A Travel Guide to the Beautiful Bahamas on a Budget

The Bahamas are without a doubt one of the most beautiful vacation destinations in the world but typically are not known as a low cost or budget place to visit. The Bahamas are group of over 700 islands located in the Atlantic Ocean. Freeport, Nassau and Paradise Island are the most popular tourist spots with major international airports in both Freeport and Nassau. Paradise Island is a small island accessible by bridge from Nassau. Freeport and Nassau Harbors are major port destinations for many of the cruise lines and on any given day, there are anywhere between two and five ships docked at a time. Paradise Island is home to the famed Atlantis Resort and Casino a popular resort for celebrities and those with a lot of money to spend on a vacation. Here is the best kept little secret tip to enjoying the amenities and facilities of the Atlantis Resort at a much cheaper cost. The Comfort Suites located adjacent to Atlantis offers its guest full use and access to Atlantis at a fraction of the cost. Comfort Suites guests can also charge their restaurant and bar purchases to their the room bill.

Unlike Mexico and the Caribbean, The Bahamas doesn't usually come to mind when looking for all inclusive resorts. However, there is a beautiful all inclusive resort that is perfect for budget minded vacationers called the Paradise Island Harbour Resort. The beautiful resort is located on Nassau Harbor and is just three blocks away from Atlantis and the stunning Paradise Island beaches. The resort features two restaurants, snack bar, lobby bar, swim up bar, swimming pool, whirlpool, mountain bikes, snorkeling and tennis courts. All food, drink and amenities are included in the price of the room.

Both the Comfort Suites and the Paradise Island Harbour Resorts are within walking distance of Cabbage Beach. This beach has been rated one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world with its pure white sand beaches and crystal clear aquamarine water. Vacationers can enjoy a relaxing day at the beach sipping homemade drinks in coconut shells. Local beach vendors offer unlimited drinks for $20.00. There are several beachside restaurants nearby to grab lunch that welcome tourists in bathing suits.

Duty free shopping on Bay Street is a short $6.00 cab ride from Paradise Island. Bay Street is a unique shopping location in Nassau where high end boutique stores like Fendi, Gucci and Prada are side by side with local souvenir shops painted in beautiful pastel colors. The Straw Market provides vacationers with an authentic Bahamian market experience. Local vendors sell their homemade arts and craft items and love to barter with the tourists. The Straw Market is heaven for those that enjoy buying the knock off designer bags. The market is stocked with hundreds of them and the vendors will bargain against each other to get you to buy from them.

Food prices are more reasonable at the resorts like Atlantis, Comfort Suites and Paradise Island Harbour Resort than they are in the restaurants located in and around Bay Street and on Paradise Island. Lunch is the better bargain when eating out in The Bahamas. Most restaurants offer a lunch menu with specialty items that are about 50% less than the dinner items.

There are many websites on the Internet offering vacation deals to The Bahamas. It is strongly recommended to choose a familiar website to book your vacation such as Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity or Apple Vacations. Price your vacation on several sites before making a final decision since prices can vary on different sites. If your dates are flexible, check the costs for departing the day before or day after your original departure date and you may see some huge cost savings due to airline and hotel demand on certain days. The Bahamas truly can be a relaxing and budget friendly vacation destination for families.