Hi,

I'm going to the Bahamas for 4 nights with my boyfriend in a couple of weeks and need help with a hotel. We'd like a nice, boutiquey hotel if possible....not Atlantis type. A pool would be great, and a nice beach.

Also, I'm confused as to which islands can be reached easily (by car) if we fly into Nassau...my impression is only Nassau and Paradise Island. Is there any other?

Thanks

If you fly into Nassau you are limited to that island (aka New Providence) and Paradise Island, if you want to travel by car. You have to fly or take a ferry/mail boat to reach any of the out islands.

Thanks RoamsAround. Is it worth it, in your opinion, to go to the Out Islands for four nights? How long (how much hassle) is the ferry ride?

The out-islands are, for the most part, very quiet and laid back. For me, and many others, they are what the Bahamas are all about - miles and miles of deserted beaches, small uncrowded resorts - they are the types of destinations you go to when you want to "get away from it all" and spend your time in total relaxation. Nassau, on the other hand is quite "built up".

You may have misunderstood my earlier response - although you can reach many of the various out-islands by ferry/mail boat that is not a practical means of travelling between the islands of the Bahamas unless you have oddles and oddles of time. The out-islands are fairly far apart and going by boat can take almost an entire day to reach the ones closest to Nassau (more for the ones that are further out) and the boats do go everyday nor are they often very reliable. You really have to fly to get to any of the out-islands.

With 4 nights you probably don't want to spend the bulk of your time getting to/from your intended destination. Your best bet is to go to an island you can reach in the shortest amount of time possible from your hometown airport.

Not sure how much you are looking to spend. We have stayed at the One and Only Ocean Club Paradise Island and LOVE it. Have sent many couples there and they feel the same way when they get back. If you stay there you also have access to Atlantis if you are interested in their nightlife/casino. (A free shuttle will get you there.) The pool is quite and the beach is great. Awesome service on the beach!! I would go back there in a heartbeat!!

RoamsAround, the Out Islands sounds like my kind of place--I live in a city and would rather be away from all things concrete! But like you said with four nights it may not be possible. The only direct flight I can take would be to Nassau...so I guess that might have to do. I saw that Harbour Island is only a 2-hr ferry ride, dunno if that's worth it.

lhaydel, thanks for the recommendation. One and only is out of our price range. We're trying to stay around a couple of hundred a night....it seems like a lot of places like the Sheraton have discounts, maybe business is slow. But I was thinking something more intimate.

Freeport is much better than Nassau. It is still built up and touristy, but much less so than Nassau and especially Paradise Island. Paradise Island is like Vegas on a beach.

Thanks kelliebellie, but Nassau is the only place with a direct flight.

Any hotel/condo/rental suggestions?

Harbour Island is tons quiter but the timimg of meeting a ferry after landing and then returning knowing that you should be at the Nassau airport 90+ minutes before departure (we also cut it close and never had a problem) you will waste a full day in travel. If you stretch it to 5 nights and fly to Ft. Lauderdale late one afternoon and stay near the airport for $125 then take an early morning flight to the Abaco Islands (a 30 min. flight) you can find a number of options that are quiet. But if it were Nassau or Aboaco realize the daytime high temp could be 68 or 78-80 in mid-Dec. Each year is different especially with global climate changes we have been experiencing.It basically is the same temps as Miami maybe plus 2-3 degrees.

In Nassau we stayed at A Stone's Throw Away. It is a boutique hotel away from the hubub of downtown. It is not on a beach and you need a car to get around to restaurants for dinner, but it was so relaxing.

Compass Point has a small sliver of beach, depending on the tide, although it is next to a bigger beach so you could always go there.

There is also a new resort on Cable Beach called the Marley something. It looked really nice from the article that I saw in a magazine. It is owned by the widow of Bob Marley and the vibe is laidback.

mymoosie, I saw the Marley hotel in NY Mag also, but I think it's around $500/night. Compass point and Stone Throwaway look nice. I'm going to call and get rates. We're leaving in almost a week and still haven't picked a place! Thanks everyone for the info. If you think of any other places or tips, pls let me know.

Check vrbo.com. They had some places in your price range.

Thanks kelliebellie. I looked there yesterday but have no idea what side of the island to stay on...most likely, we won't rent a car, we just want to enjoy the weather, Sun, beach, and have access to restaurants/grocery stores on foot. We're walkers so a mile or so is not a problem.