Baha Mar is a 1000 acre resort complex located in the Bahamas with three distinct hotels sharing a multitude of activities, restaurants and services. You name it, they have it! There are three hotel properties within the Baha Mar complex:
The Rosewood Hotel for travelers expecting the highest levels of service
The SLS Hotel – for travelers seeking a trendy, lifestyle experience
The Grand Hyatt- for travelers seeking budget or larger accommodation, great for families
My family and I visited Bahamar on Presidents Weekend staying at the Grand Hyatt. We traveled with two other families. Our group was six adults and five kids between the ages of 11 and 14. The rooms at the Grand Hyatt are very spacious, the bath and kitchen (we had a one bedroom suite) were very well appointed, and everything was new and fresh. There are many room categories ranging from a standard room with a king or two queens up to a three bedroom residence suite with kitchens and washer dryer. The hotel is large, with 1800 rooms so checking in, checking out, and trying to get someone on the phone for a simple service proved a challenge. This may have had something to do with traveling on a peak weekend.
There is nothing quaint or charming about this resort. Saying that, it does have some redeeming qualities. If you have kids, it will be their vacation of a lifetime. Our five young teenagers had an amazing vacation as we let them loose on the water park and the various food venues and pools allowing them to make their own lunch and dinner plans. The waterpark is quite fantastic and the kids were able to spend hours per day being entertained. They were not interested in their phones and seemed to enjoy running around like kids also taking advantage of other water activities such as paddleboarding.
As for the adults, the number of diverse dining options from which to chose will certainly keep you entertained. I loved the “food truck” options along the beachfront where you can find Mexican, Poke Bowls, Fried Chicken, etc. for casual lunch time. For a more sophisticated sit down beachside lunch I recommend Marcus Fish + Chop House. For dinner, I recommend lining up your restaurant reservations as soon as you reserve your vacation by downloading the Baha Mar app on your phone. There are a plethora of dining options from which to chose. While I was preparing myself for sticker shock, I was pleasantly surprised and didn’t feel price gouged. Prices are on par with NYC dining experiences. The dining experience exceeded my expectations. I STRONGLY recommend downloading the app ASAP where you can explore the entire resort and make dinner reservations in addition to reserving cabanas and lounge chairs at the Baha Bay Beach club which is the more upscale beach club area of the property which I might recommend for a more refined pool and beach and pool experience.
Bahamar is a people factory. It is reminiscent of visiting a large hotel in Las Vegas and because Baha Mar does have a large casino, I often felt as if I were in Las Vegas. They process people in and out on a large scale however the staff are friendly and welcoming. Its easy to get lost and when I asked a staff member where something was, he was kind enough to walk me right to my requested destination. This was not unusual.
Bahamar is a place to go if you like to gamble, enjoy evening entertainment and diverse restaurant choices or if you have kids who love water parks. And if you decide to go try to pick a time when half of the New York school system is not on vacation. Feel free to reach out for insider tips for making the most of your time at Baha Mar and rates up to 30% less than published rates through a travel wholesaler.
