If you’re familiar with The Bahamas you probably already knew that the Caribbean nation is known for having some pretty beautiful beaches. And one of the best and most accessible is Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island just off the coast of Nassau. This beach stretches along the coast all the way to the world famous Atlantis Resort.
Cabbage Beach is pretty easy to visit and doesn’t require much advanced planning. But there are some things to be aware of in order to have an awesome day in the sun. In this article we will go through how to plan a day at Cabbage Beach in The Bahamas.
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Cabbage Beach – What You Need to Know
Where is Cabbage Beach?
Cabbage Beach is on the north side of Paradise Island in The Bahamas. This is the long, thin island just across the bay from Nassau that is famously home to the massive Atlantis resort and casino. Cabbage Beach stretches the majority of the northern coastline, from the east end of Atlantis to the Paradise Island Golf Course.
How to get to Cabbage Beach and parking
There are a few ways to get to Cabbage Beach. There are two public beach access points for those not staying at one of the resorts on the beach. If you are staying at one of those resorts, well, you’re already there! For the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume you are staying in Nassau on New Providence island or Paradise Island.
If you have your own vehicle, you can simply drive to the beach and park your car. There is a public parking lot at the west entrance to Cabbage Beach (that people also park in to visit Atlantis) that charges $6/day. That parking lot is located here.
There is no parking lot at the east entrance, but there is a quiet street that has free street parking at the east entrance located here. If you don’t get a spot on the street, you’ll likely have to wait until someone leaves.
You can also get to Cabbage Beach by taxi. Just keep in mind that taxis are expensive in The Bahamas. Coming from Nassau you can expect to pay $20-40 each way, depending on your starting point.
If you are staying somewhere else on Paradise Island it’s possible to walk to Cabbage Beach. There are numerous hotels and resorts on the island that do not have beach access. Depending on the resort they might have a shuttle to a beach somewhere, but if not, walking to Cabbage Beach is an option, so long as you’re not carrying a ton of stuff. Lugging a bunch of stuff on a 10-20 minute walk in the Bahamian heat does not sound like fun!
Lastly, you can also take the bus to Paradise Island and walk from there. Local buses are called “jitneys” and do not have a set schedule. Routes can be found in the link here. The cost is $1.50 per ride and exact change is required.
I won’t go into how to get to The Bahamas here, but I have all that info in my article on the cost of vacationing in The Bahamas.
When to visit The Bahamas
The Bahamas is a year-round destination, as the temperature doesn’t vary too much month-to-month. Winter is peak season and summer is low season, which, naturally, coincides with hurricane season. Summers can be brutally hot and humid, but bring mostly calm waters (when a hurricane isn’t coming through!)
The best time to visit to avoid peak season while also assuring you won’t get caught in a hurricane is probably March-April. But if you’re okay with the chances of a hurricane and the heat and humidity, summer can be a great way to avoid the crowds and get better deals.
Where to stay around Cabbage Beach
There are a few decent options for hotels and resorts near Cabbage Beach. Paradise Island has some pretty nice places, like Atlantis and the Four Seasons, but it also has some pretty worn out rundown resorts that need desperate upgrades. One decent affordable option on Paradise Island is Bay View Suites Paradise Island.
Across the bridge on New Providence island there are tons of accommodation options. One of the most popular places to stay in Nassau is Baha Mar, another massive resort with thousands of rooms.
Cabbage Beach weather
The weather in Nassau is pretty consistently hot and humid all year-round, though the temperatures are pretty mild in peak winter season. It’s sunny most of the time, with tropical downpours common in the summer.
The average January high temperature is 79 degrees (26 C) while the average July high is 91 degrees (31 C). Nighttime lows are chilly enough in winter – about 65 degrees (18 C) – that you might actually consider being a light jacket on your trip.
Money in the Bahamas
The Bahamas can be a really expensive place to visit. In general, things are priced similar to big American cities and beach destinations – i.e. damn expensive. The Bahamas also pegs their currency to the US Dollar, so you never get the benefit of the exchange rate either.
In The Bahamas you can either use the local currency of Bahamian dollars or the US dollar. They are essentially interchangeable. If you pay cash with US dollars you might get Bahamian dollars in return, so be aware of that. Cards are widely accepted in The Bahamas too.
Cabbage Beach is free to visit and park. You don’t need to spend a dime to enjoy a day on its lusty shores. If you want to rent an umbrella or a beach lounger those will cost you $30 each (2024 prices). There are a few guys at the wooden stairway to the beach selling these.
Language in The Bahamas
English is spoken in The Bahamas, though the locals have their own dialect. So if you don’t speak English and you’re reading this through Google Translate, you better make sure you have the Translate app on your phone.
Quick Background on The Bahamas
The Bahamas is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea that is made up of over 700 islands spread out over a vast arpeggio. It’s an incredibly popular destination for Americans and Canadians, as it offers a tropical escape to a foreign country with a short flight and no language barrier.
Cliff Notes History of The Bahamas
The Bahamas was inhabited by native tribes for centuries before the arrival of the first European colonists. Naturally, the colonists either enslaved the indigenous population or killed them off with new diseases. The Bahamas was deserted for over a hundred years until 1649 when the British arrived and set up shop.
Like many Caribbean island nations, the population of The Bahamas is made up almost entirely of descendants of enslaved people the British brought over from Africa. Even though slavery was abolished in The Bahamas in 1834, it’s not like the former slaves had anywhere to go.
The islands remained a British colony for generations until they declared independence in 1974. Thus, modern day Bahamas was born. Today, the islands are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, receiving millions of visitors a year, over 12x the population of about 400,000. Tourism accounts for about 70% of the country’s GDP and over half the local population works in the hospitality industry. Talk about having your eggs in the same basket!
Landscape and Geology of The Bahamas
The Bahamas is a massive arpeggio that stretches from off the coast of southern Florida down to Turks and Caicos with Cuba to the south. The islands are mostly long and thin, with epic stretches of beaches and clear, turquoise water.
For the most part, the islands are flat. There are some hilly areas, with the hills made of limestone rock. The entire arpeggio actually sits on a limestone plateau that is estimated to be about 4.5 km thick down into the sea. Crazy!
The highest point in the country is Mount Alvernia on Cat Island, a whopping 64m (210ft) above sea level. Vegetation on the islands is mostly in the form of coconut trees and mangrove forests. In terms of wildlife, you probably won’t see any if you don’t leave Nassau, but the country has its share of iguanas and small lizards. That’s pretty much it on land. The Bahamas does have wild pigs in Exuma, but those are, naturally, not indigenous inhabitants of the islands.
Visiting Cabbage Beach in The Bahamas
A visit to Cabbage Beach is the perfect way to spend a day in The Bahamas. We have already discussed where the beach is, how to get there, park, and all the practicalities, so now let’s get into some specifics about the beach itself.
The beach
Cabbage Beach is a long stretch of sand that ends in a small cove at a rock jetty. The sand is a light tannish color and is maybe 20-30 meters wide before hitting a rocky embankment with dense vegetation. The vegetation – including some coconut trees – provides some shade for those looking for a break from the sun.
You access the beach from a wooden stairway at Paradise Island Beach Club or from a walkway at next to Hotel Riu Palace. There are a couple of guys selling umbrellas and lounge chairs, but other than that the beach is primitive with no services for those not staying in one of the resorts, not even a tap to rinse off your feet. The further east you walk the more isolated it becomes, with just a few villas lining the coast. The villas have their own private beach access stairs, but the beach itself is still public.
The water
The sea water at Cabbage Beach is stunningly turquoise. The water is pretty clear too, but the almost constant winds of the north coast of Paradise Island keep the water from being too still. So you usually have to deal with some mild waves.
The water gradually gets deeper as you get away from the shore. It does get pretty deep, though, in contrast to many other beaches in The Bahamas and other parts of the Caribbean (check out Sapodilla Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos for what a shallow water beach in the Caribbean looks like). So if you don’t know how to swim you want to avoid getting too far into the ocean.
In general, the water is clean and refreshing and not too cold. The water temperature varies by the season, however, with summer bringing much warmer waters than winter. It’s never too cold though. I mean, it’s no beach in the Lofoten Islands or anything!
Crowds and development at Cabbage Beach
While just a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Atlantis, you can find adequate solitude and peace at Cabbage Beach. The beach gets less and less crowded the further away you get from Atlantis. It can be quite busy near Atlantis, but by the time you get to the end at the east side, it’s pretty sparsely populated.
At the east side there is a resort and a restaurant at the entrance to the beach. Once you get past that it is very undeveloped. There are no toilets, water taps, restaurants, or bars on the beach. You have to go up the wooden stairs to the resort and restaurant to find any of that (there is also a little mini-mart at the restaurant, this is where the toilets are). At the west entrance to the beach, there are no public toilets or facilities.
The lack of development on Cabbage Beach keeps it pristine and beautiful. For those willing to carry in and out all they need, there’s nothing better than a day at Cabbage Beach!
Lifeguards
There are no lifeguards at Cabbage Beach. Swim at your own risk.
Adventure activities
Cabbage Beach is not really where you want to be if you’re looking for some water sports. It’s a laid back, primitive beach known for its tranquility and beauty and not for windsurfing. There are a few guys with jet skis looking for clients, but that’s about it.
If you’re looking for some adventurous activities elsewhere in Nassau, then there are plenty of options to choose from. The most popular activity while visiting Nassau is to swim with the pigs, perhaps the most quintessentially Bahamas thing you can do. On top of that there are all sorts of other activities as well.
Some examples of activities and excursions you can do from Nassau, though not from Cabbage Beach:
- 6 hour swimming with the pigs
- 4 hours swimming with the pigs
- Sunset catamaran cruise
- 2 hour jetski and parasailing
- 3 hour ATV tour with lunch
Food and drink at Cabbage Beach
As mentioned before there is nothing on the beach itself. There is one restaurant at the Paradise Island Beach Club called Cabbage Beach Bistro and Market and they have an eclectic menu of typical Bahamian food (seafood and burgers/sandwiches) and Indian food. The chef is Indian, though the butter chicken definitely tasted like something that was heated up from a frozen supermarket dinner. We weren’t expecting amazing Indian food in The Bahamas, but that was a disappointment. The non-Indian food was great though! And the staff was very friendly and helpful.
There is also a minimart next to the restaurant that sells stuff you would find in a 7-11 or small gas station market. You can load up on snacks and drinks for the beach here, as well as use the restrooms and pick up some Bahamas souvenirs if you haven’t already.
At the west entrance to Cabbage Beach there are no restaurants or shops, though there is a restaurant at the nearby Sunrise Beach Club.
Drinking on the beach
This is The Bahamas. You can drink on the beach. It’s chill. Just be sure to pack away all your garbage as there are no trash bins on the beach.
Atlantis
Cabbage Beach shares the shore with the mighty Atlantis, one of the largest resorts in the world. Cabbage Beach starts at Atlantis at the west side and is a little more than a mile from it at the east side. A lot of people at the west side of Cabbage Beach will be from Atlantis. The resort has over 4000 rooms and thus thousands of people staying there at a time.
You might see a few people from Atlantis down at the east end of Cabbage Beach as well (you can tell by the wristbands they have to wear), trying to escape the crowds. If you are staying at Atlantis and want to be one of these people, just walk down the beach until you find some solitude!
The resort is also pretty strict about accessing their facilities. You can purchase a day pass for Atlantis, but if you ask me it’s not worth it unless you have multiple children who would enjoy the pools and slides and aquariums.
Paradise Island
Paradise Island is the small island where you’ll find Cabbage Beach. It’s separated from New Providence island by a toll bridge. The toll is $2 and it’s payable by cash and only for the bridge to Paradise Island. There is no toll to leave and cross back over to New Providence.
Paradise island is mostly resorts, condos, villas, and a golf course. Atlantis takes up a solid third of the island and the golf course takes up another third, leaving the last third for the smaller resorts and condos.
There is a small strip of the main road with a supermarket and some restaurants when you first get on the island. Other than that it’s mostly just residential outside of the resorts. You come here for the resorts and the beaches, so don’t expect too much else.
Which Side of Cabbage Beach to Visit
As we have already discussed, there are two access points for Cabbage Beach: the east side and the west side. Let’s go over the advantages and disadvantages of each side of the beach now.
East Cabbage Beach
Advantages:
- Quieter and more secluded
- Free parking
- Public bathrooms in the minimart
- Restaurant just off the beach
Disadvantages:
- Limited parking
- Much longer walk to reach if on foot
West Cabbage Beach
Advantages:
- Closer to reach from Nassau
- Closer to Atlantis if you’re staying there
- Large parking lot nearby
Disadvantages:
- Far more crowded than east side, especially with Atlantis guests
- No bathrooms or restaurants
- Parking is paid ($6/day)
So based on that you can decide for yourself which part of Cabbage Beach you’d like to visit. We preferred the east side, as we wanted to get away from people and found it to be sufficiently empty for us.
Cabbage Beach – FAQs
Is Cabbage Beach free to the public?
Yes, Cabbage Beach is free to visit. It’s a public beach and not part of any park that might require an entry fee. If you don’t find street parking near the east end, however, it costs $6 to park in the public parking lot near the west end of the beach.
Can you walk from Cabbage Beach to Atlantis?
The Coral at Atlantis is actually located at the western end of Cabbage Beach and it is possible to walk the entire length of the beach from Atlantis. There are no natural or manmade barriers. It’s about 2 km from end to end.
Is Cabbage Beach crowded?
Yes and no. Cabbage Beach stretches about 2 km from Atlantis to a natural rock jetty near Paradise Island Golf Course and the density of people on the beach thins out the further east you get. While it can be quite crowded near Atlantis, if you’re down by the golf course, it’s pretty secluded with few beachgoers.
How do I get from Nassau Cruise Port to Cabbage Beach?
If you come in on a cruise and want to visit Cabbage Beach, it’s best to take a taxi, as you’ll be in a time crunch. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive and should cost less than $20 each way.
Final Word
A day at Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island is a great way to spend time on your vacation to The Bahamas. The beach is free to visit, not difficult to get to, and offers one of the most beautiful beach experiences in the Caribbean. By now you should know all there is to know about visiting Cabbage Beach, so I hope you have a great time there!
