Escape the Blizzard: Nassau, Bahamas
This article kicks off a four part series on balmy winter weekend getaways. Get ready to kick off your snow boots, dig up some bikinis and flip flops, and jet off to a beachy paradise! Living in Virginia last winter, I had reached my breaking point. I was raised in Florida, and was clearly not cut out to shovel snow, scrape icy windshields, or wear pants. I’m 100% on #teambikini all year long.
With the threat of an impending snowstorm, I started frantically looking for last minute cruises…and stumbled upon a cheap cruise from Miami down to Nassau, Bahamas. It was perfect—and to top it off, it coincided with MLK, so no vacation days needed.
Nassau is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas; the city is located on the island of New Providence and is a popular cruise ship stop, especially for cruise ships coming from Florida. Nassau has a ton to offer – you can find everything from your typical tourist shopping to stunning beaches and snorkeling.
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If you, like me, are anti-winter and need a brief reprieve into the land of happiness, sunshine, and white sand beaches, a quick cruise or a Bahamian weekend getaway are cheap, easy, and best of all, require little to no vacation days. When you make it to Nassau, I have the perfect sun-filled itinerary for you. **Note that my definition of “perfect” also included a decent amount of stumbling around lost, but honestly, being lost in Nassau, Bahamas isn’t so bad. Just stop, have some rum, and life will be looking up in no time. Now read along for my suggestions, and feel free to stop and insert “get lost & drink rum” where you see fit.
Part 1: Sail & Snorkel
There’s nothing I love more than a morning on the water, so my first stop is a sail & snorkel combo. Catch a catamaran near the main docks to go snorkeling over a majestic coral reef. I even saw an eel! After your “under the sea” adventure, re-board the catamaran and enjoy a beautiful sail back to Nassau with tropical rum punch in hand—an excellent way to cap off any morning.
Pro tip: If you’re coming in on a cruise, find a charter not through your cruise line. It will likely be cheaper, less crowded, and take you to a quieter snorkeling spot (which means more fish!) I’d recommend checking out this Catamaran Sail & Eco-Snorkel Tour. If you’re more of a fisherman, definitely look into a half or full day fishing charter. Personally, fishing puts me to sleep, but my dad absolutely loves fishing down there, so you’ll have to take his word for it!
Part 2: Conch Fritters
Snorkeling and sailing are obviously super hard work, and by the time you get off the boat, you will probably have quite an appetite (or that might just be me, but go with it anyway—this next part is delicious!)
When you’re in the Bahamas, you have to eat conch fritters! With all of the fresh conch around, it tastes so much better than in the States, so don’t pass it up. The best way to find delicious conch is to follow where the locals go (but not in a creepy, stalker-ish way, because that’s weird. Don’t be the weird girl.) I stumbled upon a little shack over the water where I enjoyed some authentic conch. Yummy!
If you’re looking for more organized excursions, Nassau also offers a rum & historical culinary walking tour; if rum’s not your thing, you can also opt for a food tasting & walking tour of the city.
Part 3: Explore Nassau
Next up is strolling the streets (this is the part where I got lost). There is so much to see—downtown is home to cute, colorful shops that offer plenty of window shopping opportunities. Another option is to hop over to Paradise Island (where Atlantis is) and explore that area. It’s nice not to have too much of plan at this point, and just explore the island.
Part 4:Drink Rum!
End the day at Señor Frogs, grab a couple piña coladas, and toast to a wonderful, sunny day in Nassau. It’s definitely touristy, but boasts a fun atmosphere, decent burgers, and incredibly entertaining people watching. It seems to be the unofficial bachelorette party headquarters of the island.
Does this already sound better than dealing with chilly January temps and dirty snow? I thought so…hop on a flight down to Nassau, Bahamas and have fun in the sun next weekend! If you have a few days in Nassau, I’d recommend checking out parasailing, going on a jet ski adventure, and taking a ride on a banana boat!
Logistics
Cheap flights: I’d recommend searching through eDreams.net. They scan tons of different travel discount sites and feature special flight deals.
Hotel Deals: My top choice is probably Expedia.com—I’ve found some insanely cheap (and beautiful) hotels. If you’re looking to avoid hotels and go the hostel route, I recommend checking out Hostelworld-there are only a couple options in Nassau, but worth it if you’re a budget traveler.
This looks amazing! Definitely love escaping the blizzards- looking forward to the next in this series!
Thanks! I’m totally anti-winter so even a quick weekend getaway is wonderful 🙂
This looks amazing! xxx
Thanks Midori! I could definitely think of worse places to be in January 🙂
I’m with you, I’d choose warmer climes every time!
Every day! Stay tuned for next week, I’ll be doing another sunny weekend escape 🙂
Well this is unfair, because I’m about to go to -20 degrees to ski…and now I’m wondering if visiting the Bahamas would have been a better idea hehe. The sunshine, those beaches…like a dream!
Hahah if you’re going skiing, I’d avoid pictures of palm trees!! But have fun in the snow 🙂
I love Virginia, I used to work in Busch Gardens as an exchange program when I was at university! I’m thinking of taking a last minute cruise from Miami or maybe San Juan. How do you recommend I go about finding a good last minute deal?
So funny! Virginia is wonderful in the summer but super chilly for me in the winter hah. If you want a cheap cruise, I’ve had a ton of luck with Priceline. Look at their last minute deals 🙂
Rum and conch fritters. I’m sold! I live in Florida and have also lived in Virginia and totally here you about that shoveling snow. LOL
I know, right? Those conch fritters are seriously to die for
Love the little restaurants over the water. Great pictures and I need to get there now.
Haha thanks! Hope you can make it down for a weekend 🙂
I love Nassau. Last time I went, I stayed at Atlantis and had the best time. I can’t wait to go back!
Nice, I bet Atlantis was awesome! Any tips for there?
Yes, I actually have a blog post about it (just search for Atlantis on my blog). I really loved it there.
My husband is like a fish in the water and just loves to snorkel. He is definitely going to add this to his bucket list!
Awesome! I’m sure y’all will enjoy some amazing snorkeling down there 🙂
Heck yes to #4! I’d love to make it to the Bahamas one day – conch fritters sound interesting…do they taste like calamari?
Conch fritters are basically conch shaped into a ball form and fried. They’re not really like calamari, but definitely a seafood taste. I actually like them more than calamari!
I am going to the Bahamas in April to volunteer for a month so this is very useful! I can’t wait, it looks and sounds like a place I am going to love! 🙂
Yes you will definitely love it! Enjoy your trip 🙂
I want to go – noooowww!!! 😀 😀
Nice pictures!
Thanks! Every time I see them I want to go back too haha 🙂
Never been to the Bahamas. I’ve been to Barbados twice. Maybe one day I’ll get to visit. Your pictures are lovely. Nice post. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! It’s pretty similar to Barbados. I love weekend getaways in the Caribbean 🙂
My sister lived on Barbados for two years, maybe more actually – might have been three. She works for DFID, a UK Government AID Organisation.
Very cool, I didn’t know that was down there. I visited a few months ago and it was beautiful!
Hmmm…Drink Rum. I think we need to practice that part. Yeah…lots of practice needed. 🙂 Fun post! We loved the Bahamas, but never actually made it over to Atlantis. Obviously, we need to go back and try again. #FeetDoTravel
Haha everyone needs to practice the run portion I think 🙂 The whole world would be a lot happier lol
From Europe it’s just a bit too far for a little getaway! So sorry 🙁
Visited the Bahamas many many years ago and this post make us want to go back. Great photos! #feetdotravel