As I sit in the Grand Bahama International Airport waiting for our flight home to the United States, I decided to write this article while things are still very fresh in my memory.
This trip started about 2 months ago when I was looking for a special place to get away and surprise my wife with a trip for our 20th anniversary. I budgeted around $2k, and I thought it would be enough for a four day three night stay in a nice place somewhere in the Bahamas. I researched many different options, including cruises, all-inclusives, and others.
After much reading online on the forums and talking to other friends and family, they all recommended Nassau and Paradise Island. Looking at the pricing options, it made more sense to stay in Nassau than Paradise Island, although after visiting Atlantis on Paradise Island, I will tell you that the difference between there and Nassau is night and day. We’ll talk about that in more detail in a moment.
I spent several days searching online for the best deals and decided to stay at a “Super Club” called The Breezes. They position themselves as a super inclusive resort. Although we’ve stayed at an all-inclusive before in Cancun, I’ve never heard of a super-inclusive resort before. According to the research, what that meant was that not only all food and drinks were included, but all other activities as well.
The other activities they mention were playing water volleyball in the pool, nightly entertainment in the hotel lobby, and use of all non-motorized water activities. They offered kayaks, small catamarans, and small sailboats as part of their services.
When we first arrived at Nassau International Airport, we took the taxi to the resort. Ernie was the name of our taxi driver. He was very personable and pointed out many of the local sights. When he dropped us off, he gave us his phone number so we could call him on the last day of our trip for our return trip to the airport. The cab ride was only $20 and I tipped him another four dollars.
Upon arrival at the resort, we were greeted by the concierge staff who offered to carry our luggage to our room. As we started walking up the steps towards the grand entrance of the complex, I could begin to see some very beautiful scenery unfolding. Once we got to the top of the steps, I was able to see the entire foyer and how it was open to all the elements. There were no front doors in the building and the back of the lobby area had giant openings showing one of the most beautiful views I had ever seen.
The views were awesome. We were greeted at the check-in desk by a gentleman serving a very tropical drink. After some trouble with our key card, we finally got to our room. The first thing we did was go to the window and open the curtains. Wow! What an amazing sight! We were able to see a full view of the pool and the ocean. The pool water and the ocean water matched. I told my wife that the trip to the Bahamas could have ended right then and there and that it would all have been worth it to me. He had experienced what he had come to see… Namely, the most beautiful waters in the world! However, this trip was not just about me, it was about celebrating 20 years of a wonderful marriage.
Although the room was clean, it was old and outdated and did not match the lobby area of the hotel. It also lacked seating space. The only two places to sit in the entire room…either on the bed or a hard chair next to the desk. A loveseat or comfortable chair and ottoman would have been nice. However, the view made up for it. Also, we weren’t planning on spending a lot of time in the room anyway. After a short rest in the room, we decided to head out and explore the resort.
After walking around the property and having our first couple of cocktails, we realized that this property had a lot of potential, but was in need of a great deal of tender loving care. There were many little things that made a difference. We could see broken tiles in the pool, loose floorboards on some of the decks, and unfortunately they certainly weren’t using top shelf liquor at the bar.
After a short walk on the beach, we decided it was time to try the buffet. We entered the dining room and felt like we had stepped into an igloo. We just entered the lobby from the outside, down the stairs and through the double doors into the dining room where the temperature dropped a minimum of 30°. It was at least 65° there. With the exception of one meal, we ate every meal outside.
Apart from the buffet, the hotel offered four other restaurants. Unfortunately everyone required long pants to dine there. This was a problem for me because the only clothes I packed were shorts and comfortable shirts. Needless to say, we never had a chance to dine at any of the other restaurants during our entire stay. As a side note, we looked for pants while shopping downtown, but the cheapest pair we found was $150.
The second day started with breakfast and an interesting drive into the city center to the ferry docks via a local bus. We found the bus ride to be quite interesting and very affordable at only $1.25 per passenger. We were initially going to rent a scooter, but after seeing how people drive in the Bahamas, I’m glad we chose to use public transportation. Driving on the opposite side of the road also seems quite confusing to me.
Shortly after boarding the shuttle to Atlantis, we met another couple from the United States who had arrived on a cruise. It turned out that we were all headed to the aquarium, so we decided to hang out together, which gave us a chance to take photos.
Atlantis was a very nice upscale resort property with prices to match. Everything costs money. They have day passes that can be purchased for various activities that start at $39 per person for the “Dig” Aquarium tour (which we did), $69 per person for “Day at the Beach” or $125 per person for the Water Park . Although Atlantis was a very nice upscale resort with an amazing setting, it also seemed to be the most touristy area.
As with everything else on Paradise Island, even the drinks were expensive. I paid $14 for a drink called “Blue Balls” that contained four shots of different rums and a handful of blueberries. The drink was actually only $12, but I gave the young lady a $2 tip. Although the drink was very expensive, it was the best drink I had during the whole trip.
When the ferry returned to Nassau, we said goodbye to our new friends. They were going to an internet cafe and we were going to go shopping and eat something. Not to mention, they would soon have to return to the ship anyway. We exchanged our information and look forward to connecting with them again.
After having a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and doing some souvenir shopping in downtown Nassau, we headed back to the resort and decided to take an afternoon swim in the pool. We spent the rest of the day and evening just relaxing and taking in the amazing views of the ocean.
We finally got back to the room and decided to take a nap in the late afternoon or early evening. After our nap we freshened up and went back to the buffet for dinner. And yes, we ate out. After dinner we went to the hotel lobby to watch the entertainment. We ended up going to the pool tables and played a few games of pool. After a few glasses of wine, we decided to call it a night and head back to our room.
The third day began with the breakfast buffet and a conversation about the day. We decided to hang out and relax. With that in mind, we chose to rent a beach cabana for the day. The cabin included full butler service. The day passed without incident, filled with delicious tropical drinks and a well-deserved rest in our little piece of paradise… At Cable Beach in the Bahamas.
Our last night was much the same as the night before. Evening entertainment in the hotel lobby was similar to the night before. The evening entertainment we found to be quite boring and in many cases very unpleasant.
On our last day, we once again ate at the breakfast buffet and took one last walk around the resort. While doing so we met another couple who were there celebrating their anniversary, and they were also from the US. They had mentioned that this was their third trip to the Bahamas, but that they were not impressed with The Breezes Resort. We were able to relate to how they felt, and we discussed other places for our next visit to Nassau and Paradise Island Bahamas.
Overall we would rate this stay at Breezes a 7.5 on a scale of 10. The building was old and in need of a lot of attention, the food was average for a buffet, the entertainment was marginal at best but the service was excellent . That’s the only reason we gave it even a 7.5. Had the service been less it wouldn’t have even been a 5. We filled out the comment card and hope this resort fixes the issues. Otherwise, you would not be able to see me return or be able to recommend anyone else.
Overall we had a great time, even though the hotel wasn’t the best. Everything else really was. The view, the trip to Paradise Island, the city center, meeting new friends, etc. I think it’s only a matter of time before we return to the Bahamas.
While sitting here at the airport, I’ve been looking for other places to visit in the Bahamas. One such place is Harborside Resort on Paradise Island. It is a five-star resort that offers all the comforts. Through a discount travel club I found, we can now stay in a two-bedroom villa at a five-star resort for just $299 a week! With that kind of deal, you can bet you’ll be back in Paradise Island Bahamas in the very near future.