The white sands of New Providence and Paradise Island are combed by gently rolling seas and basked in sunlight almost every day of the year. Nassau's most popular stretch is the resort-lined Cable Beach, named for the site of the first phone cable connecting the Bahamas and Florida. Despite the presence of all the resorts, this wide swath of shore west of downtown Nassau is open to the public. Western Espalande is another favorite close to downtown, stretching west from the grounds of the British Colonial Hotel, and it has a snack bar, restrooms and changing facilities. Moving west you'll run into smaller beaches, including the snorkel-friendly Caves Beach and Love Beach. The residents of Love Beach call the shore private property, but hardly enforce the rule. On Paradise Island you'll find some of the more exquisite stretches in the Bahamas. Paradise Beach is the mainstay, but the rest of the island has great beaches as well including the three miles of continuous sand that stretches from the Atlantis resort all the way to Snorkeler's Cove.
Posted online 06/28/01.
