Why get a hotel day pass?

[CluelessInCT]

What am I missing here?

I'll be in Nassau from 8am - 5pm. Would like to just hang out on the beach. I keep reading about these day passes offered from hotels that are about $70 (with food and drink).

Can't I go to Junkanoo, pay the $2 for the beach club, rent a chair and umbrella for $6 total (and get a half hour kayak and paddle board), have two frozen large drinks and conch fritters and conch bites and still end up paying less than the hotel?

If I don't plan to use hotel facilities (heck, I can go back to the boat if I wanna sit by a pool) am I better off just going to Junkanoo?

I want to be as economical as possible. I plan to get room service from the ship before I leave and bring my lunch with me (but I GOTTA try some conch). All I want to do is relax on the beach with a cold beverage!!

Thanks for the advice!

[runner15km]

Sometimes the local officials will have food sniffing dogs to prevent food leaving the ship. You can bring pre packaged food onshore.

 

IMO Junkanoo is just a okay beach to go to, it is located on the commercial harbor. I prefer Cabbage Beach with its soft white sand and beautiful ocean views. Cabbage Beach is free but you will have to pay 5.00 p/p for the cab.

 

The Melia hotel is on Cable Beach which is also beautiful and you have the pools and beach.

Choices Choices. :D

[mjkacmom]

The hotels have big empty pools (unlike the sardine packed pool areas on the ships), beautiful beaches, and fewer vendors. You can't take food off of the ship unless it's pre-packaged.

[cruiseapril]

In our experience, resorts like the Melia are good places for a day pass as you have all amenities, large pools, a big clean beach area, and a lobby with shade and beverages (for sale). To each his own- we just feel comfortable there on Cable Beach.

[CluelessInCT]

I had no idea you couldn't take food off the ship. Good to know cuz I was packing all my stuff in a wheeled cooler I planned to use to bring lunch and drinks with me to the beach! Ooops! :o

[party of five]

DW & I were there this past August and are returning in 2 weeks. We took the local bus #10 ($2) from right near the straw market down to Cable Beach. Our original plan was a day pass at Breezes, but they were full and no day passes were available. That turned out to be a good thing. Just next to Breezes is the public beach. It was beautiful (chairs available). We stayed there for a while and then walked down the beach to the Melia. All the beaches are public, so you can walk all you want. We spent the rest of the day on the beach at Melia. When we were ready to head back to the ship, we walked thru the Melia lobby headed out to the street and caught the bus back($2) to the downtown area. If you do go to the Melia beach, look for the guy selling drinks in fresh coconuts, they are TERRIFIC!

[bubba74]

DW & I were there this past August and are returning in 2 weeks. We took the local bus #10 ($2) from right near the straw market down to Cable Beach. Our original plan was a day pass at Breezes, but they were full and no day passes were available. That turned out to be a good thing. Just next to Breezes is the public beach. It was beautiful (chairs available). We stayed there for a while and then walked down the beach to the Melia. All the beaches are public, so you can walk all you want. We spent the rest of the day on the beach at Melia. When we were ready to head back to the ship, we walked thru the Melia lobby headed out to the street and caught the bus back($2) to the downtown area. If you do go to the Melia beach, look for the guy selling drinks in fresh coconuts, they are TERRIFIC!

 

All beaches are public to the high tide mark. NOT the white sandy part.

So technically, if you use the beach, you trespassed onto Melia property.

Using chairs and umbrellas would be a no-no. You risk getting kicked off by security, especially now that it's an all-inclusive.

 

You could put your towel down on the wet sand and take a dip. That's free.

[disneykins]

DW & I were there this past August and are returning in 2 weeks. We took the local bus #10 ($2) from right near the straw market down to Cable Beach. Our original plan was a day pass at Breezes, but they were full and no day passes were available. That turned out to be a good thing. Just next to Breezes is the public beach. It was beautiful (chairs available). We stayed there for a while and then walked down the beach to the Melia. All the beaches are public, so you can walk all you want. We spent the rest of the day on the beach at Melia. When we were ready to head back to the ship, we walked thru the Melia lobby headed out to the street and caught the bus back($2) to the downtown area. If you do go to the Melia beach, look for the guy selling drinks in fresh coconuts, they are TERRIFIC!

 

Your day sounds perfect. Where do you catch the bus? And how often does it run? Concerned about the return trip.

 

thanks,

Tony and Debbie

Edited January 14, 2015 by disneykins
forgot to say thanks

[kimcruiser]

We will be in Nassau in two weeks and our group of 11 would like to go to a nice clean beach where we can rent a couple of chairs, swim, buy drinks, buy Bahamian cuisine and have a nice relaxing time. I'm following this thread and I'm a bit confused. Is it hard to discern public beach from private? Where can we go that would suit our needs? Thank you

[cruisecraze96]

misquoted

Edited January 18, 2015 by cruisecraze96

[tikib]

We will be in Nassau in two weeks and our group of 11 would like to go to a nice clean beach where we can rent a couple of chairs, swim, buy drinks, buy Bahamian cuisine and have a nice relaxing time.

 

**** There is only one public beach that has these things - Junkanoo Beach. It's located just outside of town, less than a 10 minute walk from the cruise port. There are hotel beaches, that are quite nice, but you have to pay for a day pass to enter and use their beach, chairs, bars and grill etc. Melia, Breezes, RIU, Sandals and Hilton all have day passes. There's plenty of good information on these boards regarding these passes.

 

 

I'm following this thread and I'm a bit confused. Is it hard to discern public beach from private? Where can we go that would suit our needs?

 

Public beaches are just that.. a strip of natural beach that is not maintained, and with no security or lifeguards. Usually there are no other amenities either. No restrooms, concessions etc. Public beaches are not always safe as there is no security, and out of the way beaches are oftentimes the sight of robberies. Some public beaches are Cabbage Beach, Sanders Beach, Goodmans Bay and Sandyport beach. There is also a public entrance to Cable Beach (no access to hotel beaches and amenities).

 

Private beaches are in front of hotels, condos and private homes. Most require day passes. You cannot walk thru a property to get to the beach without trespassing. The law states that all beaches are public to the high water mark, the trick is getting to (and staying on) that part of the beach without trespassing.

 

 

Thank you

 

Hope this helps.

[WatchHill]

We did a day pass at the Melia last week. We caught the #10 bus on St. George St, off Bay St. and for $1.25pp, took the bus to the front of the hotel. Crossed the street, and entered the lobby.

 

Front desk staff were friendly. We were charged $35pp for the day pass and received a wrist band and beach towel. We walked through the lobby, down the steps, passing a Starbucks, and outside to the pool area. We parked ourselves on lounge chairs in the sun. Quiet, relaxing, loved the waterfalls. The beach was clean and generally protected from the many vendors who sell their wares. We moved ourselves to the beach for a few hours.

 

Construction noise has been a topic on this board, but we didn't experience the so called noise or disruption. Access to the beach was directly across from the pool and shaded pavilion areas. Yes, there's a small fence t keep you away from work on the final stages of new pavilions, nothing like I've been reading about here.

 

In the mid afternoon, we returned the towels, rinsed off, and caught the #12 bus [$1.25pp] in front of the hotel. Some traffic as we approached the city; we got off at St. George St., and walked through a few shops, then security and onto the pier area.

 

Darcy

[disneykins]

Thanks for the thorough description of your day in Nassau. We were hoping to take the bus to the Melia but just use the public beach to save on the expense (there are 8 of us and we are only in port from 8am to 2pm). Is that near Cable Beach? Our other option was to go to Cabbage beach by taxi or bus if there is one.

 

Thanks again,

Tony

[kathew]

We're in the same situation- trying to decide what is worth it in Nassau. We've done the hotel beach resorts at a few different ports, but this port just doesn't have many options that seem to stand out. We did the Wyndham (Cable Beach) the last time we were in Nassau and it just wasn't impressive.

 

The only things included at Melia are the pools, beach, snorkel gear, and the use of chairs. Towels, non-motorized sports, transportation, and food & drinks aren't included. (I just got an email back about this today). That seems pricy for... esp. b/c we prefer the beach and don't necessarily need the empty or nice pools (although that's a plus). $70 for a nice beach... I'll have to think about it!

 

Hmmm I might look into Breezes next... I just don't know what to do here!

[amcjeep4life]

I booked the British Colonial Hilton for me and my nephews in April. $60 per adult, $30 per kid 6-12, and 6 and under are free. It also includes $60 in vouchers for food and beverages. It's a short walk from the ships. I was there in 2010 and it was nice and quiet. There is a heated pool as well, just in case the water is too cool for the boys.

[trekyrct]

Has anyone used http://www.bookatourcaribbean.com for pre-booking Melia day passes? The price is five dollars cheaper for adults and seven dollars cheaper for children. That really adds up for a group of eleven guests.

[kimcruiser]

Y'all are awesome, thank you for all of your feedback! If I go the day pass route should I contact the resorts in advance..... Or is there a place on these boards that talks about this? Thanks again and in about 30 minutes I'll only have 6 days till I cruise again!! :)

[DevilDogsWifey215]

What am I missing here?

I'll be in Nassau from 8am - 5pm. Would like to just hang out on the beach. I keep reading about these day passes offered from hotels that are about $70 (with food and drink).

Can't I go to Junkanoo, pay the $2 for the beach club, rent a chair and umbrella for $6 total (and get a half hour kayak and paddle board), have two frozen large drinks and conch fritters and conch bites and still end up paying less than the hotel?

If I don't plan to use hotel facilities (heck, I can go back to the boat if I wanna sit by a pool) am I better off just going to Junkanoo?

I want to be as economical as possible. I plan to get room service from the ship before I leave and bring my lunch with me (but I GOTTA try some conch). All I want to do is relax on the beach with a cold beverage!!

Thanks for the advice!

We got off the ship came through the market museum thing And kept to the right till we found public beach access. I do not believe we even had to pay $2, if we dis it certainly wasn't a memorable transaction lol. We just walked right up found a nice semi shady spot and enjoyed the water for a bit. We also didn't see any officials with dogs. There was 1 street cop that we saw and I snapped a picture of. Your plan sounds great though! I didn't try the conch last time, didn't even occur to me but this next time I will!

[teacher2cruiser]

Y'all are awesome, thank you for all of your feedback! If I go the day pass route should I contact the resorts in advance..... Or is there a place on these boards that talks about this? Thanks again and in about 30 minutes I'll only have 6 days till I cruise again!! :)

 

What did you decide to do, and how was it?