The Island That Has It All: Sand, Sea and a Casino : Compact and Accessible, Paradise Island Is a One-Stop Vacation Spot in the Bahamas

In 1960, multimillionaire Huntington Hartford--who was lucky enough to be born a grandson to the founder of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.--bought a winter place in the Bahamas and promptly petitioned the government to change its name to Paradise.

Hartford, though a smart guy, certainly didn’t need to be a genius to realize it would’ve been tough to conceive of Shangri-La on a piece of real estate called Hog Island.

Imagine the “Hog Island Golf Club.” The “Hog Island Food Mart & Deli.” A beach resort called “Hog Hog.”

Hartford, of course, could’ve named it A&P; Island. Imagine the “A&P; Island Golf Club” . . .

Fortunately for developers, Paradise stuck. And today there are 10 hotels and a busy casino on this little luxurious corner of paradise. The island’s sensational Cabbage Beach, a swatch of sugar-soft sand and amazingly civilized aqua surf on the north shore, extends just behind the towers of one of Merv Griffin’s three Resorts International properties. (Merv’s dancing chic to sheik now: He bought the properties from Donald Trump three years ago and is currently offering them for sale, courting offers from Asian developers and an Arab sheik.)

If a quick-fix holiday carving out your own little niche on the beach and getting into the betting action defines your vacation, Paradise Island will more than live up to its name.

The Nassau International Airport on New Providence Island just below Paradise Island ought to have one of those signs that flash at gas stations along interstates: “E-Z ON E-Z OFF.”

The worst delay I encountered in mid-November was my taxi’s negotiating the minivan-clogged streets of Nassau en route to the only bridge that connects Paradise to the “big island” of New Providence.

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Consider Paradise Island a Miami Beach East: sand, sea and lots of rooms with double beds. Once across the steep Paradise Bridge visitors arrive in a man-made world sculpted with palm trees and parking lots. There’s a dominant theme here--hotels.

Mine was a four-day, three-night package that cost just over $600 (purchased a week in advance), and that included round-trip air fare on Delta and accommodations and taxes at the Pirates Cove, the quaint name for the Holiday Inn on the north shore of the island.

As a short-timer, I was very much in sync with other Americans here. Europeans usually split their holidays, with a week in Miami or Orlando, Fla., and a week in the Bahamas. Sunrise Beach Club, on the north side of the island, just west of Two Mile Beach, caters to the Europeans. “About 75% of our business is Euro,” said Sunrise’s administration manager, Dennis Sutton. “Austrians, Germans, French, Italians. And they all tend to stay longer.”

For Americans, though, “it’s a quick hit,” said a manager at the Paradise Island Resort & Casino, one of Griffin’s hotels. “In on a Wednesday or Thursday, home on the weekend. Paradise is convenient. We’ve got the restaurants, the rooms, the beach. Most of the famous shops in Nassau have branches here. The only reason to leave the island is for the airport, and some people don’t even have to leave Paradise to fly out.” Two commuter airlines offer daily flights to Miami and other Florida cities from Griffin’s Paradise Island International Airport.

Only 4 miles long and about a mile wide, Paradise is indeed user-friendly; it was designed to be that way. In fact, since such a large chunk of the land are taken up by a Club Med and Griffin’s airport and golf course, the other attractions--the hotels and their restaurants, the casino, a couple of small shopping centers--are all within a half-hour walk or, at night, a $5 taxi ride. Rental cars are moot because (a) you don’t need one and (b) they are prohibitively expensive, $50 a day and up.

Scooters are another option but fraught with potential danger. Folks here drive on the left, plus speed bumps are perilous: I saw a young woman traveling fast on two wheels along Paradise Beach Drive, and when she hit the bump her helmet flew off.

And anyway, who wants to cruise the Tarmac in the heat of a Bahamian day? Better to stake a claim to a spot of sand on the 2-mile stretch of Cabbage Beach or along the curve of the cove at the Holiday Inn. After you’ve practiced the polite art of refusing the constant flow of salesmen--pitching booze cruises, parachute sailing, banana-boat rides, bottles of aloe gel, cabaret tickets to the revoltingly garish Crystal Palace Resort on Cable Beach--the only worries are “Is SPF 15 enough protection?” and “What’s for lunch?”

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Cabbage (also known as Hartford Beach) extends from the Ocean Club, at the center of the island on its north side, westward past the Paradise Island Resort. It’s typically least crowded between the Ocean Club and the Sheraton Grand, the first hotel to the west. It’s a well-placed perch for checking out the cruise ships as they enter or leave Nassau Harbor.

From Cabbage Beach, it’s a short hike further west through a wooded clearing to Pirates Cove (beware of the foul-smelling “Paradise Lake,” a giant wet sump). Still further west across a spit of land is Paradise Beach, a sensational stretch that runs from the Paradise Paradise Beach Resort to the confines of Club Med. If there’s a breeze, this is where the wind surfers gravitate.

Speaking of physical activity, it’s not prohibited on Paradise Island (though pulling the arm on a slot machine is not considered exercise). The Caribbean’s Cayman Islands generally receive the universal vote for the clearest water and most spectacular dive sites, but the west end of New Providence Island provided our group with an afternoon of soft currents and super snorkeling.

Several on-island entrepreneurs will shuttle visitors from hotel to dock and then into the ocean for scuba diving and snorkeling. Among them are Bahama Divers, (809) 393-1466 and Stuart Cove, (809) 362-4171. Cove is a longtime consultant to underwater photographers and isn’t shy about reminding customers that Nassau was used for “Cocoon” and “Jaws IV” and any number of location film shoots.

For $25, the Cove folks took me to their Dive South Ocean base on the south shore of New Providence and on to explore two coral reefs. Mask, fins and snorkel, two tanks and weights were included in the $60 package. Although fish were in short supply, the water was wondrously clear and serene and the coral dazzling. If you go, block a half day: The hotel pickup was at noon; we were returned after 5.

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A more accessible diversion is an evening at the Junkanoo Village every Wednesday at the Paradise Resort, held inside the hotel or out on the lawn, depending on the weather.

Junkanoo is a uniquely Bahamian celebration that’s somewhat like Goombay, the July and August festival that fills the streets of Bermuda and the Bahamas with dancing and music. Although Junkanoo is generally celebrated around New Year’s, the marketing people at the island’s hotels, who co-sponsor the event, realize it’s a potent way to keep tourists occupied on a slow Wednesday night--as well as a device to keep them within striking distance of the casino.

Fire-eaters, whistle-blowers and rum punches are some of the ingredients (the $10 admission buys a free fruit punch and a T-shirt). There’s island music and a smaller version of Nassau’s straw market, with its abundance of hats and other items plaited from straw. And there are vendors selling conch fritters and salad and the local brew, Kalik, a particularly fine beer produced in the Bahamas under the auspices of Heineken. The finish to each festival evening is a parade through the casino, led by characters costumed in bright reds and yellows and greens.

While dining is usually the main event of the evening, other night life at the Paradise Island Resort is usually confined to lounge bands or DJs or strolls on the beach. The Vegas-y Le Cabaret is a theater with Busby Berkeley-type musical “spectaculars”; the highlight the night I attended was the blond Sylvia Sylvia, who accomplished wondrous feats with her crossbow.

The main event is the casino itself, 30,000 square feet of slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat and craps tables. Minimums are reasonable--gamblers can indulge low-rent fantasies at roulette for as little as $1, and there are slots that play for only a nickel.

Culturally, the former Hog Island is something of a vast wasteland, unless you consider a Rolex watch or the new Dior fragrance an artistic artifact. There is, however, a corner of sculpture and statuary on the eastern part of the island: the Versailles Gardens. And a cloister from a 14th-Century French monastery graces a hill nearby. In a moment of apparent historic zeal, William Randolph Hearst purchased this structure in the ‘20s and imported it to Florida, stone by stone. The crates of pieces were subsequently bought by financier Hartford, who had them reassembled on Paradise.

It is a lovely and serene spot today, a symmetry of arches and columns around a white marble meditating Madonna. Not many tourists come to the cloister; a local said it’s mainly used as a photo backdrop for weddings. Maybe if they put an espresso bar there . . .

GUIDEBOOK / The Road to Paradise

Getting there: American and Delta fly from LAX to Nassau for $525 round trip on a nonrefundable coach ticket. American changes planes in Miami and Delta in Atlanta.

Where to stay and eat:

Paradise Island Resort & Casino, (800) 321-3000. The mother lode: 1,200 rooms, 21 tennis courts, fitness spa, 18-hole golf course, umpteen restaurants and a casino, of course.

High rollers can dine at Cafe Martinique overlooking Paradise Lagoon, where James Bond dined in the film “Thunderball.” Entrees include Dover sole meuniere with grapes ($32) and grilled Coho salmon poached in chablis ($27.25). The food is substantially above average for a hotel.

Four other eateries are tucked away in an arcade past the casino. The Bahamian Club is the classiest, with a rich menu that includes veal cordon bleu ($23.25) and chateaubriand for two ($62). Across the way is the ersatz-Italian Villa d’Este, Italian cuisine with all the usual pastas, pesci and carni, with prices averaging about $25 for an entree. There’s also Coyoba, for Polynesian and Asian dishes, and Gulfstream, for Bahamian and imported seafood, plus a bunch of informal spots for breakfast and casual dining. Ocean Club Golf & Tennis Resort, (800) 321-3000. This is another Merv Griffin property, but far smaller: 71 units. Once a private two-story home owned by Huntington Hartford, the villa is surrounded by wonderful terraced gardens and a large pool, and it’s just across from the Cloisters.

The dining room is a courtyard around the pool and the menu similar to the dishes prepared in the Paradise Island Resort restaurants. The scampi we ordered looked succulent, sauteed in tomato and garlic with a whiff of brandy, but it was delivered ice-cold. We sent it back, and it was returned warmed. The coffee was tepid, muddy and burned; the bill, with one beer and no dessert, was almost $60. (The third Griffin hotel is Paradise Paradise Beach Resort, at the same 800 number.)

Pirate’s Cove Holiday Inn, (800) 465-4329, a mile from the casino. This high-rise towers over a curvaceous beach, a giant pool and a replica of a pirate ship that doubles as a cocktail lounge. The rooms are comfortable, and there are decent breakfasts in the Junkanoo Cafe.

Other hotels to consider are the Sheraton Grand, (800) 325-3535, good daily breakfast buffet for $8.95; the Paradise Island Fun Club, formerly Loew’s Harbour Cove, (800) 952- 2426; SunriseBeach Club and Villas, (800) 451-6078, and Comfort Suites, (800) 228-5150.

Packages/deals: Paradise Island packages--available from airlines, tour operators and travel agents--are the most economical way to go, especially for a short stay. Paradise Island Vacations, (800) 722-7466, books guests into virtually every hotel. For example, a three-night package at Paradise Towers in the Paradise Island Resort & Casino starts at $317 per person, double, including round-trip air fare from Miami and transfers to the island. Adding the Gourmet Dining Plan--breakfast and dinner--is $55 per day. Three nights at the upscale Ocean Club are $479 (same features as above).

From Friendly Holidays (800-221-9748) three nights at the Pirate’s Cove Holiday Inn start at $183 per person, double, including transfers from Nassau to the island, but excluding air fare from Miami.