I recently enjoyed a one week stay at the Sandals Royal Bahamain located in Nassau, Bahamas.
West Jet’s direct flight made for a quick flight , only 4 hours and 45 minutes on the way there. West Jet’s service included non alcoholic beverages and the regular cookies and snacks, and a personal TV with a number of channels to choose from. Pay per view movies are available for $5.99 each.
Nassau’s airport is very small so retrieving your baggage and finding the Sandals desk is all very quick and easy, and we arrived at the hotel approx an hour after landing. Check in at the hotel was a bit of a confusion, and took approx 45 minutes.
We stayed in a Honeymoon Grade Luxe Suite located in the Windsor building. We found the Windsor Building to be the most convenient location, very close to the main pool, ocean and many of the restaurants. Our room was large with a sitting area and large bathroom with huge jacuzzi tub. We were on the ground floor with a view of the apartments next door. If a view is important to you, you may want to spend the money on the upgrade to guarantee one, as this was definetly not a good view. The mini bar in the room was fully stocked with liquor, beer , wine and champagne.
The rooms are carpeted which make for a musty smell in the humid Caribbean weather, however I have been advised that Sandals will be refurbishing all rooms in the next year and will be replacing the carpet with tile and hardwood for a fresher look…and smell!
The dining was incredible at this property, with a total of 9 restaurants including buffet, gourment international, award winning French cuisine, local Bahamian dishes, Italian flavors, Japanese, seafood specialties and even genuine Englihs pub meal choices. A reservation is required for 3 of the 9 restaurants, and can only be made 48 hours prior.
During the day there is plenty to do. The largest pool located by the Manor building is great for peace and quiet with quilted lounge chairs and a beautiful waterfall. The Windsor pool is where most of the daily activities and games take place and is a little louder, but with a great view of the ocean. There is also three small private pools located amongst the Royal Village. There are private, peaceful and much warmer on a windy day! The watersports center has kayaks, hobie crafts, paddeling bikes and boogie boards all available for rental. They also offer a one hour snorkelling tour just off the resort. We saw a variety of fish, I definetly recommend it.
The biggest highlight for me, and where I spent most of my days is the Private Offshore Island located a half a mile from the resort. There is a ferry that departs every hour from 10am till 6pm. This is where you find the true paradise with two natural beaches, and a gorgeous zen garden. The island also has a small pool with pool bar and the Café Goombay restaurant. They think of every comfort possible for a romantic couple including private cliffside cabanas, circular beds by the pool and oversized couches with pools.
There was always a variety of entertainment to choose from in the evening. We enjoyed one night at the sing along piano bar and danced the night away at Cricketers Pub. One night they showed a movie under the stars, there was always great live bands and every Friday night they hold a beach party on the island. Also, the Wyndham Hotel and Resort is just a short walk away and has a great casino.
Beyond the resort, the island of Nassau is a very popular cruise hub and has a number of cruiseships coming in everyday. We ventured downtown one day to Nassau and visited the famous Straw Market selling the usual tourist souvaniers as well as knock off designer purses. Once you have seen one stall you have seen them all! Other than that the town lacks in attractions and history and isn’t worth much of a visit.
The incredible and large resort of Atlantis is located approx 10 minutes from Sandals. It houses the Caribbean’s largest waterpark and aquarium and also has some great casinos. You can visit the property for the day for approx $100.
One thing the island is great for is snorkelling and diving. For a change of scenary, we took a day trip to the South side of the island to Stuarts Cove for a snorkelling tour. The tour took us to three different snorkel sites. The guides were great and very professional. The third and final site was a real adventure as I had the opportunity to swim above six sharks in the ocean. Very exciting! The tour was approx 4.5 hours and cost $60US per person.
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at the Sandals Royal Bahamian, if you are looking for a romantic getaway, great food and incredible service, this is a great choice. If you are looking for a singles trip, beautiful rooms and really hot weather, Bahamas may not be your ideal location.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Amazing food
• Incredible service
• Private Island is amazing
NEGATIVES:
• They will close the private island if the weather is too windy (between Nov – Feb this is likely to happen a day or two during your stay)
• The pools are very cold and not heated
• Rooms need to be refurbished
NOTES :
• Make restaurant reservations the day you arrive between 9-10am
• Bring your own snorkel gear