My family (me, my husband and two teenagers) just returned home after spending a week at Guanahani Village. We were very happy with our decision to stay there. Rates were probably the most affordable on Cable Beach. REALLY affordable for us -- as a military family, we are fortunate to have the "Armed Forces Vacation Club" (which is administered by RCI), so we booked through them.
I think the most important decision you have to make before staying here is 1.) Do you want to stay in a resort with lots of activity or 2.) Do you want to stay in a place with lots of space, where you can cook your own meals? Guanahani is the latter.
Guanahani Village is relaxing and quiet. The condos are three stories high and have three bedrooms, with two additional roll-away beds. We stayed in a "garden unit", so we had 2 1/2 bathrooms. (Great water pressure!) The kitchen has full-sized appliances and they were all new and in perfect working order. They provided plenty of pots, pans, plates, glasses and utensils. There's a microwave and a blender, which we used to mix those wonderful tropical drinks. Oh, almost forgot -- there's an apartment sized washer and dryer, which came in handy. (They provide dishwasher detergent, but you'll need to bring your own clothing detergent. Woolite works very well.)
The village office can schedule tours, if you so desire. There is a snackbar by the pool, run by Henry, who is a fantastic guy. He and my husband really hit if off. Make sure to sign up for his Thursday night dinner...it is delicious and cheap by Nassau standards.
Buses pass by the front of the village frequently and only cost $1. We never had to wait more than a few minutes until one came along. Some are air conditioned, some not, but ALL play wonderful music. Pay the driver when you get off the bus. Either tell him where you want to stop when you get on or just yell out "bus stop, please". The "end of the line" for bus routes 10 and 10A is right by the straw market in Nassau, in the thick of the shopping district.
There are two grocery stores nearby - CityMarket (small and expensive) and SuperValue (bigger and less expensive). You can walk to CityMarket, but will have to take the bus going west to SuperValue. We had no problems carrying all our groceries on the bus.
The Crystal Palace Casino, Radisson, and Nassau Beach Hotel are within walking distance, along the main road. (Cross to the right side -- it has a sidewalk the whole way down.) Nassau Beach Hotel hosts the "hopping" restaurant "Cafe Johnny Canoe". Make sure you try the "Guava Duff". There are two small "straw markets" across the road from the resort hotels. (Hint: Use the casino ATM -- they distribute American bills and don't surcharge!)
The pool is a decent size and the beach is a little small, but it is clean and has nice sand. There are two little patch reefs right off the shore and we enjoyed snorkeling and watching the colorful fish. There are two outside showers between the beach and the pool.
The units have a great selection of cable TV channels (2 TVs in the unit -- each pretty new) and my teenagers watched all of their favorite shows. Furniture is overstuffed wicker and very comfortable. Floors are white ceramic tile. Decor is very Caribbean! We had a nice private patio area with a table and lounge chairs in our "backyard", as well.
I can't complain one bit! The staff was friendly and efficient. They'll even deliver bottled water and ice to your unit. (You'll need it!) We will certainly return to visit again. We told Henry we'd be back!
