Bahamas: What You Must Know

The Weather

The temperature in the Bahamas varies surprisingly little, averaging between 75°F and 85°F in both winter and summer, although it can get very chilly, especially in the early morning and at night. The Bahamian winter is usually like a perpetual May, so that's naturally the high season for North Americans who are dying to escape snow and ice in their own hometowns. Summer brings broiling hot sun and humidity, with a much greater chance of rain in the summer and fall.

The Tropic of Cancer crosses the Bahamian archipelago at about the halfway mark, passing through Great Exuma and the northern part of Long Island. Thus, there is some variation between the mean temperatures in the northernmost and southernmost islands, but the climate overall is mild. The Gulf Stream sweeps along the western shores with its clear, warm waters, and the prevailing trade winds blow steadily in from the southeast.

Looking for a Bahamas Vacation Deal?
	Check out these really HOT DEALS at all inclusive packages by CheapCaribbean.com - they always have the best rates: 5 nights+flight from as low as $399 per person!

Currency

The currency is the Bahamian dollar (B$1), which is pegged to the U.S. dollar so that they're always equivalent. (In fact, U.S. dollars are accepted widely throughout the Bahamas.) There is no restriction on the amount of foreign currency a tourist can bring into the country. Most large hotels and stores accept traveler's checks, but you may have trouble getting a personal check honored.

Credit Cards

Credit cards are invaluable when traveling. They are a safe way to carry money and provide a convenient record of all your expenses.

You can also withdraw cash advances from your credit cards at any bank (though you'll start paying hefty interest on the advance the moment you receive the cash, and you won't receive frequent-flyer miles on an airline credit card). At most banks, you don't even need to go to a teller; you can get a cash advance at the ATM if you know your PIN number. (If you've forgotten your PIN number or didn't even know you had one, call the phone number on the back of your credit card and ask the bank to send it to you. It usually takes 5 to 7 business days, though some banks will provide the number over the phone if you tell them your mother's maiden name or pass some other security clearance.)

Almost every credit-card company has an emergency 800-number you can call if your wallet or purse is stolen. They may be able to wire you a cash advance off your credit card immediately, and in many places, they can deliver an emergency credit card in a day or two.

Citicorp Visa's emergency number is tel. 800/336-8472.
American Express cardholders should call tel. 800/233-5432 to report a lost card, while traveler's check holders should call tel. 800/221-7282 if they have a money emergency.
MasterCard holders should call tel. 800/307-7309.

Odds are that if your wallet is gone, the police won't be able to recover it for you. However, after you realize that it's gone and you cancel your credit cards, it is still worth informing them. Your credit-card company or insurer may require a police report number.

ATMs

ATMs are linked to a national network that most likely includes your bank at home. Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787; www.mastercard.com/atm/) and PLUS (tel. 800/843-7587; www.visa.com/atms) are the two most popular networks; check the back of your ATM card to see which network your bank belongs to. Use the 800 numbers to locate ATMs in your destination.

If you're traveling abroad, ask your bank for a list of overseas ATMs. Be sure to check the daily withdrawal limit before you depart, and ask whether you need a new personal ID number.

Traveler's Checks

Traveler's checks are something of an anachronism from the days before the ATM made cash accessible at any time. These days, traveler's checks seem less necessary because most destinations, such as the major islands of the Bahamas, have 24-hour ATMs that allow travelers to withdraw small amounts of cash as needed--and thus avoid the risk of carrying a fortune around in an unfamiliar environment. Many banks, however, impose a fee every time a card is used at an ATM in a different city or bank. If you're withdrawing money every day, you might be better off with traveler's checks, as long as you don't mind showing identification every time you want to cash a check. It also makes sense to purchase traveler's checks if you plan to travel in the remote Out Islands, because ATMs will be scarcer there, if not altogether unavailable.

You can get traveler's checks at almost any bank. American Express offers denominations of $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, and $1,000. You'll pay a service charge ranging from 1% to 4%. You can also get American Express traveler's checks over the phone by calling tel. 800/221-7282; by using this number, Amex gold and platinum cardholders are exempt from the 1% fee. AAA members can obtain checks without a fee at most AAA offices.

Visa offers traveler's checks at Citibank locations nationwide, as well as several other banks. The service charge ranges between 1.5% and 2%; checks come in denominations of $20, $50, $100, $500, and $1,000. MasterCard also offers traveler's checks through Thomas Cook Currency Services; call tel. 800/223-9920 for a location near you.

If you opt to carry traveler's checks, be sure to keep a record of their serial numbers, separately from the checks of course, so you're ensured a refund in just such an emergency.

Before You Go

Good sources to try before you leave home are your travel agent or the Bahamas Tourist Office nearest you. They're on the Web at www.bahamas.com; or call 1-800-BAHAMAS, and they have branch offices at the following locations:

Chicago: 8600 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 820, Chicago, IL 60631 (tel. 773/693-1500)

Dallas: World Trade Center, 2050 Stemmons Fwy., Suite 116, Dallas, TX 75258 (tel. 214/742-1886)

Fort Lauderdale: Bahamas Out Islands Promotion Board, 1100 Lee Wagener Blvd., Suite 204, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315 (tel. 800/688-4752 or 954/359-8099)

Miami: 1 Turnberry Place, 19495 Biscayne Blvd. 809, Adventura, FL 33180 (tel. 305/932-0051)

Los Angeles: 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1204, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (tel. 800/439-6993)

New York: 150 E. 52nd St., New York, NY 10022 (tel. 212/758-2777)

Toronto: 121 Bloor St. E., Suite 1101, Toronto, ON M4W 3M5 (tel. 416/968-2999)

United Kingdom: 3 The Billings, Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4UL (tel. 01483/448900)

Fast Facts

American Express--Representing American Express in the Bahamas is Playtours, on Shirley Street (between Charlotte and Parliament streets), Nassau (tel. 242/322-2931). Hours are 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. The travel department is also open Saturday 9am to 1pm. If you present a personal check and an AmEx card, you can buy traveler's checks here.

Business Hours--In Nassau, Cable Beach, and Freeport/Lucaya, commercial banking hours are 9:30am to 3pm Monday through Thursday, 9:30am to 5pm on Friday. Hours are likely to vary widely in the Out Islands. Ask at your hotel. Most government offices are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and most shops are open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

Camera & Film--Purchasing film in Nassau/Paradise Island or Freeport/Lucaya is relatively easy if a little expensive. But stock up if you're going to some of the remote Out Islands and need a special kind of film.

Drug Laws--Importing, possessing, or dealing in unlawful drugs, including marijuana, is a serious offense in the Bahamas, with heavy penalties. Customs officers may at their discretion conduct body searches for drugs or other contraband goods.

Drugstores--Nassau and Freeport are amply supplied with pharmacies. However, if you're traveling in the Out Islands, it is always best to carry your prescribed medication with you, since pharmacies are harder to find.

Electricity--Electricity is normally 120 volts, 60 cycles, AC. American appliances are fully compatible; British or European appliances will need both converters and adapters.

Embassies & Consulates--The U.S. embassy is on Queen Street, P.O. Box N-8197, Nassau (tel. 242/322-4753), and the Canadian consulate is on Shirley Street Shopping Plaza, Nassau (tel. 242/393-2123). The British High Commission is in the BITCO Building (third floor), East Street, Nassau (tel. 242/325-7471).

Emergencies--Throughout the Bahamas, the number to call for a medical, dental, or hospital emergency is tel. 919 or 911. To report a fire, however, call tel. 411.

Gambling--Casino gambling is legal in the Bahamas for visitors. Bahamians and Bahamas residents are prohibited from gambling, although they can enter the casinos in the company of friends from elsewhere. Games offered are dice, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, wheel of fortune, and slot machines. There is a casino at Cable Beach on New Providence and one on Paradise Island, and there are two at Freeport/Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island.

Holidays--Public holidays observed in the Bahamas are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whitmonday (7 weeks after Easter), Labour Day (the first Friday in June), Independence Day (July 10), Emancipation Day (the first Monday in August), Discovery Day (October 12), Christmas, and Boxing Day (the day after Christmas). When a holiday falls on Saturday or Sunday, stores and offices are usually closed on the following Monday.

Language--In the Bahamas, locals speak English, but sometimes with a marked accent that provides the clue to their ancestry—African, Irish, Scottish, or whatever. English is also the official language of the Turks and Caicos.

Liquor Laws--Liquor is sold in liquor stores and various convenience stores; it's readily available though not sold on Sundays. The legal drinking age is 18.

Mail & Postage Rates--Obviously, you'll need Bahamian (not U.S.) postage stamps to send postcards and letters. Most of the kiosks selling postcards also sell the stamps you'll need to mail them, so you probably won't need to visit the post office. Sending a postcard or an airmail letter (up to a half-ounce in weight) from the Bahamas to anywhere outside its borders (including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.) costs 45¢ and 65¢, respectively, with 65¢ charged for each additional half-ounce of weight. Postcards and letters mailed within the Bahamas to anywhere else within the Bahamas cost 20¢ and 25¢ per half-ounce, respectively.

Mail to and from the Out Islands is sometimes slow. Airmail may go by air to Nassau and by boat to its final destination. If a resort has a U.S. or Nassau address, it is preferable to use it.

Newspapers & Magazines--Three newspapers are circulated in Nassau and Freeport: the Nassau Guardian, the Tribune, and the Freeport News. Circulation in the Out Islands is limited and likely to be slow.

You can find the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Miami Herald, Times of London, and Daily Telegraph at newsstands in your hotel and elsewhere in Nassau, usually the day after they are published but sometimes later. Such U.S. magazines as Time and Newsweek are flown in from the mainland.

Pets--You'll have to get a valid import permit to bring any animal into the Bahamas. Application for such a permit must be made in writing, accompanied by a $10 processing fee and a $5 fax fee, to the Director of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box N-3028, Nassau, the Bahamas (tel. 242/325-7413), at least 4 weeks in advance.

Police--In Nassau, call the police at tel. 919; in Freeport/Lucaya, dial tel. 911.

Safety--When going to Nassau (New Providence), Cable Beach, Paradise Island, or Freeport/Lucaya, exercise the kind of caution you would if visiting Miami. Whatever you do, if people peddling drugs approach you, steer clear of them as if they had the bubonic plague. Americans and other foreigners have gotten into a world of trouble in the Bahamas by purchasing illegal drugs.

Women, especially, should take caution if walking alone on the streets of Nassau after dark, particularly if those streets appear to be deserted. Pickpockets (often foreigners) work the crowded casino floors of both Paradise Beach and Cable Beach. See that your wallet, money, or other valuables are secured.

If you're driving a rental car, always make sure your car door is locked, and never leave possessions in view in an automobile. Don't leave valuables, such as cameras and purses, lying unattended on the beach while you go for a swim. If you have valuables with you, especially jewelry, don't leave them unguarded in hotel rooms. Many of the bigger hotels will provide safes. Keep your hotel-room doors locked. Bahamian tourist officials often warn visitors, "If you've got it, don't flaunt it." This will minimize the possibility of your becoming a victim of crime.

You're less likely to get mugged in the Out Islands, where life is generally more peaceful. There are some resort hotels that, even today, don't have locks on the doors.

However, drug dealers frequent many of the Out Islands, especially Bimini, because of their proximity to Miami. Take special care if you plan to vacation here. Transporting illegal drugs between Bimini and the Florida coastline is so commonplace that every day the boating set sees bales of marijuana floating on the water as they make the crossing. The marijuana is dumped when vessels are spotted by the coast guard as they approach American territorial waters.

Taxes--Departure tax is $20 ($22 from Grand Bahama Island) for visitors ages 7 and up. International airline and steamship tickets issued in the Bahamas are subject to a nominal tax, which is written into the cost of the ticket. An 8% tax is imposed on hotel bills. There is no sales tax in the Bahamas.

Telephone--Communications have improved recently, although some of the Out Islands are still difficult to reach. In recent years, virtually every hotel in the Bahamas seems to have installed a fax machine. Direct long-distance dialing between North America and Nassau, Grand Bahama, the Abacos, Andros, the Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Spanish Wells, the Exumas, and Stella Maris on Long Island is available.

To call the Bahamas from the U.S. or Canada, dial 1-242 plus the 7-digit local number. From the U.K., dial 001-242 plus the local 7-digit number.

To make a direct international call from the Bahamas to the U.S. or Canada, dial 1 plus the area code and local number. To call other countries, dial 011 plus the country code (the U.K. is 44, for example), the area code, and the local number.

For local calls within the Bahamas, simply dial the 7-digit number. To call from one island to another within the Bahamas, dial 1-242 and then the 7-digit local number.

Note that the old coin-operated phones are still prevalent and still swallow coins. Each local call costs 25¢; you can use either Bahamian or U.S. quarters. Those old phones, however, are gradually being replaced by phones that use calling cards (debit cards), similar in appearance to a credit card, that come in denominations of $5, $10, $20, and $50. They can be bought from any office of BATELCO (Bahamas Telephone Co.).

BATELCO's main branch is on Kennedy Drive, Nassau (tel. 242/302-7000), although a popular local branch lies in the commercial heart of Nassau, on East Street off Bay Street.

To get directory assistance within the Bahamas, dial tel. 916. To reach an international or a domestic operator within the Bahamas, dial 0. There is no distinction made in the Bahamas between the two types of operators.

To reach the major international services of AT&T, dial tel. 800/CALLATT from any phone, or head for any phone with at&t or usa direct written on the side of the booth. Picking up the handset will immediately connect you with an AT&T operator. These phones are often positioned beside cruise-ship docks to help passengers disembarking on shore leave for the day. The number for Sprint is tel. 800/389-2111; MCI can be reached at tel. 800/888-8000 or 800/624-1000.

Time--Eastern Standard Time is used throughout the Bahamas, and daylight saving time is observed in the summer.

Tipping--Many establishments add a service charge, but it's customary to leave something extra if service has been especially fine. If you're not sure whether service has been included in your bill, don't be shy—ask.

Bellboys and porters, at least in the expensive hotels, expect a tip of $1 per bag. It's also customary to tip your maid at least $2 per day—more if she or he has performed special services such as getting a shirt or blouse laundered. Most service personnel, including taxi drivers, waiters, and the like, expect 15% (20% in deluxe restaurants).

Water--Technically, tap water is drinkable throughout the Bahamas, and most local residents are accustomed to its slightly brackish taste. We opt for bottled because it tastes better, and because your holiday isn't worth being shortchanged by a queasy stomach. In some outlying places, water might be in short supply. Such populous islands as New Providence, Grand Bahama, and Marsh Harbour have ample pure water, filtered and chlorinated. Resorts tend to filter and chlorinate their water more aggressively than most other establishments on any particular island, and bottled water is available at all tourist facilities, stores, and supermarkets.

On many of the Out Islands, rainfall is a main source of water for drinking and other household uses. This is caught and kept in the cisterns that most houses have. Water from cisterns is always potentially dangerous. To avoid problems, it is best to stick to bottled water.

Weddings--You might prefer a wedding beneath a palm tree instead of a snowbound setting in your hometown. Any large resort in the Bahamas, as well as the Ministry of Tourism's People-to-People program, will help you arrange the details. Contact the Ministry of Tourism at P.O. Box N-3701, Nassau, the Bahamas (tel. 242/302-2034).

Here's what's required: Both of you must be in the Bahamas at the moment you apply for your wedding license, the price of which is $40. If both of you are single and U.S. citizens, you must obtain an affidavit to that effect from the U.S. embassy in Nassau. The price of this is $10; you'll have to appear in person with proof of identity, such as a passport. If it's applicable, you'll also need to show proof of divorce. If all of the above-mentioned requirements are met, you can be married anytime after 24 hours of your arrival in the Bahamas. No blood test is necessary.

©Frommers (used according to the terms of affiliation with the Travelocity.com)

Visit our partner tour operators and get even more exciting vacation offers Expedia: Everything Caribbean: Deals, Maps and More!

Create your own perfect vacation package! Departing from: Going to: Other ----------------------------------------------- Anaheim Aruba Cancun Oahu Kauai Las Vegas London Maui Mazatlan Miami Montego Bay Nassau New Orleans New York City Orlando Paris Puerto Vallarta Reno San Francisco San Juan Seattle Washington DC Depart: (MM/DD/YY)   Morning Noon Evening Return: (MM/DD/YY)   Morning Noon Evening Number of adults 1 adult 2 adults 3 adults 4 adults      Show more destinations

Bahamas: Map

Bahamas Beaches Picture Gallery