Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AROUND NASSAU
West New Providence
Running west from downtown to Cable Beach on the island's north shore, W Bay St is a
gorgeously curving seaside drive. One-and-a-half miles west of Delaport Point you'll pass
the
Caves
, just east of Blake Rd. This large cavern system once sheltered Lucayan Indians.
Just west is
Orange Hill Beach
, shaded by sea grapes and palms. It is undeveloped, except
for the Orange Hill Beach Inn (
Click here
) hidden on the bluff overlooking the beach, and
very popular with Bahamian families.
West of Compass Point is
Love Beach
, a small, little-used beach near Gambier Village.
It's known for its snorkeling. Beyond Love Beach, the road turns inland and curls past the
small settlement of Mt Pleasant and around
Lyford Cay
, a sprawling walled estate of man-
icured, tree-lined streets and canals framed by glorious multimillion dollar mansions. Here
billionaires and celebrities - Sean Connery for one - protect themselves from the world.
South New Providence
Most of this region is backed by mangroves, swampy wetlands and brine pools, parts of
which have been used for years as rubbish dumps. Curiously, dozens of minor Christian de-
nominations have erected interesting little churches along these roads.
On the southwest side of the island,
South Ocean Beach
is narrow, secluded, several miles long, and trodden by very few people. You'll find great
scuba-diving offshore.
ADELAIDE
Adelaide is a quiet village whose nostalgic lifestyle revolves around fishing. Visually it isn't
noteworthy, but it is about as close as you can get to traditional life on the island. Seventeen
miles southwest of Nassau on a spit of land jutting into a navigable creek rich in conch, fish
and lobster, the village dates back to 1832 when it was founded for slaves freed from a Por-
tuguese slave trader.
A hurricane in 1926 wrecked the harbor. An army of volunteers helped the Bahamas Na-
tional Trust restore Adelaide Creek's causeways with bridges and the tidal creek was re-
opened. It now teems with marine life. Today, baby tiger sharks, barracudas, snappers, lob-
sters and vast armadas of other young fish journey in and out.
The village is fronted by narrow, white-sand
Adelaide Beach
, extending between South
Ocean and the village. Fishing boats are drawn up on the beach, and the wharf is lively at
sunset when the day's work is done.
For yummy seafood and rum drinks, loiterat
Avery's
Restaurant
&
Bar
(
242-362-1547; Adelaide Village; mains $10-20;
lunch & dinner) , a very popular little
restaurant and bar.
