Travel report: (the) Bahamas

Country ranking by area: #156
Country ranking by population: #172

Date of visit: November 2016

The Bahamas were the last stop on a two week trip to Florida and Cancun. I planned these holidays with Matt, and as he has been to Florida twice, I needed to add a new destination to the itinerary in order to convince him. His first priority was Mexico, whereas I preferred a trip to California. Florida and the Bahamas were a compromise, and we also spontaneously added Cancun to our trip.

The Bahamas – a paradise for everyone?

Every traveller prefers certain types of countries to others. On the other hand, there are certain types of countries some travellers don’t like. For example, I know people who say they are not interested in African countries (as if all of them were exactly the same). Some other people say they are not into Southeast Asian countries. Everyone has his preference. For me, the worst countries to visit are island states, in which relaxing on the beach is the main activity. Welcome to the Bahamas.

Don’t get me wrong. Although I’m not a beach bum, I like it to have a white beach with clear, turquoise water in front of me. One full day is enough for me though. For many people it’s paradise when they sunbath for days or even weeks on a nice beach. I say it’s pure horror. Spending time relaxing on a beach is actually a waste of time for someone who wants to see most of the world. Besides, I have seen so many beautiful beaches and it just does not thrill me anymore to see a new “wow-beach”. Most of them look similar in the end.

It’s not that I generally don’t like beach destinations. I have nothing against beaches. Tel Aviv is one of my favorite cities, Miami is great too and I am a big fan of the Gili Islands in Indonesia. I just want that the place offers more than just beaches and the ocean. Amusement parks don’t count. And now it’s gonna be difficult for the Bahamas.

Expensive hotel rates for mediocre service

The islands of the Bahamas extend over a large area and I spent three days and four nights in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. The other option would have been Freeport, because the other islands mostly consist of 3-4 hotels and 1-2 restaurant so that you have even less things to do than in the main tourist spots. We thought that a city like Nassau with population of 250’000 must be a bit lively in the end. We were wrong. To be honest, we could have gone to one of the tiny islands without feeling more or less bored than in Nassau.

People who like beaches and the ocean will love the Bahamas. There is a catch though. The Bahamas have a price tag that is beyond good and evil. The really good hotels are not affordable for normal people. For example, one night in the Atlantis will cost around 800 Dollars per night during main season. That would make 1’600 Dollar per person for four nights. I don’t call that a bargain.

The funny thing is that most of the hotels in Nassau have an average or a bad rating on booking.com. 80% of the hotels have an average rating less than 8.0. Moreover, Paradise Island is the place where most of the tourists go. If you search a hotel there with a minimum rating of 8.0 you will only find three.

In other words: most of the hotels are mediocre but expensive. We had a 4 star hotel that cost $1’400 in total for four nights. The hotel was not far from the Atlantis but except of the room’s size it was rather 3 star than 4. Do you need more examples of the pricing in the Bahamas? A trip to a neighboring island cost $100 per person and we paid $24 for two ice creams in a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlor.

Three long days in Nassau

It was like I said when we arrived in Nassau. The beach next to our hotel looked incredible. It was already the late afternoon and the beach was not very crowded anymore therefore. We spent one or two hours near the water until the sun went down.

We soon found out another negative thing about Paradise Island. You will be a second-class tourist if you don’t stay at the Atlantis hotel. You are not permitted to enter some beaches, you have to pay entrance for the only bar on the island, you can purchase food and drinks at beach bars only with your Atlantis room key et cetera. Therefore, a tourist really should think twice before booking another hotel than the Atlantis (which costs 800 Dollar per night).

It’s not that easy to go from one place to another in Nassau, as taxis are rare and the island is big. The good thing is that you only need a taxi from the airport to Paradise Island, as downtown Nassau has no sights and attractions. Besides, Nassau is not the safest place on earth when you leave Paradise Island. There are certain no go-areas on the island.

We also wanted to check out Nassau’s nightlife. Like I said before, 250’000 people live in the capital city of the Bahamas. When we went to downtown at night, it seemed pretty dead. I have to mention that it was a weekday, but still… no bar, no nightclub, nothing. The only thing you can do at night is… guess what? The Atlantis has a bar and sometimes even parties at night.

Island hopping

It is not easy to hop from island to island in the Bahamas as distances are large. One has to take a plane usually. A trip to Exhumas, the famous island with the swimming pigs, would have cost $400-500 per person. It was not worth for me.

However, we didn’t want to spend another day on Paradise Island. Although we had to pay 100 Dollar, we booked a tour to a neighboring island (I don’t recall its name). This island really was like paradise and definitely more beautiful than Nassau. I guess, the more remote islands in the Bahamas look more or less the same.

I have to admit that the tour was worth the price. Not only because of the beautiful scenery but also because of one memorable encounter with an American. The guy was the typical “America first” tourist. He told us that Europe was full of immigrants nowadays and not a nice place anymore. Moreover, he said that he visited Europe three times and didn’t like it. When I asked which countries he had visited he said Lithuania, Poland and couldn’t recall the third one. I thought it’s like saying that you didn’t like the United States after visiting Missouri, Nebraska and another state.

US-Americans are the largest tourist group in the Bahamas. Critics are even saying that the Bahamas are a US-American retirement home. By the way, the currency is the Bahama Dollar but you can pay with US Dollars as well.

Bahamas – is it worth it?

When I do a two week trip, I prefer to put the quiet, relaxed and uneventful destinations at the end of it. It’s not the worst idea to rest a bit before flying home. Nevertheless, it doesn’t have to be in the Bahamas. Yes, the Bahamas are great for people who just want to relax on the beach. But alas, there is really not anything else to do and – even worse – it’s so expensive.

I don’t think that I will long remember my days in the Bahamas. Neither think I that I ever will be back. The Bahamas are just not what I mean by travelling. It’s more a holidays destination. Anyway, it was good that I experienced it by myself. I definitely know now that these island states are not my favourite countries. To be honest, I shudder at the thought that I have to visit many more Caribbean or South Pacific island states to complete the 197, but that’s part of the deal.

 

Find the travel reports of the other countries I’ve visited here!