Imagine a hotel in Las Vegas that is picked up and dropped on a beach in the Bahamas… That is Baha Mar. This mega resort delivers over 1000 acres of luxury, pools, waterpark, dining, activities and more. With so much to offer, you will find yourself needing to come back again and again to experience it all.
The Bahamas are an easy flight from anywhere in the United States and Baha Mar is located on New Providence island.
Direct transfers from the airport can be booked directly through Baha Mar on their website. The ride is only 15 minutes from the airport. Best of all, there is no need to go through crowded Nassau.
With over 45 restaurants, bars, and lounges to choose from, you can sample something new every day!
Baha Mar is a massive resort and has everything including pools, a waterpark, water activities, sports, golf, spa, and so much more!
Baha Mar is made up of three hotels. The Grand Hyatt, covered in this review, is the most family friendly option. The SLS caters to the younger and trendy crowd, while the Rosewood offers a sophisticated stay away from the crowds.
Baha Mar will instantly make you feel as if a Las Vegas hotel was picked up and put down on a Bahamian beach. In particular, this hotel seems to be inspired by the Wynn in Las Vegas.
This resort has something for everyone and caters to families and couples alike.
Baha Mar is a casual resort, but has many chic restaurants, bars, and night clubs. Go with smart casual when enjoying these venues.
The Bahamian dollar is the official currency of the country, but the U.S. dollar is the official currency at the hotel. In fact U.S. dollars are widely accepted off premises as well.
The resort is completely wheelchair accessible. However, the walk down to the pools and beach is long given how large this resort is.
JetSetDNA brings you an in-depth tour of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. Check it out for yourself on YouTube!
New Providence Island is the most populated island in the Bahamas and contains the capital city of Nassau. Baha Mar is half way between the airport and downtown and graces a long stretch of famous Cable Beach on the north side of the island.
Taxis are available and cheap given the 15 minute ride. The resort also offers transfers, which are bookable directly on the website. Baha Mar has a booth in the airport for your arranged transportation.
Nothing outside the hotel is walkable, so you will need transportation to visit downtown Nassau. However, Baha Mar is essentially a city on its own, so there is no need to leave unless you want to explore.
Baha Mar is inspired by a Riviera resort theme blended with the essence of the Bahamian islands. The designer calls it Bahamian Riviera Rococo. Glamour is the name of the game with colorful decor blended with classic finishes to give a refined, yet sparkly look. We couldn’t help but notice how similar the design is to the Wynn in Las Vegas, which is also an incredible hotel.
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar sports a grand entrance. A massive bridge carries you over the showlake fountains giving you an incredible look of the curved facade of the Grand Hyatts east and west towers. The motor court is completely encircled by cascading waterfalls. You will be in awe as you step out of the car.
The hotel has two lobbies, one for each of the east and west towers. The east tower lobby, shown below, is the primary lobby with the west tower lobby seeming to serve as a backup. Blue and white marble flooring and eclectic chandeliers really sets the tone with gorgeous, curved trim everywhere. The fish tank background at the front desk rounds out the tropical theme.
The lobby leads straight into the casino, which serves as the central hub for the entire resort. At over 100,000 square feet, the Baha Mar casino is the largest in the Caribbean and features over 1000 slot machines, more than 18 types of table games, and a William Hill sports book. The casino is a major draw and is busy throughout the night.
With nearly 30 shops, Baha Mar has everything you could be looking for. High-end retailers line the casino while boutiques are found outside in the fountainside shops. There are also various shops scattered throughout the resort, including in Baha Bay waterpark.
The Sugar Factory is definitely one of our favorites and the kids will make sure we make a few stops in here. As expected, loads of candy and sweet treats are available.
The ESPA at Baha Mar is one of our favorite spots at this resort. ESPA is one of the best Spas we have enjoyed at a large, four star resort. Everything is inside, so don’t expect a beachside treatment room. However, the spa is modern, beautiful, and is loaded with amenities including an ESPA shop, steam rooms, saunas, and social lounge. The massages are not cheap, but are some of the best treatments we have experienced at a four star property.
At over 1000 acres, Baha Mar will be one of the largest resorts you will ever visit. The grounds are sprawling, so invest in comfortable flip flops. Despite their size, the grounds are remarkable and the grounds crews do an incredible job of keeping this place looking impeccable. A walk around the premises in the morning is highly recommended before the crowds spoil the ambiance.
The Grand Hyatt boasts 6 tropical pools. There are other pools at Baha Mar, but are reserved for guests of the SLS and Rosewood.
Reflections pool is up first and sports lines of cabanas for a more refined experience. Up next is the large Fortune pools with sleek curves and swim up bar. This is one of the more popular pools at Baha Mar. Next is Elixir pool, which is only for guests 18+ and provides a more refined service at a charge. Moving along is Drift pool, which is another larger and popular pool. Drift Bar and Grill serves up good foor to guests of this pool.
As you move down closer to the beach you will find Dean’s Blue Hole and the Out Islands pools. These pools are by far the most popular as they are adjacent Cable Beach. Dean’s Blue Hole features cliff jumping and a grotto with sharks and fish!
Baha Mar fronts over 1700 feet of Cable Beach. While 1700 feet may sound large, this beach gets crowded! Chairs can often be difficult to secure despite hundreds of chairs lining the beach. Additionally, Cable Beach is a public beach and is filled with vendors constantly selling up and down the beach. You will be asked if you are ready for Jet Skis 100 times a day. The beach is nice with plenty of amenities from Baha Mar. However, if you are looking for a truly beautiful and quiet beach, Baha Mar is not for you.
The manicured grounds are lit up beautifully at night. There is even a fire feature within the reflecting pool directly outside the casino that you surely don’t want to miss. The resort is worth another stroll at night to take in all its beauty.
We mentioned you arrive at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar via a large bride over the showlake fountains. Showlake fountains are another Bellagio inspired water feature with lit up fountains choreographed popular songs. The fountains provide nice scenerary to guests without ocean views. Also, you will want to book a fountain view room if you are planning on being at Baha Mar on New Year’s eve so that you have perfect views of the fireworks.
With over 1800 rooms spanning two towers, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is a massive resort. We enjoyed this double queen room on the 19th floor of the east tower. The room has a balcony with ocean views.
At 412 square feet, the room is spacious and has two luxurious queen size beds. The white marble floors with blue walls make for a glamorous tropical feel. The rooms do connect if you have the need for more space. A desk with 42 inch TV rounds out the bedroom.
The ensuite bathroom opens directly into the bedroom (there are giant doors for privacy). The bathroom is completely decked out in marble with chrome fixtures for a modern and luxurious feel. The double sinks are handy for families, but the counter space is a bit limited, which is the only complaint with the room. A giant soaking tub with the open doors allows you to enjoy the TV or outside view while having a relaxing bath. A water closet is always nice and helps makes the bathroom more functional. Lastly, the rainfall shower is spacious and luxurious and has a full bench, which the ladies will appreciate. High-end toiletries are provided by Balmain, Paris.
Not all rooms have complete balconies, so be aware of this when you book. However, the terrace is small with only enough room for two chairs and small table. The views from the high floors are awesome.
The room has three closets with enough room to unpack and store a couple of suitcases. A safe, iron, and ironing board are tucked inside.
Snacks are available in the room for purchase and you will be warned at check-in about the sensitivity of charges for these items at check-in. The coffee is complimentary along with four bottles of water that are replenished daily.
Baha Mar has over 25 restaurants, bars, and lounges, so we will need to split them up for this review. Expect elevated prices everywhere at Baha Mar, including the casual and takeout food. However, many restaurants offer free dining for children 5 and under. Be sure to check the website for more details on this program. In addition, you will want to book reservations, even for casual restaurants, well in advance, especially if you are visiting during peak times. Let’s dive in and sample some of the fine dining restaurants first.
Carna by Dario Cecchini is your typical steakhouse experience with darker tones and low lighting. The restaurant has a large wine cellar and grand dining room in the back. The food is on par with excellent presentation, but nothing standout in terms of taste or uniqueness.
Fi’lia offers a premium Italian dining experience at Baha Mar. The restaurant has a nice ambiance with indoor and outdoor seating. The food is on the simpler side with smaller portions than you will probably expect.
Costa is located on the grounds at the Rosewood. This was our favorite dining experience with the venue encircled by a coy pond moat. Outdoor dining huts floated over the water making for a sophisticated ambiance. There is indoor seating as well, but make sure to request to eat outside so long as the weather is cooperating.
Costa serves up a Mexican inspired menu and the food was excellent!
Marcus Fish + Chop House is another fine dining establishment. We also thoroughly enjoyed Marcus and it comes in second to Costa only because of the Coy pond.
Situated out by the beach, Marcus has an outdoor lounge and rooftop terrace that is busy from lunch to late night.
Chef Marcus Samuelsson offers a menu inspired by Bahamian culture as well as his travels. The food and presentation were excellent making Marcus a must visit during your stay.
The Swimming Pig is an English Pub themed restaurant with all the core offerings such as pastas and sandwiches. We enjoyed breakfast at The Swimming Pig and highly recommend it over the buffet as a cheaper and more relaxed option.
Everything is over the top at Sugar Factory. This restaurant sports a lot of bling with its flashy design and offers a massive menu with something for everyone. The desserts and milk shakes are crazy large, but you simply must try them!
The Regatta buffet is open for breakfast and dinner. Admittedly, we are not the biggest buffet fans. Even with that being said, we simply cannot recommend Regatta. The restaurant is too small and feels very cramped. While the buffet has a lot of options, the quality seemed to be lacking. This restaurant is simply not worth your money.
Cafe Madeleine is a Parisian inspired cafe with quick to order and takeout items available all day. Indoor seating can be limited, but there is a covered terrace with more tables available. The restaurant is located all the way at the end of the west tower, away from everything, making it mostly viable for breakfast. All of the food was delicious, delivered quickly, and priced much more reasonably.
There are numerous poolside eateries at Baha Mar and Drift Bar & Grill is one of the nicer ones located at Drift pool. The food is good and portions are large.
Baha Mar features over 15 bars and lounges that are scattered throughout the property. We sample a few of the venues below.
If you fancy a top-shelf drink while on a break from the gaming action, The Lynden is for you. This bar sits on the far east side of the casino and provides a refined experience.
T Squared is a joint-venture cigar bar between pro golfer Tiger Woods and singer Justin Timberlake. The bar offers a variety of house designed cocktails and a large open-air terrace to sample cigars.
The Jazz bar sits between the casino and west tower lobby. This lounge gets crowded in the evenings as guests love to sing along with the nightly live entertainment.
Baha Bay waterpark is one of the biggest draws at Baha Mar. Entry is included in your room rate (this includes points redemptions) and is available to guests staying in all of the three hotels. Baha Bay also sells day passes, which is popular with cruise ship visitors. However, we never found the waterpark to be overly crowded, even with the hotels near 100% occupancy.
Baha Bay features a variety of water slides from tube and body slides, to water coasters and multi-person raft slides. The waterpark also has a Flow Rider surf simulator, wave pool, lazy river, and beach club.
Kids Island is the place for the little ones. This paradise is broken up into two areas, Turtle Beach and Stingray Cove. Turtle beach is for. younger children and features a large, yet shallow, pool with four sets of miniature water slides. Stingray Cove has a large water jungle gym complete with water slides, water guns, and the all important dump bucket!
Baha Mar complimentary water sports rentals available right on the beach and includes paddle boards, kayaks, and more. You can also book excursions on-site and leave directly from the hotels dock on Cable Beach.
Wildlife is everywhere at Baha Mar. But beware, Baha Mar will attempt to charge you for almost everything. We highly recommend stopping by Flamingo Cay and The Aviary.
An entire flock of flamingos is on display in Flamingo Cay on the east side of the resort just off the beach. The flamingos are also brought out each morning onto the Palm Lawn where guests can learn about the birds. If you are really into flamingos, you can book a flamingo encounter and even do some flamingo yoga via the ESPA.
The Aviary is hidden away behind the Drift Pool. The Aviary features numerous tropical species of birds. Entry is complimentary with the option to feed the birds for a small fee.
Game Zone is a brand new addition to Baha Mar and this place is popular! Located out near the showlake fountains, Game Zone is a fully stocked arcade where kids can blow off some steam before or after dinner.
There is nothing like visiting the Bahamas during the holidays. Baha Mar really ups their game during the holiday week with activities and special surprises each day. This included bounce houses on the Palm Lawn, carol singers, and a small Junkanoo parade.
The front desk staff was able to get us checked in quickly without issues and were able to answer most of our questions during our stay. Although, they did seem to be in the dark regarding new year’s eve events, particularly regarding the location of the fireworks (fired off from across the showlake fountains on the west side of the entry bridge). Otherwise, they were friendly and helpful.
The housekeeping staff at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is excellent. We routinely received service twice a day; once in the morning and turndown in the evening. The staff was friendly and provided extra towels for the family.
The staff at Baha Mar overall friendly and on-par for a four star property. We enjoyed numerous conversations with staff workers as we strolled around the property. The hotel is well managed and employees seem to be mostly happy working here.
Baha Mar is an incredible resort and it served its purpose well, which was to revitalize Cable Beach. The resort caters to families and couples with a wide array of amenities. With over 45 restaurants, bars, and lounges, dozens of shops, spa, water sports, and more, you will never need to leave the resort. The rooms are modern, clean, and well designed and the service is in-line for a four star property. The only complaint is the value. Sticker shock is certainly possible here with many restaurants and activities sporting five star prices in a four start setting. If you can get past the prices, Baha Mar will deliver everything you could ask for.
