We stayed at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort on Paradise Island. It is just down the road from The Atlantis.
We landed at Nassau and took a cab to the hotel. We arrived at around 6pm so getting checked into our room was no issue. After unpacking we went down for dinner. The buffet had a large variety of foods available and they always included a couple local dishes.
Day 1:
Checked in, ate, explored the hotel a bit. Along the beachfont the hotel has a nice little dock. There are usually 1 or 2 small boats there. One is an employee's and the other belongs to a man who comes out to provide entertainment several nights a week. His has some interesting graffitti and 'Pirates of the Carribean' flags on it. Walking the dock is really nice at night. (Wear insect repellent)
Day 2:
Sauntered around a bit. It is pretty warm in July so we went slow and brought something to drink. Bottled water can run from 2.40 to 3.50 (US). We went to the Straw Market there on Paradise Island. The vendors were very nice and low pressure. A local artist was running a booth and she gave us some handy advise about the Atlantis. It seems they didn't used to charge people to come in and tour the grounds but somebody figured out the tourists would cough up $36 per person to look the place over. If you dress up a little and go in the evening, they are no longer giving tours. You can just wander in yourself. If any of the staff asks, just tell them you are there for dinner. It works nicely and saved us $72.
Day 3:
We decided to check out the main straw market in Nassau, visit a friend, and wander around. As we walked toward where we believed the docks were, a man approached and asked if we wanted to take the boat across. We told him yes and he let another man further down the street know. He guided us right down to where we needed to go. There were 5 or 6 booths down there and an older man with a guitar and a harmonica. He had a gallon milk jug he'd cut open so you could tip him if you liked his songs. I wish the music man had a cd. Would have bought it. Tipped him well instead. I think he's only there in the morning when it is cooler out.
When you take the boat across there is a guy who will give you a bit of a rundown about the area and some of the houses you see along the shore. He works for tips. There seems to be one of these fellows in every boat.
The straw market on Nassau was VERY crowded. Not that there were a lot of people there...the aisle ways are very narrow and it seems the vendors have mainly t-shirts and knock-off designer purses. If you do go, bargain with them. I'd recommend going along the street that runs to the right of the straw market. There are some wood carvers along there with some neat stuff.
Someone we knew was out there at the same time we were. She was staying out at the Radisson on Cable Beach. It is too far to walk so we decided to take a bus. They only cost $1. It is a lot cheaper than a cab. We learned that the busses that end with a letter have regular stops along the route. The buses that have only a number are express. Now, express sounds good since it is the same price but I'd recommend the local route buses for 2 reasons.
1- Route buses let you meet more local folks and you get to see non-tourist areas. It is a lot more fun and interesting.
2- Express buses do not leave until they are FULL. There are even seats that fold down into the aisle.
They have a lot of jeweler shops there. I didn't think the prices were very good. I'd advise against it.
Day 4:
We decided to take one of the tours. Opted for the Robinson Crusoe. It was an all day deal. $50 per person. I think if we'd shopped around a bit we might have been able to get it for $35.
They took us out on a 3 deck boat to a private island. It was an hour boat ride. They have free white wine and free lemonaid. The band consisted of a dour elderly couple with an electic guitar, steel drum, and drum machine. They weren't good at all. Highly cheezy entertainment, we loved it. There were approximately 100 people on the boat but we could spread out on the island so it wasn't crowded.
I always take a few Ziplock plastic baggies with me when we go on trips. (I am mildly suspicous there is something wrong with that) Anyway, I horked some cressants from the breakfast bar that morning with the intention of eating them if we got hungry before lunch. I decided to eat one and dropped the darned thing. The captain saw me do it and suggested we hang on to it til we got to the island. Feed it to the fish when snorkeling. Oh, duh. I never even thought of that!
The boat captain was quite a character. He didn't say a whole lot but when he did, he made sure the stupid tourists shut up and listened. Very gruff. Gave a speach about the island having showers, hammocks, and lunch being promptly from 12 to 1. Oh, and he warned us not to touch or take coral. Something about millions of years...blah blah blah. (tee hee, I actually was listening. Suggested to him that he tell people coral is sharp and will cut you badly and you'll bleed all over and then the sharks will eat you)
Basically we had a wonderful day snorkeling at the beach.
Day 5
Headed home.
(sorry, no photos. 2MB limit)