Tips and suggestions for budget travel to the Bahamas
 

I am planning a spring trip to the Bahamas and I am discovering that the Bahamas are not that cheap of a destination. I live in the south and I thought the proximity to the Bahamas would result in cheap flights. Not true.<BR><BR>I don't want to stay in an all inclusive and the packages I have seen have not been that cheap.<BR><BR>Is it too early to check out deals for the spring? What is the cheapest you have paid for a flight? Are consolidators the best way to go? Is there a cheap and reliable way of getting around New Providence?<BR><BR> I am planning to stay in Nassau and I have been pricing flights out of New Orleans and Houston.

Hi Budget,<BR><BR>It's true...the Bahamas are not that cheap of a destination. I paid around $350 from the Washington DC area (RT with taxes), although I must say I was looking in the Christmas/New Year's period, so there may be better deals to be had. I managed a reasonably priced independent-travel vacation staying at homey Orange Hill Beach Inn, in the west of New Providence (http://www.orangehill.com). This place suited my style perfectly: homey, laid-back, unpretentious, with welcoming proprietors, but may not be for everyone. This seemed a better deal for a near-beachfront property; some other moderately-priced recommended options (possibly not near a beach) in Nassau were Dillet's Guest House and El Greco, or the Chaplin House on Paradise Island. Do a search on these hotels with the search function, they'll give you a good idea what to expect. <BR><BR>Jitneys were a reasonably priced, comfortable public transit option (75 cents to $1) that allowed for exploration of the island, and run about once every 10 minutes from 6am to about 6-7pm. They ran out as far as Orange Hill, if you're interested in there. <BR><BR>Have a great trip if you decide to go. New Providence I find gets a bad rap sometimes, but I had a great vacation there personally, enjoying the Bahamian culture, food and people.<BR><BR>DAN<BR>

Thanks, Dan. Were the jitneys minivans or small buses or were they the open air vehicals similar to what you find on other Caribbean islands?

Budget,<BR><BR>The jitneys were relatively modern Japanese minivans, enclosed and air-conditioned in every case in my experience. Pretty comfortable cloth seats all in all (a few times the buses were quite full, although occasionally nearly empty), and relatively frequent on the western route from downtown.<BR><BR>Have fun planning your vacation whatever you end up doing. DAN<BR><BR>

If you want a real cheap but intrepid and cheap trip from the states to the Bahamas, check out the mailboat schedules. Call the dockmaster in Potter's Cay in Nassau. A new mail boat called the &quot;Legacy,&quot; for example has plans to make a Florida to Abaco Island run every other week. It has room for 36 passengers. They also run from New Providence and Marsh and stop at Green Turtle and Great Guana Cay. Check to see if other Bahamian mailboats go from the U.S. mainland to the Bahamas. Just a thought for the thrill seeking crowd. Will definately be cheaper than air fare, and more fun getting there. Robert

You have to answer the following question: Can a country with high duties - sometimes 200 percent and more - a reasonable place for tourists? There is no public service from the airport. Pay 20 box - or more - if you want to go downtown. Almost same from Orange Hill because there are no busses going after 6 pm.

there you go again,Harald- talking rubbish on yet another occasion,the highest rate of duty in the Bahamas is %72 on an automobile that costs more than $20,000.<BR>the duty varies from nothing on computers up to %45 depending on what is being imported.

Anon, unfortunately from what I've heard, Harald is somewhat correct. We had a long discussion with the owner of a rental car agency in Eleuthera last year. He buys his cars at auction in Miami. He says he might pay about $4000 for a used car. When he brings it into the Bahamas, the duty officers decide what the car is *worth* and then apply the tax. He said he often has to pay another $4000 in duty on his cars, doubling the actual price. He went on to tell of the problems getting mechanics and parts...<BR><BR>But Harald, this is the way in many many countries. You know that already - perhaps you could spend your energy attempting to change THAT, instead of trying to discourage tourism. It just makes some of us sympathetic to the small business owners, and a little bit more willing to pay those high prices. To see a slice of paradise, I think it's worth it. Apparently so do alot of others!<BR><BR>To Budget, I live in Florida (so maybe it's just from here?), but I find Bahamas flights about $100 cheaper than elsewhere in the Carib.

Even if a duty DOUBLED the price of an automobile, it would only be a 100% duty. A 200% duty would TRIPLE the price of an automobile. Harald needs to learn basic math if his agenda is going to have any credibility.

Hi there! I was just checking out the site when I saw what I had posted earlier this year. Thanks for the feedback - please, please keep them coming.<BR><BR>I have been able to find reasonable accomodations in Nassau and relatively inexpensive restaurants - I don't eat much so food won't be much of an expense and I try to eat local foods so that I am not paying for imported foods.<BR><BR>Robert, I will definitely check out the mailboat option, but I was only planning to go for a week. I think if I had more time, I could do the mailboat thing.<BR><BR>I am still looking for discout airfares. I see that round trip from New Orleans is $268 for travel until Jan 31st. Too bad I am not going until the summer. Is $268 a good price?

Yes $268 is a very good price. Generally when I call for reservations I ask the lowest price into the market and work with their available dates.<BR><BR>Have a good time.