16 Best Beaches in The Bahamas

The best beaches in the Bahamas are glorious. Wherever you go, you’ll have your pick of beautiful stretches of soft white sand shaded by coconut palms and lapped by water in the most intense shade of aquamarine imaginable.

Add to this spectacular coral reefs, watersports galore, and enticing, toes-in-the-sand restaurants selling conch fritters and cooling cocktails, and you have the perfect formula for the dream beach day.

Whether you’re in search of an upscale beach packed with facilities or a complete getaway with nothing but a hammock slung between coconut palms, discovering the best beaches in The Bahamas is a delight.

Pearl Island, Nassau

Pearl Island lies eight miles east of Nassau, guarded by a white lighthouse and encircled by coral reefs that teem with life. A visit here is a complete escape, with powder-soft sand and enticing turquoise shallows leading to the reefs. There are water toys, too, including trampolines and floating mats, as well as paddle boards.

Your day here includes a buffet lunch, which is a great chance to try Bahamian specialties, including fried fish, plantains, and peas ‘n’ rice.

Atlantis Resort, Nassau

Glossy Atlantis Resort, a luxurious playground on Nassau’s Paradise Island, is a beach escape with a whole lot more to offer. You’ll find six beaches spanning an incredible five miles with a stretch for every taste.

One of the best things to do in the Bahamas is to bask on the dazzling white sand of Atlantis Beach or Royal Beach, stirring only to reach for your Bahama Mama cocktail, or to take a refreshing dip.

Head for the tranquil seven-acre Paradise Lagoon, where there are two beaches. This is the perfect spot for kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding on the mirror-calm water.

Atlantis also has a spectacular water park, Aquaventure, with plunging slides, vertical drops, and lazy river rides.

Admire aquatic life in the impressive marine habitats via snorkeling among dazzling reef fish or wandering through the perspex tunnel under Predator Lagoon. Here, sharks and fearsome-looking grouper circle above and around you.

Harbor Beach, CocoCay

CocoCay lies in the Berry Island group, located between Nassau and Freeport. Like many of the Bahamas islands, it’s characterized by white sand, palm trees, and turquoise shallows that slope toward coral beds.

Harbor Beach is perfect for families with younger children. Away from the main shoreline, it fringes a tranquil lagoon that’s protected from any wind or waves. Kids and less confident swimmers can paddle in the warm shallows here.

Young travelers will also love Splashaway Bay, to one side of Harbor Beach, a water park with slides, drench buckets, and fountains to play in.

You can lie back on your beach chair and watch zipliners coming in to land, as the island’s zipline finishes at one end of the beach. Harbor Beach is also right next to Skipper’s Grill, a bustling restaurant serving up delicious BBQ dishes, salads, and tacos.

Read: Best Island Vacations for Families

Cable Beach, Nassau

Glamorous Cable Beach, one of the best beaches in Nassau, stretches for two and a half miles along the north coast of New Providence Island. Its name refers to the first underwater telegraph cable that came ashore here in 1892.

Cable Beach is one of the original tourism development spots in the Bahamas and as early as the 1940s was considered a jetset destination.

There are various water sports concessions, whether you’re interested in stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, or whizzing through the water while being towed by an underwater scooter. You’ll also find abundant restaurants, bars, and even a golf course and a couple of casinos along the beach.

South Beach, CocoCay

The long, sandy sweep of South Beach on CocoCay has a party atmosphere thanks to a host of activities and the presence of a floating bar just offshore. Sunbathe under the palm trees, fuel up on burgers and salads at Snack Shack, and shoot the breeze with friends at Coconut Willie’s bar.

There are floating mats to rent and beach volleyball courts on which to work off energy. Elevate your experience with a private beachfront cabana with uninterrupted views of the ocean.

Cove Beach, CocoCay

If you want to get away from it all on CocoCay, petite Cove Beach is about as far as you can stroll from the dock. It lies on the south shore of the island and is connected to busier South Beach by a short nature trail.

There are no bars or restaurants at Cove Beach, which is part of its peaceful charm, but the bar and Snack Shack at South Beach are just a couple of minutes’ walk along the sand. You’ll find beach chairs and umbrellas on Cove Beach, too.

Junkanoo Beach, Nassau

Junkanoo Beach, close to downtown Nassau and opposite Arawak Cay, has a day-long party ambiance, all the more so during Spring Break, when the bars and beach shacks are buzzing.

Visiting here is one of the best things to do in Nassau if you like island rhythms and ice-cold cocktails to accompany your day on the sand.

Locals celebrate here during the Junkanoo festival, a time of parades, dancing, bonfires, and beach parties between Christmas and New Year’s. You’ll also see gatherings on weekends when families come to Junkanoo Beach for cookouts.

The water is clear, and there are beach chairs to rent, as well as a few activities, including pony rides. Stop by one of the beach shacks for lunch; the Salty Crab does a fine line in cracked conch and fried snapper.

You’re within easy reach of Nassau’s Straw Market, too, so it’s easy to combine beach time with some shopping for locally made souvenirs.

Radio Beach, Bimini

Many of the beaches on Bimini are accessible by paying a fee, but there are plenty of free areas, too. One such is Radio Beach in Alice Town, the main town on the north island.

Radio Beach is a long stretch of flat rock and white sand giving way to neon-blue shallows. There’s good snorkeling close to the beach, although in some spots, you’ll need to clamber down the rocks.

One of the joys of Radio Beach is that it’s close to the center of the sleepy little town, with easy access to beach shacks and rustic restaurants. This is the perfect opportunity to try a conch fritter, an island specialty, perfect with an ice-cold beer.

Hideaway Beach, CocoCay

Adults-only Hideaway Beach is reminiscent of a cool Ibiza beach club. It’s located in the northwest corner of CocoCay, where an infinity pool leads to a crescent of white sand that in turn slopes into the turquoise ocean.

This is one of the best Bahamas beaches if you like all-day DJ chillout tunes, a giant swing for those Instagram shots, and a swim-up bar. There’s no shortage of refreshments here; pizza lovers should head to Slice of Paradise, while Snack Shack is the place to go for sandwiches, burgers, and salads.

You could also rent a private cabana at The Hideout, part of Hideaway Beach. Ten of these luxurious retreats curve around a long infinity pool, with beach chairs in the water so you can sunbathe, people-watch, and cool off at the same time.

Blue Lagoon Island, Nassau

Blue Lagoon is just three miles from Nassau, but feels like another world. White sand beaches fringe this tiny speck, which is also known as Salt Cay. Coconut palms and bottle-green scrub, home to nesting birds, line the shore.

Many people visit for the dolphin encounters, but there’s plenty more to do. Rent a glass-bottomed kayak and paddle out over the coral gardens.

Or try an underwater scooter, a battery-powered device that pulls you through the water with thrilling speed. Kids will love the Aqua Park, which has trampolines and inflatable slides.

Read: Where to Go Snorkeling in Nassau

Honeymoon Harbor Beach, Bimini

Some 10 miles south of Bimini, the tiny speck of Gun Cay is guarded at the southern end by a red-and-white lighthouse. At the northern tip, there’s a beautiful anchorage called Honeymoon Harbor Beach, which is only accessible by boat.

This is the ultimate desert island getaway; just a strip of white sand, a tiny jetty, and some dense greenery away from the beach. There’s little shade, so come prepared.

The big attraction of Honeymoon Harbor is the stingrays that mill around here in the shallows. The rays know that they’ll be fed tidbits by the occupants of the day boats that anchor here, so they show up as soon as a boat appears. They’re docile and used to humans, so you can stand in the warm water and even touch them gently.

Chill Island Beach, CocoCay

A long sweep of immaculate, cream-colored sand curving around three small, half-moon bays, Chill Island is one of the biggest beaches on CocoCay. You’ll find an abundance of sunbeds here, as well as daybeds and cabanas to rent, and hammocks slung between the palm trees. There are beach wheelchairs available, too.

If you can stir yourself from your sunbathing spot, this is also one of the best places to snorkel in the Bahamas, with equipment to rent if you don’t have your own. Head out to one of the floating snorkel platforms where you can rest in between forays over the coral reefs.

You won’t have to stray far for lunch; the Chill Grill on the beach serves BBQ dishes, salads, and tacos, as well as other comfort food. You can shop for Bahamian souvenirs, too, in the rustic straw market.

Jaws Beach, Nassau

You’re unlikely to find any sharks and certainly no great whites at this peaceful beach on the west coast of New Providence. But Jaws Beach has this slightly menacing name because some of the scenes from the fourth movie in the famous franchise were shot here.

Jaws Beach is part of Clifton Heritage Park, which is a protected area, so you won’t find a lot of development here. Come for a quiet time, easy access to the offshore reef, and hikes through the park itself. You’ll find habitats ranging from wetlands to dunes and scrubby woodland, with seabirds and wading birds for company.

Love Beach, Nassau

Pristine Love Beach is regarded as one of the best beaches in the Bahamas for snorkeling, thanks to the presence of 40 acres of thriving coral reef just offshore.

It’s a 25-minute drive from downtown by taxi or jitney (the local buses), but you’ll be rewarded with a dreamy sense of a true tropical island paradise, as there’s little development here beyond a few beach bars. You can rent a beach chair or simply relax in the shade of a tree.

The snorkeling here is spectacular. You could see shimmering parrotfish, snapper, bright butterflyfish, blue-and-yellow damselfish, and graceful angelfish. Love Beach has serene tide pools, too, which kids will love poking around in.

Cabbage Beach, Nassau

Despite its unusual name, Cabbage Beach on Nassau’s Paradise Island is a delightful place to spend the day, thanks to its powdery white sand and translucent teal waters.

Unlike many Bahamas beaches owned by resorts, Cabbage Beach is a public facility, with umbrellas and beach chairs to rent from local operators. You’ll find plenty of watersports here, as well as beach vendors selling Bahamian drinks and snacks.

Cabbage Beach is right next to the opulent Atlantis Resort, so you can combine your beach time with a wander through the spectacular property, which has plenty of high-end shops to gaze at, as well as places to eat and drink.

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