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Adress:
Bahamas Tourism Center
West 3450 Wilshire Blvd, Ste. 1204
Los Angeles, CA 90010
800/439-6993
Nassau is a tourist trap?
Who
has the evidence that the Bahamas is a paradise? Do you believe in what
the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is saying about vacation in the Bahamas?
Do you believe in what travel journalists report on what they saw during
carefully controlled courtesy trips? Do you believe in what Fodors is
writing in their magazines filled with advertisements? Do you believe
in the free island guide given with compliments to Air Canada travellers
but WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED WITH THE CO-OPERATION OF THE BAHAMAS MINISTRY
OF TOURISM in Nassau and THE BAHAMAS TOURIST OFFICE in the United Kingdom?
Do you believe in the Bahamas supplements which appears regularly in
the WASHINGTON TIMES for instance which are merely advertorial material
and not written by real journalists? Or would you believe more in the
websites published by Bahamas Consult like www.focusbahamas.net.tc
(Bahamas - Americas bad neighbour) or
www.nassau-paradiseisland.net.tc
(Do you want to visit this paradise)?
The Bahamas is now being seen as a Caribbean trap! How can the Bahamas
be a true paradise if many tourists return home very disappointed? How
can the Bahamas be a paradise if so many first visitors will not recommend
this little island nation to their friends and family members? Why is
Nassau ranking so low in tourist satisfaction? Many cruise ship passengers
stay on board because Nassau downtown is ghastly in the evenings? Or
is the marketing slogan IT IS BETTER IN THE BAHAMAS just a joke and
does the Bahamas government mean that the Bahamas is a paradise concerning
crime, corruption, money laundering, injustice, drug dealing, killing
etc.? Read what Bahamians are saying at www.bahamas-international.net.tc
Nassau- Paradise Island: Atlantis
Beach
NASSAU: Casinos, Crime and Corruption
Paradise Island was once called Hog Island – one should petition the Bahamas government to change the name Nassau in Hog City. Official surveys revealed that many travellers return home very disappointed and the would not recommend the Bahamas to their family members or friends.
I claim that cruise passengers were greeted by a band playing homemade instruments which was really cool but he bad part is that the band was pulling people in to get their pictures taken then insisting that the tourist pay the band for posing. They were also greeted by taxi and horse/buggy drivers, scooter lenders, hair braiders, and merchants who were all extremely aggressive. Not just aggressive in their sales tactics but actually grabbing people and trying to intimidate tourists into buying. Taxi drivers have to have meters in the cabs by law and should be forced to use them.
Many tourists I spoke to claim the strange contrast between rich and poor neighbourhoods in Nassau. One even do not have to pass the location of the 5 star Gray Cliff Hotel at Blue Hill Road or the Police Headquarters at East Street you find already wide spread slums close to the port. Anyhow the growing number of derelict buildings along the eastern end of Bay Street are contributing to a drop in business in the area, where nearly a third of the shop spaces are vacant. Ants are the winner in Nassau´s downtown area. One can easily imagine that you will find termites and ants among others not only in a few houses, shopping arcades, restaurants, hotels and kitchens.
Travellers should not at all surprised when Bahamians might show a friendly attitude towards foreigners. But they do it mostly only as long as they can expect any advantage from them. Even worse: A trip to the Bahamas is always expensive and tourists claim you won´t get the right value for your money. Alleged advantages due to special discounts on cruise ships, cheap prices at the straw market for items produced in China or any savings on rum offers are used up very quick. Bay Street, Straw Market and Potter´s Cay are unsanitary. Complaints touched on everything concerning the straw market from excessive heat, poor lighting and flooding, to unsanitary and claustrophobic conditions. There is only one bathroom for about 3000 people a day.
After 7 pm Nassau is nothing else but death because cruise ship passengers mostly return on board where they have more fun, better food and better entertainment at reasonable prices. I even say that the Dollar has in the Bahamas a value of 50 cents only.
I guess a cruise out into the ocean is not bad, but after getting into the water and above the reef it is really not very good at all. The coral appeared to be dead and fish were nonexistent. Very disappointing for me and the other people who paid 40 dollars a head! After getting back you might visit Paradise Island where the big attraction is the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. It is nice to look at and quite impressive but if you are not staying there it cannot be too much fun. The highlight of a Bahamas trip was looking a high priced hotel?
OK, where many people are living there is crime, stealing and killing too but from my point of view the Bahamas is a small country with about 300 000 inhabitants. This means to me that the crime, stealing and killing rate should absolutely not so high like in New York or Moscow. I personally agree also that the US embassy even published not only once a travel warning at least for spring breakers. A American family lived the most terrifying moments of their lives: "When leaving the hotel room two gunmen with a local accent forced us to return to our room. We were thrown on the floor, they tied our hands and feet, covered our mouths, kicked our bodies and threatened us with their guns demanding "where is the money". After taking our personal property and inflicting on my daughter and my wife the most inhuman and cruel acts, these men left our room and entered the room across ours, where they perpetrated another attack to an American family of two adults and a small child from New York. About 15 minutes later a lady from the Island of Trinidad was also attacked by the same ruthless criminals.
The Bahamas Government should not invest so much money for false advertisements. Less tourists would return disappointed. I am also wondering that Condé Nast Traveler published recently an island report written by Adam Sachs with the headline “Bahamas rising”. In my opinion our judgement will be wrong if we look only at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island or at the Four Season Resort on Great Exuma, which is a gated hotel, away from the real life in the Bahamas. In fact he Bahamas are quite different. If you want to read more about wide spread criminality, corrupt officials, injustice, a legal profession with anti-foreign attitudes, racism, drug trafficking as well as bad service with high prices write us a email. Visit www.reporter.int.tc for Nassau pictures.
Beware
of the Hurricane season
Danny, here is another FREEPORT
trip report
As seasoned and experienced Caribbean travellers, who research before we go, I hate to be extremely disappointed in a place. Grand Bahama truly was a disappointment - now let me explain before anyone goes off on me........Let me preface my report with the following factors: I love the Caribbean and own a home in Salt Cay, TCI; I do Caribbean post and greeting cards - so I love to travel around and shoot pictures for potential cards. I had been to San Salvador before and loved the area.
Now, why did we chose Freeport/Grand Bahama? American had an airfare of $266 RT from California (not Kaliphoneya)........Our trip to Freeport was fortunately uneventful. But it was the start of the big storms on the east coast and the GB weather was affected by it - I don't blame them for the weather or the low water temperature we experienced.........We got by a car from Avis to Paradise Cove about 9:30 pm--it's about a 15 minute drive from the airport. Found it easy enough. Our host greeted us and showed us our 1 bedroom efficiency with a view of the beach through grated (the tightly woven type) windows. Ok. Not much ability to see the view, I understand security.
We asked about food and it was no problem that the Red Deck was long closed for the day - can handle that. I asked about which Snack Shop on the way in would be the best to try and our host said he had no idea he'd never eaten out there. Ok, so we climb back in the car and drive back to Freeport, looking at 8 Mile Rock for food and found the Triple D. You might wonder at first why one would stop at this little unassuming snack shop at 10 pm on a Saturday night in GB - but it had people in it and they had booths to sit in (instead of a snack shop in someone's front yard - seriously) and it was cold out. We were greeted with "Good Night" and thought the place was closing - our waitress laughed and explained that is how they greet at night..........Friendly, reasonable price, excellent food, I heartily recommend the Triple D Restaurant in Eight Mile Rock - do not expect fancy, it is stripped down, plain and bring your own beer kind of place.
We go back to Paradise Cove and wake up to a bright but very cool morning. Wanted to snorkel, but the water temperature was low 70's I'd say and then with the outside air temp and wind it was not for us. Our first "problem" with Paradise Cove were the "no seeums", I believe sand fleas. They literally chased me back into the room. We decided to go to the West End on Sunday and check out the Bahama Bay Club (pretty, expensive) and have late lunch/early dinner in the West End. We asked our host about the West End - he had never been there so he had no idea what to expect or any suggestions.
Vanessa at Bahama Bay recommended Ian's in the yellow building, for lunch. We found the place, but the West End at 1 pm was not just quiet, it was dead - if it was going to liven up, it was going to be a while. So we decided to go into Freeport for a while, check out SkyDive Bahamas and come back. SkyDive Bahamas advertises like crazy in the local mags - but they have no presence on the airport and essentially work out of their home when someone calls - ok. But my skydiving husband was really hoping there was a drop zone that on a Sunday, should have some action. No drop zone.
We then went into Freeport as we hadn't killed enough time for the West End - went to the International Bazaar and found most places closed. Starving by now, we went to Geneva's for lunch - East Mall Drive at Kipling Lane: Again, excellent food - had more cracked conch and again it was to die for. Corey, our bartender, was very hospitable as we ate at the bar and watched a football game. Very quiet day at the restaurant though, a few locals - but obviously a place that the Bahamians like.
By now we didn't care about the West End anymore, our jetlag was catching up so we went back to Paradise Cove. I tried to shoot some pictures, but the no seeum's chased me back to the room again - they are tough critters and seem attracted to Skin so Soft. We watched the Pats/Dolphins game and were glad we weren't in the snow. Next morning we were off to seek out the East End, find a beach place to stay and kick back and explore some more. You got it, our host once again had no clue about the East End. Nice, but no cigar for hosting, sorry.
We made a stop at Winn Dixie to get some provisions for our ice chest (take one of those folding jobs with the liner - Costco) and headed out the Grand Bahama highway. We had it in our minds to stop at Bishops at High Rock, check out the accommodations and heard the food was great. Maybe in the height of high season this is the place to be, but for $100 a night (same with Paradise) we were to get a white tiled room, with white walls and a small TV, a warm refrigerator, no kitchen, and a white beach with no one, I mean NO one around. Mr. Bishop would have been a blast I am sure, to sit and talk to at the bar - but he said he needed to know if we were going to stay. He closes at 5 pm and there would be no food, no bar, no body after that time but us. Great. We decide that is not what we wanted.
We went on to Pelican Point and checked out a place there that was about $80 a night. A rather drunk young couple was already in one of the double wide's rooms, complete with plastic covered couch, having a great time - I felt like banjos should be playing and decided for both of us that I didn't want to spend the night there and with the guests already there - meeting people is one thing.........We went to the East End - and there is nothing there. No place to really stop and meet anyone or stay, especially.
We headed back to Freeport, determined at that point to just find a nice resort place to stay and go from there. As we drove I calculated the cost of staying three more nights, the car, the meals and the toll on our friendship. I called American and paid the $200 for us to change our flight to the next day - and we left Freeport/Grand Bahama the next day, glad to be gone........
Negative Reports from the OUT ISLANDS
A new development has led to rise in crime like stealing, drug trafficking, armed robbery and killing in the Bahamas Out Islands. Some islanders blame an influx of people from Nassau. They are afraid that they will get a lot of riff-raff from Nassau. Exuma businessmen say shop owners are trying to close down before sunset. In the meantime even in the Out Islands people have already burglary bars which you never saw before. New hotels are more and more built as gated communities.
Read in the newspapers that at smaller Bahamian airports airplanes were stolen by Bahamians, a team of detectives has flown into Rum Cay for instance to probe an arson attack that destroyed a $300,000 plane or another plane was found in Columbia...... Be careful that you are not approached to purchase drugs by one of the locals even if you are approached for this purpose 6 times in five days.
Travellers with experiences mostly do not agree what is sometimes published on certain message boards. One can read that Pink Sands for instance is a choice if you are looking for a wide beach. Wantsomesun is debating the merits of Pink Sands on Harbour Island. Attention: You won't find our previous thread because for some reason the moderator deleted the entire thread; odd, no rules were broken. This hotel is so run down yet receives such great reviews that I no longer trust Conde Nast or Fodors. Pink Sands is in SERIOUS NEED OF UPDATING! The furniture in the rooms looked like Caribbean blue painted garage sale purchases, and the bathroom was more disgusting than my college dorm. However, the restaurant has an appealing eclectic decor and fine fare. Many report that they were disappointed, considering the motive to spare others.
Other reports are saying that they would not recommend Treasure Cay on Abaco. Similar to Pink Sands they claim the high prices and hidden charges for accommodation and food. We were part of a group of eight couples for a mini-college reunion - and we spent at least $10,000 for four nights at $250 per couple per night, plus food, bar, etc. We were in a separate part of the resort called the villas. The villas were $500 per night, so two couples were in each villa. The villas have one large bed - not even a queen, and two twins. Service was mediocre - the staff was not welcoming or well trained -, and the food was average as well. There was only one restaurant choice on the property for dinner; lunch was served on the beach or at the main restaurant. There were a lot of hidden charges - such as $40 per day rental on golf carts to take you around the property, which we were not informed of up front.
Treasure Cay is not near anything, so if you wanted to go off the property to a different restaurant for example (nothing is in walking distance) there was a taxi charge, which was quite substantial. Several in our party had low or no water pressure in their villas; also, there were some problems with ants. There is no night life to speak of, if that is what you are interested in. While we were able to cook or have breakfast in our villas (which had a full kitchen), be aware that everything is shipped to the island and is thus very expensive - ice was $4 per bag, orange juice was over $5 for a half gallon, etc. This is the place to go if none of the above bothers you - the setting is gorgeous (but there are LOTS of beautiful beaches in the world) and you really can get away from it all here. We had the beach to ourselves. But don't go expecting a world class resort, despite what the brochure tells you!
Where ever you wish to go to check the island, the property and prices in advance with you local travel agent! Glossy brochures which are published by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism won´t tell you always the truth. Read also the deleted messages which are published at www.my-caribbean-on-line.net.tc, www.fodorstalk.net.tc or www.parsimony.net.tc for instance.