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Every week "Let's Talk Travel" host Sandy Fenton takes the audience to a different vacation destination with the travel experts sitting in the studios as guest co-hosts. 
Most of us know New Providence Island as the location of Nassau, the nation's capital & popular cruise port and the home of glitzy Paradise Island or the Cable Beach resorts & casino area.
WHERE TO STAY:
PARADISE ISLAND - If you like BIG, flashy, high energy mega-resorts with non-stop action, entertainment & activities - Atlantis is the place for you. (Every person I talked with in the Nassau Airport was either coming or going to a family beach getaway to Atlantis , a business convention to Atlantis or they had won a sales contest to Atlantis.) If, however, you prefer a quiet, "movie star"/VIP vacation - and your travel budget can handle it - then stay at the "One & Only Ocean Club". A favorite of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordon & Oprah, (although now they all own homes on Paradise Island) you'll get all the ultra-luxury pampering you want without the massive crowds - although you can still use all the resort facilities at Atlantis.
NASSAU - Graycliff. I'd heard and read about Graycliff for years - and although parts of the property needs a facelift - we loved it. Known as the gracious, old-world Grande dame of Nassau, the history of this Georgian colonial mansion will knock your socks off. Located next to the Government House with an easy walk to & from downtown, the 20-rooms & suites are recently renovated - the Hibiscus Cottage was a great choice for us.
I also like the British Colonial Hilton, a classic property catering to the business crowd, right in the heart of downtown Nassau. Although situated on a small beach, with a fantastic view of the cruise ships, if it's a Bahamas beach day you want - go elsewhere.
Sandals - considered Sandals (famous all-inclusive resorts) best property - I was really surprised with the demographics. I thought the guests would be 24-year old honeymooners, yet 30-60 seemed to be the norm. (If you upgrade to a suite, you can have dinner at "Gordon's on the Pier" - a fantastic seafood restaurants, sitting on stilts hanging over the ocean - complete with a Bob Marley look-a-like playing guitar and singing Antonio Carlos Jobim hits. And speaking of Bob Marley, a brand new resort & spa will be opening next month and the entire theme is...Bob Marley. It may not be your style, but I was pretty impressed with what I saw.
CABLE BEACH - The Crystal Palace/Cable Beach resort area can be crowded and loud with lots of Vegas-type shows, casinos and water sport activities - and pretty affordable with lots of packages available. The more quiet, low-key and family oriented property is the newly remodeled Sheraton, sitting right on the beach with one of the best resort pool complexes I've ever seen.
WHERE TO EAT:
Graycliff...period. If you can only have one dining experience in Nassau, Graycliff is the deal - from cocktails served in the living room to dinner in one of the lovely dining rooms - it's worth every penny. And...if you are a wine connoisseur or a cigar aficionado, Graycliff boasts the 3rd largest wine collection in the world and Graycliff famous cigars are actually hand-rolled on the property by Cubans in a small "factory". We had an amazing and memorable dinner.
Of course, there are several excellent high-end celebrity chef dining options on Paradise Island and lots of great Mom & Pop places to enjoy a spicy conch salad washed down with an ice cold Kalik Bahamian beer.
WHAT TO DO:
Of course the Bahamas are all about sun-filled days lounging on the beautiful white-sand beaches and swimming in the blue-green crystal clear waters - but make sure you take some time for a historic walking tour or carriage ride in Nassau. Nassau is filled with some great little restaurants and pubs and high end, duty free designer stores.
If you've got the kids, check out the Ardastra Zoo and the marching pink flamingos show, it's really a fun couple of hours.
One of our favorite highlights was the "People-to-People" cultural exchange where you go to the home of a Bahamian host family , become acquainted and then share a meal together. Sitting around the crowded dining room table with three-generations was both pleasant and insightful. We learned so much about their culture and their lives. We talked about politics (they knew more about Hillary & Obama then we did) , the Haitian illegal immigration issues they are facing and the expense of living on a tropical island (a loaf of bread or a gallon of gasoline average $6.00 each). The homemade delicious food was prepared by the women of the family and we felt welcomed from the moment we arrived. The "Peope-toPeople" program is complimentary, but you do need to register and make reservations through the Ministry of Tourism.
HOW TO GET THERE:
*By ship or air. We flew roundtrip from HIA and all flights were perfectly on time and our luggage was a-ok. (There really are some positive air travel stories out there!)
EXTRA BAHAMAS TRAVEL TIPS:
*Check out all the ongoing Bahamas air & hotel sale packages and book early with your trusted travel agent.
*If you're being "bugged" to get your hair braided or to buy something, be polite, but firm and say "no thank you".
*Most Bahamians are not on our "get it done -now" time clock, so be prepared for a laid-back island atmosphere.
*Avoid any tours having to do with Anna Nicole Smith - they're bogus and stupid - and I would not spend a lot of time in the "famous" straw market , get out and walk about exploring historic Nassau and the British connections.
WHERE TO STAY:
PARADISE ISLAND - If you like BIG, flashy, high energy mega-resorts with non-stop action, entertainment & activities - Atlantis is the place for you. (Every person I talked with in the Nassau Airport was either coming or going to a family beach getaway to Atlantis , a business convention to Atlantis or they had won a sales contest to Atlantis.) If, however, you prefer a quiet, "movie star"/VIP vacation - and your travel budget can handle it - then stay at the "One & Only Ocean Club". A favorite of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordon & Oprah, (although now they all own homes on Paradise Island) you'll get all the ultra-luxury pampering you want without the massive crowds - although you can still use all the resort facilities at Atlantis.
NASSAU - Graycliff. I'd heard and read about Graycliff for years - and although parts of the property needs a facelift - we loved it. Known as the gracious, old-world Grande dame of Nassau, the history of this Georgian colonial mansion will knock your socks off. Located next to the Government House with an easy walk to & from downtown, the 20-rooms & suites are recently renovated - the Hibiscus Cottage was a great choice for us.
I also like the British Colonial Hilton, a classic property catering to the business crowd, right in the heart of downtown Nassau. Although situated on a small beach, with a fantastic view of the cruise ships, if it's a Bahamas beach day you want - go elsewhere.
Sandals - considered Sandals (famous all-inclusive resorts) best property - I was really surprised with the demographics. I thought the guests would be 24-year old honeymooners, yet 30-60 seemed to be the norm. (If you upgrade to a suite, you can have dinner at "Gordon's on the Pier" - a fantastic seafood restaurants, sitting on stilts hanging over the ocean - complete with a Bob Marley look-a-like playing guitar and singing Antonio Carlos Jobim hits. And speaking of Bob Marley, a brand new resort & spa will be opening next month and the entire theme is...Bob Marley. It may not be your style, but I was pretty impressed with what I saw.
CABLE BEACH - The Crystal Palace/Cable Beach resort area can be crowded and loud with lots of Vegas-type shows, casinos and water sport activities - and pretty affordable with lots of packages available. The more quiet, low-key and family oriented property is the newly remodeled Sheraton, sitting right on the beach with one of the best resort pool complexes I've ever seen.
WHERE TO EAT:
Graycliff...period. If you can only have one dining experience in Nassau, Graycliff is the deal - from cocktails served in the living room to dinner in one of the lovely dining rooms - it's worth every penny. And...if you are a wine connoisseur or a cigar aficionado, Graycliff boasts the 3rd largest wine collection in the world and Graycliff famous cigars are actually hand-rolled on the property by Cubans in a small "factory". We had an amazing and memorable dinner.
Of course, there are several excellent high-end celebrity chef dining options on Paradise Island and lots of great Mom & Pop places to enjoy a spicy conch salad washed down with an ice cold Kalik Bahamian beer.
WHAT TO DO:
Of course the Bahamas are all about sun-filled days lounging on the beautiful white-sand beaches and swimming in the blue-green crystal clear waters - but make sure you take some time for a historic walking tour or carriage ride in Nassau. Nassau is filled with some great little restaurants and pubs and high end, duty free designer stores.
If you've got the kids, check out the Ardastra Zoo and the marching pink flamingos show, it's really a fun couple of hours.
One of our favorite highlights was the "People-to-People" cultural exchange where you go to the home of a Bahamian host family , become acquainted and then share a meal together. Sitting around the crowded dining room table with three-generations was both pleasant and insightful. We learned so much about their culture and their lives. We talked about politics (they knew more about Hillary & Obama then we did) , the Haitian illegal immigration issues they are facing and the expense of living on a tropical island (a loaf of bread or a gallon of gasoline average $6.00 each). The homemade delicious food was prepared by the women of the family and we felt welcomed from the moment we arrived. The "Peope-toPeople" program is complimentary, but you do need to register and make reservations through the Ministry of Tourism.
HOW TO GET THERE:
*By ship or air. We flew roundtrip from HIA and all flights were perfectly on time and our luggage was a-ok. (There really are some positive air travel stories out there!)
EXTRA BAHAMAS TRAVEL TIPS:
*Check out all the ongoing Bahamas air & hotel sale packages and book early with your trusted travel agent.
*If you're being "bugged" to get your hair braided or to buy something, be polite, but firm and say "no thank you".
*Most Bahamians are not on our "get it done -now" time clock, so be prepared for a laid-back island atmosphere.
*Avoid any tours having to do with Anna Nicole Smith - they're bogus and stupid - and I would not spend a lot of time in the "famous" straw market , get out and walk about exploring historic Nassau and the British connections.
