Sometimes, going crazy over wedding planning really pans out nicely. Last year, I traveled with some friends to the Bahamas for the first time on a Carnival cruise. Gaga about traveling that I am, I did a ton of research about Nassau before we left, since we only had about 5 hours in the town and had to hit the ground running in snorkel fins. I knew we wanted to go to a beach, and I knew we didn’t want to have to empty our wallets to the cruise line for an excursion we were perfectly capable of doing ourselves. (Hate that!) My then fiance and I had briefly looked at the Bahamas as a destination wedding, so I already knew about Cable Beach, a smallish beach that the Westin and Sheraton share.

Nobody else with me had any clue about where to go, so I decided to lead the blind. Upon docking, we walked over to the taxi stand and negotiated a price of about $20 one way to Cable Beach, reasonable since it was a good 10-15 minute ride. Upon arriving, we walked through the Westin to the beach, took some chairs (the beach was almost empty as it was 9am), and just stared. Besides the Virgin Islands, I had never seen water or sand that was so pretty. The water was turquoise and calm, and the beach sand was white and fine.

Cable Beach

The beach chairs were apparently $5 to rent, but nobody told us that until two minutes before we left, so we lounged for free. The snorkeling here was fabulous! Absolutely tons of fish, and the water was incredibly clear and warm (it was late July).

Clear, clear water on Cable Beach, Nassau

I am so glad we spent the time we did at Cable Beach instead of rushing around and doing something else. Nassau itself is too touristy for me, and too crowded. There’s nothing like putting up your feet on a gorgeous beach and just staring at the water to make you realize how lucky you are. I’ll be back, Cable Beach. But first, I might have to go to Pink Sands Beach. Pink and turquoise beach? Now you’ve really got my attention.

Cable Beach, and my toes.

Photos taken by Jenny Bengen