Nassau and Paradise Island

Bill, here.  First Internet in a week, and Molly is very engrossed in reading her book.



Having fun even if we didn't find Johnny Depp.

One of the most popular islands for boaters near Nassau is Rose Island.  We anchored there for two days before motoring to Nassau, 7 miles away.  Here we went snorkeling for the first time alone (great job, Molly!) and visited a small cay where we were told the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed.  We took our dinghy to the beach and found that the island had a cement walkway from end to end.  I envisioned movie cameras being moving along the walkway while filming one of the battle scenes in the cove.  Alas, soon a Bahamian dive boat operator came by and told us that the small island had been used by a ferry boat.  We would have to go to the Exumas to find Johnny Depp. 

On to Nassau.  Nassau harbor is dominated by 5 piers that serve very large cruise ships.  Any boat entering the harbor must get permission from Nassau Harbor Control.  We were given quick clearance as we were entering from the east and our destination, Hurricane Hole Marina on Paradise Island, was before the cruise ship piers.

One of the pools at the One and Only Club.

The gardens at the One and Only Club.

After entering the marina we were warmly greeted by our fellow Rosborough owner, John Conway.  We had connected a year ago through the Rosborough users group on Yahoo, and he was invaluable in helping with reservations and answering questions.  John is a resort general manager, and he and his wife have lived in the Bahamas for 20 years.  He opened the first Atlantis hotel on Paradise Island and now manages the One and Only Ocean Club, which caters to multi-millionaires as the Club has a minimum 10-day stay with the cheapest room at $2,300 per night.  Atlantis has 5,000 rooms whereas the One and Only Ocean Club has only 105.  He told us that the Club is the toughest job he has ever had as his guests, who have included Mariah Carey, Michael Fox, Magic Johnson and many other stars, expect perfection.



Paradise Island has beautiful beaches.

Paradise Island is a combination of Disney World and Caesars Palace surrounded by beautiful beaches.  The Island is roughly 3 miles long and a ½-mile wide.  Aside from multiple hotels, there are condominiums and large single family houses around a ritzy golf course.  The Island employs thousands of Bahamians, but most make the commute across the bridge from Nassau, the largest city in the Bahamas with a population of 250,000.  Tourism is the main industry throughout the Bahamas as its seas and beaches across thousands of islands are among the most beautiful in the world.  Residents are primarily the descendants of slaves who were left on the islands in the 1800s after the land proved to be very poor for raising cotton or any other crop.  English is the local language, and the US dollar is used interchangeably with the Bahamian dollar.  As a former British colony, cars are driven on the left side of the road, and throughout our travels we have had to remind ourselves on which side to walk or ride our bikes.  



Smaller mega-yachts near us..

Our berth in the marina gave us full access to the Atlantis, which was built on the theme of the legend of Atlantis and includes an extensive aquarium with fish of all kinds swimming through mythical ruins.  Its water park, which we visited frequently, includes one steep slide that vaults users through a tunnel surrounded by water filled with sharks.  Molly stayed away from that one!  One of the common pastimes in the Atlantis complex is to view the boats in the Atlantis Marina.  The Marina caters to mega-yachts, typically 150-200 feet.  These yachts are serviced by uniformed crew, who are constantly cleaning the already clean boats.  The boat owners seem to be competing for status.  Our friend John told us that it would not be uncommon for an  owner to fly in to Atlantis, have an elegant dinner on the visible stern raised deck of his boat, and then fly home the next day!  The tenders for these yachts are often larger than our little Salty Paws.




Our boat was decorated for Christmas.

My brother Bob and family (Nora, Max and Danny) and our daughter Caroline and boyfriend Noah flew in to Nassau and stayed at the cheapest hotel (Comfort Suites) on Paradise Island.  We enjoyed many activities together including an afternoon where we took our boat out off a nearby island to go snorkeling.  Everyone gathered on our boat on Christmas Eve for a great Yankee swap gift exchange. 

 

On Tuesday morning (12/27), after everyone else had departed, we walked into Nassau, witnessed some of the local charm and went to a well-stocked grocery store to stock up for the next two weeks.  Now it was time to depart for the expected highpoint of our trip, the Exumas.