NEW PROVIDENCE ISLAND
Area: Bahamas


Location:
In Atlantic Ocean, roughly one-third of way down Bahamas Archipelago. 183 mls SE of Miami, Florida. 126 mls SE of Freeport, Grand Bahama. International airport 9 mls SW of capital Nassau.

Telephone code from UK:
1 242

Website:
http://www.bahamas.com

Position:
Encircled by other major Bahamian islands; about midway between Andros and Eleuthera to W and E respectively. At greater distance, Grand Bahama and Abaco to N; Exumas and more remote Out Islands to S.

Description:
Measuring 21 mls by 7 mls, New Providence Island is one of the smaller of the Bahamian Islands, yet it is their heart and hub _ both commercially and strategically. It is the location of the country's capital, Nassau, and home to two-thirds of Bahamians. Governed by Britain from the early 18th century, New Providence Island has a lively history of piracy, slavery, invasions, colonialism, settlement by British Loyalists fleeing America after the War of Independence and rum-running during Prohibition. Though gaining independence in 1973, British influence and heritage are still clear to see. The island is flat with a couple of large lakes in the centre. Everything that matters is in NASSAU on the NE coast. The centre of town is compact and bustling with life _ and traffic. Rawson Square, with its tourist information office, is the main gathering place for visitors near the huge Prince George Wharf, which can berth 8 cruise liners. The harbour was the original reason for Nassau's existence and cruise passengers certainly form its commercial lifeblood now. But few tourists arriving by air will choose to stay right in town. The 2 major tourist areas are Cable Beach, about 4 mls W, and Paradise Island, just off the coast and linked by a couple of toll bridges. CABLE BEACH has been a prime residential area since the 1900s, with the first hotels being built in the 1940s. It is really no more than a few miles of busy, dusty dual carriageway with a row of large beachfront hotels clustered around the Crystal Palace Casino (part of Marriott Resort). The gambling plus the beach and adjacent golf course have kept American customers rolling in for years, but there is little else of interest in the immediate vicinity. PARADISE ISLAND, though about 6 mls long, has most of its attractions concentrated in the centre. It was specifically developed as a tourist resort in the 1960s; well laid out and with lots of space, it enjoyed a reputation for peace and calm away from busy Nassau. In 1994 all that changed when Sun International, the South African hotel and casino chain, acquired 70% of the island, including several of its largest hotels, the casino and golf course. It built the huge Atlantis Complex, marina and a second road bridge and changed the face of the whole resort. Paradise Island now competes with central Nassau and Cable Beach for liveliness. Visitors staying elsewhere on the island will find themselves in peaceful isolation and mainly reliant on the facilities of their own hotel for entertainment.

Suitability:
Predominantly American, with most hotels and a whole lifestyle very much to match. Holidays here are relatively expensive so those British who do visit tend to be middle to upmarket couples and honeymooners. Paradise Island is better laid out and probably the resort with widest appeal for British visitors. Cable Beach has brasher nightlife and entertainment. Nassau is a port of call on nearly all Caribbean cruises.

Accommodation:
This island, more than other Bahamian islands, has seen a frenzy of activity in recent years, with hotels sold, refurbished, built, rebuilt, renamed and amalgamated to present completely new stock of accommodation. Most offerings on UK market tend to be at top end of range and fairly pricey; there are cheaper hotels and even guesthouses, but you will have to visit independently to utilise them. Many of the higher-rated operations are run by American chains for American clients, so tend to be large with lots of facilities and activities. Limited self catering and some all-inclusives.

Shopping:
Bay Street in central Nassau is lined with boutiques and larger shops selling clothes, jewellery, perfume and all manner of upmarket goods at duty-free prices. The Straw Market there sells wide variety of items _ from hats to handbags _ hand-woven from straw, a speciality of the islands; not all straw goods are locally made, however, so look carefully for Asian labels or stamps. Other souvenirs, seashells and T-shirts are all available and prices are negotiable.

Beach:
The trump card of island (and whole of Bahamas) with long stretches of white coral sand, usually right outside your hotel. Paradise Island has 3 mls of Cabbage Beach on its N shore, Paradise Beach farther W and smaller ones on S shore, like Casuarina Beach at Club Med. Cable Beach has another 3-ml expanse, but is much busier with 7 large hotels situated right on it, water sports and hawkers. Caves, Orange Hill and Love beaches are all farther W along N coast and get busy at weekends. South Ocean Beach on SW coast serves the lone hotel in that area. Nassau itself also has reasonable sands on Western Esplanade with snack bar and changing rooms. Plenty of other strands all round island if you have private transport.

Entertainments:
Daytime: water-related activities predominate, including sailing, water-skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, snorkelling and scuba diving (several certified schools). Golf courses. Horse riding. Tennis. Squash. Sightseeing in Nassau covers Parliament Square and its fine colonial buildings (Parliament, Supreme Court, public library and museum) and monuments (statue of Queen Victoria, Garden of Remembrance etc). Also near centre are 18th-century Balcony House, oldest remaining wooden house in Nassau; Government House, residence of the governor-general; Gregory Arch; and Pompey (slavery) Museum. For fine view over whole town, climb Queen's Staircase up to Fort Fincastle and its water tower _ at 200 ft above sea level, the island's highest point. Junkanoo (carnival) exhibition; Pirates of Nassau museum. Places of interest elsewhere on New Providence are detailed under "Local Excursions", below. Nightlife: 2 huge casinos at the Marriott (at Cable Beach) and Atlantis (on Paradise Island). These resort areas and Nassau itself have plenty to do at night, including smart nightclubs, discos, full-blown Las Vegas-style spectaculars, Caribbean shows, lower-key live music and karaoke. Some hotels have in-house entertainment.

Eating:
Very wide selection, from local eateries to haute cuisine, including Italian, Indian, Scandinavian and Chinese. Meat is imported and expensive but fruit is abundant. Fish is the local speciality, especially all possible variants of the large chewy conch (pronounced "conk"): conch fritters, conch chowder (soup), conch salad and cracked conch (beaten and fried _ or is it battered and battered?) and more. This large mollusc's beautiful pink shell is actually far nicer than the taste or texture of its flesh; grouper is far more to British taste. Eating out is fairly expensive and a nondiscretionary "gratuity" of 15% is normally added to all bills.

Public-transport:
Bus service runs from central Nassau to Cable Beach and beyond as far as Lyford Cay. On Paradise Island, free casino shuttle circulates but only for clients of Sun International hotels, ie Atlantis and Ocean Club. Taxis are metered but the meter is never used, drivers preferring set (and no doubt inflated) fares on popular routes. Ferry links central Nassau with Paradise Island, thus avoiding toll charged to use bridge. Scooter hire includes helmet but is nearly as expensive as car hire. Driving is on the left, but so are most of the steering wheels.

Local-excursions:
Guided island tours. Day and evening cruises. Fishing trips. Glass-bottomed boat trips. Undersea walks using special diver's helmet. Dolphin encounters. Eco-excursions. Underwater observatory. Bird-watching expeditions. Guided tours round grounds of Atlantis resort, including world's largest open-air aquarium, shark tunnel and fictional remains of Atlantean "lost continent". Versailles Gardens and genuine French Cloisters on Paradise Island. The Retreat, gardens owned by Bahamas National Trust. Ardastra Gardens and Zoo, with "marching" flamingos plus local flora and fauna. Botanical gardens. Forts Charlotte and Montagu. See "local life" at Arawak Cay or in the raw at old villages of Adelaide or Gambier. Bacardi distillery or local Kalik brewery. Limestone caves.