Nassau Questions
 

Aaack what have I done? :-O Having been cooped up telecommuting the past week I got itchy feet and booked hubby and I flights to Nassau for a quick weekend getaway. I thought I would surprise my hubby ((G)). Now I need to decide which accommodation to book.

My choices are:
Compass Point
A Stone's Throw Away
Orange Hill

I've always wanted to stay at Compass Point with the cute cottages. Sounds like they are next to Love Beach. Is this a nice beach? What's the best way to book this place? I've left 2 messages at different #s and I'm waiting for a callback.

A Stone's Throw Away looks very relaxing. Anyone know what beach they are closest to?

Orange Hill has great reviews and inexpensive. It's across the street from Orange Hill Beach. Is this a good beach?

wantsomesun - I've read your report on this property. Any particular type of unit you would recommend?

I want clean and not too many people. Proximity to a nice, uncrowded beach is preferrable.

A couple more questions:
Is it too cold to snorkel this time of year - 1st weekend in March?

Would it be worth it to take a daytrip to Harbour Island?
We get to Nassau around 1:30 Friday. Was contemplating taking a daytrip on Saturday, then just vegging on Sunday in Nassau, and Monday we fly back home.

Are the shops closed on Sundays?

Thanks for any tips!

I recently stayed at Orange Hill for 2 nonconsecutive nights on my way to and from an out island. It is adequate; not at all luxurious. I would choose one of your other two options for your weekend!

Hi there. We'll be staying at Compass Point in August for 3 days (on our return trip from Eleuthera). I used to think I would never step foot in Nassau but there we go! :-)
We've always wanted to take our son to see the Atlantis aquarium (he loves fish) but we didn't want to stay at the resort. No other Nassau accomodations appealed to us until Compass Point reopened. I love the look of it and how it's away from the hustle and bustle of Nassau.
Anyway, re: booking it. I bet you went to their old website and you left a message with VHR Worldwide, a booking agency they also use. I made the mistake of going through them. I did not realize I could call the resort directly at 242-327-4500 or book online or via phone through Island Outpost who now owns the property www.islandoutpost.com
From the time I called VHR Worldwide till the time I got my e-mail confirmation, a month had gone by. Not kidding. I ended up calling Island Outpost to make sure my reservation existed. It does.
Anyway, we booked an elevated seafront cottage.
Good luck and if you do go, can't wait to read your report and see your pics! :-)

We stayed at Compass Point perhaps 5 years ago en route to Harbor Island -- one night at either end. My recollection of the beach was that it was very small in terms of sand, and that the hotel was sort of near the airport -- or at least the flight path -- and there were planes flying over in a noticeable way. I would check about that. It is not a place to go for the beach alone, as far as I recall -- although the water was that lovely blue and nice to swim in. There was a pool right on the water (I think much of the property is right on the sea, with a sea wall), and cute cottages. As with all of the Outpost places I have visited, there is sometimes a little bit of attitude (I get the feeling they would like me more if I was a famous musician vs. an ordinary middle aged tourist), but having said that, they were incredibly accomodating when they could not find our reservation on the outbound night, and put us up in a very cool two bedroom apt. above the music studio. In general, I think it would be a nice place for a quick getaway, if you did not have visions of miles of beach to walk down right in front of your room or anything. We were there in June -- I am not sure how warm it is at other times.

Hi mymoosie
We stayed at Orange Hill in Jan 2006 and it's clean, friendly, comfortable but basic. The pool was unheated and a little chilly in January but the sea was warm enough to snorkel. The beach is just across the street and has some seaweed depending on the tide and it's not swept or raked like at some fancy resort...we were the only people there most of the time.
It's close to the airport (10mins in a taxi.

Thanks everyone!

Hi caribtraveler! Thanks for that website and phone#. I will call the resort directly. I tried checking availability on the website and didn't have success.

Hi west2! Hmmm... we're definitely not hip, nor famous! I'll see how they are when I talk to them on the phone.

No one has stayed at A Stone's Throw Away?

Thanks for the feedback on Orange Hill. Basic doesn't bother us, as long as the folks are friendly.

Decisions, decisions...

mymoosie; We stayed at Orange Hill and the staff and owners were friendly. Stayed over New Years so I could see the Junkanoo celebration downtown. For New Year's dinner, I ate at OHI the Seafood Extravaganza: lobster, shrimp, conch and grilled grouper with pigeon peas and rice, potato salad, slaw and mango salsa with a dessert of Bahamian Guava Duff and Banoffi Pie. The water is cool and it's really chilly when you come out in December-January. If you're going during the winter months, count on snorkeling with a wetsuit. You walk down a hill, which is OHI's driveway, through coconut palm woodlot to get to the OH Beach. Actually, Orange Hill Beach connects to Love Beach at Northwest Pt. where Compass Point is located. Actually, it's one continuous beach for about 2 miled, you may be the only one on it, since you're at least 6 miles outside of downtown Nassau. By the way, a jitney bus stops along West Bay Street to take you into Nassau...quite a neat experience. No. 10 jitney stops along the way every 15 minutes"ish" from 7am"ish" to 7pm"ish". I always add "ish" when posting Bahamian time schedules, whether it be for bus or plane. If you snorkel at Orange Hill Beach, you will see many young reef fish in the shell, rock and limestone rupple. Hint: snorkel across the beach area east toward the hotel at Delaporte Point. It's on a rock cliff with huge boulders; excellent snorkeling among the large boulders there. I logged in spiny lobster and over 20 species of reef fish and two species of shark. Robert59

I've only stayed at large hotels on Nassau for usually business trips. But - did just spend five days on a catamaran and boarded in Nassau. Do a day sail with Southern Cross - Peter is a wonderful Captain and will take you to some great snorkeling locations and small outer islands. Those beaches are so much nicer. He'll even do overnight if you wish (we spent five nights with him).
T

Good idea, cagney 37; most of the dive ops will pick you up at your hotel. For example, Stuart's Cove picked people up at Orchard Beach Inn and picked up and delivered back people for snorkeling on the beautiful reefs. They videotaped each excursion, which you could purchase. Bahama Divers, Nassau's oldest dive operation, picks people up for snorkeling as well. I've completed several dozen reef surveys around New Providence, so if you want some neat reefs to snorkel,let me know. You could call the dive operations to see if they will take you to them. Robert59

Alas, Compass Point is booked.

A daytrip with Southern Cross looks awesome. Now my dilemma, I have a very limited budget for this trip as we have a big trip coming up in June. So I gotta do a tradeoff. We can either stay at A Stone's Throw Away which is nicer, but then would have to skip a charter daysail.
or
Stay at Orange Hill and do a charter day sail to go snorkeling?

Would love to hear your votes!

Robert59 - Thank you for all your tips. What snorkeling areas can you suggest where it's not too deep and calm waters? We are not keen on drift snorkeling. I looked at a daytrip to the Exumas but it sounded like most of the areas there have a strong current and it's drift snorkeling?

Thanks again everyone.

mymoosie; New Providence island (Nassau)has incredible snorkeling sites. Off South Beach, you can go snorkeling with Stuart's Cove to Goulding Cay reef. You snorkel from the boat in about 30 feet of water over a seagrass and pure white sand bottom. As you swim toward Goulding's Cay reef, which is only 70 feet away, you feel like you're floating over flat land up to a huge city of skyscraper coral formations. The Elkhorn coral reaches the surface. There the depth is about 4-7 feet. I've always enjoyed Southwest Reef. It's just south of the western end of New Providence. It's shallow, about 5 ft. to over 40, but beginning snorkelers can stay in the shallows. The huge Star and Elkhorn formations reach almost to the surface. There's Fire coral along the bottom...don't touch! The color array is dotted with purple and green sea fans and brightly colored reef fish. Thousands of grunts literally lit the area up when I snorkeled there on an overcast day. I also scuba dove at the Fish Hotel and Barracuda Shoals, and did an underwater video tape, too. I went with Bahama Divers on this one. You can snorkel these two reefs, too, since the shallows lie in 11 and 8-feet depths. Both are examples of Caribbean reef systems: colorful hard and soft coral, a myriad of brightly-colored fish, etc. I've also did reef surveys via snorkeling at Thunderball and Cannonball reefs, where the old James Bond movies were filmed. Schools of Parrot fish, Wrasse, Blue-stripped and French grunts, French and Queen anglefish, barracuda, a few Caribbean reef sharks gliding by, grouper, octopus, Southern Stingrays, etc. were recorded on these reefs. Definately go with a reputable dive operation. You could call them in advance to see if and when they visit these beautiful snorkeling reefs. Hope this helps. Robert59