Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Casino, Cable Beach, Bahamas

This big, high-rise hotel has a nice location on Nassau's Cable Beach, some good restaurants, and amenities like a casino and attractive pool area with a slide. However, it is showing its age. Until the facilities get a makeover or the planned Baha Mar project next door gets going, the Wyndham Nassau is probably best considered as a destination for a budget Caribbean getaway for a couple of days. Fortunately, good deals are frequently available to do just that.

Your odds of having a good time at this huge 15-story resort are increased since there are around 560 rooms and suites to choose from. On a recent pre-Thanksgiving stay, our suite in the C Tower (here, C stands for casino), on a high penthouse floor, was well appointed and offered jaw-dropping views of the Atlantic Ocean and Nassau and Paradise Island off in the distance.

Any seaside resort offers its owners and management unique challenges and this 80s-vintage resort is no exception. Maintenance and upkeep are an unending and expensive battle with the elements, in addition to the regular wear and tear of 1,000 guests and the extra visitors who come to dine in the restaurants and romp around the casino. Bottom line: the luster can be a bit lacking at the Wyndham Nassau.

If you plan on getting married here, for example, go down and scout out the place to make sure you know what is in store for you and your guests -- and what it will cost. Prices vary from season to season, and if you manage to get a bargain rate for a suite or two then you might also consider this destination for your bachelor or bachelorette party.

But no matter what the room rate is, be aware that the resort collects a $17 per-person, per-day resort fee. This is applicable for adults and children 12-17 and is in addition to the normal hotel sales and room tax (currently 14%). So, if you pile six people into a suite, there will be a charge of about US$100 added to the cost of the room -- per night. This surcharge goes to the resort; knowing this in advance can help you avoid surprises at checkout.

The Wyndham is about halfway between the airport and downtown Nassau, on Cable Beach. The resort features 1,000 feet of its own white-sand beach, in addition to a private lagoon and a large swimming pool with an elaborate spiral slide down and around a rock formation. For some reason, the slide was closed during our visit.

There are a number of dining venues at the resort, beginning with a daily breakfast buffet ($20) and continuing on through the day for informal poolside lunches at the Tiki Hut Bar & Grill and sips at the popular Da Daq Shaq, where tasty cocktails are shaken and stirred all day long. In the evening two restaurants in the C Tower offer upscale dining: MOSO, which blends modern dishes with the cuisines of China, Thailand and Japan; and Black Angus Grille, which offers “steaks that rival any cut ordered in the Big Apple” -- at Big Apple prices. Stick with MOSO.

Gaming fans will be propelled into high gear when they hit the Crystal Palace Casino (which has very little crystal), one of the largest in the Bahamas. It seemed even larger the week before Thanksgiving due to the lack of customers. This seemed odd since we were told the resort was operating at full capacity that weekend. We were amused at the “virtual” blackjack and poker dealers—well endowed young ladies with ten-inch waists who ply their trades from flat screen TVs. Cards appear electronically before the players. Winners can celebrate and losers can drown their sorrows at 22 Above, the bar that hovers over one end of the casino; good live music is featured along with periodic bursts of karaoke.

During our stay we enjoyed outings to Stuart Cove’s for a snorkeling adventure, a trip out to Dolphin Encounters just off Paradise Island, and a raucous lunch at Senor Frog’s in downtown Nassau. The resort’s concierge will be happy to arrange for a variety of off-property activities and adventures.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.