The Marlin at Taino Beach Resort & Clubs — Hotel in City of Freeport

My husband and I picked this property because we knew our perfect anniversary vacation was to sit on the beach and relax for a week! What better beach and water than the Bahamas! We exchanged with RCI so the cost was perfect! The end of April is the perfect time to go, as it isn't crowded and the weather was so perfect!!|So many positives, so let's start with those:|Our first impressions when we arrived at the property were that the property was well taken care of and very clean. The lobby is beautiful and welcoming. The staff greeted us with a smile and checking in was a breeze.|We stayed in a one-bedroom unit through our exchange which was perfect for us. We had a queen size bed so it was just enough room to sleep. There was a sitting area and dining area, and the patio was wonderful for having morning coffee and dinner outside at the end of the day.|Our first night there we hopped on the free shuttle van to Port Lucaya which is about 10 minutes away and had dinner. There was a little hubbub about the water ferry not running, but when we were told that it needed a new transmission which hadn't arrived yet, the shuttle van was just fine! Sidebar...it is an island and not like the U.S. where you can just head down to your local boat shop for a new transmission. So why sweat something that is WAY beyond your control? There was a big variety of cuisine choices, but we had to try conch because it is what the Bahamas is known for and it was great! |On day two we headed to the local grocery store, Solomon's, to stock up on supplies like basic dinner options, beach snacks, bottled water, soda, and ice cream to bring down to the beach each night. Keep in mind that you are on an island so groceries will be more expensive, but if you are just getting the basics it's not too bad. I made a shopping list ahead of time, so that stopped us from making a bunch of impulse buys. FYI, there is a free shuttle on certain days to the grocery store so you won't need a cab. Also, If you are coffee drinkers you can request the ready to use coffee from the resort. We bought a pound of grounds and it lasted us the week. Don't forget the filters!||Then the relaxation began! We had our coffee each morning out on our patio amidst the banana and coconut trees. Beautiful tropical flowers were in bloom right outside our door. We loaded up our beach bag with snacks and drinks and headed down to the beautiful beach! They "groom" the beach each morning getting rid of all of the seaweed that washed up overnight. This time of year we never had an issue getting a beach chair or shade. They have at least 8 Palapas which have lounge chairs under them so we could enjoy the sun and then move into the shade before we got crispy. The water temperature was perfect, it was clear blue, and we spent a great deal of time floating and swimming in the water. The Atlantic is very unlike the Pacific which is really cold! The sand was white and soft and never got too hot to walk on.|You have the option to go get fun drinks at the bar either at the restaurant or the swim-up pool bar. We ate at the restaurant a couple of times and the food was really good and the servers were really personable. Have cash or a card with you as they are a third party and food/drinks cannot be charged to the room. No biggie!|We spent a little time at the pool which was beautiful and very clean but most of our time was spent at the beach. If you need activities, the pool is where you want to hang out.||We went over to Port Lucaya to get gifts and souvenirs and had lunch over there. Be sure to go to Daddy Brown's Conch stand and get the fried conch. There are also open air stands for all of your souvenir needs who will wheel and deal with you. Their prices are fair so I didn't do much negotiating with them.||On Wednesday nights there is a fish fry at Outriggers which is about 10 minutes away. It is a "must do"! Go early at 5:30 because it gets crazy busy. The fresh snapper is so delicious and what they are most known for! There is music and dancing and a really fun atmosphere. You will need to get a cab to and from. We used Valentine the entire time we were there and the lobby will have his contact information. You let him know where and when of your activities throughout the week and he is super reliable! He felt like family by the end of our stay.||One of our adventures was swimming with pigs! We went with Creative Eco Adventures. This particular company is right at the Cleveland's Beach Club so you can get lunch after you hang out with the pigs! I was really impressed by the care they gave the pigs and how happy the pigs seemed. The babies were the cutest!! We went to the resort's timeshare presentation and this was our free gift for attending. Honestly, even if we had to pay for this experience, it would have been worth every penny!||Overall, this trip was amazing and the resort had so much to do with that. We will definitely return!||Now, as you have read in previous reviews there are some "needs improvements" but in my opinion, they are not deal breakers for going back. My husband and I are also not high-maintenance or hard to please.||Needs Improvement:|This is an older resort and like many others was affected by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The Ocean, which is the building that is right on the water, still has not recovered from Dorian. You can tell that they are working on it, but no telling when they will get it open. We won't criticize them for that, it is what it is. They have done a great job of getting the other two buildings open to bring in guests.|I saw reviews that said that there was rusty metal...yep...salt water will do that when you are near the ocean. It wasn't a big deal.|The bed wasn't super comfortable, but it did the job for the week. They give you extra blankets, so we could have padded it a little with them.|The televisions in the resort did not work, but we got by with an iPad and Netflix movies at night. We watched "ocean t.v." on the beach during the day! We didn't go there to watch t.v.|Not much cookware, but I know if we had needed more or something different, we could have asked for it.||This resort isn't Bougie, but for this middle-class, pretty easy-to-please couple, it...

We arrived at the Ocean at Taino beach resort after a weary day of travel. The weather was rainy and cool, but we were looking forward to settling into our ‘home away from home’ for the next week. Nothing could have prepared us for what awaited us once we opened the door. We seemed to have been transported into another dimension. I don’t even know where to begin. Firstly, there was a musty, dirty smell. Secondly, the room appears to have never been renovated. The kitchen areas are made with pink stucco, a bad imitation coral effect. The cabinets were chipped and falling apart, there was a bathroom sink in the kitchen and a large bathtub behind the bed. The bathroom shower was leaking constantly and the toilet didn’t stop running. The bathroom and tub faucets were either loose or broken, the toilet paper holders were all eaten away by moisture. The room was so disgusting that we didn’t even want to sit on the couches or anywhere for that matter. Besides the room, the resort left a lot to be desired. The pool was not heated and since the weather was quite cool, the pool was not appealing being cold. The hot tub was not really hot, just kind of lukewarm. The 3rd floor button on the elevator didn’t work, although we finally mastered a technique to get it to work by the time we were ready to leave. There is only one restaurant on the resort. It closes at 6:30pm. After that you are just stuck hanging out in your room (not appealing) or taking a van to Port Lucaya. That got old after a couple of days. The waitstaff at the restaurant were very nice, but there are not a lot of options if you have a restrictive diet, such as gluten free/dairy free/vegetarian. Grand Bahama island was severely impacted by hurricane Dorian in 2019 and it’s very clear that many things were never cleaned up, fixed or renovated. This applies to the resort itself as well as the rest of the island. The photos of the island and the resort do not reflect this reality. Many of the people working in the front office were not friendly and ineffective. We asked them to make a reservation for us at a restaurant. When we got to the restaurant they did not have a reservation for us. Thankfully we were still able to get a table since we had to pay for a taxi to get there. When we returned to the resort we told the person at the front desk and they didn’t seem to care or apologize. They were just like ‘oh well. I don’t know what happened’. Everytime we asked a question it felt like we were bothering them. Many, though not all, of the locals at the shops and restaurants at Port Lucaya were also nasty and had attitudes even though they rely on tourism for their livelihoods. I would not recommend going to Grand Bahama Island/Ocean by Taino...

First I have to say I rarely ever leave a negative review! Only reviews I generally leave are up and positive. I just feel like normally if I have something negative about where I’m at, or where I ate I would just choose not to go back to this place… I’ve got to warn you! -No ice machine, meaning they were there but did not work. -No washing machine on level 4 all missing. But three of them, and half are broken on floor below all rusty. -Shuffleboard and Table Tennis both loaded with sand or net broke, grass in pool just unkempt. -No store to get anything on site -1/2 buildings out of service and have been for 7 years.. -Sports center nothing in.. you can’t make this up. -Wireless internet does not work in room only on deck… outlet on deck broke. We reported.. Don’t bother. Left towels by door, as instructed for new towels. They took towels no new towels? Had to call several times. Nobody in pool super cold, pool bar gross and I guarantee you they marry the liquor bottles. Pool deck area not clean, food, fake eyelashes, bottles in bushes etc. -Preview center dilapidated -Swim rope in ocean unhooked left side We are on 5th floor elevator goes to 4th 🤷🏼‍♂️ Air conditioning makes wild clunking noise as it shuts off- that’s new started day two reported.. nothing. Both TVs don’t work Infact Out across the whole resort, they called the cable company four days later still not working. Balcony real shaky look right see pool look left garbage pit

And to top it off they want to know if we wanted to do a sales presentation… hahaha

This place has potential but I can tell you right now. The people that work here don’t give a crap about you or the place.. There’s zero when it comes to customer service here my wife went to the workout room. The water bottle dispenser has been empty for a week, no towels, no wipes for cleaning the machines after use. Something out of a movie. And now while I’m actually writing this, my wife just yelled at me to let me know the water is off in the building and they do not know when it’s coming back on so unable to take a shower to go out.. The hits keep coming don’t come here you’ll regret it.. we are...