WaveRunners and parasailing boats zip along the coast cocoa plums, sea grapes, palms and casuarinas anchor its clean, crisp dunes. Paradise Island is home to a spectacular three-mile stretch of powdery white sand and clear, aquamarine water at Cabbage Beach. And to compile the following guide, we hit every beach on both in order to find the softest sand, liveliest bars and best oceanfront rooms. New Providence and Grand Bahama are the country’s flagship islands - the other 700 or so are Out Islands. Just across the harbor lies its little sister, Paradise Island, which - after going through its Merv Griffin and Donald Trump phases - is now best known as the site of mega-mega-resort Atlantis.įreeport is to Grand Bahama what Nassau is to New Providence: main town, cruise port and more popular moniker. New Providence is commonly known as Nassau, even though the Bahamas’ capital city occupies only the northeast tip of the island. Hollywood films from the 007 classic Thunderball to the thriller Into the Blue have used the islands’ beaches as backdrops, and major celebs have cavorted here since the days of Sinatra and the Rat Pack.

Beachlover’s Guide to bahamas Zach Stovallīig-screen stars have known for years that New Providence and Grand Bahama are not only natural movie sets, they’re Oscar-quality escapes.