.... But yes, the Bahamas can be expensive!!

My fiancee and I stayed at Sheraton Nassau for five nights, the week before Christmas 2012. It is mentioned in the reviews and when you book, but know going in that there is a $40 per night "service fee" that will be due at check out.

Also, as 95% of what the islands consume is imported, food is very expensive. We didn't leave the resort property to go shopping, but we were told a gallon of milk is $8-$10, etc. The hotel cafe food and restaurants are pricey too. We paid $6.02 for a small bottle of orange juice from the Caribe Cafe, including the mandatory gratuity (which is included even when you only purchase a souvenir at the gift shop or packaged food at the cafe). A 15-18% gratuity is automatically added on to every service bill at the restaurants. We ate at the Italian restaurant once, and the Dolphin Grill for lunch -- both had limited selection but were very good food. The full breakfast buffet is excellent and recommended if you want to pay for it, but it costs $18 a person for continental and $25 a person for the full hot breakfast.

As long as you know what the prices are before going and prepare accordingly, you will get a great Caribbean experience at this resort. The hotel is very nice, the lobby is beautiful and was decorated with Christmas lights while we were there. The rooms were standard, clean enough (cleanliness is especially important to us when we travel!) and the beds were comfy. The balconies are small but get the job done, we only had one chair but we were mostly just standing anyway to take in the breeze and the view. We booked a Resort View room but ours had a good partial ocean view (we didn't ask to be upgraded, so we were surprised!) and the view of the water every morning was gorgeous. We kept the door open most of the time we were in the room and we could hear the waves outside.

Housekeeping staff was pleasant and said good morning to us each day, no one was rude or no significant service problems. Our room was kept clean, we had fresh towels and soap daily. The front desk staff was friendly, answered all our questions, and no long delays or waiting in line beyond the average.

All in all, it's not a luxury all-inclusive resort, but I don't think it needs to be. After all, you are in the Bahamas to enjoy the beaches! Cable Beach is absolutely gorgeous. There are picture perfect turquoise waters, soft white sand and plenty of beach chairs to lay on. If you want some more activity, there are paddle boats, kayaks and jet skis to rent right on the beach. There is also the beach bar (though beware, the cheapest beer is $8.50 a can for the Bahaman Kalik beer) There are some vendors selling dresses and trying to book tour groups, but if you catch the Coconut Man I suggest trying one of his Bahama Mamas in a fresh coconut.

If you are looking for beautiful beaches and a relaxing Caribbean experience, I recommend Sheraton Nassau!

After reading some of the other reviews on here about the Sheraton we were a little hesitant but pulled the trigger because we found a great deal on Hotwire.com (which included ALL resort fees, I did not have to pay a cent at check-out/check-in). We stayed for 4 nights during december 2012.

My wife and daughter and I had a wonderful time. Yes the hotel is not a 4 star by American standard, but people, YOU ARE NOT IN AMERICA, you are in Nassau. You need to relax, smile, be polite, be patient and not expect to be wrapped in a warm blanket and have your hand held constantly like we are fortunate to be treated here in the good old USA.

We found the people to be very warm and hospitable and if you treat them the way you like to be treated, then you get the same back.

ok here is my actual review:

Hotel - Checking in was quick and easy (although there was only 1 couple in front of us). The lady at reception was very friendly.

We requested a room with a King bed but she ended up letting us choose between a King or 2 Double beds. After reading reviews on TripAdvisor, we asked her for a room on a high floor near the elevators and she gave us a room on the 8th floor. The view from our balcony was absolutely AMAZING.

The room itself was fine. Nothing fancy, but perfect for our needs. After all, when you are in the Bahamas you won't be spending too much time in your room. The room had a flat screen TV, 2 double beds (my wife and shared one and it was fine), a chair and a desk. Yes it was outdated compared to most modern USA hotel rooms, but NO BIG DEAL.

The only con was that the plug in the bath tub did not close properly. NO BIG DEAL, we improvised and placed a plastic cup over it and let the water pressure seal it and WA LA, problem solved.

The room also does not have wireless access, NO BIG DEAL, we read about this beforehand so we brought our laptop with to use the tethered connection and it worked perfectly. There is wireless down in the lobby that we used for our iPHones and it worked perfectly as well.

One morning, we got to the room after housekeeping had been there, they did not replace the bath towels we had used, NO BIG DEAL, I walked down the hallway, found the housekeeping lady and politely requested more towels and she apologized and brought us new ones within the next 20 mins and was very polite throughout. It did not happen again during our stay.

We ate breakfast every morning at the Caribe Cafe, the bacon, egg and cheese english muffins were about $6. Overpriced yes, but not totally ridiculous. We ate breakfast there every day and it cost us around $21-$24 for the 3 of us. We would also have lunch there as the sandwiches were around $9-$10 (cheaper than anywhere else at the resort)

We never once ate dinner at any hotel restaurant as we would catch the Jitney (bus) down to the Fish Fry for $1.25 and have dinner there. We would have to catch a cab back though because the Jitney stops running at 7pm. The Fish Fry was great, we ate at Twin Brothers (the seafood platter was not that great) and at Frankie Gone Bananas (was much better, our favorite Fish Fry restaraunt).

DO NOT TAKE THE TAXIS downtown, simply because they charge around $20, when you can catch the local Jitney bus (number 10) for $1.25. We used the Jitney bus a lot, and loved it, was more of a local experience.

On one occassion we were waiting at the bus stop and a taxi stopped and he said he would take us downtown for the same price as the Jitney. He was wonderful, gave us a tour and when we asked to be dropped off at the road leading to the Ardastra zoo ( a 3 min walk), he dropped us off at the zoo instead. All for the same price as the bus.

The beach is awesome, lots of deck chairs (yes some are old but NO BIG DEAL, they are still comfortable). We swam just about every day in the pools and in the water. It was december but the water was still warm enough to swim.

To the people who complained about the water being too cold, grow a pair. Seriously. My 8 year old daughter could last about 30 mins before she would get out, warm up a bit, then jump back in. And this is in middle of December when we would otherwise be freezing here in the USA.

I paid $50 to go snorkelling in the G-Man boat and despite the high price it was AMAZING. They drop you off at a reef next to the Sandals island and give you about an hour. I saw Stingrays, Barracuda, Nemo, and tons and tons of tropical fish. Was glad I did it afterwards, initially I was reluctant about the high price. The next day there were a few more people so he charged me $40.

Yes a lot of people want to sell you stuff, but if you politely (but sternly) say no thank you and keep walking, then they leave you alone, NO BIG DEAL. Not once did we feel harassed. At the end of the day, remember that most of the people are just trying to put food on their tables. We are much more fortunate here in the USA than they are. Keep that in mind, and stay humble and patient.

Not once did we not feel safe as some of our sheltered fellow Americans have said in their reviews. Even at night time downtown and near the Fish Fry (where I read reviews from ppl complaining about this). But at the same time don't go walking around with $100 bills coming out your pocket, use common sense. In fact, the most boisterous/annoying people we came across were the kids from the cruise ships who were all drunk due to the lenient drinking laws in Nassau.

To conclude, we had a FANTASTIC time. The biggest con of our vacation is that everything is PRICEY, but if you do some research ahead of time, you can still find a lot of good value and have a great time without blowing over your budget. Some good value options are catching the bus everywhere, drinking at the Daq shack (went there twice a day), bring some snacks with you from the US, buy at the liquor store not at the hotel itself, etc.

Come with an open mind and adapt to the island culture (leave the American culture behind) and you will love it.

Can't wait to go back to Nassau

Is this resort perfect? No, but that's ok! If you are someone used to traveling at 5 star resorts in the US, then you will be disappointed. For the average person, this resort is fine. I was really nervous to stay here after reading many bad reviews, however, my sister and I booked it at a good price, so we decided to give it a try. The check in was fast an easy and the people at the front desk were nice. Our room was just ok. It wasn't cleaned to my standards. The toilet was a little stained and we saw spiderwebs in the room. Another complaint was that the part of the resort that our room was located was air conditioned in the hallway and even though we turned off the air in our room it was always very cold! This made it hard to sleep at night. Another downside is that the wifi is only available in the lobby. My sister and I were constantly there to contact friends and family. Also, the resort fee at check out is way too much! Other than than our stay here was nice! The pools were very pretty and the area around it was nice. The beach was gorgeous. The water was a little murky, but it could have been because of the weather. Everyone I ran into who worked at the resort was very friendly. My sister and I felt very welcomed! I don't understand why people say that Bahamians are rude when they are some of the nicest people I've met. They made my trip memorable and are one of the reason why I can't wait to return to the island.

I never ate at the restaurant because it is pricey and I read reviews that food is not good. If you are looking to save some money, walk to the right of the resort (15/20min) you will find Burger King, Dominoes Pizza, Subway, and a few restaurants.

You need to come with an open mind to the Bahamas. You are not in the US anymore! Also, understand you are on an island so things will be more expensive. With the right mindset you can have a wonderful vacation! I would stay at the Sheraton again and I would recommend it to friends. It isn't the best place I've ever stayed at, but it's not horrible.

We are here on an 8 day holiday vacation. Let me start with the positives: Cable Beach is lovely, the staff at beach are friendly and helpful, the Italian restaurant is good and the Steel Drum Band is great. What's not great is housekeeping or the condition of many things at this hotel. Earlier today housekeeping took all of our towels and did not leave any fresh ones. Called twice over a two hour period asking them to please bring towels because we neededto shower to get to a dinner reservation. When the housekeeper finally came with towels, she was rude and said it was not her fault? Then whose fault was it since she was the one who cleaned the room and took the old towels? I believe she said her name was Joyce. Yesterday, the coffee pot was missing and we had no soap. Issues with condition of property: jnobs and fixtures are missing or mismatched in our two adjoining rooms. The lounge chairs on our patio were covered in old ice cream and one was missing when we arrived and our safe didn't work. There is mold on roof of shower, wood on side of bed is severly chipped, as are walls and doors in the hallway. I'm a bit surprised given this is a Starwood property and not up to their standards. I have stayed at Starwood hotels around the world and this one is not what I have come to know and love about Starwood. -- A Starwood Gold Preferred Guest