Best SAFE, FREE beach for families to use in Nassua?

[loveysbydesign]

Well we were originally planning to go to the Sheraton for the day(we cruise in mid October) but due to finances($700 to fix car, front porch roof blew off from storm and had to be fixed etc.) we are extremely limited on funds. :(

We were only in Nassua one other time in May of 2006 and it thunderstormed the entire day we were there so we never made it to the beach.:mad:

So this time we'd love to take out kids toa SAFE, free beach. We don't need chair or umbrella rentals as we only plan to stay on the beach for about 3 hours and my kids are always, go, go, go so no time to hang out in a chairs. A blanket on the beach is all we need and we'll have that with us :D Bathrooms would be a plus as well.

So should I lean towards Junkanoo or is there some other beach you'd recommend?:confused:

[lovinacruise]

Well we were originally planning to go to the Sheraton for the day(we cruise in mid October) but due to finances($700 to fix car, front porch roof blew off from storm and had to be fixed etc.) we are extremely limited on funds. :(

We were only in Nassua one other time in May of 2006 and it thunderstormed the entire day we were there so we never made it to the beach.:mad:

So this time we'd love to take out kids toa SAFE, free beach. We don't need chair or umbrella rentals as we only plan to stay on the beach for about 3 hours and my kids are always, go, go, go so no time to hang out in a chairs. A blanket on the beach is all we need and we'll have that with us :D Bathrooms would be a plus as well.

So should I lean towards Junkanoo or is there some other beach you'd recommend?:confused:

We will be in Nassau 10/31/11 and we will also have kiddos in tow. After much research I would not suggest Junkanoo. I hear the water is rough and water shoes are needed due to glass on the beach. We have decided to take a $1.25 bus ride over to the Sherton Hotel and get a day pass. $25 for adults and $12.50 for the kids. It's the best, safest, cleanest, cheapest beach I can find.

Just my 2 cents.

[scubagirrl]

We will be in Nassau 10/31/11 and we will also have kiddos in tow. After much research I would not suggest Junkanoo. I hear the water is rough and water shoes are needed due to glass on the beach. We have decided to take a $1.25 bus ride over to the Sherton Hotel and get a day pass. $25 for adults and $12.50 for the kids. It's the best, safest, cleanest, cheapest beach I can find.

Just my 2 cents.

 

 

Junkanoo beach doesn't have rough water at all. It's calm, clean and crystal clear.

I've never needed water shoes or sandals of any type.

I know there was a post about someone finding glass.. It's a public beach, it could happen, but it's certainly not strewn with glass.

 

Sheraton is a great options, but for those who don't want to spend the money for amentiies and lifeguards, Junkanoo offers a great alternative.

[loveysbydesign]

We would love to do the Dheraton but it's just not an option for us right now. I had read that Cabbage Beach has rough waters but not Junkanoo!

[SteelerCruiser]

We would love to do the Dheraton but it's just not an option for us right now. I had read that Cabbage Beach has rough waters but not Junkanoo!

 

The water is much better at Junkanoo and Calm. Cabbage is a nice free Beach but the water and waves can be rough at times. Plus you can walk to Junkanoo for no charge and cabbage which is located next to Atlantis you would probaly need to take a Taxi ($8 pp round trip) or Water taxi ($6 pp round trip).

[OklaCruiserMom]

Is the beach you guys are referring to as Junkanoo the same as Western Esplanade?

[scubagirrl]

Is the beach you guys are referring to as Junkanoo the same as Western Esplanade?

 

Yes, it's the same. Tourist office renamed it to be more "tourist friendly".

[OklaCruiserMom]

I thought so. I have been trying to think what we might do in Nassau. It's such a short stop, we will probably just get off the ship, go straight to the pirate museum, (glancing around at all the government buildings as we go) then get to Ardastra in time for the 10:30 flamingo show, then grab a snack on Arawak Cay and go to Junkanoo for a bit. I'd like to see Potter's Cay, but not sure the kids would be up for walking that much.

[Brastal]

I thought so. I have been trying to think what we might do in Nassau. It's such a short stop, we will probably just get off the ship, go straight to the pirate museum, (glancing around at all the government buildings as we go) then get to Ardastra in time for the 10:30 flamingo show, then grab a snack on Arawak Cay and go to Junkanoo for a bit. I'd like to see Potter's Cay, but not sure the kids would be up for walking that much.

 

 

Wow, that sounds like my kind of day and I have been trying to figure out what we will do while there! Thanks for this info!

[lds26]

How does one get to Junkanoo??? Ill be there with my 6 yr old and we wanna hit the beach.

[loveysbydesign]

We just got back from our cruise and we did walk to Junkanoo Beach.

 

Once inside the building at the port I asked the lady at the desk for directions just to make sure we were going the right way. She said to go out and go up one block(to a less busy street and to skip Senor Frogs) and follow it to the right and walk a few block and around the front of the BCH. We did that, walk was easy, we felt safe. The only thing that bothered us was all the exhaust fumes from the cars, it made my one child feel sick but he was fine once we got to the beach.

 

Once at the beach we piled our stuff up by a palm tree and hit the water. There are some bits of broken glass but they were far and few in between and most had smooth edges. One lady asked about hairbraiding and I said no thank you, no one else pestered us. We were there for about 2 hours, it was pretty empty as it was cloudy and spritzed a little on us.

It was great for a cheap excursion. we did stop and get postcards a few other things at a shop on the way back.

[Janine]

I was just at Junkanoo Beach on Wednesday and did not see any broken glass. There was a gentleman walking along the shore cleaning up seaweed (which comes up on all beaches). The police station is across the street and we felt totaly safe. There are a few vendor there for refreshments and a lady did approach us to see if we wanted our hair braided. We simply said no thank you and she went on her way.

 

Real easy to walk to Junkanoo Beach and took about 15 minutes. There were a couple of sections where the sidewalk was uneven - but not a big deal. The best part about the beach -> it was free!

[Matt&Carolyn]

This sounds like a great option for us! Thanks for all the info!

[LindaJean]

Junkanoo Beach sounds good. Are there any public restrooms close to the area?

[Janine]

Junkanoo Beach sounds good. Are there any public restrooms close to the area?

 

Yes, there are public restrooms on the beach. It's a grey stone building with light green trim. They also have a changing room and shower.

[LaShelle2]

We did Junakanoo in April. BEach was fine, water was clear and calm and shallow enough for the kids. It was too cold for me though, but kids are more tolerant than us lol.

 

Was very impressed by the clean restrooms and showers considering the beach was free.

 

Was close to ship, but you may want to splurge on the Jitney. Wetook the jitney to the very end of his route and back. We made friends with the locals and got a free island tour of sorts. They were happy to explain things and we compared USAA and Bahamas prices, etc.

 

The driver even stopped for us to take photos and picked some local fruit for us to sample that was growing along the road.

 

Being nice pays off! Don't be a snooty tourist :-)

 

we tipped the jitney driver welll btw.

 

I think we ended up paying about $4-5EACH because we stayed on the jitney longer than a normal ride. Was worth it!

[jen&samcantwait]

I've been to Junkanoo once before with kids, it was ok, but nothing really amazing, plus my boys were begging to be able to jump off the big concrete pier with all the other crazies :rolleyes:.

 

This time, going to take the water taxi over to Cabbage Beach, consider being on the water, heading towards Atlantis will be an experience to remember, where else are you able to take a water taxi????

[mrobstad]

We will be in Nassau 10/31/11 and we will also have kiddos in tow. After much research I would not suggest Junkanoo. I hear the water is rough and water shoes are needed due to glass on the beach. We have decided to take a $1.25 bus ride over to the Sherton Hotel and get a day pass. $25 for adults and $12.50 for the kids. It's the best, safest, cleanest, cheapest beach I can find.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Twice now I have rented mopeds and driven to what I believe is Cable Beach before the hotels. It is free and on the bus stop route, about 10 mins. from port. No tourists were there, no vendors, no amenities. Just native Nassau families. My moped broke down and the locals were very helpful. Perhaps I was naive to not be fearful, but like I said, everyone was lovely.

[scubagirrl]

Twice now I have rented mopeds and driven to what I believe is Cable Beach before the hotels. It is free and on the bus stop route, about 10 mins. from port. No tourists were there, no vendors, no amenities. Just native Nassau families. My moped broke down and the locals were very helpful. Perhaps I was naive to not be fearful, but like I said, everyone was lovely.

 

 

I don't recommend mopeds these days.. between all the new road construction and the crime/robberies and assaults outside the tourist areas, I recommend that you stay IN the tourist areas and don't wander in to places you don't know.

 

Hotel day passes are the most recommended, or free beaches like Junkanoo or Saunders Beach on Bay Street/ Junkanoo has the most amenities and is best for families.

Except for the summer months, you won't find local families enjoying the beach.