Looking for your next vacation destination? You want to visit Nassau, I promise. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
If you haven’t figured it out, I love to travel. As the weather cools down, I look for those warm weather trips, and I know I’m not alone.
On my bucket list – for years – has been the Bahamas, especially Nassau.
When Hurricane Dorian hit, the news came about devastation across much of the region. Did you know that while The Bahamas were hit and hit hard, much of The Bahamas wasn’t touched and is open for business?
The Bahamas are not one small area; they have over 700 islands across 100,000 square miles. That means that while Grand Bahama Island and The Abacos aren’t tourist ready quite yet, many others like Nassau absolutely are.
7 Reasons to Visit Nassau Paradise Island
With people unaware, it’s less crowded than usual
More than 6 million people visit The Bahamas every year. In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, vacation bookings slowed significantly. Even people who had trips booked to unaffected areas canceled, unaware that only a small part of the islands had damage.
What does this mean for you? Visit now! Plan your trip before people realize Nassau has no hurricane damage.
Hotels are less busy, beaches have lower crowds, and many excursions aren’t as booked. This also means that many hotels and businesses have specials running to entice visitors. My husband noticed almost immediately that cruises with stops in Nassau plunged in price, for example.
I don’t know about you, but I’m more than happy to have fewer people around me on vacation. I like to relax and not fight crowds.
It has the clean and clear water to play in
If you’re already SCUBA certified, this is the place to dive. They offer wall dives and shipwrecks to explore. With their crystal clear water, you want to book some dives!
If you aren’t up for SCUBA – yet – you can find fantastic snorkeling throughout the island, as well. Between the gorgeous white sand beaches and water, it’s a wonderful warm weather vacation. The waters are clear and filled with tropical fish, making it somewhere you need to snorkel.
You can find numerous beaches to explore with gorgeous white sand. Many hotels are on the water with their own beaches, but you can also visit some of the more famous beaches like Junkanoo Beach, Goodman’s Bay, and Arawak Cay. Find your favorite, then keep going back.
If you aren’t up to playing in the water, enjoy it from a boat. Nassau has numerous boat and sailing tours, but make sure you take at least one glass bottom boat tour, which lets you see the teeming life without swimming.
There are so many unique activities
Have you ever seen the pictures of people swimming with pigs in the Caribbean? That happens in The Bahamas. You can take an all day excursion to visit Pig Island, swim with sharks (if you choose), enjoy lunch and various islands, and more.
One of my favorite experiences was visiting a turtle farm in Grand Cayman. In Nassau, you can swim with wild turtles and stingrays off a cay where they hang out. The peacefulness and majesty of them swimming wild is something to experience.
Many hotels also offer day passes, like Atlantis that has an aquarium and the famous Aquaventure water park. Even if you don’t stay at that hotel, you can purchase a day pass to Aquaventure. You can also snorkel in the ruins of Atlantis for a truly unique experience.
There’s plenty to do outside the water, too. Greycliff Hotel houses the first winery in The Bahamas. When you visit, you can take a class where you end the session blending your own bottle of wine to take home and enjoy.
Another unique class? You can take cigar rolling lessons at the Greycliff Cigar Company. Not up for making your own? You can purchase one from one of 16 master rollers at the company.
Nassau is far enough away but still comfortable
Come December, I don’t want to be in the cold, grey Chicago weather anymore. I’d far rather hop to Nassau on a direct flight and enjoy Junkanoo, a huge cultural party parade. You feel away from home with different food and weather and sights, and you have the opportunity to experience a new culture, too.
But it’s a quick flight away, and the island runs on Eastern time. English is the national language, so you don’t need to worry about translating. They even have the same electricity setup, so no adapters needed. Bahamian dollars are on par with US dollars, which makes spending easy, too.
And while you can get creative and enjoy conch fritters (my favorite!) or other Bahamian favorites, you can find classic French to Italian to Asian fusion restaurants. No matter what you like to eat, you can find it.
I know I enjoy getting into a culture and trying new foods and new activities, but not everyone does. You get to choose how out there you make your vacation.
Nassau is filled with history and culture
Did you know that Nassau was home to many pirates in the “golden” days of piracy from 1690-1720? The history of piracy is fascinating, and Nassau has a fantastic pirate museum.
Straw working is a traditional craft in The Bahamas. Nassau has a straw market with its own distinctive style where you can purchase souvenirs and see the incredible craftsmanship.
Atop the city of Nassau, you can see Fort Fincastle, built in 1793. Much of the fort remains intact, so you can explore it and enjoy spectacular views, as well.
It’s easy to get to and visit Nassau
While some locations in the Caribbean have only a couple carriers that service their airports and few direct flights, Nassau has a major airport on island with eight carriers ranging from United to Southwest to JetBlue flying into Lynden Pindling International Airport.
In fact you can fly nonstop to Nassau from cities like Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. I’ve looked into some Caribbean vacations that require 20 or more hours of flights to get there. I’ll take this, thank you!
Once you arrive, you can take a taxi from the airport to your hotel for $30-40, depending on where you stay. In addition, you can choose to book private transportation and skip the taxi lines.
The Bahamas are a foreign country, so you do need a valid passport to travel there. Make sure you have your return trip booked, as well.
One really cool thing, however, is that Nassau has one of the few Caribbean airports that offer preclearance before you fly. That means you clear customs in the Nassau airport and don’t have to do so once you land in the States when you’re tired and just want to get home.
The Bahamas needs your tourism dollars
Let’s face it, there is a lot of work to do overall in the Bahamas. It will take years, decades even, to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, and that work will be expensive. Tourism accounts for over half the economy, to give you perspective.
When you visit Nassau and other islands open for business in the Bahamas, your tourism dollars help the economy not just in Nassau but throughout the Bahamas. The tourism in Nassau needs to stay vibrant to keep that island healthy, and with so many thinking all the Bahamas were impacted, that hurts everyone.
The money you spend on your vacation to the Bahamas, whether Nassau Paradise Island or another island within the chain, supports the cost of the recovery effort by pumping money into the economy. Even without making a direct donation, you can make an impact.
Want to make a direct donation?
Specific organizations have been recognized as legit in providing relief and support to the Hurricane Dorian relief efforts. Rather than risk your generous dollars not going where you intend, consider donating to one of the organizations that The Bahamas has approved as a trusted partner.
You can find that full list of organzations on the Bahamas website, as well as a list of specific needed items if you would prefer to visit Nassau with items to donate from building supplies to groceries to safety and hygiene items.
Are you ready to visit Nassau now?
Find plenty of fun activities to enjoy while.
Viator, a TripAdvisor company that offers a low price guarantee and generally free cancellation up to 24 hours before your excursion. I use them regularly when I travel and have had nothing but fantastic experiences.
- Learn to cook like a Bahamian
- Afternoon tea at the Graycliff Hotel
- Sunset dinner cruise
- Rum and food walking tour
- Glass bottom boat tour
- Sail and snorkel tour
- Find even more fun ideas
