Best Beach in Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay

I am looking for a white soft sandy beach, clear blue water for our day in the Bahamas. Which would be better. Nassau or Great Stirrup Cay? Haven't been to either. Not looking to go snorkeling. Swimming is a possibility. Just want to walk on a great sandy beach for a few hours and then back to the ship. Its just 2 adults no kids. Should we do an excursion of some sort?

Go to neighboring Rose Island in Nassau. Breathtaking sandy beach with crystal clear blue water. And the best part is that it’s blissfully uncrowded. Depending on what tour operator you use, you may go to a beach which you’ll have all to yourself. Our boat captain took us to a beach where we were, literally, the only people in sight. Absolutely fantastic.

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Go to neighboring Rose Island in Nassau. Breathtaking sandy beach with crystal clear blue water. And the best part is that it’s blissfully uncrowded. Depending on what tour operator you use, you may go to a beach which you’ll have all to yourself. Our boat captain took us to a beach where we were, literally, the only people in sight. Absolutely fantastic.

 

 

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Who did you use?

 

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We went with Bay West Adventures. We met our boat near Señor Frog’s and from there we first went to a spot where we snorkeled with sea turtles and from there we spent the rest of our time in Rose Island at the spot that you see in the pictures. Truly a fantastic day!

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That looks amazing. Thanks!

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I would love to hit this island (excursion) while docked in Nassau! We arrive in Nassau at 8:00 a.m and leave at 6:00 p.m. Enough time? Were there truly pigs there? If so, super cool! A trip to the Exumas's to see the pigs was out of my price range for excursion. Also..there wasn't enough time :( BTW... I am a solo traveler.

Sandy Toes also offers this excursion. Comparison? Thanks! :)

Check out their website. They only charter trips to Rose Island. You might want to stick with Sandy Toes. We can't do that one due to our port times.

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Check out their website. They only charter trips to Rose Island. You might want to stick with Sandy Toes. We can't do that one due to our port times.

 

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Gonna keep researching. Thanks for info!:)

I would love to hit this island (excursion) while docked in Nassau! We arrive in Nassau at 8:00 a.m and leave at 6:00 p.m. Enough time? Were there truly pigs there? If so, super cool! A trip to the Exumas's to see the pigs was out of my price range for excursion. Also..there wasn't enough time [emoji20] BTW... I am a solo traveler.

 

Sandy Toes also offers this excursion. Comparison? Thanks! :)

When we were in Nassau for this excursion, our ship arrived at 7am and left at 3pm. We booked a 4 hour tour and agreed to meet at 8:30am, returning at 1:30pm. Our boat captain was SUPER nice, young guy born and raised in the Bahamas whose parents had migrated there from Europe for business. Based on our conversations, you could tell that he absolutely loved living there and there was so much that he wanted to show and tell us about it. He even cruised by the house he grew up in and pointed it out!

After Rose Island, he wanted to take us to yet another snorkeling spot, even though by then we had exceeded the 4 hours that we had paid for, but we graciously told him that we wanted to head back as we were a bit concerned about any delays getting back in time for our departure.

The pigs in Rose Island are located where the Sandy Toes excursion takes you. There’s a bar/restaurant there. From what I read, it’s not quite like going to the Exumas where the pigs roam freely in their habitat. At Sandy Toes, the pigs were brought in as an attraction and it seems like they keep them contained with chains.

Our guy took us to a secluded beach about 10 minutes farther east in Rose Island. We saw the Sandy Toes spot as we cruised by. Looked beautiful as well but with many more tourists hanging out at the beach.

The main difference is that if you take the Sandy Toes excursion, you’ll be in a big boat with many other tourists, along with tourists from other boats, but you’ll have access to a bit of civilization, with a drinks and food establishment right at the beach. If you take a private excursion like we did, you’ll be taken to a secluded location where you’ll need to bring your own drinks and food, but you’ll have the place all to yourself. I guess it boils down to personal preference and budget. A private excursion worked for us (budget wise) because we split the cost among 10 family members, and it came up to about the same amount as taking a bigger boat excursion.

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