Sandyport Beach Resort, Nassau, Bahamas
Category: Budget/Mid-Range
The resort property of Sandy port is set around the Old Towne Marina in western part of Nassau (New Providence). Though the resort is about 2kms west of Cable beach, it owns a private beach area and 3 lagoon styled pools along with games facilities. This is an RCI Gold Crown Resort that’s a stone throw away from the western part of the casino night life scene.
The lake Cunningham and the Cable beach Golf course are just a couple of kilometers away and the Nassau town center is 15-minute drive away. The Old Town Marina Village co owned by Sandyport has 7 restaurants, spa and gym and several stores that are styled like a typical Bahamian market square.
Rooms
None of the rooms of the Sandyport are on the ocean beach unlike many other resorts in Nassau. The lagoon suites are on the lagoon beach which is a nice place. To reach the beach, you need to take a short and pleasant walk along the Grand Canal under the Bridge.
All rooms have some common amenities like complimentary kits of toiletries, ironing board, in room safe, coffee maker with supplies and free WI fi. If you are in a suite then both the living room and bedroom will have TV sets with good channel ranges. All rooms have DDD phone lines, air conditioning and typical beachside décor. If there is a kitchen (in suites) then it will have a large refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, stove and all other modern amenities along with a convenient countertop. Studio kitchenettes have a small fridge, 2 burner stoves and microwave.
Sandyport Beach Resort
The most cost affordable options are the somewhat unimaginatively named “Hotel Bedrooms”. These rooms have pool views/ garden views and are 283 sq. feet with two queen sized beds, desk with chair and a regular bathroom. These bedrooms can be connected to the studio 1 queen bed units and be utilized by larger groups.
The Studios are available in one queen bed (both 302 sq. feet) and two queen bed versions. The studios have pool or garden views, a smaller kitchen (as compared to suites), a dining space and bathrooms with shower and tub. The 2 bed version is on the second floor and all of them have prettily furnished balconies with views.
The Grand Canal Deluxe Suites are the signature accommodation options at Sandy port. You can avail the single (765 sq. feet accommodates 4 people), double (1048 sq. feet accommodates 8 guests) or triple bedroom 91350 sq. ft. accommodates 10 guests) option depending upon the size of your group.
All the Grand Canal Deluxe Suites have a master bedroom with a king sized bed and a living room with queen sized sofa. There is a Jacuzzi tub and the single bedroom option has a smaller bathroom along with a master bathroom. Each suite has a fully equipped kitchen, dining area and nice canal views. Each bedroom has a private master bathroom attached to it.
The Lagoon Beach suites are romantic with a pristine white and royal blue color scheme. Primarily meant for couples the 765 sq. feet suites can accommodate up to 4 people though there are no 2 or 3 bedroom versions. The amenities are similar to the Grand Canal Deluxe suites and these have pretty porches/ balconies overlooking the lagoon beach and Grand Canal.
Canal view rooms on the second floor with balconies overlooking the canal are nice. The lagoon view rooms are perfect if you want a quiet atmosphere. The suites in the front facing zone of the resort have the best beach views. The resort will give you a room upgrade at times if there are not too many tourists.
Dining
Blue Sail tops the list of restaurants operated by Sandy port and it has a celebrity chef…Jacques Carlino. The cuisine is Mediterranean French fusion ad the décor is tastefully minimal with an all-white theme. Guests of Sandy port get preferential seating though the restaurant is open to the public. The specialties are quite exotic…Yellow finned Tuna Ceviche, Bahamian Conch Chowder and a range of innovative cocktails the restaurant is open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday nights it closes at 11 p.m. wood fire pizzas and an extensive dessert and beverages menu is also available.
Blue Caviar is the place where you are going to head for breakfast if you stay at Sandyport. The French Breakfast bistro is supervised by Jacques Carlino and both hot breakfasts as well as continental breakfast is available from 8.00 am onwards. The meals are French, sophisticated and there is a selection of fine wines.
Twisted Lime is a family friendly sports bar that is right there on the edge of the water. Sports channels are aired regularly on the 18 jumbo HDTV’s and the menu is hearty with pizzas, steaks, burgers and 21 varieties of beers. The place opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 1.00 a.m.
Spritz is a casually themed restaurant and bar that serves light Italian cuisine. You can walk in but booking ahead at 242-327-0762 is highly recommended. The restaurant is open between 5 pm to 10 pm on Mondays and from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on all other days.
The News Café is colored a cheery coral and walls are adorned with quirky framed prints. The menu is delicatessen style and the sandwiches and ice cream parlor is pretty popular here. The place is open between 7 a.m. to 7.00 pm every Monday to Saturday while on Sundays it opens from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The somewhat debatably named Poop Deck is there on the west ocean beach at Sandy port and this is primarily a sea food joint. There are options of dining indoors or outdoors and demanding local fish served in the Bahamian style is the popular choice here. The place is open from 11.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. between Tuesdays to Sunday.
Other facilities
The hotel staff store luggage of guests arriving at all hours but the room is only ready at 4 p.m. guests can pack swimsuits and other essentials in carryon luggage kit and enjoy other resort facilities till their rooms are ready. Towels are freely provided to guests who have arrived early or will leave late.
There are no expensive laundry services in this resort. Guests mostly take a coupon from the front desk and do their own laundry in the laundry rooms that are right adjacent to the rooms. There are ice and soda machines in the rooms and doing the laundry may not seem like a chore when you count the bucks you are saving.
There is no compulsory meal plan and you can choose to cook some of your meals in the kitchenette/ kitchen and that can save you a lot of money. Many guests opt to bring in a cooler full of drinks, water and grocery supplies from the grocery store in Nassau enroute to the hotel. If you stock up your fridge, you have the microwave and burners to whip up casual meals.
The specials section of the official website of Sandy port publishes lots of deals and discounts and special packages. These offers keep on changing…just keep track before you make a booking.
Sandy port owns several canals which they have protected under Wildlife programs. Natural breeding of fish and crustaceans happen here and you can spot manatees, stingrays and turtles.
Snorkeling equipment is free (available at front desk) but you need to pay to book an instructor. You need to pay to arrange boat trips to nearby spots too.
There is no spa setup at Sandy port but in-room and beach massages are available courtesy the massage therapist Suzzane. For more sophisticated experiences you need to visit the other bigger resorts around. Suzzane is really well recommended by most resort guests though.
The restaurants of Sandy port Marina village are all open to the public and sometimes you may feel the need for privacy. The Lookout is a guest only retreat area with nice hammocks and lounge chairs. It’s right there beside the Blue Sail Restaurant.
There are beach chairs, poolside chairs, umbrellas and fresh towel supplies. However these are first come first served so what you need to do is to arrive early and grab your chair and umbrella first. There are quite a few hammocks tied to palm trees right at the beachside.
You can order beach food and drinks service from Blue Sail and Blue Caviar. The menu ranges from chocolate croissants to coffee to pizzas to 4 course meals and wine on the beach.
There are facilities for making sandcastles and beach combing at the Lagoon beach and it’s nice to see rows of cheery kids indulging in these simple pleasures.
There are thee in-house pools and they have slides (though a little dated) for children.
There is a shuffleboard court tennis facilities and kids are taken crabbing in a group.
There is a natural accretion beach where plants hold together the beach land against the sea. While the facilities aren’t comparable to Atlantis in scale or glamor, these places are good for nature lovers and children.
Housekeeping is free, towels are refurbished daily and every few days the rooms are fully cleaned.
Weddings, vow renewals and other special occasions are arranged if you pre book.
Guided sightseeing tours are available on request.
Sandy port appears not to have any special commercial arrangement with Atlantis and is projected like an affordable competitor of Atlantis. However you can easily choose to buy a day pass to tour around Atlantis or the other well-known resorts and the Sandy port staff will arrange those passes. Take a bus to Bay street and then ferry to Paradise Island. Jitneys are great for touring Paradise Island and the reception staff at Sandy port are willing to help with timings and tips.
Overall Opinion
Sandyport isn’t as attractive as its more luxurious counterparts but it offers an option that has become hard to find at the busier places… relaxation. The lagoon beach, the pool area and some of the resort complex is private and offers you enough seclusion to relax in peace. For people who don’t really like to party, have small kids and generally want to have a quiet time… the Sandyport is a good option.
The units near the canal are especially good with opportunities of walking under the starlit sky by the Grand Canal and great views all around. The hostess is called Sarah/ Lady Sarah/ sister Sarah and she is a gracious lady who manages the resort well with her well behaved team. She offers an hour long orientation every Sunday morning and tells guests all about local restaurants, attractions etc… it’s a great help if you are new to Bahamas.
Though the resort is in the mid-range category it’s actually a great place for guests on a budget as you can do free laundry and then little things like ice, coffee filters, dish soap, dish detergent etc are free. If you stay near the marina then simply looking at all the ships, boats coming in and leaving is good enjoyment. If you can afford then take rooms near the beach...it’s a good feeling to step out from the room into the white sand.
All the restaurants are near the water and most have great views. The portions are huge though the prices are high (this is the case in entire Nassau) and you can ask for leftovers to be packed. Spritz bar is deck styled and sometimes you can see giant fish right from the windows.
The condo, suites, pool area and room décor have an old fashioned look about them. In fact the resort itself looks old and in need of a makeover. There is no room service and the restaurants are all 5 to 15 minutes of walk away from the suites and rooms. If you love ordering in all the time when you are on holiday then you won’t like staying at Sandyport. The resort isn’t fully wheelchair accessible and there are only two rooms that come with wide doors, handle bars and ramps.
The resort is rather far from the Atlantis properties and if you take a cab it will be expensive to travel there. However Jitney’s (public minibuses) are available right outside the resort and they will take you downtown as well as to the other popular resorts and attractions in Nassau (note that Jitneys do not go to Paradise Island where Atlantis complex is located).
The restaurants are all open to the public and that’s a disappointment… however the Sandy Port beach area is private. This is more of a boutique resort and there aren’t a large number of accommodation options. You need to book really early to get a confirmation. You will probably experience one of the most deglamorized, quietest and relaxing vacation that’s possible in Nassau.
Rates provided by booking.com
How to Reach
The resort is on West Bay street in Nassau that’s 3 miles to the North East of the Nassau International Airport. There is no airport transfer facility provided by the resort so you will have to take a cab and it will take you approximately 15 minutes to reach the resort. The cab will take you into the Sandyport Marina Village and after some time you can spot the reception building that’s distinctly pink colored.
Road Map
Contact Details
Sandy Port Beach Resort
West Bay Street, Nassau Bahamas
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 By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj, a seasoned travel writer and Bermuda destination expert, has extensive global travel experience. This website reflects his profound insights, garnered over nearly two decades of dedicated findings and research on the island. Raj has assisted countless Bermuda-bound visitors by providing direct, personalized responses to their queries and imparting his wealth of knowledge through this platform. This site serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking informed and reliable insights into Bermuda's treasures.
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