How to Enjoy Pearl Island: A Private Nassau Day Resort

If you’re heading to Nassau, Bahamas, and looking for things to do beyond the port, you’ll find you have quite a few options. Whether you’re visiting on your own or just stopping by on a cruise, the sheer number of available day trips can be rather overwhelming. But if you’re interested in a good blend of relaxation and adventure on a private island…you should take a peek at Sun Cay on Pearl Island, Nassau.

I discovered Sun Cay while looking for ways to spend our port stop in Nassau. It showed up with a few different tour options, but I really wanted to swim with the pigs, and I found a 5-hour combo tour that gave us time to swim with the pigs and spend a few hours relaxing on Pearl Island. It seemed like a perfect way to spend a day in the Bahamian sunshine, but I had no idea what was in store for us!

Pearl Island and Sun Cay, Nassau — *Quiet beach on the back side of the island*

Pearl Island ended up being way more fun than I anticipated, and we almost didn’t have enough time to do everything we wanted to! Not to mention it’s in a picture-perfect setting.

Now, I did a brief overview of Pearl Island and Sun Cay in my review about swimming with the pigs, but today, I’m going to give a full deep dive into what you can do on this island! You can choose a variety of different tours and packages that get you to Pearl Island, and since there’s so much to do, I thought it deserved its own post.

So if you’re looking for some Nassau private island excursions, keep reading to see what Pearl Island, Bahamas is all about!

What are Sun Cay and Pearl Island?

*Beach chairs and umbrellas on Pearl island*

You might see these terms used interchangeably as you search for excursions, so I did want to clarify what the difference is.

Pearl Island is the actual island where you’ll spend your day. It’s been built up into a private resort with a lot of amenities for guests to enjoy with day passes. Sun Cay on the other hand is a tour company that operates tours in conjunction with Pearl Island. I have also seen the whole resort referred to as Sun Cay, but it does seem to be a separate, partnering entity. You can book a bunch of different tours through Sun Cay, which include day passes to Pearl Island along with excursions.

Where Is Pearl Island?

Pearl Island is a quiet gem located about 30 minutes from the Nassau cruise port by boat. It’s a convenient getaway for anyone visiting Nassau for the day, but it’s also a great choice for anyone staying in town for a while.

What to Expect on Pearl Island

Pearl Island, Bahamas — *View of Pearl Island from the lighthouse*

From the moment you arrive, Pearl Island is a little slice of paradise! The island is long and thin, so it’s easy to navigate without getting lost, and you can walk the whole island in less than 5 minutes.

At one end, there’s Iguana Cay, while the other boasts the island’s lighthouse. In between, you’ll find two white sand beaches, plenty of lounge areas, and beach cabanas. We visited in February, and while there were plenty of people there, we had no trouble finding lounge chairs at either beach. There are also plenty of shaded options for those who want to take a break from the sun, with a mix of straw umbrellas and various awnings.

For an upgraded experience, you can also book a cabana package for the day, starting at $180 per adult. While this might sound a bit pricey, the cabana rental doubles as your ticket to the island (which start at $94), and includes all the amenities, plus:

Private server
Welcome cocktail
Water, sodas, and snacks
Traditional Bahamian lunch
Snorkel tour
Comfier, shaded seating
Fresh-water showers

If you’re interested in adding some extra luxury to your day, this is a great way to go.

The island also has bathroom facilities (a bit rough but certainly usable), a couple bars, a restaurant, a small souvenir stand, and a dock for launching water-based excursions like snorkeling. Everything has a fun, island theme with lots of straw roofs and wood, accented in bright blue and white.

The whole island is also pretty flat, making it accessible for most visitors! However, the sidewalks are pretty narrow in places, so it can be a tight squeeze, and you’ll need to take care not to drift into the sand if you’re coming with a stroller or wheelchair.

Food and Drinks

We visit Pearl Island with a Sun Cay tour, which included access to all of the island’s standard amenities, plus a traditional Bahamian lunch of barbecue chicken, fried fish, rice and peas, and coleslaw salad at the main bar & grill. It was very delicious and plenty of food for me, but it might not be quite enough for others.

In addition to this, Pearl Island has two bars where you can purchase a variety of soft and alcoholic drinks, and a conch stand! If you enjoy fresh seafood, you definitely need to grab some conch salad from here. It costs $20 per serving, but it’s quite a bit of food, and they literally push the conchs out of the shell and make it fresh right in front of you.

Overall, we were very happy with the quality of the food, especially with how many people they were feeding at lunch. Daniel was a big fan of the conch salad even though it was expensive, too.

Activities Available with Pearl Island and Sun Cay

*Swimming with the Pigs on Pig Beach (Pearl Island in background)*

Pearl Island currently offers two paid tours directly through their website, including snorkeling and swimming with pigs. Both of these tour packages include access to the island with lunch and transportation, plus any equipment you need for the activities.

Additionally, there’s lots of fun stuff to do that’s included with your day pass, like kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, water trampolines and mats, and even an iguana enclosure!

*You can enjoy all sorts of water fun, including non-motorized water sports*

We really enjoyed Iguana Cay, where a handler told us some fun facts about the iguanas and even let us hold one! This was free, and so fun!

Beyond this, you can book quite a few additional tours through Sun Cay, who will transport you to and from the island and to your chosen activity. Here’s the current list of Sun Cay activities:

Snuba Diving (scuba diving meets snorkeling)
Parasailing
Bananaboat Rides
Jetboating
Swimming with the pigs (yes, separate from Pearl Island’s)
Snorkeling

If you’re looking for a fun Bahamas beach day tour, they have plenty of options to suit all activity levels! Once again, we loved swimming with the pigs, but you definitely can’t go wrong with Pearl Island snorkeling or boating around this gorgeous area!

Pros and Cons of Visiting Pearl Island

So is spending your day at Pearl Island worth the money?

On the plus side, you get all the perks of being on a private island: fewer crowds, nicer amenities, and a controlled relaxing vibe. The water is also gorgeous, and there’s plenty to keep you entertained beyond laying in the sun.

On the other hand, you do have very specific time frames to enjoy Pearl Island and any extra tours, which can feel restricting. We felt that 5 hours wasn’t quite enough to do our tour and enjoy the island. However, others may want to head back to the mainland early (especially on a port day), which isn’t an option. Every guest has a wristband assigned to a specific tour, so you are tied to that schedule. And while we had no problems with crowding, I can definitely see Pearl Island filling up during peak months.

One more thing to consider is cost. I felt like the pricing was very reasonable for such a tourist-centric part of the Bahamas, but I know others might feel like that’s too much for a beach day, even with a tour.

So there’s definitely a lot to consider to determine if a day at Pearl Island is the right fit for you.

Tips for Visiting Sun Cay & Pearl Island

Let’s wrap things up with a few things to keep in mind for your visit.

First up, be sure to bring your own towel, sunscreen (reef-safe, please!), cash (preferred since weak signal means card transactions take forever), and a reusable water bottle to fill up throughout the day.

Now, the best time of year to visit the Bahamas is from mid-December to mid-April, when the weather is warm and dry. However, when we went in February, the water was a bit cold, so you may be better off looking at it for spring break instead. This is also high season, though, so keep in mind it can be crowded.

Finally, this is a spot that so many kinds of travelers can enjoy! It’s got amenities that appeal to families and adults, couples or singles. It’s got a laid back vibe without being boring, and it’s built up just enough to be convenient but not crowded. And while it’s not exactly a wildlife destination, there are plenty of fun activities to appeal to those tastes too, from Iguana Cay to snorkeling in the beautiful reefs.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I thought this was an incredible way to spend our port day in Nassau! Of course, I wished we had more time to explore, but this 5-hour tour was so convenient and gave us access to some prime beaches, plus an unforgettable experience swimming with the pigs.

If you’re even remotely interested in visiting Pearl Island, I’d say go for it, and pair it with a tour if that sounds interesting.

If you’re looking for more Bahamas cruise content, be sure to check out the rest of the posts in my series about our week-long Carnival Cruise! I have lots of tips and excursion reviews to help you plan.

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