Junkanoo Beach? Cable Beach? Cabbage Beach? or Other Beach

[astridwilson]

Looking for a Beach to hang out on a Nassau cruise ship day. Arrive in port at 8AM and depart at 4PM. Two seniors and 2 children, 13 & 8. Would love to snorkel offshore. Also, would love to be able to rent chairs and an umbrella and have lunch.

[KSprite01]

Posting to follow. We've got a 3 and 6 yo, so are similarly looking for beach with chairs/lunch. We can bring our own shade 🙂

[mjkacmom]

There are no restroom facilities at cable or cabbage, I know cabbage has chair rentals but I don’t think there is food available at either.

[Cuckoo7]

Junkanoo is an easy walk from the port and has chairs/umbrellas to rent, as well as facilities and places to purchase food/drinks.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Cuckoo7

[dlphn501]

Junkanoo is the only one with facilities.  It's an easy walk from the port, and you can rent chairs and an umbrella for around $40 from the local vendors.  I had zero issues when I walked there with my young daughters.  Margaritaville is right next door, and you can buy a day pass, but it gets expensive with 4 people.  They have a small waterpark and lazy river that is available to use with the day pass, but I have never actually been.

[blue_water]

There are independent excursions offered that take you to Rose Island or Pearl Island with various options from beach time with lounges/umbrella to swimming with the pigs. Just Google day excursions from Nassau…

 

As mentioned Junkanoo is the most obvious beach choice on New Providence Island because it’s near the cruise pier. But it is a busy vibe because it’s near the cruise pier.

For that reason another beach that many choose as an alternative to Junkanoo is Goodman’s Bay Park.

 

We’ve only ridden by Goodman’s beach on the jitneys (buses) and have not stopped, so someone else would need to answer if there are lounges/umbrellas and other amenities there. But getting there is easy if you get that feedback. The jitneys pick up and drop off just off Bay St. and it’s $1.25 USD/pp each way. It’s easy up to get a ride back as well, the jitneys are quite regular…

You can also get feedback from experts on the TripAdvisor NPI forum -

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147415-i130-New_Providence_Island_Bahamas.html

 

Regarding Cable Beach, while staying on Cable Beach we met cruisers who had taken the jitney there looking for a public beach access. There was no public access around the Baha Mar or nearby areas, we did see a public access a couple kilometers further down, but no amenities. I know in years past before Baha Mar the Sheraton, etc offered day passes and there were public beach areas. Those options are gone now with the build-up of resorts and condo properties…

 

 

[astridwilson]

Per Dusty Traveler

 

junkanoo beach is <10 min walk from the cruise terminal in downtown Nassau. It is a small gritty beach on a workign harbour and can be quite noisy and busy -- especially on busy cruise days. You can rent chairs and there are lots of food and drink options. Snorkelling would nto be recommended.

 

Cable Beach is a 10 minute taxi or jitney drive from downtown Nassau. Thought is is mostly for the hotels and private residences, there are public access points. There may be some vendors with food and drink, but I'm not aware of beach chair rentals. Just east of Cable Beach is Goodman's Bay, a nice little beach tucked into a corner cove. It is a public park and there are vendors there that have food and drink as well as rest rooms. Snorkeling would be possible, but watch for jet skis, as they launch here and come close to shore.

 

Cabbage beach is on Paradise Island and a popular spot with cruise passengers. There are lots of vendors here, and some can be a nuisance. The beach can be quite crowded at times, and the ocean quite rough. There are steep drop offs in some spots, and rip currents, so swimming here can be dicey. If your youngsters aren't strong swimmers, I'd be very careful swimming in some areas.

 

Saunders beach is midway between Junkanoo and Cable Beach and makes a great beach for a day trip. It's not as crowded as the others and is usually calmer than the others, owing to a protected location. It's quite shallow, making it a good option for the kids. There are rest rooms, showers and a playground. There are some vendors, though not sure if there are any with chairs. Across the street is a KFC and a gas station that offers cold drinks and snacks to a DIY picnic. Snorkeling isn't great, but is far safer as there are fewer boats and jet skis.

 

If you're looking to get away from the cruise ship crowds, opt for Saudners of you can try one of the many little coves along the shore road west of Cable Beach. You can take the #10 jitney bus ($1.25 pp each way) There are loads of little beaches and coves that are hardly used. Snorkeling is not bad along the shore, but you won't want to go out too far. Good spots are around the Caves, Orange Hill, Tuscalum, and Love Beach. You won't see many tourists here, but these are popular with the locals. Services are few, so bring your own towels, food and drink, but you'll likely have the beach to yourselves. The jitney buses pass by every 15 minutes or so but be sure to leave plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 

Other beaches are Jaws and Montagu. Jaws is the furthest away and requires a taxi. It's a nice beach and some good snorkeling, with a sculpture garden off-shore, but has no services of any kind. Montagu is a nice little beach, has vendors and restrooms, but not recommended for snorkeling, as there is fish cleaning nearby and can attract large critters.

[blue_water]

On 11/8/2023 at 10:55 AM, astridwilson said:

Per Dusty Traveler

Cable Beach is a 10 minute taxi or jitney drive from downtown Nassau. Thought is is mostly for the hotels and private residences, there are public access points. There may be some vendors with food and drink, but I'm not aware of beach chair rentals. Just east of Cable Beach is Goodman's Bay, a nice little beach tucked into a corner cove. It is a public park and there are vendors there that have food and drink as well as rest rooms. Snorkeling would be possible, but watch for jet skis, as they launch here and come close to shore.

 

 

Just a heads-up if you are considering going on your own to Cable Beach…
We stayed on Cable Beach next to Baha Mar, and the only public beach access we saw between there and Sandyport was next to Bob Marley’s hotel. But that hotel has since closed so no amenities there. There may be another access point, but in all our walks along Cable Beach we didn’t spot them…
 

Cable Beach is now lined with hotels and condos. We met two couples who had taken the $1.25/pp bus to the Baha Mar area looking for a public beach or just beach bars to enjoy. Nothing like that there, and we suggested they take the bus back to Goodman’s Bay which is an easy bus ride from the cruise pier area.

 

Edited November 10, 2023 by blue_water
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