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Super one-day getaways
WTDN Jan09
Super one-day getaways
Be a hotel guest for a day
More and more visitors and residents are enjoying guest privileges for a day at one of several luxurious resort hotels in Nassau and on Paradise Island.
Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort, SuperClubs Breezes Bahamas and the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, all on Cable Beach, along with the Riu resort and Atlantis on Paradise Island, all offer one-day passes with a variety of inducements.
At the all-inclusives—Breezes, Sandals and Riu—a day pass, available at the front desk, includes all meals and drinks, beach privileges, non-motorized water sports, live entertainment and access to the fitness centres and complimentary restaurants for guests only.
The Sheraton isn’t an all-inclusive resort, so a day pass won’t get you the free eats and drinks that the others offer, but the Sheraton pass includes a room for the day (7am-7pm), which the others don’t, lunch for two, access to the beach and non-motorized water sports, three swimming pools and the fitness centre.
Day and evening passes
The day pass at “super inclusive” Breezes (10am-6pm) includes windsurfing, water skiing, kayaking and pedal boat rides. The hotel also offers an evening pass that includes dinner, entertainment and dancing (6pm-2am).
“It’s a great bargain—all you want to eat and drink,” says Toronto native Andrea O’Neill, a resident of The Bahamas for 10 years. O’Neill and her friends have taken advantage of both the day and night passes. “It’s a great place to go for group functions. It’s a wonderful value for the money.” The resort allows guests 14 years and older.
Guests are entertained by the Breezes band during the day and on an evening pass, they can dance the night away at Hurricanes Disco, a swinging nightclub. Scheduled activities change daily, so guests should check to see what’s planned.
Buffet-style breakfasts, lunches and dinners are served in the main Breezes dining room. Casual dining is also available at the beachfront grill; Pastafari and the Garden of Eden restaurants offer more formal dining but reservations are required.
Adults only
At the adults only Sandals Royal Bahamian, day passes are good from 9am-5pm, evening passes from 6pm-2am.
Sandals is an award-winning destination. In 2002, Caribbean Travel & Life readers voted it Best All-Inclusive Resort in the Caribbean, and in 2000 the readers of Condé Nast Traveler named Sandals the top Caribbean spa resort. That same year the resort snagged the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
Along with the free meals and drinks, Sandals offers kayaking, windsurfing, snorkelling, sailboats, water bikes, access to Club Rhythm, the karaoke room and three large swimming pools. The resort also features eight gourmet restaurants (some requiring reservations) offering everything from sushi to French haute cuisine.
Day-passers may also chill out on Sandals Cay, the resort’s very own Gilligan’s Island, a five-minute ferry ride from the hotel. This tiny isle is “where you go to get away,” says Carla Lynch, the resort’s sales manager. It has a restaurant, bar, pool, jacuzzi and private beach. Spa services at the Zen Gardens are available at an extra cost.
According to Lynch, Sandals sells about 100 day passes a month to visitors and locals.
Meals and entertainment
Located on a three-mile stretch of prime beach next to the Atlantis Beach Tower, the Riu Paradise Island can be enjoyed with eight-hour guest passes. The time starts when you check in.
Adults may purchase either a day or a night pass says Lakerria Munnings, the front desk manager. “With that you’re able to use the hotel facilities, with food and drinks included. We have the pool, gym and spa, and the sauna and jacuzzi are complimentary at the spa.”
The resort offers a daytime entertainment programme with live music six times a week. Other activities include tennis, table tennis, beach volleyball and air gun shooting. Various water sports and golf are available for an additional charge.
The hotel has four restaurants serving gourmet meals, steaks and Japanese food. After dark, guests can find entertainment in the Colony lobby bar and the Calypso Lounge.
Water attractions galore
An Atlantis Aquaventure pass allows guests to sample water attractions, beaches and a tour of the ancient ruins of the mythical Atlantis. Guests have access to water slides, pools, aquarium and river rides, with towels and lounge chairs provided. Atlantis describes this attraction as “a water experience unlike any other.”
The 120-foot-high Power Tower features four water slides. Nearby, the Mayan Temple challenges everyone to take a six-storey plunge down the Leap of Faith and the sinuous Serpent Slide. On both of them riders shoot through an acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-infested lagoon.
On the Challenger Slide, you race to a finish line. The Jungle Slide zips you through caves and a jungle. Another attraction is The Current, where you take a relaxing, mile-long expedition on an inner tube.
An Atlantis Beach Day for adults and children gives you access to a day on the beach, lounge chair and towel included, plus admission to the resort’s amazing aquarium. The beach closes at 7pm, the aquarium at midnight.
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