The Baha Mar, Bahamas

For one of my best friend's birthdays, we went to the Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas. 

To say it was glorious would be an understatement. It. Was. GLORIOUS. Here is my full review with recommendations as well as pros and cons.

 

POOLS & CABANAS 

There are a ton of pools on property, including a giant water park. They also have a few adult only pools and being on a trip with girlfriends without children, the adult only pool was a huge perk! 

You can purchase cabana access for the day and we actually ended up doing it twice at two different pools. The large pool with the waterfall was our first cabana and I recommend the cabana closest to the waterfall, the sound was so relaxing and since we were at the end, there was much less traffic and people around us so the seclusion was nice.

 

We also got a cabana another day at the Elixir Pool which is adults only. Supposedly the only people who can use this pool are those paying for a cabana but we found out late in the afternoon when a family who had not rented a cabana was in the pool that anyone can be IN the pool, just can't use the cabanas or facilities within the area. A tad annoying as you pay for the perk of being there but oh well. It was incredibly worth it as we could relax in the pool and watch football games on the TV in our cabana from the pool. HUGE perk during the playoffs for sure!!

 

RESTAURANTS & BARS

We went to several restaurants and bars on property and enjoyed each of them. 

 

Marcus is right on the beach and the food (and drinks!) were glorious. It is definitely one of the more expensive restaurants on property but the view can't be beat. DEFINITELY get the cornbread!

 

To get to Costa, you have to go through the Rosewood and the decor and ambiance of the property is beautiful. The trees, the lighting, the sky, all of it is just perfection.

 

 

 

We even found this little secret nook tucked into the trees where we enjoyed after dinner drinks when we finished up at Costa.

It was a delicious dinner and a great spot to enjoy a birthday celebration.

 

 

Costa has inside seating, but the outside seating is surely worth enjoying. Sitting atop a koi pond, does it get more Bahamas than that?!

 

Cleo was our favorite we had dinner at. The food, the cocktails, the ambiance, everything. The mezze platter for two was enough food for 3 even 4! And it gives you a full taste of almost everything they offer!!

 

 

Inside of Rosewood there is this little bar tucked by the lobby and it was an absolute score for us! A fantastic musician played with comfy seats and little tables, it was definitely a hidden gem.

 

 

The Jazz Club was my favorite night out spot without question. Two pianists and a singer made for a night of singing along fun.  

 

THE BEACH

We had a blast on the beach. Everyone who works on the beach made it easy to sit back and relax. They set up your chairs and towels and find you the perfect spot too.

THE ROOMS & PROPERTY

 

We stayed in the Reserve section of the hotel so the rooms there are more suite-like than the main building. We had a living room with a half bath then a king bedroom with a full bath that also had a soaking tub. We had sliding doors to open but no balcony. 

While we did not have an ocean view, the fountain view was fabulous because at night you could watch the entire fountain show. It was like being at the Bellagio in Vegas.

 

Every day we walked by this adult only pool. In order to access it, you had to have a cabana there for the day. For $600 a day, you should be the only ones in it. LOL. It sure is stunning though. 

Everywhere we went, it was just gorgeous. The attention to detail is on point. One of our favorite parts was the lighting everywhere but more so was the scent. Everywhere not only smelled clean and fresh but also this faint scent of happiness. It's almost indescribable.

Now for the good stuff. The pros and the cons. 

 

Pros:

- It is absolutely stunning.

- The rooms are perfection. They have Balmain bath products. Even without an ocean view it’s still stunning views no matter what direction you look.

- Everything smells glorious. Clean and fresh with a faint fragrance of happiness (only way I can describe it)

- Cocktails are legit. Pricey but LEGIT. Like $25 and up.

- Every restaurant we went to was delicious. Food was delectable, serving sizes were solid or big, and since it was my friend's birthday every meal came with an entertaining and comped dessert.

- Cabanas are glorious and worth every penny and are reasonably priced.Except one specific pool.

- Water park access is included in your resort fee.

- Property is easy to navigate after the first day.

- You can sit by the pool or beach all day and never move and people will come bring you food drinks snacks and whatever else you need.

- Every person who works there is so happy and friendly. A HUGE pro for resorts of this size and price.

- The lighting. Might sound weird but the lighting everywhere was just magical.

- The decor. Everywhere you turned was just beautiful and the attention to detail is perfection. 

 

Cons:

- It is insanely expensive. If you book far enough in advance your room can be reasonable-ish but every single thing at the resort is just flat out expensive.Just be prepared.

- There’s two add ons to every item you buy, whether it’s a water bottle, a souvenir, or a meal. VATS and Grats, a 10% tax then a surcharge for a service fee. Then tip is expected on top of it. So your $14 water bottle is really $20. 

- It’s family friendly. Since we went for an adult trip this was a con but my son would absolutely love it here.

- The lazy river isn’t lazy, more like mild river rapids. Our plan to leisurely float each day only happened day 1 and after a rough ride that plan fizzled.

- Being in Connecticut, we have to fly out of LGA/JFK/NWK/BOS for a direct flight. Can’t get there direct from Hartford or Tweed. Whomp whomp. 

 

Overall the best comparison is to say that we stayed at the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda in 2017 and the only resort that’s come close to being as wonderful was The Boca Raton in Florida last year. This was the same on the level of just glorious and would love to go back.