It doesn't surprise me that many travelers shrug their shoulders at the mention of Nassau.

Most people come in on a cruise, stay for a day or two, walk through the straw markets and visit Atlantis. The harbor area is very busy and geared to sell trinkets to tourists, not something you would necessarily want to experience more than once.

When I was in the Bahamas I spent a few days on the island, and I was hellbent on finding something to connect with, a reason to come back on a plane rather than allowing it to be nothing more than a cruise-ship stop.

I stayed at the British Colonial Hilton (I could see the cruise ships from the hotel's beach), but on a free afternoon I wandered the other way - away from the noise - and went to check out the Graycliff Hotel, the island's only five-star hotel. 

Not only is it five stars with a bed-and-breakfast feel, it sports an award-winning wine cellar (with over 250,000 bottles, one of which is priced at $200,000) and a cigar factory/lounge, complete with on-site hand rollers (see photo below). 

A short walk from the Graycliff is Junkanoo Beach, where many of the locals hang out and we had a great happy hour and some beautiful scenery.

Enjoy these photos:

 

Pool at Graycliff Hotel

 

Cigar Lounge

 

Factory worker combining business and pleasure

 

 

Junkanoo Beach

 

 

Junkanoo Beach - story to come! 

After we checked out the Graycliff Hotel property and its cigar factory/lounge, we took the short walk over to Junkanoo Beach for happy hour.

It’s a great alternative to the harbor area where the cruise ships dock: The beach is lined with small, locally-run restaurants and watering holes. Bright colors, big personalities galore – the perfect place to stick out your hand and introduce yourself to the locals.

Quiet and timid during the day, the “strip” fills up as the workday ends and the sun begins to fall and the colors in the sky change. We had a few and then walked back along the beach to the British Colonial Hilton, watching the blue beyond the clouds turn to a purple and orange.

Tomorrow: The story behind the Junkanoo Festival for which the beach is named (complete with yours truly in costume!).