As a former travel editor, I love exploring new places and checking out resorts and destinations getting lots of hype. So I have been wanting to visit Baha Mar for awhile. It’s one of the newer Bahamas resorts getting a lot of buzz the past few years. I’m always looking for more upscale but family-friendly resorts to visit with our family and share with all of you, so I was excited when we finally got the opportunity to check out the resort this summer. We have been to the Atlantis before, which is also in Nassau, but years ago, and then we have visited other parts of the Bahamas, including Lyford Cay and Harbor Island. I know a lot of you are starting to plan your winter and spring breaks and other vacations, so I thought I’d do a blog post sharing my Baha Mar Resort review and answering all the questions I’ve been asked.
How Far Is It From the U.S./Airport?
One of the biggest draws to Baha Mar imo is that the flight from JFK to Nassau is less than three hours and then it’s about a ten minute drive from the airport to the hotel. This makes it much easier to get to with little kids and makes it doable for shorter trips as well.
Is Baha Mar Kid-Friendly?
Yes, very. Let me explain a bit more because I think this is helpful information to include in my Baha Mar Resort review. Baha Mar has three hotels essentially in one gigantic property (plus a waterpark!). There’s the SLS, which was described to me as being more of the younger crowd and what I imagine would be a fun spring break destination or girlfriends getaway type deal. The Rosewood is their more upscale and couples-friendly hotel, and the Grand Hyatt is the more kid-friendly spot. I don’t think you can go wrong here. All the hotels are close enough that you can walk between them, eat at all the restaurants, and enjoy the various facilities and amenities. There are multiple pool options, including some adults only, so it’s great if you’re there sans kids but also nice as a parent, knowing that you’re not disturbing anyone’s honeymoon. In addition to multiple pools, a beach with lots of chairs and options for activities (paddle boarding, kayaks, wind surfing, etc.), there is a huge waterpark on property called Baha Bay that also has its own beach. It’s huge with lots of different sections for kids and adults of all ages, plus, it’s own restaurants and stores. My kids were huge fans. There is also an arcade, mini golf and a kids club, so lots for the kids to do.
What is the Food Like?
There are tons of different dining options, all on property, which was great as we never had to leave and got to eat somewhere new every day. From food trucks on the beach to really good buffets and pizzas to upscale restaurants that include everything from a steak house and Italian to sushi. The food is really good and a huge draw imo. We didn’t get to check everything out during our stay (there are that many options!), so I’ll only include the places we went or were recommended to us in my Baha Mar Resort review, but some of our favorite spots included:
Sugar Factory: Kids loved for obvious reasons but it’s not just for their huge millkshakes and ice cream treats, they also have a menu of dinner foods.
Costa: upscale Mexican restaurant that we wanted to go to but couldn’t get reservations for.
Katsuya: Really good sushi restaurant.
Marcus Fish + Chop House: Probably our favorite restaurant all around. The food was soo good, it’s set right on the beach, and just has such a good vibe and atmosphere. we had such a great meal.
Swimming Pig: This indoor spot is great for a casual meal. We ate here after we arrived and it was exactly what we needed.
Pizza Lab: The kids loved this spot. They have great pizza as well as other dishes (I loved the salad) and it’s just a great casual atmosphere.
Regatta Buffet: We ate breakfast here almost every day – my kids love a buffet breakfast. We also had dinner here one night and it was great. A good variety of food and my kids loved having all the choices.
Umami Burger: Such good burgers.
There are a bunch more we didn’t get to try, including Cafe Boulud. I definitely recommend making reservations. A plus, is at some of the restaurants, kids under 5 eat free, so you don’t have to stress if you take your littles to a nicer restaurant that they won’t eat etc.
Baha Mar Activities
There are so many fun activities to do as a family that it’s hard to sum them up in one Baha Mar Resort review. They have golf, tennis, as well as mini golf. Lots of pools, beach, wildlife encounters, arcade, and of course, Baha Bay water park.
Pools: There are a bunch of different pools to check out but Dean’s Blue Hole was our favorite. There’s a cliff you can dive off of, which Charlotte did on repeat. They also have this cave where you can swim under a “waterfall” and then swim next to a huge tank with fish and sharks and stingrays. My kids loved looking at the fish and snarks through the glass window and it was such a cool experience for them. They have lots of chairs and umbrellas but it gets crowded during peak time in the chairs closest to the pool. We got a cabana at Dean’s Blue Hole one day, and it was great to have as a home base and to take a break from the sun. We ordered food to it and Brooks even took a nap there.
Wildlife Sanctuary and Encounters: I loved that the resort offered an educational activity for the kids. The wildlife sanctuary is a great spot. You can have flamingo encounters, which we did and the kids loved. They got to learn about the flamingos, pet and feed them and was just such a cool experience. They also do that with the turtles and there is a daily flamingo parade every morning. At the Sanctuary you can also check out stingrays, sharks, fish and more.
Baha Bay Waterpark: The waterpark is really cool. It’s pretty new and very clean and nice as waterparks go. I usually don’t love waterparks, and I stayed here all day with the kids, no problem. There’s everything from a little kids park to a medium kids area to huge water slides that are almost on par with Disney and Universal’s. There’s also a lazy river, which my kids loved and lots of areas to sit and watch the kids as well as food spots within the water park where you can get pretty good food. It’s located on one end of the property so you don’t even have to travel far to get to. A highlight for my kids was the FloRider surf simulator, which Charlotte and James tried and loved.
Beach: Of course I need to include the beach in my Baha Mar Resort review. The beach is a beautiful Bahamas beach with the warm, blue water. They have tons of chairs, so you don’t have to worry about staking out a chair early. There are also different sections of the beach, so you can definitely find your quiet spot. There are lots of activities available to do on the beach as well. I loved all the food trucks and bars right off the beach, which made it easy to eat and drink while enjoying time on the sand.
Is there a Kids Club?
Yes, Baha Mar has a kids club, and it looks really awesome. I have friends who have gone and raved about it. The club is for kids 3+ so we didn’t end up using, mostly because I felt I had Brooks anyway but also wanted to get in a lot of QT with all the kids before our newest arrival comes. They also offer the kids club at night, which I’m told kids love and is a great option if you want to go to dinner without kids. They do offer on-site babysitters as well, but we did not use that service either for this trip.
And that’s it for my Baha Mar Resort review. Let me know if there’s anything I’m missing or if you have any questions.
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