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Self-guided waking tour ~ Nassau

BrushedNickel

By BrushedNickel,
in Bahamas

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BrushedNickel

BrushedNickel

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When is your cruise? I plan on doing a modified Frommer's walking tour with my niece on my April 7 cruise. If you're going to be going later, I could report back here what I experienced.

 

 

That would be great piper45maru!

We are going to be in Nassau in May.

Looking forward to your review!

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  • 1 month later...
piper45maru

piper45maru

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I promised to report back, so here goes. My 14-year-old niece and I decided to explore a little of the town and then head to Junkanoo Beach for an inexpensive/laidback day (it was a Friday). Our ship arrived at noon, so we ate before we got off the ship, so I can't really comment on best places to eat.

 

I downloaded the Frommer's Nassau walking tour map from online (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post a link or not but it's easy to find online) and we followed that roughly, walking past Rawson Square and Parliament Square on the way to the Queen's Staircase. The sidewalks abruptly end in some places, so that was one thing that made it a little difficult. My niece and I were the only tourists that I saw once we got away from the cruise area, and we passed one or two citizens here or there, but it was a very quiet walk.

 

Once we got to the Queen's Staircase, we saw a lot more tourists. There was a lady with a table set up selling souvenirs and water there. It was very shady and quiet and lovely, so my niece and I sat there for a few minutes to rest, enjoy the shade, and drink some water (we brought from the ship). We then climbed up the stairs and visited For Fincastle. There are a gift shop and some restrooms there, as well as locals selling souvenirs. We paid the $1/person fee to go inside the fort and got some great pics looking down on the ships in the harbor, but I probably wouldn't do that again.

 

We then wound down the hill via a cement footpath and headed to the Nassau General Post Office so I could buy stamps and mail the postcards I bought at the fort gift shop. From there, we went down East Hill Street, and again, we were among the few pedestrians. We went by St. Andrew's Kirk and the Government House on our way to see Graycliff. Then we headed down Cumberland toward the British Colonial Hilton and over to Junkanoo.

 

It was about 1.5 hours, including waiting at the post office, from the time we left the ship until we got to the beach. It was a nice little walk (although a little difficult at times because of the state of some sidewalks and the nonexistent sidewalks in some places), and I'm glad I got to see more of Nassau than the port area or the beach. I loved the Queen's Staircase. I wouldn't do it again if I'm ever in Nassau, but I was happy I did it this time.

 

I did find a little hole-in-the-wall place on the way back from the beach to the ship where I had some decent conch fritters.

 

If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them. Hope this review helps a little bit!

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piper45maru

piper45maru

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Thanks for the walking tour review. How was Graycliff? They have chocolate making and cigar making there- did you see those?

 

We didn't actually go in. We just walked far enough to see the place where royalty used to stay. :) At that point, we were pretty hot and just wanted to get to the beach.

 

Thank you for your walking tour review. Does Nassau really seem as scary/dirty as I've read in some of the threads?

 

Not at all, to me at least. As I was walking, I kept thinking of all of the negative reviews I'd read here and couldn't reconcile them with what I experienced. Yes, the area just outside the port is absolute chaos, and you will have people asking you every few seconds if you want your hair braided, a taxi ride, a horse-drawn carriage ride, a tour, etc. etc. etc. My niece and I politely told them no thanks, and they moved on to the next person. I never felt unsafe, just ready to get beyond that area to escape the chaos. I've experienced similar on pretty much all of the Caribbean islands I've visited, and I've always found no matter where I am that a firm but polite "no thank you" is always enough.

 

Once we were away from the port area, it was quiet and clean. The sidewalks could be kept up better, but that would be my only criticism.

 

At Junkanoo Beach, based on reviews, we stopped at the first area, just past the BCH, in Jyah's area (you can do a Google search). The beach was well-maintained (no glass) with beautifully colored (but cloudy) water.

 

Everyone's perspectives are different, though, and I had to laugh as I laid there in the sun. My niece and I went in the water to cool off and found it refreshing, with the sand perfectly walkable beneath our feet. About 5 minutes after we returned to our towels, a woman who had just been in the exact same spot in the water as us came back and sat down near us, and when her husband asked how it was, she immediately stated that it was "cold and rocky." I laughed to myself and thought of all the differing opinions on these threads. It wouldn't have crossed my mind to describe it as either! Is it fine grain sand? No, but I wouldn't say it's rocky, either. Water temperature is clearly subjective, too. ;)

 

Anyway, I felt perfectly safe, but I didn't wear any valuables, took minimal amounts of cash, wore a running belt underneath my shirt where I kept the little money I did bring (and our sail and sign cards and copies of our passports), so if anyone had grabbed my beach bag, all they'd have gotten were beach towels and a couple of paperbacks, and I was always cognizant of what was going on around me.

 

Thinking of these threads, I asked my niece at one point if she felt unsafe, and she just looked at me like I was crazy. YMMV, of course, but from my perspective, I found a quaint little town (once away from the pier) with a nice beach to spend a pleasant afternoon in.

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  • 3 weeks later...
reerun25

reerun25

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How close are the Tiki Hut and Jyah's? I have been to Nassau before and walked to Fat Tuesday, but I did not go any further. Looking to hang out at the Tiki Hut, but not sure which you come to first, Tiki Hut or Jyah.. I read that the same guy owns both, named Byron? People seem to like him, say he is a good guy.. I hope to find out at the end of May!

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piper45maru

piper45maru

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How close are the Tiki Hut and Jyah's? I have been to Nassau before and walked to Fat Tuesday, but I did not go any further. Looking to hang out at the Tiki Hut, but not sure which you come to first, Tiki Hut or Jyah.. I read that the same guy owns both, named Byron? People seem to like him, say he is a good guy.. I hope to find out at the end of May!

 

Jyah has the first section of beach; it'll be the first thing you come to after Fat Tuesday.

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  • 2 months later...
anarresa

anarresa

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Cruising to Bahamas later this year with a group and since I love to wander around islands this wasn't my top choice. Your little walk seems like it will satisfy my inner explorer though, thanks for the details and everyone's additional comments.

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