Family Fun on Nassau's Cable Beach Bahamas in Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

There are some great beaches in the world
that are within or close to amazing cities.
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Waikiki, Ipanema, Bondi, and Malibu, and one you probably have not paid too much attention to, but it is actually one of the finest beaches in the world, with great things to do - Cable Beach, in The Bahamas, surrounded by the capital - Nassau - and the former British outpost archipelago.

A National Leisure Travel Monitor poll of 1,351 leisure travelers taken during the first quarter of 2002 reflects that when families go away together, they also want to play together.

Even before the events of September 11th, this trend surfaced, as was identified in the Portrait of Family Travel - a 2001 survey of 284 adults who traveled with children and 424 children between the ages of 6 and 17 years, in which nine out of 10 parents indicated "my kids' interests are an important factor in planning vacations."

To meet the need for family recreational activities, at three of The Bahama's Cable Beach's premiere resorts: Wyndham Nassau Resort & Crystal Palace Casino, Radisson Cable Beach Resort, and Nassau Beach Hotel, have select activities that take the needs for family fun seriously.

Click to Book Wyndham Nassau Resort At Cable Beach

There are lots of activities the whole family can enjoy together: snorkeling, a leisurely day sail, fun at the outdoor pool, complete with the thrill of a free-form waterslide. While the resort's beachfront RainForest Adventure Golf, a miniature golf course, offers up such themed holes as the Temple of Doom, Extreme Sand Castle, and Loop to Loop.

The Wyndham Nassau Resort also has many fun activities of interest to families, the Flamingo Bar & Grille, located poolside, offers kid-friendly menu items such as hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and milk.

Additional area attractions and activities include: Adastra Gardens & Zoo (4 miles), Botanic Gardens, Fort Charlotte (5 miles), Island Cruises (5 miles), sailing (5 miles), Straw Market (5 miles).

Click to Book Cable Beach Resort

The all-inclusive Radisson Cable Beach Resort offers innovative incentives for all family structures. Single parents traveling with children under the age of 17 pay the applicable double occupancy adult rate, rather than the price applied to a single room. Camp Junkanoo is this resort's daily, supervised kids program, for children ages 4-12.

The center offers a variety of daily activities and hands-on educational programs from arts and crafts or nature trips, to pool play, beach Olympics and more. For teens there is Camp Junkanoo After Dark. This program offers youngsters their own night out and the chance to interact with other young guests, while enjoying playing video games, watching movies and listening to their favorite tunes.

Families staying at the resort will enjoy great outdoor fun together: sailing, snorkeling, kayaking, golfing, and hanging out in or around the resort's seven-acre waterscape. The 700-room Radisson Cable Beach Resort also offers organized daily activities including poolside ping-pong tournaments and beach volleyball.

The Radisson Cable Beach Resort redefines the concept of a tropical vacation by being "The Only All-Inclusive that offers its guests MORE" - More entertainment, More dining, More fun, and More hospitality. With six restaurants, five bars and lounges, a seven-acre waterscape, a multitude of land and water activities, and a welcoming feeling that is as warm as the Bahamian sun, an all-inclusive vacation at the 700-room resort offers everything a guest looks forward to.

Set on world-famous Cable Beach adjacent to one of the Caribbean's largest casinos, the Radisson Cable Beach Resort is conveniently located 10 minutes away from the island's international airport and colorful downtown Nassau. And for shoppers, the world famous Straw Market on the Nassau waterfront has been completely rebuilt after a devastating fire.

Click to Book Nassau Beach Hotel

A big highlight of visiting Cable Beach is its water activities. Nassau Beach Hotel has a wide variety of sports ranging from reef snorkeling to windsurfing. All guests have free access to float mats, ocean kayaks, snorkeling gear, life vests, and boards.

Additional water sports include: 16 foot Prindle (catamaran), Sunfish sailboat, reef fishing, and sightseeing tours.


Swim With The Dolphins In Nassau!

The Nassau Beach Hotel is very close to the Crystal Cay Marine Park, a fun place to visit for people of all ages. Easily identifiable on the Nassau skyline by its space-age design, the Crystal Cay Marine Park is one of the world's finest examples of an underwater park where nobody gets wet. The park was built around an existing reef, and families can explore a huge array of exhibits both above and below the surface. Near Nassau is also the famous swim with dolphin encounter, the first in the world. The kids will love the "Flippers."

Recently, the resort instituted a series of theme nights. On Friday nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., families can take part in the American Barbeque Night. This night offer

s a little taste of home, while on vacation, serving up grilled sirloin steaks, grilled chicken breast, baked potato, corn on the cob, baked beans, salads, fruit and desserts.

The resort also offers an Internet café, where families can have easy communication with friends and relatives back home.

It's not surprising that in a nation completely surrounded by the world's clearest water, recreational interests would focus on water activities. But if you spend every waking minute on the beaches or in the surf and sea, you'll miss some of the most fun-filled experiences.

Bicycles are available anywhere, and there is plenty of easy cycling terrain. But remember, traffic drives British-style, so mind the crossroads, and be sure to give motor vehicles the "left-of-way."

The challenges of the golf course are framed in their most picturesque settings in the consistent balmy breezes and sparkling sunshine. Golf on some of the world's most magnificent course, but handicap yourself for the trade winds!

Horseback riding is available on various islands throughout the islands of The Bahamas, but check to see if you need reservations. Then mount up and enjoy a leisurely gait along a quiet country lane lined with cocoa palms and white sandy beaches.

If you are looking for a fun way to get some exercise during your vacation, grab a partner and hit the squash court. Equipment and air-conditioned courts are available, or test your reaction speed with this fast-paced second cousin to a tennis match. Both amateurs and pros (and all those in between) will be also at home on the fabulous tennis facilities

Customs, Duties, Taxes — United States visitors can take home $600 worth of duty-free goods, the next $1000 is taxed at 10%. Canadian residents (outside of the country for 48 hours) may take home up to C$200 worth of duty-free merchandise. Canadian visitors outside of the country for an least sseven days may bring home C$500 of duty-free goods. For more information and specific regulations, please contact your country's Customs Office. U.S. Customs - 202/927-6724; Canada Customs — 613/993-0534.

From countries outside of the EU, including the Bahamas, you may bring home duty-free: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars; 1 liter of spirits or 2 liters of fortified or sparkling wine or liquers; 2 liters of still table wine; 60 ml of perfume; 250 ml of toilet water, plus £135 of other goods. For more information and specific regulations contact HM Customs and Excise — 0171-202 4227

Keep receipts for all your purchases and be prepared to show customs officials what you have bought if asked upon reentering the country.

Departure Tax: There is no sales tax in the Bahamas. However, there is a US$15 departure tax (US$18 from Grand Bahamas Island) for all traverlers over six years of age. For specific questions contact the Bahamas Immigrations Department — 242/ 377-7032/6337.

— By Jon Callahan, Miami Correspondent.