Baha Mar Travel Tips: Complete Guide to Baha Mar in Nassau

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We just got back from our first trip as a family of four – we went to Baha Mar in Nassau. Nassau was a great choice for us – it’s a short, direct flight from Florida and we had enough points to cover our 3 night stay at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

I had the flights and hotel booked before I did any research on it. Come to find out, there is actually a lot to know about Baha Mar. I started researching everything I could to make the most of our family vacation to Nassau. I’m now going to compile all of that information to share the knowledge with you in one place.

Here are our Baha Mar travel tips – hopefully they are helpful!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this travel guide on Baha Mar tips are affiliate links (including links to Amazon) providing us with a small commission if you make a qualifying purchase – at no extra cost to you. We greatly appreciate your support! We paid for our trip to Baha Mar on our own with points earned from credit card sign up bonuses – the trip itself was not gifted or comped. As always, we share our honest opinion and everything is written by us.

Properties on Baha Mar

Baha Mar is a huge resort with tons of pools, restaurants, a waterpark, and other things to do. Within the resort are actually three separate hotels. They consist of the SLS, Hyatt (which has two towers), and Rosewood.

Here is a quick and easy breakdown of each property on Baha Mar:

• SLS at Baha Mar – typically a little bit cheaper, also more known as the “party” resort
• Grand Hyatt Baha Mar – the largest resort with two towers
• Rosewood Baha Mar – known for luxury

Even though Baha Mar is huge, it has a practical layout. Each of the hotels have great locations with relatively easy access to everything. And as long as you are staying at any of these hotels, you can access anything at the resort. The exception to this is that the Rosewood Resort does have a pool that is only accessible to Rosewood guests and if you’re traveling with kids, some of the pools are adults only.

Which Baha Mar Resort is Best for Families?

The Hyatt at Baha Mar is best for families. While the SLS and Rosewood are both great for families, too, the Hyatt would be my top choice. The SLS can draw a bit more of a party crowd and the Rosewood is best for romance/couples.

The Hyatt has two towers, the west tower and east tower. The only real difference between the towers is the decor.

Cost and How to Save Money

There is no way to sugar coat it the cost of Baha Mar. Once you get there, Baha Mar is very, very expensive – it is definitely not an all inclusive resort. You can expect to pay around $20 for a drink. And a sandwich is easily $20. We booked our trip to Baha Mar on points, but even so it wasn’t necessarily a cheap vacation.

But I do have a few tips on how to save money.

Save Money on Drinks

If you drink, you can bring your own alcohol if you have room to pack it. We flew Southwest so we got two free checked bags with our flights. This gave us plenty of space to pack some of our own but packing your own can be kind of a hassle. If you don’t feel like lugging around extra baggage or if you don’t have room to check it, you can ask your driver to stop by the grocery store on your way to the hotel. They are used to this request and will happily accommodate. It may cost a bit extra, but nothing compared to how much you’ll save by avoiding having to buy drinks at the resort.

If you drink soda, they have a soda package for around $20. You buy the cup and get unlimited refills.

Save Money on Food

There are a couple of Starbucks on site. You could grab a sandwich there for a cheap breakfast or lunch. You can also bring granola bars for breakfast and snacks. There is also a Keurig in your room and housekeeping does a good job of keeping the K cups stocked. I knew this ahead of time so I brought some creamer with me.

My biggest “hack” for Baha Mar is to book a chair or daybed at the Beach Club. You have to have a reservation there in order to enter the Beach Club. For the two of us, the daybed came to $250 with all of the fees (other people have told me they paid $300) but the amount you pay for the daybed/chair goes towards food and drink from the restaurant on site, 25° North. You also get the day bed/chair for the full day (10 am to 5pm) and you can come and go as much as you want.

The food at 25° North is great – they serve a little bit of everything. We reserved a daybed for two days on our trip so we tried a lot of different things on their menu. All of it was all delicious. They have sandwiches, poke bowls, sushi, tacos, and more. Overall, we liked having a quieter spot at the resort and knowing almost exactly what we’d spend. Both days, the $250 covered enough for lunch and dinner.

Restaurants

Food is not included and there are no meal plans offered at Baha Mar. On top of the already pricy food options, every bill has an added VAT tax and service charge. In case I wasn’t clear above, it is very expensive.

Reservations are highly recommended. You can do this easily on the Baha Mar app. When we visited, it wasn’t very busy so we were able to get into a couple of places without reservations. But that was really a fluke – more often than not, Baha Mar is busy, especially during peak season (like spring break and holidays).

Baha Mar isn’t a great place to be without dinner plans – there aren’t many to go options, room service is insanely expensive (I’m talking $95 for a sandwich), the cheaper options (like the food trucks) close around 5 pm, and options off property aren’t super close by.

So – make your dinner reservations! You can always cancel. Reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance.

Because it’s so expensive, I’ve found reviews and opinions to vary. Some feel the food worth the splurge. Others say that for the price, they expected something better. We typically don’t go to fine dining restaurants so we don’t have as much to compare this food to as others might. We found the food to be very good.

Kids Eat Free at Select Baha Mar Restaurants

Kids 5 and under can order a free kids meal at some of the restaurants. You may want to double check that the restaurant you’re looking at is included before you go in case there are changes. But at the time of this writing, kids can order a free kids meal at the following Baha Mar restaurants:

• Cafe Boulud
• Carna
• Cinko
• Cleo
• Costa
• Drift
• Fi’Lia
• Katsuya
• Marcus
• Out Island Bar
• The Palms
• Regatta
• Stix

Guide to Restaurants at Baha Mar

Here are the restaurants at Baha Mar. I put a * next to my favorites and the most popular/most recommended spots to try!

*25° North Restaurant – The restaurant we tried multiple times due to our daybed reservations. Everything was amazing – I loved their sushi, poke bowls, and fish tacos. You can eat here without a daybed reservation, too. It’s a cute spot right by the beach.

Barracuda – one of the food trucks on the beach serving classics like burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and cocktails.

Cafe Boulud – French cuisine that features local ingredients. They are open for breakfast and dinner.

Cafe Madeleine – Parisian Cafe serving pastries and other French specialties such as quiche. Best known for breakfast but they do have an all day menu. Indoor and outdoor seating.

*Carna – Upscale steakhouse, they also serve seafood.

*Cinko – Latin cuisine with bold Asian flavors.

*Cleo – Mediterranean small plates. The restaurant has gorgeous ocean views.

Costa – Mexican restaurant at the Rosewood with plenty of seafood options.

Da Poke Bowl – a variety of poke bowls in a shack-type dwelling near the pier.

Drift Bar and Grill – this was our first meal at Baha Mar when we got there. We were so hungry. It’s poolside which was such a nice way to enjoy our food! They serve Pan-Latin American cuisine, I highly recommend the short bread sandwich.

El Jefe – a beachfront food truck that serves Mexican food like tacos, burritos, nachos, and margaritas

Fi’Lia – Italian food

*Katsuya – Japanese classics and sushi

Knosh – a beachfront food truck with flatbreads, bowls, sandwiches, and more.

Marcus – Good seafood and located right by the beach.

Pizza Lab – Italian restaurant with pastas and pizzas. This is probably the cheapest sit down option. Pro tip – you can get a $10 slice of pizza here, which is “cheap” by Baha Mar standards.

Regatta – Very large breakfast buffett. If you are have Globalist status with Hyatt, breakfast at Regatta is included. You’ll want to double check though because they supposedly change the location of the free breakfast.

Scoops – an ice cream stand right by the beach. There are tons of toppings and they also have ice pops, ice cream bars, and iced coffee.

Shuang Ba – Chinese food

Starbucks – Like I mentioned above, this is a cheaper option if you want to grab a sandwich or something like that.

Stix – a noodle bar, one of the only places you actually don’t need reservations

Streetbird on the Beach – Food truck with Caribbean style food serving wings, sandwiches, conch fritters, and more

Sugar Factor Brasserie – This is the same Sugar Factory you may have heard of in a few other locations around the world (we have one at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa). It’s a super instagram-worthy restaurant with over the top desserts and cocktails. They have typical bar food available as well.

Sugar Factory Cafe – not to be confused with the brasserie, the cafe has a floor to ceiling candy wall. They also serve coffee, donuts, hot chocolate, and a few other desserts.

The Library – Tea, coffee, and cocktails located at the Rosewood

The Palms – Large poolside restaurant with traditional foods like burgers, sandwiches, and salads

The Swimming Pig – Serves classics like salad, flatbread, pasta, sandwiches, and more. They also have a late night menu. An employee let us know that it is open 24/7, which is good to know! He told us a lot of people don’t realize that.

Tingum on the Sand – Located on the beach serving traditional breakfast and a small Caribbean fare lunch menu and drinks.

Umami at Baha Bay – An airstream that serves burgers, fries, and salads.

Things to Do

Baha Mar is a little mix of everything. It feels like Vegas with the casino downstairs and also feels like an all inclusive (minus the whole everything included part) with all of the pools and palm trees. There is even a water park. Is it an authentic Bahamas experience? Eh, probably not. But it otherwise has everything you could want for a good vacation.

Pools

There is no shortage of pools at Baha Mar!

• Deans Blue Hole – VERY unique! There are waterfalls, rock walls you can jump from, and a little swim up cave that has an aquarium in it. You can see sea turtles, fish, and sharks.
• Drift – Good for families with in-pool seats and a nearby restaurant (Drift Bar and Restaurant). The cabanas here are “rain cabanas” so they can put off a rain-like mist, which is unique.
• Elixir – Circular, shallow pool for adults only with a round island in the middle of the pool. More secluded and there are cabanas, lounge chairs, and daybeds.
• Fortune – Most central pool at Baha Mar. A lot of gorgeous landscaping with palm trees and a waterfall. There are cabanas, day beds, in pool seating, and a jacuzzi. There is also a swim up bar!
• Out Island – There is a large restaurant next to this pool, making it a great option while you grab a bite to eat. There is in-pool seating, whirlpools, and views of the beach.
• Reflections – Looks like a fountain! This is a more intimate, quiet pool surrounded by gardens. Cabanas have private entrances for a more sophisticated, private feel.
• Bungalow – This is one of the pools at SLS, it’s a long skinny pool with a hint of glamour. It’s a good place to lounge.
• Privilege – Adult’s only pool at SLS with pool parties. We could hear their music no matter where we were outside on the Saturday we were there. It was quieter the other nights of our trip, so it’s probably a little calmer on non-weekend/less busy days.
• Lagoon – Large lagoon-type pool close to the beach. Cabanas are available by reservation as well.
• Quiet – For Rosewood guests only. The pool is on three levels and there are plenty of loungers.

Beach Club Pools

The pools above do not include the two infinity pools that I noted above at the Beach Club! Those pools can be enjoyed only by renting a cabana, beach lounger, or day bed. If you rent a lounger or day bed, the cost you pay goes towards food at the on site restaurant so the cost is basically a wash so it was totally worth it to us. Do note that rental of a cabana does not go towards food at the restaurant. It’s my understanding that cabanas do come with certain foods and drinks, though.

Water Sports

If you want to get out and enjoy the water, there are complimentary rentals. You can choose from stand up paddleboards, single and double kayaks, lounges, and personal floats.

Baha Bay

Baha Bay is a newer water park located right on site. We actually had a great view of the waterpark from our hotel room. It’s free as a hotel guest. There are slides and a lazy river – it’s a really fun perk! A lot of parents say they spent the majority of their time here. Our infant and 14 month old were a little too young to enjoy it, but I know on a return trip we’ll be spending a lot of time there!

Fountain Show

There is a fountain show every night. The fountains have LED lights, imagery, and good music. It’s fun to watch!

Wildlife Experiences

There are sea turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays, flamingos, and birds on site at Baha Mar. There is a number of ways to experience the wildlife. The aviary has birds that you can feed. There is a flamingo parade throughout the grounds or you can do a flamingo meet and greet. All in all, there are plenty of options to get close to the animals!

Sports

If you want to stay active on your trip, Baha Mar has a golf course, racquet club, basketball court, croquet, bocce ball, yoga with the flamingos, and a fitness center. As noted above, there are water sports such as kayaks and stand up paddle boards available as well.

Cable Beach

Baha Mar is located right on Cable Beach. Cable Beach is known for its gorgeous water and soft sand. There are several ways to enjoy a beach day. You can swim, relax on a lounger, or take out a kayak. Or maybe you’d rather go back and forth between the pool and the beach.

Kids Club

There is a Kids Club if you happen to be traveling with your little ones. Their activities range by day and include things like sports, playing, reading, and more. It is typically for kids ages 3-12.

Pier

There is a really nice pier you can walk on right along the beach. It’s a great photo op, especially around sunset.

Casino

If you’re looking for nightlife, Baha Mar does have some. There is a huge casino, live music at the Jazz Bar, you can dance at the Monkey Bar. There is also a cigar bar and a rooftop bar at the SLS.

Excursions Through the Hotel

The hotel has plenty of options if you want to get off the resort. They range in price.

• Jeep experience
• Catamaran cruise
• Snorkeling
• Taking a seaplane to see the swimming pigs
• Rum tours
• Food tours

Transportation to Baha Mar

Baha Mar has its own transportation that you can take from the airport. It could not be more convenient. They have their own little lobby-type space in the airport which makes them extremely easy to find. They can also provide car seats if you need them. We found the transfer to be a bit expensive. It was around $75 one way for our family of four (two adults, a 14 month old, and a 3 month old).

We ended up using a taxi and also found taxis to be extremely easy to use. They are lined up outside of the airport and cost around $35. The taxis lined up outside the front of Baha Mar, too, so getting a ride back to the airport was just as easy.

Weather

Nassau is a tropical climate which means it isn’t uncommon to have some rain. During rain season (approximately May through October), it will likely rain once or twice per day. But usually, it will be one quick downpour then it will be sunny like it never happened. So if you are checking the weather, don’t worry too much if it says it’s going to rain.

How Many Days Should I Spend at Baha Mar?

We stayed for 3 nights and I wish we could have stayed for at least 1 more. If you are coming from further away, I’d recommend 4-5 nights. But everyone has different factors to consider such as how much time off you get and your budget. Some people also choose to split their vacation between Baha Mar and Atlantis. This won’t really save you money, though. Atlantis is also really expensive.

We truly had such a great experience at Baha Mar and cannot wait to go back! Having these Baha Mar travel tips definitely helped us feel prepared and enjoy our trip more. I hope that this article helped you feel prepared in planning your trip to Baha Mar in Nassau!