Cruise ship passengers have also described Nassau as being dirty and even the origin of recent diseases. They say Nassau ranks lowest of all cruise destinations in passenger satisfaction. This even confirms a caribbean cruise executive. I guess not only downtown improvements would be necessary, the center of Nassau needs also a urgent master plan. Overnight visitors and hotel guests claim the strange contrast between rich and poor neighborhoods 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.
 

Citizens are proud to be Bahamian and travelers 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 or any savings on rum offers are used up very quick. The people of Nassau were also arguing and fighting with themselves as they tried to undercut each other on the spot. All of this plus the garbage floating in the beautiful clear blue water made a very bad first impression. Things did not get much better. The famous Straw Market was basically a big flea market with more of the same aggressive locals trying to force you into paying 60 dollars for a dress after you had said no 5 times already.
 

Bahamians tell you what you want. And they say this is the Bahamas. They tell you that you will find the best beach in the world and the even best duty-free prices as well. I do not recommend to do any downtown business and to have the hassle of carrying crystal and china home. Do you want to argue with a salesgirls of Colombian Emeralds International (CEI) saying that you can save this or that for the same thing in the US? Do you really want to save a few per cent on designer jewellery? And is it worth to stroll along Bay Street? Three days before the second anniversary of the September 4, 2001 Straw Market  Fire, flames again threatened to engulf Nassau´s commercial centre. The building in question,  most recently the site of Victor´s T-shirt Depot retail store, was a quite significant  structure. The building is listed as possessing historical value but being in very bad condition since years. 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.
 

Would it be wrong if I say Nassau is a permanent home for ants, termites, mouses and rats. Scubagirl will give the right answer: We are in a propical country. Some people might say burn the whole town down because nowhere you´ll find a attractive and claen place to rest and to relax. Just paint and engaging exterminators won´t solve the long lasting  problems specially in the downtown area. The Nassau yellow pages show a lot of pest control companies. They guaranty best work concerning tent  fumigation, subterranean termites treatment, control of roaches and rodents. Even for new construction you need a foundation soil poisoning. And do not forget to repeat some jobs monthly or quarterly. The picture demonstrate that even a tent fumigation cannot bring always the expected results. 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.
 

Unfortunately specially Fridays and Saturdays you won´t get your Barcardi feeling due to thousands of  cruise ship passengers looking for some cheap souvenirs produced in China or Taiwan. The first thing you will notice about the downtown area is the way people drive. The streets are very narrow and people drive like maniacs. I have been to many large cities and have never seen people tearing around without any regard for safety. Tourists ask if they have a speed limit or police here? Obviously not, as there was major drug selling going on in broad daylight in front of stores and in most bars/restaurants. The Planet Hollywood in Nassau is so bad we got up and left after attempting to get lunch, a lady claimed. Downtown Nassau is only good if you need to buy cheap alcohol...none of which interest me much.
 

Bahamians are very proud of 4 Million visitors -  every year! But this figure is not an evidence that Nassau is a nice destination. Most of cruise passengers stay only a few hours in town and most have to because they are on tour. Some tourists arriving by air will apply for the People-to-People programme. Selected volunteers are available in Nassau and Freeport. They come from all walks of life and undergo an eligibility screening prior to becoming enrolled. Visitors are mostly matched with residents of similar age groups, interests and professions. But be  sure that they cannot take any advantage out of those relationships. About 95 per cent of the population are colored people – discussions about racism towards white people are put strictly under the rug. 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.
 

Tourists claim: 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. At Potter´s Cay you cannot enter the bathroom due to the unbearable  scent. And people make water even on some parking lots off Bay Street. After repeatedly lifting the lid on unsanitary practices in several food establishments Ministry of Health hopefully will think about a new system of inspections in restaurants and hotels. Tourists visiting restaurants located in the Mackey Street or some East Bay Street Eateries claim that something need to be done. A good advice came from Canadian tourist: There the Ministry of Health inspects and gives a report card which must be visible displayed to prospective clients. This report card system is 3-tiered and gives a green card for establishments that meet health and safety criteria, a yellow warning with a date by which improvements must be made, and a red which effective closes the restaurant until such time as corrections are made. This seems to have worked very well despite initial opposition to the scheme.
 

My only advice for leaving your ship would be visiting the Rawson square, ignore the straw market and shops at  Bay Street but take some pictures, have a frozen drink at Twin Brothers,  Parliament Street or relax at Harbourside,  Hilton Hotel. You might decide to head out on a snorkeling trip to escape all the madness. The 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 disapointing for me and the other 50 people who payed 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 hotel?
 

Many visitors say that Atlantis Resort and Casino is overpriced with not much entertainment of daily activities  or the hotel facilities have not been as good as they expected. Returning  travelers to the Coral Tower miss the former theater with its well known shows and the sports bar with its live bands. Some hotels do not get additional business because the visitor won´t tell someone he had a great time here that is the wow factor. Many hotels are fare away from what  they need: a satisfaction rating of 95 per cent or higher because this is what is needed to sustain the growth of any industry. The Bahamas government is saying that this little island nation is the right destination year round. But this is a lie, because in the summer it is too hot and you have to consider the risk of a hurricane from June til November. I personally recommend middle March till middle May and a few weeks middle of October till middle of November. The Caribbean Sea can churn out a tropical storm formation even in December like it was in 2003. This is also important for cruise ship travellers. During Christmas season the hotels are mostly fully booked but unfortunately I have to warn you that it can be sometimes to cold at the beach as well as rainy. Check always the latest weather news before you make your bookings.
 

Sol Kerzner -  Atlantis Resort and Casino - called Nassau International Airport one of the worst airports in the world. The airport, because of the substantial sum of money that  will  have to be spent on the runway, integrating the physical facilities into one major airport and making it more functional, we thought we have to absolutely careful on our approach to how we staff the airport authority and how we manage the airport, said the Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie. Still the Bahamas government need mostly a lot of pressure from  foreigners till improvements proceed. Therefore I kindly ask you to tell your friends if you would not make a second trip to the Bahamas. More important is to write complaints to hotel managers and newspapers or write your negative comments to certain bulletin boards or to Obie Wilchcombe, the Bahamas Minister of Tourism. Unfortunately they closed the forum at the ministries website due to too many negative postings.
 

Honestly some message boards make me angry. There are sometimes “sandflies”, “hotel owners” or “government spies” or how should I call them? I do not know but what you get are wrong informations. This is a part of the false advertising. They do not mind to give you the impression that you will find an interesting nightlife in the Bahamas. They tell you that they have ongoing events at Arawak Cay in Nassau or at the Lucayan Market place n Grand Bahama but if you ask to published a real timetable for the following week than they won´t tell you because nothing will happen for days. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Official publishes a calendar of ongoing events. Helpful is also the travel magazine What´s on which you can free at the airport, in hotel or shops. Nightlife might not be what you expect. Long time visitors claim that there’s a shortage of nightspots and local talents to make a vacation day last long after twilight. Scubagirl recommended a nightclub called Bahama Boom Beach Club. Sounds good but I in fact to me it was disappointing. I only say: Highly unsanitary and the beach will be at certain days a little place in the center of the dancing floor.
 

I mean to call Cabbage Beach one of the nicest beaches in the world is also not what I understand as true informations. Even at the area where Atlantis is located you find too much garbage. A lot of dirt you will find at most of the public beaches. Visiting tourists are given the impression that  Bahamians do not care for their environment. Broken glass is a danger to  children and pets, plastic bags can clog up boat engine´s cooling system, causing  damage   to motor vessels at sea. Six pack rings have a life expectancy of 450 years in sea water can  become a deadly noose for sea birds and fish. Plastic bags appear to some marine feeders and can cause them to choke, block intestines or cause infection. I guess Atlantis guests could expect a cleaner beach. I personally expect even more palm trees to be able to rest in the shade. On another forum a guy with the name “wantsomesun” published a comment concerning palm trees at Radisson, Cable Beach, and Pink Sands, Harbour Island, saying you will find a lot of shade. There was also a discussion about hotel prices because some people recommend hotels not mentioning that you have to pay a couple of hundred dollars up to 2100 a night. On those message boards you might get also the advice to book Compass Point out West hiding that this hotel is located right on a main road, close to the airport and 10 miles away from other tourist activities.

I tell you the truth: In my opinion Paradise Island is already overpopulated and there are additional investments going on. On the other hand there is the question where would the Bahamas be had one not left behind the strong investment projects that now carry the economy, including the Atlantis Resort, Emerald Bay, Sandals and others? Not only a few smaller hotels suffer from the impact Kerzner International´s  Atlantis resort has on the hotel industry. To promote the islands of the Bahamas as the nearest point to the States might be not enough if we consider negative news about crime, corruption, missing, kidnapped and killed people or sea tragedies. Another problem is richness and poverty are close together at the foot of the Paradise Island Bridge. May be we should understand the people point of view if a local might say “if you take that picture than I will kill you”.
 

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. Tourists have to be aware that the Bahamas is America´s bad neighbor. The former U.S. Ambassador in the Bahamas, J. Richard Blankenship, said that “the more violent crime creeps up, the less secure they will feel, hence, the less the economy will prosper." He spoke out publicly on several occasions that there were certain times when bad news should be delivered and during these times, he does not intend to lie or mislead the people, especially when it comes to crime and drugs. "I will keep reminding people of the evils of drugs and what crime can do to a community and how it can harm specially the tourist industry". I personally agree that the US embassy even published the second time a travel warning at least for spring breakers.
 

The Royal Bahamas Police does not like if you take pictures their high speed boats which they need to catch drug dealers. Sometimes you hear their heavy engines and those from helicopters during nighttime when drug dealers with their high speed boats want to enter the islands. The Bahamas remains among 23 nations considered major drug transshipment points by the United States. Drugs you can buy even downtown Nassau in from of various shops. Former US Ambassador Richard Blankenship claimed that once a drug vessel was confiscated and brought to Prince George Dock in Nassau but some of the drugs on the way to the Coral Harbour Base disappeared. And where is this happening? In the Bahamas. I remember that the government didn't do a thing about this Inagua scandal, for 10 years, until the United States forced the Bahamas government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the confiscated drugs.
 

Read for instance the „Nassau Guardian“, one the bigger newspapers: A weekend spate of crime, including  armed robberies and a murder, continued on Monday and Tuesday with a number of a new offences being added to the police blotter. The Colony Club Resort on St. Alban´s Drive West Bay Street was robbed of some $ 2000 in cash. Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant was robbed Monday night around 8.55 p.m. Mum, 20, found murdered and naked in tub. Guns found in bushes off highway. A 51-year-old employee of McCartney´s Auto reported that sometime around 9.33 p.m. , he was at the establishment, when he was approached by a lone gunman who demanded cash..... and any answer from the Royal Bahamas Police about one of the tragic events that occurred summer 2003 when two American families and a third person Trinidad, were attacked at gun point in three separate hotel rooms at the Nassau Beach Hotel in Cable Beach, Nassau? The police report: "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". For the next 20 minutes as hostages, we lived the most terrifying moments of our lives when these criminals immediately searched our suitcases, throwing its contents all over the floor, insulted us and kept repeating that they would kill us at any time. 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.
 

I do not know anymore if the Police are extremely concerned by a rise in stabbings - a phenomenon that they say is a direct result of the declining ability of Bahamians to deal with domestic conflict. Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson said that dealing with such an  alarming issue would take a combination of enforcement and education. In the Bahamas is a  need to educate people about the dangers of knives and of how to deal with conflicts. I red in the Freeport News that even Prime Minister Perry Christie admitted that there is too much crime in The Bahamas. And BBC News confirms that in the past few years the murder rate has been rising alarmingly, and although the penalty for murder in the Bahamas is death, few convicted killers have been hanged.
 

Due to tourists from America, Canada and Europe have been also killed Bahamas travelers should frankly consider „more caution is better in the Bahamas“. And what is the Bahamas Attorney General doing? I do not want to answer that question but from my point of view it is a shame that a Attorney General demonstrating the public what crime, corruption towards foreigners is is also Minister of Education. There are many issues really showing what irresponsible, unethical persons the Attorney General and the Prime Minister are, that they do not address very valid and very serious allegations of corruption in the legal profession.

It also shows the criminal mindset and lack of true Christian morals that too many Bahamians have, when they do not demand an investigation into serious matters. I did not hear only once that a Bahamian habit towards foreigners is to treat tourists and foreign investors bad. And now read carefully: “Foreigners have been ripping off Bahamians off for a long time and we do it now in return!”
 

In case you have red my report up to here you can be sure that you know more than any other tourist traveling to the Bahamas. Honestly this is my intention because I do not like false advertising. The Bahamas Ggovernment invests a lot of money for the good reputation of the country but you should not believe so much in Bahamas supplements which appears regularly in the Washington Times or Business Week for instance which are merely advertorial material and not written by real journalists. They would not publish those articles without paid advertisements. Take care what you read about the Bahamas. From my point of view the US embassy should publish a investment warning as well. How does it  come that not one of Bahamian lawyers who would represent drug dealers, murderers, rapist and the scum of the earth won´t want to help certain white foreigners? Many of them have been burned by the corrupt legal system in the Bahamas. It is truly amazing that a few honest lawyers have not tried to separate themselves. Not only a few Bahamians think that the majority of the society are "racist" and "rude" toward visitors. Bahamians only care about the tourist and foreign investor "$". Once again – I appologize that I did not publish this report in proper English. I would be glad if I would have made you burst sometimes into laugh. But still: It bis NOT better in the Bahamas.