded wider into rows and rows of vendors selling hand made souvenirs, local artisan work and just plain junk that extended back to the wharf area. For some reason my wife and sister-in-law were drawn to it. My wife did purchase a few small straw bags with our grand daughter's names sewed into them while she waited. My sister-in-law, who was there just a few years earlier, could swear the market covered a larger area and had additional open air booths at the time.
Right next door to the market, street side, is the "Official Bahamian Slave Museum". Unfortunately it was closed so I didn't get any time there.
On a second visit via our own cruise ship my wife and I made a stop at the Pirates Museum of Nassau that is just a block away from the straw market. We enjoyed it. Please check out my review of it and the gardens next up. We did spend a few hours at the Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Center a short bus ride from downtown Nassau where we were able to "Witness the World Famous Marching Flamingos" perform. We also went into the Lory parrot cages and hand fed them. My brother-in-law got a few nasty stains on his shirt for his generous efforts. Another review, another time.
Though it's a good walk to get to downtown Nassau from Paradise Island it is doable. A taxi or bus is best from further west Cable Beach destinations. My in-laws suggested taking a bus, so we did. They seem to be competing companies because the drivers actually look for riders. Our bus picked us up going in the opposite direction and turned around to take us into Nassau. One side street is their "terminal area". Look for your bus number, the most common is "10" and get aboard. Be prepared to wait for these mini-buses to be completely filled before moving out. The second they are filled they put the pedal to the metal. I found the drivers safe and courteous.
Competing Giants
One can't talk about Nassau without mentioning the two behemoths surrounding the small walkable town. On one side just across the small toll bridge is Paradise Island home of the Atlantis Resort and all it offers. There is a ton of construction going on there right now with many cranes doing their thing building more and more. From locals I found out that they are building another tower, expanding a waterfront park to be the largest in the world and putting up an animal park that is supposed to rival Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. I would look for official word on all of this but I can tell you there is a lot of construction going on right now.
On the west side of Nassau a three partner plan that includes Baha Mar Resorts Ltd., Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts plans to build the areas largest casino, many more hotels and a Jack Nicholas designed golf course. In addition an eco-park along with expanded beach, spa and pool additions are all planned. This will be starting in 2007 and hopefully completed by 2010. Many of cable beaches hotels including the Radisson hotel, Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino, have been purchased by these three players. Rumor has it many will be leveled.
My first thought is that the Bahamian government and US customs better get the airport that serves the island in shape because their system now stinks and is much too slow for travelers.
We stayed at Sandal's Cable Beach. Thankfully ,that place will not be involved or affected by the construction in fact it is geographically before the mega resorts when coming in from the airport. That means less traffic. Sandal's offered us a wonderful week. Ha, another review another time.
It's Not Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas or Hamilton, Bermuda
I wasn't particularly attracted to Nassau as an interesting or attractive destination. The duty free shopping of course is the attraction. We have been to a few other places that are cruise ship stops (we've never been on a cruise ship) and I don't believe it's quite as inviting as the two in the heading or even that of Old San Juan. I do believe it's a better stop than Mexico's Cozumel or Playa del Carmen though I do love the latter for it's upbeat nighttime atmosphere.
The downtown area of Nassau has continued to keep a bit of a colonial British look to it, unfortunately, it also has a more run down feel and hasn't decided whether to be a high end mall or a small quaint village. I hope some of the dollars put into the mega resorts boxing in the city help the downtown area of Nassau and the people who live on the island.
Update
March '08. My wife and I made a half day in Nassau as guests off a cruise ship Norwegian, Gem. In the few years since we have been there I noticed much more new paint on the buildings and a bit of sprucing up. I'm changing my rate from 2 stars to three with a recommendation to visit.
Coral Fish A Book That Displays Incredibly Colourful Fish and Educates Snorkelers and Divers
Pirates Museum of Nassau
Sandals Royal Bahamian Our five star choice
Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Center Just one mile west of Nassau
Stuart Cove's Aqua Adventures Excellent Snorkeling
Nassau International Airport
Foder's Bahamas Guide
Recommended:
Yes
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