Best beaches in Nassau & Paradise Island

This is the famous ‘Bahamian Riviera’, and there isn’t much that Cable Beach doesn’t have along its two and a half miles of perfectly pale sand and shallow, blue waters. More beach and water activities than you can shake a snorkel at? Tick. The biggest and best nightlife on the island? Tick. High-end resorts with all the trimmings? Yes indeed – check out Sandals Royal Bahamian. Three miles west of Nassau on the north coast of New Providence, it’s easy enough to reach even if you’re not based in one of the beachfront hotels.

Swim your heart out in gorgeously calm, clear waters, or lie back on brilliantly white sands. A favourite of tourists and locals at weekends, Saunders is positioned right by West Bay Street, between Cable Beach and downtown Nassau.

Minutes from Bay Street and overlooking the harbour, the pale sands of Junkanoo beach (AKA Western Esplanade) are a popular tourist spot, with a volleyball net, stalls selling knick-knacks and beach restaurants (don’t miss the Tiki Bikini Hut which does awesome food and drink deals). All manner of beach activities is available, including snorkelling, paddle boarding and kayaking.

Sea grape trees and palms back a long stretch of pale, powdery sand here, and the sea comes in all shades of turquoise – no wonder it’s a local’s favourite on weekends.

Admittedly a rather bizarre name, but we’ve never seen cabbage look so good - now this is what we call Caribbean seaside. Fine, white sands stretch for a couple of miles on Paradise Island’s longest beach, which is dotted with palms, sea grapes, with clear blue waters lapping against it. The eastern end tends to be quieter for a proper desert island feel.

On the south of the island, this is a private beach where you usually have to buy something at the beach bar for access. When you see the menu, it isn’t too much of a hardship… Besides amazingly fresh fish and juicy burgers, your reward is the softest sand, tall palm trees and clear water. Nab a hammock, sip a cool Kalik and watch horses trot along the shore.

Palms and rugged rocks out Nine miles out of Nassau, with private homes facing the sea and a lack of signposting, Love Beach tends to be quieter than the easier-to-find spots on the island. If you’ve got your snorkel, you’ll be able to see tropical fish in every colour without having to swim too far out from the shore - look out for purple and green parrot fish, yellow butterfly fish and snappers. White sands, crops make this well worth the extra legwork to get to.

Don’t worry, the waters aren’t infested with enormous deadly sharks. Parts of the series were filmed here though – hence the name. Other films were shot here too… Remember when Daniel Craig sauntered out of the sea in Casino Royale? The beach is protected and secluded, with shallow, see-through water, white sands and rocks jutting out into Clifton Bay. The wreck from Jaws: The Revenge lies offshore and has become an artificial coral reef. Whether Craig will appear from the water again is another matter entirely…

Gloriously secluded (along the coast from Jaws Beach), this one stretches out in front of the Johnston plantation and has some lovely alcoves that feel like your own little beach. It’s part of the Clifton Heritage national park, so you can combine beach time with visits to the ruined plantations, slave village and hiking trails – or just relax by the sea all day.

This is the third in a trio of beaches in the Clifton Bay National Park, and – we think – one of the prettiest on the island. It’s flipping beautiful, with white sand, calm Caribbean waters and greenery giving it a blissfully deserted feel. Stay and watch the sunset if you can, which is spectacular from here.

Adelaide village alone is well worth a visit, for a taste of proper, old school, Bahamian life. But you should pop over to the beach too, where locals gather at the weekends to play dominoes, swim and drink. Hardly anyone visits the rest of the week, when the pale sand and super-blue see are all yours.

On the north edge of the island, this is a quieter option to nearby Cable Beach. Setting the scene are white sand, sea grapes and a cute little tiki hut, alongside rugged limestone caves where the Arawak Indians once sheltered.

A beach of history: the islands oldest fort, Fort Montagu, is here, and you can see cannons that were installed in the days of pirates. Find a spot on the narrow stretch of sand and watch the boats come and go. If you’re here early in the morning, you can buy fresh fish from the market for a breakfast BBQ like no other.

A thin strip of green forest, blue lagoon and white beaches make up this uninhabited private island, famously home to the Sandy Toes Beach Bar. Book a return boat transfer and spend the say snoozing in a hammock, sipping daiquiris, snorkelling or kayaking.