Nassau Straw Market--How far??

[moore523]

I searched the forum for info on the Straw Market and found lots of great tips on haggling, etc. and that it was close--but can anyone tell me how close?

How long will it take to get there--by walking?

Thanks!

[libpetersen]

It is just a minute or two outside of where you dock, super easy to get to from the ship. Its alot of fun, but there are so many amazing places to go just a short cab or bus ride away, I would venture outside of the straw market. Also, you can get day passes for many of the hotels in cable beach or you can get a room at comfort inn at paradise island, which we have done, that gives you full access to Atlantis and its water park. I personnally love the trip down to Traveler's Rest for food and the amazing beach across the street by cab if you want to get away from crowds and just enjoy the beautiful Bahamas Beach. Traveler's Rest has been family owned forever and the food is amazing. You can check out on Trip Advisor.

I love Nassau and there is so much more than the dock area!

[MND]

Originally Posted by moore523

I searched the forum for info on the Straw Market and found lots of great tips on haggling, etc. and that it was close--but can anyone tell me how close?

How long will it take to get there--by walking?

Thanks!

As the PP pointed out, the Straw Market is very close. Attached is a walking guide to Nassau.

Enjoy your cruise!

http://www.brentjes.com/nassau.html

[cmclaura]

Out of the many times we've been to Nassau, this month was the first time I ventured to the straw market. What a HUGE disappointment. Everyone had pretty much the same merchandise, and not much of it looked good. And not that much of it was straw goods. TONS of T shirts and sweat shirts, cloth bags, etc. And we saw the same stuff all over town, too.

Really very disappointing.

[moore523]

Thanks everyone! I have 2 little ones, so we thought we'd just get off the ship for a little bit, check it out, and then head back to the ship and let them (hopefully) enjoy the pool etc with a little less of a crowd!

[zippingalong]

Just a warning. If someone tries to give you a *gift* (much like Jamaica) at the straw market, do NOT hold out your hand. They'll then try to make you pay for it and hound you.

I'm not a fan. My teen DD likes to visit, but I hate it.

[Jillpie]

Originally Posted by libpetersen

It is just a minute or two outside of where you dock, super easy to get to from the ship. Its alot of fun, but there are so many amazing places to go just a short cab or bus ride away, I would venture outside of the straw market. Also, you can get day passes for many of the hotels in cable beach or you can get a room at comfort inn at paradise island, which we have done, that gives you full access to Atlantis and its water park. I personnally love the trip down to Traveler's Rest for food and the amazing beach across the street by cab if you want to get away from crowds and just enjoy the beautiful Bahamas Beach. Traveler's Rest has been family owned forever and the food is amazing. You can check out on Trip Advisor.

I love Nassau and there is so much more than the dock area!

This Traveler's Rest sounds nice, so you take a cab to it? Is that what the beach is called? Can you be more specific as to what to tell the cab driver, and is it free for the beach? Any pictures? Thanks!

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Originally Posted by moore523

Thanks everyone! I have 2 little ones, so we thought we'd just get off the ship for a little bit, check it out, and then head back to the ship and let them (hopefully) enjoy the pool etc with a little less of a crowd!

Don't take your little ones there. Last time we went they were very pushy towards the little kids. Lots of little crap that they want to sell the kids that are overpriced. We had a 7 yo there that wanted one of the little stone turtles. They wanted $5 for it. Tried to negotiate and they would only go down to $4 and told me that was cheap. Considering I had previously purchased the same type of stone turtle for $1 in Cozumel there was no way I was spending $4 for it. I ended up buying one for $3 in Savannah on the way home.

My DD hated Nassau because of the straw market. It was hot and extremely crowded. Next time we took her to the Pirate museum and it was much better! Not big but better than the straw market.

[noahsketomom]

We were expecting the worst from the straw market, but were pleasantly surprised. It wasn't anything spectacular, but we gave the kids a budget and they were all able to find something they liked as a souvenir.

If you do head into town though, I'd recommend going a bit later -- late morning or so? We headed in about 11ish and did not get approached much for braiding, etc. Everyone treated our four kids (ages 5-10) very nicely and we met some nice folks. Sure there were some pushy folks, but we ignored them and went to other booths. We walked around a few other stores in town, but didn't see anything we were wowed over by.

We were back on board by 2 at the latest, kids headed straight back to the pools!

[CanuckTraveller]

Originally Posted by MND

As the PP pointed out, the Straw Market is very close. Attached is a walking guide to Nassau.

Enjoy your cruise!

http://www.brentjes.com/nassau.html

We followed this walking tour when we were in Nassau earlier this month and had a great time. Our boys are 7&5 yrs and they managed to do the whole walk without any problems. Nassau has some beautiful buildings and interesting history that you can explore at very little expense. We will be back in Nassau in March and the boys are already asking to go on another walk, I'm having to talk them into staying on the ship
About the straw market, we took our boys through there too and had no problems. People did ask if we wanted to look at their wares or if we were looking for something in particular, but that was it. We did find it rather overwhelming to be there, which is why we left.

[MND]

Originally Posted by CanuckTraveller

We followed this walking tour when we were in Nassau earlier this month and had a great time. Our boys are 7&5 yrs and they managed to do the whole walk without any problems. Nassau has some beautiful buildings and interesting history that you can explore at very little expense. We will be back in Nassau in March and the boys are already asking to go on another walk, I'm having to talk them into staying on the ship
About the straw market, we took our boys through there too and had no problems. People did ask if we wanted to look at their wares or if we were looking for something in particular, but that was it. We did find it rather overwhelming to be there, which is why we left.

I'm glad you enjoyed the walking tour. My 13 year old son and I loved walking through Nassau last spring. It's fun to visit new places. We strolled through the straw market but enjoyed the shops in the side streets near the market better.

Mike