Junkanoo beach in Nassau 8/10/11

[Sromanmd]

We were at Junkanoo beach on 8/10 and thought I would post some comments here since so many people ask about it. This is the free beach in downtown Nassau.

 

Beach - The beach is fairly rocky, corally. If you are looking for white powder, this is not it. The beach is fairly wide. The day we went, while there were some people on the beach, it was never crowded.

 

Surf - Beautiful water, calm surf. Fairly level walk out into the water. There was some seaweed in the water.

Caution 1 - there was green broken glass everywhere in the surf. Not a large amount in any one place but here & there. Beach shoes are a must. The glass seemed "smooth" but still. Caution 2 - there are 2 large concrete jetty into the water that people jumped off into the water.

 

Snorkeling - Because of the seaweed, there was an abundance of tiny fish. My daughter enjoyed watching them. Otherwise this isn't the place for snorkeling.

 

Food - Beach vendors sold drinks & food. My daugher had a hamburger which she enjoyed. We had Pina coladas which were very good. $7 each.

 

Bathrooms - Pretty decent, reasonably clean. Stall doors closed, there was TP, soap & paper towels. There were changing rooms in the bathrooms too.

 

Rentals - Pricey. Old rickety lounge chairs are $10. Plastic upright chairs are $8. Umbrellas are $8.

 

Vendors - When we arrived, several people offered to rent us chairs etc. After that we were approached by several women selling jewelry throughout our time there but they were polite when we said No Thank You. We didn't feel harassed in any way.

 

Safety - We felt safe walking there and hanging out there. However similar to a large public beach anywhere, we didn't feel it was wise to leave all of our stuff on the beach while we all went into the water together. One person always stayed with our belongings.

 

Getting there - We walked with our 11 year old and were fine. It might be too far if you are coming with very small children unless they were in strollers. Note - there is a Dunkin Donuts and a McDonalds on the way. We got large sodas from the McD's and took them to the beach. Smart move!

 

Fish Fry - My husband walked down to the Fish Fry (Arawak Cay). It is a fair walk from the beach (so a good long walk directly from the ship). He loved the Conch but I didn't care for the grilled fish. He says there is NO fried fish. It is grilled (head, tail & fins on). I was hoping for more of a Fish & Chips thing but that isn't what is sold. Just FYI.

[Lair Bear]

You deserve an AAA rating for this review.

 

It hits all the main points about what it is like for new-combers, including the fact about not leaving stuff alone. After all, this is a public beach. Yet, you were happy with the beach, realizing it is not for surfers, etc.

 

There are just too many people who think Nassau is 'strange or unsafe'. I hope this site will be referenced many times on this web site, because it is so to the point.

[Sromanmd]

On our way to the beach, we toured the Pirates museum. I confess I did not have high expectations of this place but my 11 year old wanted to tour it so we went.

 

This museum is quite well done! If you or your kids enjoy the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney, they will enjoy this museum. Fun and informative - I recommend it. Warning - it is somewhat pricey (maybe not for the Caribbean!!). $30 for the 3 of us together. Takes about an hour or two to tour.

 

Easy walk from the ship to the museum. Fairly easy walk from the museum to Junkanoo beach.

 

Bonus #1 - Clean, large bathrooms at the museum!

Bonus #2 - There is a gift shop but it is not one of those "larger than the museum itself & filled with with "Made in...." merchandise you could get from the Dollar store.

 

http://pirates-of-nassau.com/home.htm

[karena1]

We were at Junkanoo beach on 8/10 and thought I would post some comments here since so many people ask about it. This is the free beach in downtown Nassau.

 

Beach - The beach is fairly rocky, corally. If you are looking for white powder, this is not it. The beach is fairly wide. The day we went, while there were some people on the beach, it was never crowded.

 

Surf - Beautiful water, calm surf. Fairly level walk out into the water. There was some seaweed in the water.

Caution 1 - there was green broken glass everywhere in the surf. Not a large amount in any one place but here & there. Beach shoes are a must. The glass seemed "smooth" but still. Caution 2 - there are 2 large concrete jetty into the water that people jumped off into the water.

 

Snorkeling - Because of the seaweed, there was an abundance of tiny fish. My daughter enjoyed watching them. Otherwise this isn't the place for snorkeling.

 

Food - Beach vendors sold drinks & food. My daugher had a hamburger which she enjoyed. We had Pina coladas which were very good. $7 each.

 

Bathrooms - Pretty decent, reasonably clean. Stall doors closed, there was TP, soap & paper towels. There were changing rooms in the bathrooms too.

 

Rentals - Pricey. Old rickety lounge chairs are $10. Plastic upright chairs are $8. Umbrellas are $8.

 

Vendors - When we arrived, several people offered to rent us chairs etc. After that we were approached by several women selling jewelry throughout our time there but they were polite when we said No Thank You. We didn't feel harassed in any way.

 

Safety - We felt safe walking there and hanging out there. However similar to a large public beach anywhere, we didn't feel it was wise to leave all of our stuff on the beach while we all went into the water together. One person always stayed with our belongings.

 

Getting there - We walked with our 11 year old and were fine. It might be too far if you are coming with very small children unless they were in strollers. Note - there is a Dunkin Donuts and a McDonalds on the way. We got large sodas from the McD's and took them to the beach. Smart move!

 

Fish Fry - My husband walked down to the Fish Fry (Arawak Cay). It is a fair walk from the beach (so a good long walk directly from the ship). He loved the Conch but I didn't care for the grilled fish. He says there is NO fried fish. It is grilled (head, tail & fins on). I was hoping for more of a Fish & Chips thing but that isn't what is sold. Just FYI.

 

 

Great review. We have thought about trying this, but I want to be able to walk barefoot on the beach and in the water, so if there is a lot of glass and it is really shelly, then sounds like we won't be able to do that. I might walk down there next time we are in Nassau just to check it out. Thanks again for the honest review.

[sail731]

Thanks for the post. Hoping to get here next week pending the rain staying away.

[aggiejade]

Thanks for your review of the Pirate Museum. I've been trying to decide if it's something we wanted to do when we are there next month. So now we will definitely take a tour. Great review of Junkanoo beach also!

[Hi_Cees]

Great review and info, thank you for sharing!!

[Cruiseoholic000]

Than you for your great review. What is the address of this Junkanoo beach? The glass on the beach does have me a little concerned especially a member in our group does not have the best feet. I understand water shoes are a must. Is there another option for swimming near the ship?

 

 

We were at Junkanoo beach on 8/10 and thought I would post some comments here since so many people ask about it. This is the free beach in downtown Nassau.

 

Beach - The beach is fairly rocky, corally. If you are looking for white powder, this is not it. The beach is fairly wide. The day we went, while there were some people on the beach, it was never crowded.

 

Surf - Beautiful water, calm surf. Fairly level walk out into the water. There was some seaweed in the water.

Caution 1 - there was green broken glass everywhere in the surf. Not a large amount in any one place but here & there. Beach shoes are a must. The glass seemed "smooth" but still. Caution 2 - there are 2 large concrete jetty into the water that people jumped off into the water.

 

Snorkeling - Because of the seaweed, there was an abundance of tiny fish. My daughter enjoyed watching them. Otherwise this isn't the place for snorkeling.

 

Food - Beach vendors sold drinks & food. My daugher had a hamburger which she enjoyed. We had Pina coladas which were very good. $7 each.

 

Bathrooms - Pretty decent, reasonably clean. Stall doors closed, there was TP, soap & paper towels. There were changing rooms in the bathrooms too.

 

Rentals - Pricey. Old rickety lounge chairs are $10. Plastic upright chairs are $8. Umbrellas are $8.

 

Vendors - When we arrived, several people offered to rent us chairs etc. After that we were approached by several women selling jewelry throughout our time there but they were polite when we said No Thank You. We didn't feel harassed in any way.

 

Safety - We felt safe walking there and hanging out there. However similar to a large public beach anywhere, we didn't feel it was wise to leave all of our stuff on the beach while we all went into the water together. One person always stayed with our belongings.

 

Getting there - We walked with our 11 year old and were fine. It might be too far if you are coming with very small children unless they were in strollers. Note - there is a Dunkin Donuts and a McDonalds on the way. We got large sodas from the McD's and took them to the beach. Smart move!

 

Fish Fry - My husband walked down to the Fish Fry (Arawak Cay). It is a fair walk from the beach (so a good long walk directly from the ship). He loved the Conch but I didn't care for the grilled fish. He says there is NO fried fish. It is grilled (head, tail & fins on). I was hoping for more of a Fish & Chips thing but that isn't what is sold. Just FYI.

[Cshgrand]

The main interest we have in selecting a beach is whether it is suitable for sandcastle building...would you consider Junkanoo to have ok sand for this? We don't have that long in Nassau and I am loathed to buy day passes as travelling with our son (3) I don't think we would get good value. Plus It will be January so not guaranteed weather.

Also pirates museum - too scary for 3yr old?

[Cshgrand]

The main interest we have in selecting a beach is whether it is suitable for sandcastle building...would you consider Junkanoo to have ok sand for this? We don't have that long in Nassau and I am loathed to buy day passes as travelling with our son (3) I don't think we would get good value. Plus It will be January so not guaranteed weather.

Also pirates museum - too scary for 3yr old?

[karena1]

The main interest we have in selecting a beach is whether it is suitable for sandcastle building...would you consider Junkanoo to have ok sand for this? We don't have that long in Nassau and I am loathed to buy day passes as travelling with our son (3) I don't think we would get good value. Plus It will be January so not guaranteed weather.

Also pirates museum - too scary for 3yr old?

 

I would say the Pirate museum would not be too scary. I don't think there was anything scary about it at all, lots of pictures and displays, and lots of things to read. We really enjoyed it, but nothing scary.

[Sromanmd]

The sand is packed very firm and is very corally. Not a good sandcastle or playing in the sand area in my opinion.

 

The Pirate museum is very dark in several areas so if your child is scared of the dark (such as on dark amusement rides) the museum might not be suitable. The first area of darkness is the very first large room. Otherwise the content is not particularly scary or gory or what is - is probably above the understanding of very young kids.

[Sromanmd]

Junkaroo beach is located right next to the British Colonial Hilton hotel in Nassau. The address of the British Colonial according to their web site is 1 Bay Street, Nassau.

http://www.hiltoncaribbean.com/index.php?destination=nassau&page=contact

 

There are signs all along the esplanade by the Straw market & the British Colonial guiding you to Junkaroo beach.

[mdrobtx]

Thanks for the excellent review. Sounds like if they cleaned up the beach and added some decent beach furniture they'd have a money maker there.

[richstowe]

Again, great review. We are talking no more then a 20 minute walk.

The best way to think of it is that the Hilton is in between the port and the beach.

 

We also stopped at the McDonald's. Very convenient. Not for everyone but still...

[cruzb4IbloAfuze]

We were at Junkanoo beach on 8/10 and thought I would post some comments here since so many people ask about it. This is the free beach in downtown Nassau.

 

Beach - The beach is fairly rocky, corally. If you are looking for white powder, this is not it. The beach is fairly wide. The day we went, while there were some people on the beach, it was never crowded.

 

Surf - Beautiful water, calm surf. Fairly level walk out into the water. There was some seaweed in the water.

Caution 1 - there was green broken glass everywhere in the surf. Not a large amount in any one place but here & there. Beach shoes are a must. The glass seemed "smooth" but still. Caution 2 - there are 2 large concrete jetty into the water that people jumped off into the water.

 

Snorkeling - Because of the seaweed, there was an abundance of tiny fish. My daughter enjoyed watching them. Otherwise this isn't the place for snorkeling.

 

Food - Beach vendors sold drinks & food. My daugher had a hamburger which she enjoyed. We had Pina coladas which were very good. $7 each.

 

Bathrooms - Pretty decent, reasonably clean. Stall doors closed, there was TP, soap & paper towels. There were changing rooms in the bathrooms too.

 

Rentals - Pricey. Old rickety lounge chairs are $10. Plastic upright chairs are $8. Umbrellas are $8.

 

Vendors - When we arrived, several people offered to rent us chairs etc. After that we were approached by several women selling jewelry throughout our time there but they were polite when we said No Thank You. We didn't feel harassed in any way.

 

Safety - We felt safe walking there and hanging out there. However similar to a large public beach anywhere, we didn't feel it was wise to leave all of our stuff on the beach while we all went into the water together. One person always stayed with our belongings.

 

Getting there - We walked with our 11 year old and were fine. It might be too far if you are coming with very small children unless they were in strollers. Note - there is a Dunkin Donuts and a McDonalds on the way. We got large sodas from the McD's and took them to the beach. Smart move!

 

Fish Fry - My husband walked down to the Fish Fry (Arawak Cay). It is a fair walk from the beach (so a good long walk directly from the ship). He loved the Conch but I didn't care for the grilled fish. He says there is NO fried fish. It is grilled (head, tail & fins on). I was hoping for more of a Fish & Chips thing but that isn't what is sold. Just FYI.

 

 

 

I hate to disagree with you about the fried fish portion of your statement. My wife and I was there in May 2010 at Ardastra Gardens and walked to the Fish Fry. I hate to tell you this but, we had the best fried grouper we ever ate. We plan on going back next month. Hope the place is still open. Yes we really had fried fish at the Fish Fry

[CruisinCrow]

Really great review! I love it when people come back from their trip and let us know their experiences.

 

My husband was surprised to get his fish with a head too. :) I don't know about fried fish but they do have excellent cracked (fried) conch and conch fritters at the Fish Fry.

 

The price for the Pirate Museum sounds pretty standard. For comparison, it costs $10 a person (with a coupon) at the Butterfly Conservatory in Key West and we spent about an hour there. And they charge $15 a person to see the Chihuly Collection in St Petersburg, Florida. I thought that was overpriced considering it only took about 20 minutes to see the whole thing. :( It's free to see the Chihuly glass in Atlantis. Well, free plus the price of the cruise. :)

[loveysbydesign]

Thank you so much for this review! We had planned to go to the Sheraton but we can't afford that right now! Do you actually walk along the sand or on a sidewalk to get to the beach. I ask as I'm wondering if we can push our 4 y.o. in the stroller to get there?

I do have water shoes for my 4y.o. but not for the rest of the family. I wonder if i can find them at a Target or somewhere in Florida since we can't get them up north right now.

[IDKaren]

Check on amazon or bizrate.com for water shoes..amazon has quick delivery

[loveysbydesign]

We leave tomorrow to drive down to Florida!

[STARFISH*4]

Thank you so much for this review! We had planned to go to the Sheraton but we can't afford that right now! Do you actually walk along the sand or on a sidewalk to get to the beach. I ask as I'm wondering if we can push our 4 y.o. in the stroller to get there?

I do have water shoes for my 4y.o. but not for the rest of the family. I wonder if i can find them at a Target or somewhere in Florida since we can't get them up north right now.

 

you walk on the sidewalk--i remember the sidewalk not being really even and needing to watch where you step-so just be careful.