Whether you visit Nassau by cruise or by plane and stay a few nights. Chances are you will want to visit one of the beaches of the Bahamas for some rest and relaxation, Cabbage beach is no different.
Sun , Sand and Sea was once the motto for the Bahamas and our pristine waters, powder white sands and endless all year round sunshine was the main selling point for many years.
Contrary to popular belief not all the beaches in the Bahamas meet this criteria and even less have what it takes to be dubbed The Best Beach.
Many travel sites have list of the top 10 beaches in the Bahamas but they are all cookie cutter and generic information that sells the dream that every beach is and can be amazing.
Here at Bahamas Information Guide we will point our the beaches of the Bahamas that not only travel sites talk about but the hidden ones only the locals know of.
We will give you access to our world and give a non bias rating that is not only useful for locals but visitors that are looking for a particular beach to visit and enjoy.
Bahamas Information Guide rating of Cabbage Beach
6/10 = Good – I would bring my family here
Bahamas Information guide rates Cabbage beach, in Nassau the Bahamas a 6 out of 10.
Take a look at how we arrived at this rating, view images and video of the beach and comment if you agree or disagree. Tell us your rating.
Contents
Are beaches free in The Bahamas?
There is a saying that may be heard among the locals that there are not private beaches in the Bahamas.
This is partially correct but mostly incorrect. The issue is that all beaches are public from the high water mark to the sea but from the high water mark inland is private.
This has caused issues over the years with public access to certain beaches. Most access requires traversing through private property to reach the beach area. This is trespassing.
However if you happen to gain access to the beach via public access you can walk the entire coastline as far as you can as long as you remain between the sea and high water mark. Property owners rarely ask for you to leave but its also not uncommon.
Hotels are known to keep non guest away and separated from their guest hence access to beaches behind hotel property are always private… but only at the point of the high water mark.
Bahamas beach rating guide
To consider what makes a good beach instead of just listing what the popular vote may be, we put together 10 things to consider to rate each beach. Each consideration is worth one point hence if a beach has 10/10 points it is considered an excellent beach.
The ratings take into account various beach types throughout the Bahamas considering what guest and locals consider to be a requirement for a good beach
Here are the rating points listed below and the final rating score
- Location
- Access
- Wild Life
- Beach parts
- Swash zone
- Beach face
- Berm
- Water
- Uniqueness
- Amenities
- Bathroom
- Food and Drinks
- Beach equipment
- Water sports
- Human Impact
- Locals
- Tourist
- Safety
- Privacy
- Enjoyment
Beach rating score card
- 1/10 = Avoid at all cost
- 2/10 = Horrible – Keep driving
- 3/10 = Bad – Nice to visit but not to stay
- 4/10 = Not bad, needs Improvement
- 5/10 = Average – I can swim here
- 6/10 = Good – I would bring my family here
- 7/10 = Above average – I would have a date here and even propose
- 8/10= Really good – One of the best beaches
- 9/10 = Excellent – Has all you will ever want
- 10/10 = Superb!! – Pure beach heaven, never leave
Photos of Cabbage Beach Nassau Bahamas
Cabbage Beach rating guide
Location
Cabbage beach is not actually on the island of New Providence aka Nassau but it is located on Paradise Island. Find more beaches near the port for cruisers HERE.
Having a beach on paradise island would make it quite popular as everyone wants to visit paradise island. Unfortunately this also makes it harder to get to. Whether you are on a cruise to Nassau or staying at a hotel not on paradise island you will have to cross the paradise island bridge.
This bridge was renamed the Sir Sydney Poitier bridge while the returning bridge continues to carry the name
There is a nominal toll to cross the bridge in a vehicle set at $2.00 per vehicle. It is free to cross on foot if you don’t mind walking the entire bridge.
There are a few ways to get to cabbage beach, by foot if you walk, you can rent a scooter, catch a public bus but you will still have to walk over the bridge. Catch a taxi at a cost between $4-8.00 $4.00 each way or via a water taxi.
With cabbage beach being on paradise island on the northern part of the island open to the Atlantic ocean dubs this beach as the most northern beach for New Providence
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach 0.5 points for its location on paradise island making getting there a bit more difficult than other beaches.
Access to Cabbage beach
Access to cabbage beach is mainly restricted with only a few public access points. Technically there is only one public access as to gain access to the beach you have to cross private property.
There are hotels, mini resorts and condos on the northern end of zParadise island making access to the beach difficult.
During the semi opening of the country in 2021 during the covid pandemic many property owners closed off their pathways to the beach. This left just one public access point to gain access to the beach.
This one public access is not as easy or public as it seems as there was local upheaval when the property owner decided to close off this public access. The Bahamas government had to step in and come to an agreement to allow persons to traverse through the property to reach the beach.
The laws of the Bahamas are still in effect as stated above that all beaches are public beaches. This means if the deal ever fall through out with the government and the land owner, access could be restricted once again
This will leave only guest at the hotels, resorts or condos on the beach with access to cabbage beach and it will be come a complete private beach. Read more on this HERE.
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach no points for its access as it is unstable and requires permission through a government agreement with the land owner.
Wild Life at Cabbage beach
Cabbage beach is a long stretch of land that is open to the Atlantic ocean. This means there are greater possibilities that wild life may be in the area.
Unfortunately the currents at this part of the island are pretty strong hence it keeps many sea life away from the beach.
Besides the occasional opportunistic seagull there is not much that can be seen at cabbage beach beyond a few small schools of silver fish
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach no points for wild life.
Beach parts
Every beach should have three distinct parts. A swash zone, beach face, wrack line and berm area. Depending on what each part of the beach holds makes a beach a good one.
The swash zone is the part of the beach where the water laps on the sand. This area varies with the tide and is more separated during low tide from the beach face and wrack line.
The beach face is the middle ground between the swash zone and the wrack line. It is in this area that the tide rises and falls and the sand here can be compact and moist
The wrack line also known as the high tide mark is the end of the wet sand area that the swash zone can encompass during high tide. This portion of the beach can sometimes have seaweed that was washed ashore during high tide.
The berm is considered the actual beach area we enjoy the most. It is the driest area away from the water, but during storms the sea can reach this area. However not all beaches have sand in this area, the beach berm can also be a rocky beach.
Swash zone
The swash zone is very defined for Cabbage beach. The water laps on the seashore during low and height tide but does not overwhelm the entire beach.
It is great for building sand castles during low tide however the undercurrents and rip tides in this area are also very dangerous and swimmers should be ware of swimming here as there are no lifeguards available.
Beach face
The beach faces similar to the swash zone and during high tide its hard to tell the difference. Being open to the Atlantic ocean there is rarely any seaweed washed ashore unless there was a storm passing.
This area is great for children to play in the sand away from the water where you can keep an eye on them. Remember the rip tides can pull unsuspecting swimmers out to the ocean easily
Wrack line
The wrack line is easily noticeable from the switch from compact wet sand to the thick dry sand that the beach is well know for.
This lack of seaweed keeps a constant flow of dry sand and wet sand that blends together to make up the overall beach. Sunbathers or those wishing to relax will know where to set up their spot away from any incoming tide.
Beach berm
The berm of this beach is pretty wide. the widest you will find in Nassau area. There are two parts a higher berm where the houses and some trees are located then the lower portion where beach goers reside.
The sand is very thick and soft. It is pristine and clean and a bit difficult to walk in. Many locals use this beach to exercise as it takes some effort to walk the coast line in the sand
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach 1 point for its beach parts being separated and easily noticeable.
Uniqueness of Cabbage beach
The one unique aspect of cabbage beach is its beach parts and thickness. The sand is the best you can find between Nassau and paradise Island.
Beyond all the other issues that the beach may posses such as its location being far from most places, transportation there via the bridge and the many vendors once you reach the beach its a great place to set up for the day.
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach 1 point for being the most unique beach with its wide sandy area between Nassau and Paradise Island.
Amenities
Because cabbage beach is considered a touristic beach you can find most amenities that you will require.
There are no official bathrooms but there are porta potties that are usually for the vendors at the beach but guest to the beach also use it.
There are vendors selling water, alcoholic drinks and finger foods on the beach. Lounge chairs beach towels and even water sports are all available.
All these amenities are independently sources hence discussion and negotiation with the owner is possible.
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach 1 point for having a number of amenities in place to help enjoy your time on the beach.
Human impact
Cabbage beach can get very crowded when there are a number of cruise ships in port. Taxies come and go dropping off guest some wait and others are picking up guest leaving.
This constant flow of guest makes this beach very crowded as the day professes.
Beach umbrellas, lounge chairs and beach towels soon litter the beach as the day progresses. As usual when ever there are a large amount of people there is bound to have some littering.
The good news is that the vendors know that tomorrow is a new day hence they clean up after themselves and guest at the end of each day.
This ensures new visitors the next day are welcomed by a clean beach as possible
If you expected a secluded beach cabbage beach is not the beach for you, however if you continue to walk east of the entrance (which will be to your right when you reach the beach) is the crowd diminishes and you can find yourself with more space.
This space stops near the Ocean Club as their beach is reserved for their guest so setting shop near this area is not allowed most often.
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach 0.5 points as it gets crowded, really crowded but a short walk east opens the beach up to less visitors.
Safety at Cabbage beach
How safe is cabbage beach? This is difficult to determine because there are two factors to consider. The safety of the beach itself for visitors and the safety of visitors with others around them.
Safety from nature
Lets take a look at the beach itself and its layout. Cabbage beach is facing the Atlantic ocean with nothing but Eleuthera a few miles away but its open ocean.
This means there is not much of a buffer in the way of coral reef that would help smooth things off as waves hit the beach.
Cabbage beach is well known for rip tides and its under current which can sweep you off your feet and pull you out to sea. What also makes this dangerous is that only a few feet into the water is a drop about 4 feet that take most persons off guard.
The worse part about this drop is that its distance from the shoreline changes with the time of year and the ebb and flow of the tide.
One month it could be 10 feet away from the shore and another few months later its about 5 feet away from the shoreline
This makes the drop off unpredictable and a bit scary and unsafe for many visitors especially if you are not a strong swimmer and know how to swim parallel the shoreline to escape the undercurrent.
Safety from humans
Let’s face it, where ever humans gather there will be thieves and those who will prey on the unsuspecting. Just because you are on vacation doesn’t mean your common sense should be on vacation as well.
Thieves will lurk the beaches, locals and visitors alike. Keep in mind just because others are on vacation doesn’t mean their bad habits will be on vacation as well.
I must admit however that the beach itself is not as scary as it may seem at first. The vendors do tend to overwhelm you as you walk the path to the beach and it can be a bit scary but they are on the hustle trying to earn a dollar.
Once you let them know you are not interested they tend to move on to the next arrival. Once hitting the beach the harassment is not as heavy aside from the occasional drink vendor asking if you would like a drink or something to eat.
The further east down the beach you move the less chance of being harassed or having thieves target you in the crowd. It would be easier to keep an eye on your things.
Again common sense will tell you not to go anywhere away from the beach with anyone promising anything, stay on your guard even though you are on vacation and you will enjoy your beach relaxation.
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach 1 point for its safety as long as you exercise common sense and remain close to the shoreline during heavy waves.
Privacy
Cabbage beach really has little privacy unless you bring a tent or something. Everything is open and during a full port there will be many visitors on the beach that spread from the entrance all the way down.
You may get some space if you walk away from the entrance area but not much privacy on this beach. People will be walking up and down the beach all day.
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach no points for Privacy as there is virtually none coupled with the local vendors that have items for sale or rent.
Enjoyment
How well you enjoy this beach will totally be up to you. Once you exercise safe beaching as in be careful of suspicious people locals and visitors alike and practice safe swimming skills this beach can be quite enjoyable.
When the weather is good the beach waves are much safer and its easier to enjoy the water however with higher waves its not advisable to swim in the water as there is no lifeguard stationed at cabbage beach.
The sand is amazing and is well worth the trip if you are looking forward to enjoying a Caribbean beach.
Visiting the beach with friends, family or your lover will enhance the experience. the beach area and sand is great the water is clean and clear hence its a pretty good beach.
Bahamas Information Guide gives Cabbage beach 1 point for overall enjoyment of the beach itself.
Final rating score for Cabbage Beach
6 out of 10