Addicted to Points

We just returned from 12 nights at the Sheraton Cable Beach in the Bahamas. It was formerly a Radisson and reopened in June of 2007 as a Sheraton. As you can see in other threads, Sheraton has performed extensive renovations on the property and we stayed in the east wing, which only just opened. In fact, the first three floors of the east wind are still under renovation. The common areas appear to be finished.

Our room was nice and new. Not huge but comfortable. We were on the 8th floor and had a beautiful ocean view from a narrow balcony which had just enough room for two chairs. The bathrooms are small and there is no dressing area. Our room had a coffee maker and two complimentary bottles of water. There was a nice flat screen television and high speed internet access for $15 a day. If you go down to the lobby, the wireless access is free and fast.

Our floor was a nonsmoking floor which was ignored by one of the guests.

The hotel has 4 food outlets. Amici is their Italian/fine dining alternative. It has decent food and is attractive. Not great but fine. Bimini is the buffet and breakfast runs $22 for adults, $9.50 for kids, and there is a continental option which allows you to select from the cold part of the buffet for $13.50. The selection was good but service was the weak point of this restaurant. The hostesses were friendly but the wait staff seemed stressed and would often fight with each other. They generally weren't in a very good mood.
The Dolphin Grill is the pool/beach side restaurant. It is slow but the food is pretty good and the setting is nice. They had burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, and some local items. No kids menu. There was no (or at best, extremely limited) pool/beach side service for food. You could order and take it back to your lounge but that wasn't a speedy proposition. The Caribe Cafe is a grab and go. They have bagels, muffins, danish, scones, yogurt, fruit, coffee, and juices in the morning. Sandwiches and salads, cookies, cakes, and ice cream from lunch time until early evening. Our family of five could have a good breakfast for $45.

Chairs on the beach and by the pool were plentiful, even on days when the cruise ships were in port. There were always plenty of towels. You had to check them out but it was easy. The beach was wide with soft sand and the water was clear, calm, and beautiful. It was a comfortable temperature. There were little pedal boats, canoes, kayaks, and snorkeling equipment for which there was no charge. There seemed to be no shortage. There were lifeguards at both the beach and the pool. The center pool was heated for our stay but they seemed to reduce the temperature after the first of January. The other two pools were not heated. There is a brand new, centrally located kid's club which has not opened yet.

The hotel is located adjacent to the Wyndham, the casino, and another, independent hotel. We were told that Westin is building a facility that will replace the other hotels and will open in 2011. Our in room guide stated that the resort will become its own area with 4 Starwood hotels and a 1,000 room Caeser's Palace, plus, of course, residences.

There are several restaurants that are a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel (Capriccio, Indigo, Androsia). Johnny Canoe is a short walk away but is closing due to the impending construction. There are two decent and fairly priced restaurants in the Wyndham/casino next door (Black Angus and Moso). There is an ice cream parlor called Crystal Sweets in the Wyndham.

You can take the bus to downtown Nassau for a dollar a person but it stops running around 6 or 7 at the latest so you need to taxi back. Taxi fair downtown is $15 for the first two and $3 for each additional person.

There are also some decent restaurants in the direction of the airport (Poop Deck, Mango) and the taxi fare is $12 for the first two and 3 for each additional. The airport is $15 for two and $3 for every additional.

There is no club, nor is it my impression that they plan to put one in.

The property is very relaxing. I feel like even when the remaining rooms are done there will continue to feel like there is enough space for everyone. The remaining construction did not bother us at all. The smoke alarms went off every once in a while. There is a shop in the lobby that is now open. There is a market a half mile away.

Service is almost always included on every tab (15%). The Sheraton charges a $15 per person per day resort charge and a one time bellman fee of $5.40 per person. If you have kids in the room with you, they do not pay the resort fee.

I think this covers it. I am not sure what it will be like during and after the construction. For now, it is really a nice spot.