Spring Break at Baha Mar

This year when choosing a location for Spring Break, we specifically wanted something south and warm. With Greenville County’s Spring Break being a tad bit earlier this year, we wanted to ensure we would be able to enjoy the beach and some sunshine. We had previously heard good things about Baha Mar Resort in Nassau, Bahamas, so when we founds out some of our friends were going, we were excited to join. We had visited Nassau a few years ago to stay at Atlantis with the boys with a couple other families and had a blast. We thought with Bennett only being 1 year old, and the boys at ages almost 8 and 6, a fun family-friendly resort would be perfect for us this year.

Going into planning this trip, you should familiarize yourself with the 3 different properties and all the different options offered at Baha Mar. There is the main hotel, the Grand Hyatt, a more adult-specific hotel (aka Vegas at the beach), the SLS, and a more sophisticated boutique option, the Rosewood. This is pretty much the 1st thing you need to decide. The Grand Hyatt is right in the middle of EVERYTHING…the casino, all the restaurants, direct path down to the main pools, etc…so if this is your vibe, then go for it. However, beware, it is CROWDED. I am aware we went at a very busy time, but honestly, the crowds and lines were a bit unacceptable for my liking. The check-in process was so disorganized and inefficient, as in we waited in a long line to check in and then again to receive our room keys. So, although we got to enjoy the pools while we waited for our room, I also felt like we wasted about 3 hours out of our day waiting in lines, and this is with 3 kids in tow. I did think the rooms were really nice, but I wasn’t overly impressed with our view. For us, we spent very little time in our room, so the view wasn’t a game changer, but still a disappointment for the price we paid. We also encountered long lines at the elevators to get up to our rooms daily, which again, isn’t a huge deal, but just something I wouldn’t have expected at this resort, and can be a challenge with young kids.

The SLS and Rosewood have their own check-in areas off from the main site at the Grand Hyatt. The SLS is comparable in price to the Grand Hyatt, just maybe not as kid-friendly, but I don’t think it’s a big deal as you are RIGHT next door to the Grand Hyatt. The Rosewood, on the other hand, can be a bit more expensive and has much more of a boutique, adult setting. However, kids are also welcome there and they have their own kids club. Ultimately, it depends on the atmosphere you want and the price you want to pay.

PRIOR TO TRAVELING

Currently, as of March 2022, you still have to get a Bahamas Travel visa. It is an easy application you need to complete online at least 24 hours in advance, but you do need to prove vaccination status if applicable, as well as a negative Covid test (type depending on vaccination status) within 3 days of travel. They also require you to attain a negative Covid test the day before you travel home, which was provided by the resort, in the resort, which was convenient.

As for reservations, I would make dinner reservations weeks, if not months in advance. If you plan on using the Kids Club services, make those in advance as well. Our kids loved going in the evening and begged to go back, but keep in mind, that these things also book up fast when they are in busy season. For those with kids younger than 3 years old, they also provide in-room babysitting services by request as well. If they happen to be booked, there is also an outside sitter service they recommend, KLK babysitting services. We ended up having to use this service, and were very pleased with everything about them. It was much easier booking through this service than it was through the hotel.

You can make reservations ahead of time for the Baha Bay Beach Club, which we were unable to get, and that may have been one of our biggest regrets. It is just down from the water park and amazing! So, if you decide to visit Baha Mar, make reservations for the Beach Club in advance as well.

Last but not least. Download the APP! I did not even know there was an app until we arrived, and it would have been very helpful prior to the trip. If only to simply see what all Baha Mar has to offer and you can book all the above reservations on the app.

DINING

For breakfast, we typically snacked on things we had in the room, grabbed Starbucks, or a pastry and coffee from the yummy cafe, Cafe Madeleine. They also had bigger buffet options, but we opted to spend less money on breakfast, get out to the beach, and eat a bigger lunch at one of the restaurants down by the pools.

For lunch, there are a lot of great options by the pools and beach, which is what we did every single day. My favorites were Da Poke Bowl, and Umami and Barracuda at Baha Bay. In my opinion, the drinks were good everywhere, but obviously expensive. Another tip would be to grab a bottle of liquor from the Duty-free area in the airport once you land to take to the resort. Save a little money and make your own pool-side cocktails.

For dinner, there are TONS of options, and many that require reservations.

• Costa: We were lucky enough to snag a reservation at Costa, which was by far my favorite atmosphere and food. This restaurant is located at the Rosewood and is absolutely stunning. The fish tacos and pork belly were some of my favorite meals at Baha Mar. We took the entire family and the kids loved looking at the koi fish in the surround pond.
• Marcus: We also had a date night at Marcos and loved that atmosphere and food as well. We sat on their terrace which was heavenly.
• Pizza Lab: We ate here the 1st night while waiting on our room to be ready. The food was okay, but nothing special, but good for a casual, easy dinner.
• Fi’lia: We grabbed a last minute reservation at Fi’lia for our last night. The food was also delicious here and worth getting a reservation ahead of time for a date night or family.

*For dining, it is also important to note that at many of the restaurants, kids 5 and under eat free.

PROS:

CONS:

• Check-in process took forever. Didn’t check into our room until 7pm (when we arrived at noon). “Check-in” apparently started at 4pm, which we would have been happy with, but 7pm, not so much. I also did not find their concierge or front desk staff to be very helpful at all.
• Overwhelming layout. There is no “running back to your room real quick” at Baha Mar. The place is huge.
• Crowds. I literally heard someone say there were over 4,000 people there. That’s a LOT of people at 1 resort in my opinion.

Comparison to Atlantis

We went to Atlantis over 3 years ago, so I am sure many things have changed, but overall, Baha Mar is a newer, nicer, updated Atlantis. A very similar massive, overwhelming layout providing multiple hotel level options, as well as multiple pools, multiple bars and restaurants, and a huge water park. I did feel like we were overall closer to the beach at Baha Mar with easier beach access and better beach views throughout our day which I liked. Their central hotels both have a “Vegas vibe” with a huge casino, shops, and restaurants within. I personally prefer a more boutique hotel experience, but that can also be difficult to find that is also kid friendly, with so much entertainment for all. From our experience, the food at Baha Mar was far better than Atlantis. With Baha Mar being so much newer and popular at the moment, I do believe it is much more crowded than Atlantis, but that could change. If you made me pick tomorrow, I would probably choose Baha Mar over Atlantis.

Overall, we had a wonderful Spring Break and the kids had a BLAST! As you can see, the pros greatly outweighed the cons. But, I also wanted to give you all my full honest opinion, and help give any tips that would allow a smoother trip. We had a nice room, we ate and drank very well, and we had a BLAST hanging out by the pools, beach, and water park. I just had different expectations set for Baha Mar, and felt like the trip seemed a little stressful with the added crowds, lines, and wait times for certain things. At the end of the day, traveling with kids is just stressful, but SO worth it!

Final Tips:

• Download the APP.
• Make dinner reservations weeks/months in advance if you can.
• Make reservations for Kids Club prior to arriving.
• Make reservations for Baha Bay Beach Club.
• Familiarize yourself with hotels before choosing which to stay.
• Pack a suitcase full of snacks.
• Buy liquor from the airport to save money on drinks at the resort. (However, our specific room did not have a fridge to use).
• Arrange a car service for airport transportation. This was very helpful and convenient! We used Majestic Tours, and they even provided a car seat for B!

If you decide to visit Baha Mar, I hope this little reference helps. Keep in mind, this is obviously MY OPINION and specific experience in the middle of March, just beginning their busy season. I would definitely visit again and my kids are already begging to return.

*For more pictures, videos, and details, visit my “Baha Mar” story highlight on Instagram, @handstandhappiness

Happy Wednesday!

XO- Shana