Friday 3 Jan, BHS day 4: Touring the hotels of Nassau’s Paradise Island and evening stroll in Atlantis Village.
After reviewing the Nassau travel brochure last evening we set off to explore the various hotels on Paradise Island. First we dinghy east, under the two bridges and try to dock the dinghy in Hurricane Hole Marina. We get soaked trying to get there, the boat wash and the wind don’t make for a smooth dinghy ride this morning. Plus, this marina doesn’t have an actual dinghy dock. So we revert back to leaving the dinghy in the Atlantis Marina and head off on foot to explore the hotels on Paradise island.
First stop is the Warwick Hotel which advertises a day pass of $95pp including food and drinks. But the place does not live up to its glossy photos we saw last evening, plus the price tag in reality is $105pp (and we suspect plus tax too). Way too expensive for what it is.
Second stop is much more up our street. Ocean Club, a Four Seasons Resort. It’s strictly guests only (no day passes) but as usual we manage our way in. It’s absolutely beautiful. Green lawns and manicured gardens, infinity pool over looking the lovely white beach. Although there are no day passes we are welcome to use the restaurant. So we have a very long drawn-out coffee while soaking up the exuberance. People here are clearly very classy (like us, but much richer!). By midday the place starts filling up with lunch guests, all dressed very chic. An absolute contrast to the Atlantis hotel which was more like tourism for the masses.
After walking the grounds and clicking photos, we reluctantly move on walking east along the beach. The next and last hotel is the Paradise Island Beach Club which looks like something from Costa Del Sol in the 1960s. But even their day pass is $70pp. Don’t they realize we are just poor cruisers?! Anyway, Oana comments that even $10 price tag would not see her sitting in here for a day.
The rest of the northern beach coastline is residential so we head to the south shore to the Ocean Club Marina. It is security gated inside the golf course and we are stopped by a security car. But “we are going to the marina” seems to be the correct phrase for entry! The marina, which we are sure is private, is backed by very nice condominium blocks with gorgeous pools and lawns in front. We ask someone in the marina where the dock office is but we can’t find it.
The place is totally deserted. Only two people by one pool and no one by the biggest pool. Very nice towel covered deck chairs are neatly arranged under umbrella shades. Would we really be doing any harm to have a quick dip in the pool and an hour on the sunbeds? So, cheekily (in Sansom style) we get changed to swimwear, have a dip in the pool and enjoy the sunbeds and total quietness. And for a moment, imagine life owning one of these condos with a boat in the private marina.
We are sure someone would eventually move us on, but for over two hours not a soul came passed us. We decided we like this place with its free day-pass. Just a pity about the lack of a pool bar!
While our luck is still running good, we head off back to dinghy feeling very relaxed and refreshed. After our experiences today we decide that the Atlantis Marina with included day passes to the Atlantis facilities and water park are not really for us, so we cancel our marina booking. We will just have to see-out (on anchor) the strong northerly weather front coming on Sunday, and happily keep the $600 in our pockets.
Back on Cloudy Bay we decide that tomorrow we will instead buy a day-pass to Sandals Resort in West Bay. It’s about the same price as the day pass in the Atlantis Marina but the Sandals resort it’s an all-inclusive for couples only, so that would make it more upmarket (aren’t we just the snobs!?).
In the evening we head off on foot to find the Poop Deck bar and restaurant about 1km walk to the east. Not an easy walk as the pavements are very sketchy and the traffic zipping passed us. It’s also disconcerting just how many street signs are laid on the pavement, having been hit flat by vehicles! Once at the Poop Deck we find it totally crowded and very hot and stuffy. Clearly more of a restaurant than a bar and queues waiting to be seated. So we walk all the way back to The Green Parrot and enjoy happy hour cocktails there till 10pm. Much more airy and much nicer atmosphere.
During the afternoon Oana had a building sore throat. And now, at bed time she is starting a fever. She goes to bed wrapped in several layers and still shivering. Hopefully she’ll be better in the morning, but I doubt it right now :(. Very unusual for Oana, who doesn’t normally do colds and flus.