TIPS & TRICKS FOR YOUR STAY AT THE BAHA MAR
Choosing a place to stay in Nassau is easy. There are two main hotel complexes: Baha Mar or the Atlantis. If you prefer a laid-back atmosphere, we suggest Baha Mar.
Baha Mar is a large complex of three hotels on the famous Cable Beach:
The Grand Hyatt is a beautiful large resort with excellent service.
The Rosewood is a sophisticated and quiet hotel offering relaxation with a beautiful ocean view.
The SLS is an upscale hotel for those looking for a lively atmosphere.
These hotels are all interconnected. It’s easy to walk from one to the other whether you are inside the hotel or enjoying the pool or beach. Baha Mar is also in the process of building a water park to compete with the Atlantis hotel.
The Room at the Grand Hyatt: It looks nice in pictures, but the rooms are larger, and the décor is better in person. Be sure to stay on a high floor giving you an ocean view from bed. Waking up and seeing the ocean is spectacular. The bathroom is quite large with a separate shower and tub (with a view of the ocean) and a separate room for the toilet. The bathroom also contains two sinks making it ideal for couples getting ready together. The furnishings are fitting for the location and give the room a feeling of beach sophistication.
Variety of Restaurants: There are 40 or so restaurants at Baha Mar. At least 10 of these restaurants are Airstreams on the walkway between Cable Beach and the three hotels. This is a genius idea. These mini restaurants and bars offer a wide variety of food giving options to even the pickiest eaters. The food prices are a little high for the equivalent of a taco truck, but less than the traditional restaurants at the hotel. Interestingly, the restaurants only allow you to charge your meal to your room. This system ensures that only hotel guests are eating at the restaurants keeping the wait time for your food to a minimum.
There are numerous traditional restaurants at different price points at Baha-Mar as well. For example, you can choose between a couple of SBE restaurants – Katsuya (sushi), Cleo (Mediterranean), or Filia (Italian), or Shuang Ba (high-end Chinese), Cinkō (Asian Latino grill), Stix (noodle bar), and Café Madeline (French restaurant great for breakfast, pastries and lunch). For those who need their daily fix, there is also a Starbucks in the Grand Hyatt.
Pro Tip: Have your travel advisor contact the hotel concierge by email in advance and ask that he/she help you set up dinner reservations and/or activities.
ESPA spa:
Be sure to pre-arrange with your travel consultant as this is an extremely popular spa! If you decide to wait until you arrive, check the iPad in your room for daily specials at the spa. When booking your appointment, let the guest services person know that you are booking the special.
Entertainment:
Jazz Bar: The live music at this piano bar is very entertaining. The singer and the musicians are talented and put on a good show. We recommend going to the Jazz Bar for a drink before or after dinner.
Manor Bar: The Manor Bar at the Rosewood is just what you would imagine a library bar would look like, but it has ocean views. The bartenders make fancy concoctions and smoky drinks. It’s worth stopping in for a unique drink and snack before dinner.
Casino: There is a full casino at Baha Mar. You can choose from a variety of gaming tables, slot machines, and the Sports Book to place your bets.
Nightclub and pool parties: If you’re in the mood to party it up, head to Bond at the SLS. Bond is a club with live acts several times a week. If you’re more interested in day-time action, the SLS has you covered with its pool parties.
Activities/Amenities at Baha Mar:
There is a lot to do at Baha-Mar!
Jack Nicklaus Signature designed 18 hole golf course
ESPA spa (see discussion above)
Racket Club
Cable Beach: The beach has soft sand, and the ocean is clear blue. For safety reasons, there are buoys to keep the swimmers and motorized activities away from one another. The beach can get crowded making it difficult to find a lounge chair. Unfortunately, there are usually so many people packed into such a small area, it makes it hard to relax.
There are six pools, plus a 15-foot jump into Dean’s Blue Hole. Take the plunge, it’s fun even for adults. If you plan to relax by the pool, you may have to get up early to scope out a lounge chair. There were actually signs prohibiting people from placing towels on the lounge chairs early in the morning to reserve them for the later part of the day.
Gym: There is a well-appointed gym with cardio equipment facing the ocean and open spaces to exercise outside.
If you are traveling with kids, there are lots of activities away from the main areas to keep them busy, including a nurse shark sanctuary.
There is a complimentary rental program offering stand-up paddleboards, single and double kayaks, water hammocks, floating lounges, personal floats, snorkels, and masks.
Motorized watercraft rentals include Jetsurf boards (there is a motor on the surfboard) or dive on powerful Seabobs.
Overall, if you are traveling to Nassau, you can expect large crowds regardless of your hotel of choice. It’s a popular destination and easy to get to from the east coast of the United States. If you go with the flow and don’t get bogged down by the little annoyances, you will have a good time.
