Cable Beach, Bahamas

Consider Cable Beach on New Providence Island – one of the Bahamas’ most popular holiday islands – for a beach holiday or romantic getaway in the Caribbean.

With its stunning white-sand beaches, numerous water sports, vibrant nightlife, fine dining restaurants, family attractions and duty free shopping, Cable Beach offers all the ingredients you need for the perfect Caribbean holiday – all just a 35-minute flight from Miami.

Although collectively named Cable Beach, this 6.5km-long stretch of white sand is home to a string of superb beaches located in the centre of New Providence Island’s northern coast.

Things to do and see

The beach is lined with a good selection of luxury resorts, nightclubs, snack bars, restaurants, casinos and a golf course. Facilities provided by the beachfront resorts include umbrellas, sun loungers and restrooms, with a small charge for non-guests.

Cable Beach (including nearby Paradise Island) offers the best entertainment options, the best shopping, some of the best beaches and the most historic attractions in the Bahamas. Away from the major beachfront resorts there are also less crowded public areas where you can find some solitude.

To the west of Cable Beach lies a pink house on the Rock Point promontory, where much of the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball was filmed.

Away from the beach, in neighbouring Nassau, stroll on foot or ride a horse-drawn surrey along picturesque tree-lined streets with well-preserved stately colonial mansions, cathedrals and 18th century castles.

Despite its close proximity to Florida on the US mainland, Nassau has still retained its British colonial charm. For panoramic island views, climb up the 66-step Queen's Staircase to the 18th century Fort Fincastle and check out the unfired cannons and damp dungeons at Fort Charlotte.

Nassau was founded by the British in the 1600s and became a popular pirate hideout during the 1700s. To learn more about the pirate era, visit the Pirates of Nassau Museum, an interactive museum showcasing remnants of that time.

Enjoy the flumes, rides and marine habitat in the water playground of the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort & Casino on nearby Paradise Island or tee-off at the 18-hole, par-72 Radisson Cable Beach Golf Course. Take a flutter at the Las Vegas-style gaming tables of the Crystal Palace Casino at the Wyndham Nassau Resort; stay longer and take in a show in the 800-seat theatre.

View the colourful coral gardens off New Providence Island from inside the Seaworld Explorer submarine or take a glass-bottom boat from the middle of Nassau's harbour. In the manicured landscape of Adastra Gardens, discover a lush 2ha area that is home to more than 300 exotic mammals, reptiles and birds, including pink flamingos and capuchin monkeys.

Spend a day on the Exuma Islands, snorkelling, diving and sunbathing on idyllic secluded beaches. Swim with dolphins on Blue Lagoon Island or instead play Robinson Crusoe on remote Rose Island, sunbathing on the white-sand beach and snorkelling the offshore coral gardens.

Go for the day to Cable Beach or stay longer at one of the beachfront resorts, such as the luxurious and all-inclusive Sandals Royal Bahamian Hotel & Spa, the family friendly Sheraton Cable Beach Resort or the glitzy Wyndham Nassau Resort.

Other great beaches on New Providence Island
Aside from Cable Beach, New Providence Island is fringed with an array of named and unnamed beaches where you can relax with all the amenities you need or find solitude on a more remote stretch of white sand far from the crowds. Here is a selection of the best beaches on the island.

Delaporte Beach – If Cable Beach gets too busy for your liking, just wander west to the idyllic and less crowded white-sand Delaporte Beach, which shelves into a turquoise sea. There are no facilities on this public-access beach, which is located near the small village of Delaporte, a former plantation.

Caves Beach – Escape the crowds on this little visited crescent of powder-white sand that offers good swimming and sunbathing but no facilities – so make sure to pack a picnic. Caves Beach lies on the north shore near Rock Point, just west of Cable Beach and around 11km southwest of Nassau.

Love Beach – Just beyond Caves Beach and east of Northwest Point sits this small and secluded stretch of white sand. Unwind on the beach with the one you love or enjoy superb snorkelling just metres from the beach. A short boat ride offshore takes you to 16ha of coral and sea fan, with forests of fern, known locally as the Sea Gardens.

There are no facilities at this beach, which technically is a private beach belonging to local beachfront residents. Love Beach is about 14km from Nassau.

Old Fort Beach – Escape the crowds on the least developed of the island’s beaches, with white sands shelving into clear turquoise waters. Old Fort Beach is only a 15-minute drive west of Nassau International Airport.

Saunders Beach – Unwind on this casuarina tree-lined, white-sand beach that sits to east of the resort area of Cable Beach. There are no public facilities here, but do look out for local fundraising cookouts that are open to the public and are usually a lot of fun. This beach lies across from Fort Charlotte, just west of Arawak Cay.

Western Esplanade (or Junkanoo Beach) – This is a convenient beach for those staying in downtown Nassau, just a few minutes from the cruise ship docks. Facilities include change rooms, toilets and a snack bar. Also known as Long Wharf, the beach is popular with Bahamians hosting cookouts and other fundraising activities.

Best time to visit Cable Beach?
The best time to visit Cable Beach on New Providence Island is from November to April, when temperatures average a balmy 24°C with cooling trade winds. Temperatures average 28°C during the rest of the year, with the temperature dropping about 5°C after dark.

Summer, from May to October, is the rainy season. June through to November marks the official hurricane season (probably best avoided). For more climate info: Bahamas Weather Guide

Location – Cable Beach sits 4.8km west of downtown Nassau on the north shore of New Providence Island. The Bahamas comprise a chain of more than 700 islands and 2000 cays (small islands), stretching for 96km in the Atlantic, southeast of Florida. Paradise Island, New Providence Island and Grand Bahama receive the most visitors, followed by Exuma and Andros islands.

Getting there – By air, Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport is just a 35-minute flight from Miami and 2.5 hours from New York. Most hotels operate complimentary shuttle buses from the airport. A toll bridge and ferry service link Nassau to nearby Paradise Island. How to get to Cable Beach . . .