Nassau - The Trip Home

We spent our last day in Nassau on the beach, enjoying the warm weather. The beach was not crowded, which made it even more pleasant.

The beach at the Sheraton Cable Beach in Nassau -- life is good.

As we relaxed on the beach we saw a young couple with their little daughter, I guess she was 3 years old, sitting near us. They had been near us almost every time we were on the beach, so my wife decided to say hello to them. That did not go very well because they could barely speak English, they were visiting from Moscow, Russia.

All I can say is this: I don't know what the husband does for a living, but if he can leave Moscow in November to go the Bahamas, he needs to keep that job!

We ate lunch at Twin Brothers on our last full day, then prepared for the trip home.

We got up early, checked out of the hotel, and took a cab to the airport and checked in for our flight on American Eagle. We'd fly to Miami, have a three-and-a-half hour layover, then fly to Dallas/Fort Worth, then back to Austin.

I thought that the layover in Miami would allow us enough time to clear customs and still make our flight to DFW, but it turned out it didn't matter how long our layover was.

We went through the security line in the Nassau terminal, had our passports stamped, went around a corner and saw that we had to go through security again, but this time it was American security. TSA had a customs/immigration/security checkpoint in the Nassau airport! That meant that we could clear customs before we ever got on the plane and not have to deal with it once we got to Miami! That was great and made our trip home much easier!

After clearing customs we went into the departure terminal, grabbed coffee and donuts at the Dunkin' Donuts, then boarded our American Eagle flight to Miami. An hour later we were back on US soil.

AE parks its aircraft at the far end of the Miami airport; after we got off the plane we had to board a bus back to the terminal. That was not easy, the bus could barely hold all of the passengers. A second bus was behind ours but we could not use it, it was reserved for the four crew members of our plane. So, they had a large bus to themselves, while we were packed like sardines in ours. Thankfully it was only a 5 minute ride to the terminal.

We spent time in the Admiral's Club, then boarded our flight to Dallas. Sadly, we were on a 737, a nice aircraft but not nearly as nice as the 767 we took a week earlier. Smooth flight to Dallas, a 75 minute layover, and than a quick flight back to Austin. We were home by 9:15 that night.

Looking back, my wife and I agreed that this was the most relaxing trip we have ever had. Considering the fact that we have done 8 trips to Hawaii, that's saying a lot!

Nassau has several historical sites to visit, such as Fort Charlotte. It has many tourist sites, both old and new, including the botanical gardens and Paradise Island. These are all worth visiting, but we decided not to. Our goal on this trip was to relax, and that is what we did. We had no itinerary, we could have taken off our watches on the first day and not put them back on until the last. There was no site we HAD to see, no place we HAD to be by a certain time. We wanted to relax, and that is what we did.

We have already decided to go back to Nassau next year; we'll stay at the Sheraton again. And I can guarantee we'll eat at Twin Brothers again. Maybe we'll even see some of the sites we missed on this trip.

We came home with many fond memories, and souvenirs too. We look forward to our return trip!

Incredible Seafood!

My wife and I were enjoying our trip to Nassau, but had not yet had a great meal. We'd eaten the buffet at the hotel, eaten at the Greek restaurant downtown, and while those meals were good, they were not memorable. Thankfully, that was about to change.

I had visited many travel websites before the trip, and they all recommended going to Arawak Cay, also known as "Fish Fry," for seafood. The #10 bus that stopped outside our hotel goes by Arawak Cay on the way downtown, so my wife and I took the bus, looking for a good lunch. (If you are going there, just tell the bus or cab driver you are going to Fish Fry, they'll know what you mean.)

Arawak Cay is a street of seafood restaurants, and nothing but seafood restaurants one right after another. Some are large, two stories tall, while others look like metal sheds with wooden picnic tables in front. They all specialize in Bahamian seafood.

The restaurants at Arawak Cay are famous for their fresh seafood.

We walked down the street, looking at each restaurant. While I had read several articles about "Fish Fry," I had not seen a recommendation for a specific restaurant. Which one should we choose?

We chose Twin Brothers for our meal.

The Twin Brothers Seafood and Steakhouse looked like a nice place: their sign said they had been featured on CBS News and in the New York Times, so we decided to give them a try. This was one of the best decisions of the trip!

We got there shortly after 12 noon, so it was not crowded. The waitress brought the menu: I ordered conch fritters as an appetizer, and cracked conch as the entree. My wife ordered broiled lobster.

The conch fritters were delicious.

We got the conch fritters first, they were so hot that we had to let them cool for a few moments, but it was worth the wait. They were similar to the corn fritters we eat in the states, but definitely had a seafood flavor to them that was pleasant but not overpowering. The waitress gave us a bottle of a spcial sauce to put on them that added to the great taste. If you are not very hungry, the fritters alone would be a wonderful meal.

Then she brought us our meals.

My cracked conch came with a side order of beans and rice (a local specialty) and fried plantain.

My meal was incredible! I can't say it was the best conch I have ever had because it is the only conch I have ever had! But I will say that I have eaten fresh seafood in a lot of places known for fresh seafood, (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas Gulf Coast) and I had never had anything that tasted this good!

My wife had broiled lobster and a side order of beans and rice and fried plantain.

My wife took one bite from her broiled lobster and was very emphatic that it was the best she had ever had!

We liked the food at Twin Brothers so much that we ate there three times in four days. My wife ate the lobster every time, I had fried shrimp our my final visit; it was easily the best I have ever had. The tails had been removed so I was able to eat the whole thing. The breading was very light so that it did not overpower the taste of the shrimp, but was still crunchy enough to let me know it was fried. If was fabulous.

On this visit, I saw a note on the menu "Try our delectable daiquiris." The waitress said I could get two flavors mixed, a half-and-half daiquiri. That sounded good, so I ordered one that was half strawberry, half pina colada. She asked if I wanted alcohol, that would be $2 extra. Since I did not have to drive I said yes to the alcohol. I have to admit I did not expect what she brought me.

This is my half pina colada half strawberry daiquiri.

I didn't expect a frozen drink but that it what I got, it looked like something I might get at Dairy Queen. But it was so good! I tried to use the straw to drink it, but it was so thick that the straw was not working. So, I stuck it down to the bottom of the glass where it appeared to be more like a liquid and took a big sip.

As it happens, the alcohol was not mixed in with the frozen concoction, they had simply put a couple of shots of rum in the bottom of the glass before adding the frozen mixture. So, when I took the big sip I got a large mouthful of rum! That's fine if you're expecting it, but I wasn't. Oh my.

Several swallows later I had managed to empty my mouth of the rum but I had learned a lesson: small sips from the bottom of the glass. In the meantime I used a spoon to eat the frozen mixture and it was wonderful, both tasty and refreshing. I wish I could get something like this here at home. I liked it so much that I ordered a second one, but I must admit it was virgin, no alcohol.

The food at Twin Brothers was outstanding, I recommend it to all. We have already decided to go back to Nassau next year, and Twin Brothers will be one of our first stops. If you visit Fish Fry, ignore the rest, go to Twin Brothers! (Here is their website.)

Twin Brothers menu, featuring a variety of Bahamian food.

Using American Money in Nassau

I always do the same thing when I travel overseas: as soon as I clear Customs at my destination I go to the foreign currency booth at the airport and pay an exorbitant fee to get enough local currency to get me through the first day or two. After that, I use an ATM to get my currency. Thankfully, I did not have to do this during our trip to Nassau.

The exchange rate between the United States and the Bahamas is very simple: one to one. One American dollar equals one Bahamian dollar. With so many American tourists visiting, businesses will accept both currencies in payment. You can pay for an item with American money, Bahamian money, or a combination of the two. The same thing happens when you get your change back: it may be American, it may be Bahamian, or a combination of the two. This greatly simplifies things!

It's interesting to see how banks handle this. I used two ATMs during our visit: neither of these were in a hotel lobby or a shopping area, they were both at banks. One ATM gave me all Bahamian money, the other gave me all American money. No problem, they both spent the same.

The only currency difficulty I had during the trip took place at the Crystal Palace Casino, next door to our hotel. I had a Bahamian $100 bill and wanted to play the slot machines, but the machines only took American currency. I went to the cashier's window and tried to change the Bahamian bill to American but the lady told me she was not allowed to exchange currency.

"This is all I have," I said, holding the Bahamian bill. "If you won't exchange it, how do I play the slot machines?"

"Well sir, you can use it as a bet at the tables."

"I don't want to play the tables, I want to play the slots. How do I to that?"

Her solution was for me to leave the casino and go to the front desk at the hotel where they would exchange the bill for me. That's annoying, but I had no other choice and did that.

Perhaps the Bahamas Gaming Commission prohibits casinos from changing currency. If so, I can understand that. But if they don't, that was lousy customer service.

One thing that was different in Nassau from the US was the way you give tips for good service. The tips were automatic on this trip. For example, every restaurant automatically added a 15% gratuity to the bill. Normally, I only see that at home for groups of 6 or more. In Nassau you will always pay it.

Tips at the hotel were interesting. They explained the process to me as I checked in. We would be charged a one-time fee of $6 per person as a tip for the doorman. That was $12. Then we would be charged a fee of $18 per person per night as tips for housekeeping, maintenance, etc. So, that was an additional $36 per day! I think that was excessive, but I couldn't do much about it. On the other hand, they did provide free high speed Internet in the room; normally that costs $20 a day at a luxury hotel, so that helped lessen the pain.

All in all, we liked the exchange rate because we did not have to calculate anything, ten dollars was ten dollars. That was much easier than it was, for example, when we were in Thailand a few years ago and saw that a souvenir cost 825 Baht (approximately 25 USD).

So, enjoy your trip to the Bahamas. If you are American, currency exchange is one thing you will not have to worry about.

Visiting Downtown Nassau

My wife and I were very happy to be in Nassau. We had a great room at the hotel, the temperatures were in the mid 80s and the beautiful beach was nearby. On our third day in Nassau, we decided to go downtown.

Getting there was easy. The #10 bus stopped right outside our hotel on Bay Street and would take us downtown for $1.25 per person. It's a nice trip, taking approximately 15 minutes. The buses are small, not as large as we would see in most American cities. One unusual thing is that the buses are not operated by a local transit system, they are not part of the Nassau Bus Authority or something similar. Instead, each bus is individually owned and has a different name on the side of it.

This bus, operated by the Reliable Bus Service, was one of the nicer buses we saw.

Since the driver was the owner, the bus would sometimes sit for a few moments in front of the hotels on Bay Street (Sandals, Breezes, Sheraton, Wyndham) as the driver waited for additional passengers. The more people he carried, the more money he made.

The #10 bus route ends downtown, in the middle of the main tourist area. From what I could tell, three cruise ships cpme into Nassau every day and dock less than two blocks from downtown, so the area fills up with tourists very quickly. You won't get a sense of the Bahamas downtown, this is strictly a tourist area.

Two Carnival cruise ships docked near downtown Nassau.

This cruise ship was docked one block from Bay Street, the main street in downtown Nassau.

Bay Street is crowded with shops selling T-shirts, souvenirs, duty-free liquor, Cuban cigars, and high-class jewelry.

There are several jewelry stores downtown selling high-end jewelry from companies like Cartier, Rolex, and Tag Heuer. Prices are generally 10-20% less than you will pay in the USA.

If you are not looking for something less expensive, the Straw Market is a good option. In fact, it is worth visiting just for the experience.

The crowded narrow aisles of the Straw Market feature purses, shirts, bags, hats, dresses, wood carvings, and countless other tourist items. Be sure to negotiate for a better price.

This is what you can find in the downtown area. Turn here for Burger King, Tortuga Rum Cakes, duty free liquor, and Cuban cigars. And that is all in one block!

We did not find a lot of options in the downtown area for food. This may be because so many of the tourists downtown are from the cruise ships and will return there for dinner. We found Burger King, Hard Rock Cafe, Senor Frog's, Dunkin Donuts. None of those are what I would call authentic Bahamian restaurants. We had lunch at the Athena Cafe, a Greek restaurant located above a jewelry store. Good food, but we did not go to Nassau to eat souvlaki. We later learned that the best place for authentic Bahamian food is at Arawak Cay: it was so good we ate there three times in four days. I'll describe that in the next post.

A Great Trip to the Bahamas

My wife and I have just returned from one of our best vacations ever, eight days in Nassau. We had fun, we rested, we ate great food -- that met all of our requirements for a wonderful vacation!

I used my American Airlines AAdvantage miles to pay for our flights: our schedule was Austin to Dallas to Miami on American with seats in First Class, then American Eagle from Miami to Nassau. We had reservations at the Sheraton Nassau Hotel at Cable Beach -- I used my Starwood points to pay for the hotel stay. We chose November for our trip to celebrate my wife's birthday.

A few days before we left I sent an e-mail to the hotel asking what was the best way to get there from the airport. I also added that we were looking forward to celebrating my wife's birthday during our visit. Two days before our departure, I was surprised to get a phone call from the hotel. A wonderful representative thanked me for our reservation and said that since I was a Starwood Gold member and it was my wife's birthday, she would give us a complimentary upgrade to an executive suite! That was very nice of her and I appreciated her courtesy. She also told me the only way to get to the hotel from the airport was via taxi.

We left Austin on November 10 on a 7 a.m. flight to Dallas. When we arrived at DFW we had enough time for a short visit to the Admiral's Club before going to the departure gate. Boarding had already started when we got to the gate, in fact they were up to Group 3 of the coach passengers.

We boarded, got to our seats in First Class, and had a problem. A woman and her young daughter were in our seats. I checked our boarding passes to make sure I had the correct seat, smiled at the lady and politely told her that they were in our seats. The lady gave me a nasty look, pointed her thumb towards the back of the aircraft, said "There are plenty of seats back there mister!" and turned her head away. I tried again to explain that she was in our seats but she ignored me.

While a passenger may be able to ignore another passenger, she cannot ignore a request from a crew member. I saw the purser and told her we had a problem and showed her our boarding passes. She spoke to the lady who first refused to show her boarding pass, then said that the seats were hers because she got there first and we could go to the back. When the purser insisted on seeing her boarding passes, the lady finally presented them; she and her daughter had reservations in coach. In all, it took about 5 minutes but they finally got the lady and her daughter to collect their things, get out of our seats, and then be escorted to coach. I thanked the purser for her help: when we got to the hotel I visited AA.com and left a comment thanking her for her help.

My previous First Class flights on American have been on MD-80s (the only plane AA flies from Austin) and a 757. This was our first opportunity to sit in First on a 767-300, and it was wonderful, much nicer than the other aircraft. The seats were similar to those we had a few years ago when we flew across the Pacific in business class on Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific. They not only reclined, but they also had adjustable leg rests and could also go completely flat for sleeping. They were great seats, too bad we only had them for a 3-hour flight.

In a previous post I pointed out that the First Class sections on our flights had very few reservations. By the day of the flights though, they were completely full.

We arrived in Miami, made a short visit to the Admiral's Club, then went to our departure gate. When it was time to board there was no plane at the gate; we had to take a bus to our American Eagle American Airlines Aerospatiale/Alenia 72 (AT7). Obviously, this would not compare to our wonderful seats on the 767, but the flight would last less than one hour, so it was not a big deal.

When we got the safety briefing on this plane, an AT7, they told us that oxygen masks would not drop down in case of emergency because the plane would not fly that high.

After a short flight we arrived in Nassau. We quickly cleared customs and immigration and got a taxi to our hotel.

The Sheraton is located east of downtown Nassau at Cable Beach.

The hotel has a unique layout: our room was on the second floor, but the lobby was on the third. So, instead of taking the elevator up to our room as normally occurs, we went down.

The view of the beach from our room.

Our balcony overlooked a second swimming pool: water fell from the top of the "cliff" in the center of the pool.

Our room was very comfortable with a King bed, sofa with a coffee table and three chairs. The view from the balcony was pretty nice too.

Our vacation had begun: I'll have more stories and photos in future posts.