Best Hotel besides Atlantis for Nassau / Paradise Island / or Harbour Island...??

[Scuba Fletch]

Next month, we are going to our T/S on Paradise Island (Paradise Island Beach Club - about a mile down Cabbage Beach from Atlantis). In the past, we've always extended our trip by 3 days and stayed at the Comfort Suites so we can enjoy Atlantis. We just went last November, so we are thinking that we might try something different for our 3-day extension.

Since we have not been to any of the other hotels, which would you recommend for a great beach & pool? Proximity to other things - casino, restaurants, etc.? I know that the Wyndham has a casino there on property... the Hilton looks nice... Sheraton looks nice... not sure about the Radisson... Any others? We've even considered Harbour Island, but wondered about the ferry service and our flights, etc. I also didn't want to blow our budget on flights to Freeport or surrounding areas, but we'd spend up to $100 per person for R/T transport to other islands on ferries, etc....

There's 4 of us: me (40), my DH (42), 15-yr. old boy, and 10-yr. old boy. The hotel doesn't have to be swanky, but cleanliness & safe are important. We're open to bed & breakfasts if they have nice pool & beach close by. Just wanted a different experience this time. We love Atlantis, but want it a bit more low-key. (I wish we could go on the PowerBoat and just stay in Exumas for 3 nights and then return, but I doubt there's options like that...)

Thanks in advance for all of your suggestions

 

[Steel5Rings]

My mom and dad are at the Wyndam Crystal Palace on Cable Beach right now.

They go every year for Mother's Day.

They reported last night that the hotel has undergone an extensive renovation. Guest rooms have been rehabed and the buffet has been remodeled as has the lobby and parts of the Casino. They are enjoying it and say the place looks great and is better than ever.

They have had great stays there for the last decade, sometimes 2-3 times a year......even when they got stuck in the middle of a hurricane they had a great time, although power was out for 2 days.

 

[pcgirl54]

IMHO would opt for Harbor Island instead.


When we were in Atlantis 2 years ago we went to the Cable Beach area expecting a lot based on CB hype.

Sorry to say I feel just the opposite about Cable Beach. I wanted to see Cable Beach so we took a bus and a connector bus from downtown Nassau. It was a very,very long ride. It's a small area with a few hotels and nothing more. I wondered what one would do without a car.
It was either a Sheraton or a Hilton but it had a massive casino. The Casino beach was not well maintained. It had trash on it and was not raked out clean as one would expect from a resort. There were rocky areas on the beach itself not as nice as PI beach. The hotels were clean but very outdated . I read that areas were closed the year after for a redo.

We did not know that buses do not run after 6pm so we had to take a taxi back to Harborside that was $17. Now that I have seen it I personally would not go back. I am not comparing the resort to Atlantis amenities because that would be impossible to do. It just didn't make me want to stay there.


We did the Exuma powerboat eco tour. Ours was a very rough ride on the way to and from Exuma as the water was very choppy but the Exuma experience was wonderful.

 

[Scuba Fletch]

IMHO would opt for Harbor Island instead.

...We did the Exuma powerboat eco tour. Ours was a very rough ride on the way to and from Exuma as the water was very choppy but the Exuma experience was wonderful.

I agree about the Exuma experience... we loved it, too. Just wish they could leave us there for a few days...

I am not sure how to get back & forth from Harbour Island, but I'm going to try to figure it out. If it blows the budget, I'll still need to pick a Nassau hotel. If that doesn't sound good, then I guess we're going back to the Comfort Suites and Atlantis (which isn't bad... of course!).

 

[krissydee]

The absolute best hotel in the Bahamas is a very exclusive resort called The One and Only Ocean Club. It's located next door to Atlantis on Private property and is actually part of atlantis but separated because it's so high class. You can use all of the Atlantis amenities but anyone staying at Atlantis can't even step foot on Ocean Club property. I stayed there in 05 for 5 nights and it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, sadly one I won't be able to afford ever again I fear . If you can afford it I would go for it, you won't be disappointed. Although it does insight a level of sticker shock ($80 for simple eggs breakfast). They have a spa there which is very tranquil and calm. Private beaches, personal butler, 3 restaurants, world renowned golf course and the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. I believe the public can wander into at least half of the gardens so if you get the opportunity I would at least try to visit the gardens.
It's not a timeshare though, not sure if this question was specifically for timeshares or just any resort.

 

[NEVacationer]

Next month, we are going to our T/S on Paradise Island (Paradise Island Beach Club - about a mile down Cabbage Beach from Atlantis). In the past, we've always extended our trip by 3 days and stayed at the Comfort Suites so we can enjoy Atlantis. We just went last November, so we are thinking that we might try something different for our 3-day extension.

Since we have not been to any of the other hotels, which would you recommend for a great beach & pool? Proximity to other things - casino, restaurants, etc.? I know that the Wyndham has a casino there on property... the Hilton looks nice... Sheraton looks nice... not sure about the Radisson... Any others? We've even considered Harbour Island, but wondered about the ferry service and our flights, etc. I also didn't want to blow our budget on flights to Freeport or surrounding areas, but we'd spend up to $100 per person for R/T transport to other islands on ferries, etc....

There's 4 of us: me (40), my DH (42), 15-yr. old boy, and 10-yr. old boy. The hotel doesn't have to be swanky, but cleanliness & safe are important. We're open to bed & breakfasts if they have nice pool & beach close by. Just wanted a different experience this time. We love Atlantis, but want it a bit more low-key. (I wish we could go on the PowerBoat and just stay in Exumas for 3 nights and then return, but I doubt there's options like that...)

Thanks in advance for all of your suggestions

I looked up the Wyndham on Royal Holiday's site and it looks really nice. Like you said, it has a casino on property, along with a gym, tennis courts and a sauna. Seems like a lot of activities to do w. kids too, like miniature golf and a movie theater.