Baha Mar — Attraction in New Providence

Just got back from our second trip to Baha Mar! We love this place so much. It’s a huge and beautiful property that is very well maintained. There is so much to do… something for everyone!

Rooms- we stayed at the SLS last time and it definitely has a more adult vibe and the lobby bar area over there is stunning. That said we stayed the Grand Hyatt this time and preferred the room at the Hyatt. This is mostly because of the bathroom. The bathrooms at the Hyatt are a lot larger, have double sinks and a big mirror (and a free standing tub if you are into that). The bathroom at the SLS are much smaller and has a curtain instead of a door. Both SLS and Hyatt have very comfy beds, great tv, great AC. We both said our preference going forward would be the Hyatt but if there was a much cheaper price for SLS we would stay there and still be happy! Oh and the Hyatt has ice machines! My husband had an issue trying to get ice at SLS and no access to ice machines ( not sure if this has changed)

Water- I bring this up as it was one of our few issues last time. This issue has been totally rectified. First time we went there was no access to free or reasonably priced water and we paid around $13 (plus tax) for a 1 litre bottle of water. It felt a bit off given how pricey the resort is. Fast forward to now.. they provide 2 insulated water bottles in every room and there are filtered stations throughout the resort!! It was really great and a huge improvement. It’s amazing how a small change like that can improve experience so much but multiple people we spoke to were also happy with this.

Staff- they are all lovely and helpful. We have not experienced bad service at Baha Mar. I’m a bit surprised to see some people having issues with staff. I personally have not had that at all.

Food- there is lottttssss to chose from. Last time we found the food quite slow but this time (same time of year March) the food was much faster! No complaints at all with the food or speed of getting food this time! Everything we ate was delicious. I highly recommend reservations well ahead of time as it is very busy and difficult to get in without dinner reservations. We are just two of us so we usually eat later (after 8pm) and we can always get a spot at the bar at any of the restaurants. This suits us just fine, but if you want a table or an earlier dinner you need reservations.

Casino and Sportsbook- the casino is big and full of life at night! It looks exactly like the Wynn in Las Vegas. The sportsbook is my husbands fave part. It’s a full William Hill sportsbook. We were there during March Madness so of course seats in there were a hot commodity, but great atmosphere of people cheering on their teams. It’s much quieter when there is no March madness on. I’m a huge show jumping (equestrian) fan and they even had that on one of the smaller tvs. It was very quiet in there while it was on and they put it on the big screen and even put the volume on for me and it was awesome!! Never thought I would ever get to watch my fave sport on the big screen!

Beach and pools- the pools are all very nice, but very busy. We aren’t pool people so I can’t really comment on the temperature etc. but they definitely have some pools full of kids and others are quieter. We spend our days on the beach.. it’s beautiful and the water is so clear. We never have issues getting chairs. If you want front row then you need to get there by 9 if you aren’t picky then you shouldnt have an issue at any time of day. They have signs posted to remind patrons that seats left for more than 45 mins won’t be held. The staff do their best to enforce this. It’s hard for them to balance as they don’t want to move the towels of people who say went to get lunch but also don’t want seats sitting there empty all day. They do their best. Unfortunately, some people are greedy and leave personal items and never come to use the spots.

Baha Bay- it’s free for resort guests and is awesome!! We are two adults and love it!

Thanks Baha Mar for another wonderful vacation!! Can’t wait to...

It’s a nice resort but many problems that will prevent me from returning. If you plan to go for a “tranquil couples getaway”, then READ this.

There is no tranquility at any corner of this facility. Crying infants, screaming kids are at EVERY turn and that is not an exaggeration. Pools, beach, restaurants, water park (I would expect this at the water park so that is fine), and even the casino will drown your ears with the screams and crying. It was absolutely crazy.

The adults only “pool” is a small rectangular pool where you MUST rent a cabana at either $375 or $500 (VAT and gratuity included) and this “pool” is DIRECTLY above the general pool where all the kids are screaming. Why they don’t offer an adults only pool like many other resorts is beyond me. There is no escaping it so I would NOT recommend this place to anyone looking for a quiet vacation. You will NOT get tranquility, as advertised at this resort, nowhere.

There is a disgusting large outdoor cigar bar at the MAIN entrance where you are forced to inhale that disgusting smell each time you go to the pools/beach or go back to your hotel.

The music is unbearable and The BASS vibrates through the ENTIRE grounds. No, that is not a joke. “Tranquility”, not a shot.

They look to hijack your wallet at every turn and it is maddening. $12.50 for a SLICE of pizza at “Pizza Lab” where they advertise $10 and proceed to add 15% gratuity and 10% VAT for the $12.50 Per slice cost of pizza that tastes like it is out of the freezer section of your local supermarket, $24 for a CHICKEN HOT DOG at a FOOD TRUCK on the beach (yes, $24!), $11.50 for a liter of water, $35 for three TINY steak tacos at Costa where each one has two tiny pieces of skirt steak SMALLER than your pinky finger, $25 guac and chips, $25 for a small chicken sandwich served on a hamburger bun and the list goes on. Don’t forget to ADD 25% to above prices for mandatory gratuity and VAT no matter if it’s take out or eat in SO TJAT $24 chicken hot dog is $30 total, etc!!! There are so many other Caribbean islands where the food is reasonable and the resorts are beautiful AND where adults and quiet time are respected. I totally get the fact they cater to families with the water park and all…. But they TOTALLY ignore couples looking for a getaway and that’s where this resort fails miserably.

You cannot eat at one of the fine restaurants without infants and

The "Resort" Experience I Wouldn’t Wish on My Worst Enemy

I have had more enjoyable stays at highway motels where the lobby smells like cigarettes and regret. This was, without a doubt, the worst hotel experience of my life. And to make it worse, this was our children's first time outside the country—we wanted it to be magical. Instead, we got a chaotic disaster wrapped in a five-star price tag.

We initially booked a 2-queen room but decided to upgrade to a suite for more space. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do this online, so we were forced to call the “resort.” Apparently, the staff was personally offended that we wanted to give them more money because the sheer irritation in their voices when we asked about the upgrade was palpable. All we wanted was a pull-out couch for our kids so we could actually use the living room when we weren’t at the beach. We asked multiple times if the suite had a pull-out couch, and after what felt like an interrogation, the staff member hesitantly said yes. Great. Booked it. Packed our bags. Hopped on a plane. Used a Guest of Honor certificate for extra perks. Ready for a great trip.

Spoiler alert: it was not a great trip.

We arrived at the hotel and waited 30 minutes to check in, only to be told we should check in “somewhere else” for a special experience. And oh boy, it was an experience. An experience in rudeness, inefficiency, and customer service so bad it was almost performance art. The front desk staff at this check-in location looked at us like we had personally ruined their day just by existing. And when it came time to activate our wristbands, the employee literally grabbed my daughter’s arm, yanked it onto the desk, and kept pushing down so hard that her shoulder was rising to her ear. Because nothing says "luxury resort" like your child wincing in pain while getting a glorified plastic bracelet.

We finally got to our room and—shocking twist!—no pull-out couch. You know, the one thing we upgraded for. So our kids had nowhere to sleep. We called the front desk. They hung up. Called again. Hung up. Called a third time. Silence. One hour later, we finally got a hold of a manager who couldn’t care less and just blurted, "We’ll bring cots and remove the room charge," before hanging up mid-sentence. Oh. Okay. No confirmation, no details, just a vague, dismissive promise. But hey, if removing the charge meant saving $6,000, we’d take it.

Then began the next waiting game: two hours and three more phone calls just to get some cots. Which, surprise surprise, took up the entire living room, making our “suite upgrade” about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

The next day, just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, the bathroom flooded, and part of the shower door fell off. At this point, we weren’t even mad—we just assumed the hotel itself was actively rejecting us. But hey, at least we were saving that $6,000, right?

Plot twist: we were not.

After suffering through overpriced, underwhelming food, it was time to check out, expecting our bill to be $6,000 lighter. Nope. Turns out they only removed $1,200 for one night—despite very clearly stating they would remove the entire upgrade charge. When I went to the front desk to clarify, they rolled out a parade of staff members to gaslight us, claiming we were only ever promised one night free (we weren’t) and that we knew the suite didn’t have a pull-out couch (we asked multiple times and were given vague, non-answers).

At this point, I gave up and called Hyatt customer service. Surely, they would make this right. Hahahaha, no. After three calls over six weeks, Hyatt’s big solution? 15,000 points (aka, enough for maybe a free breakfast at a decently rated hotel). They said they’d escalate the issue, but that was the last we ever heard of it. One rep even suggested calling our credit card company to dispute the charge, which also got us nowhere.

Signed, A very disappointed Discoverist guest of...