The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar encompasses a massive area delivering over a dozen pools, sandy beaches, and restaurants for every taste.
Location
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is located on a campus so large it was named for this purpose. It’s approximately 20 minutes from the airport, an affordable $30 by taxi. It is situated on the north coast of Grand Bahama, the closest city is Nassau.
Address: One Baha Mar Blvd, Nassau, Bahamas
Phone: +1 242-788-1234
Property
Occupying its own grand plaza, the Baha Mar complex is a sprawling facility, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is at its center. Connecting all three properties on the complex is a large casino (no photos permitted) surrounded by high-end retailers like Tiffany and Breitling.
There are more than a dozen restaurants on-site, everything from (legitimately) authentic Chinese to a Prime Steakhouse, a Greek Mediterranean take on tapas portions, even a sports bar, and pizzeria. All the food we had was delicious if not a little over-priced even for the Bahamas.
It’s hard to put into words just how large this facility is (challenging for a travel writer) so I will boil it down to the simplest of terms. In order to meet for a coffee at Baha Mar, you’d have to indicate which coffee shop, and if you said “Starbucks” you’d again have to indicate which location. The same would follow for burgers or Asian food (Japanese, pan-Asian, and Chinese.)
Pools
An aerial view from our balcony shows the property grounds. As part of the Baha Mar complex but not part of the Grand Hyatt, a couple of pools to the extreme right and left of the below view belong to guests of other properties. To the left is the SLS with their long rectangular pool and to the extreme right (barely visible) is the Rosewood. Hotel guests are to swim in their own pools but everything else on the property is commonly shared amongst them.
A grotto features a small aquarium view for sea life maintained on-site by an environmental and educational firm. Nurse sharks swim right up to the glass along with sea turtles, manta rays, and a number of beautiful fish. Guests can also observe the nurse sharks from above as well as feedings and interaction with smaller sea creatures in a walk-through mini outdoor aquarium.
Serviced Cabanas are available to secure from the hotel concierge and prices start at $300 for the day. It’s opposite the grotto, the zero-entry pool, and a pair of small cliff jumps (about 8′ and 12′ each) as well as steps away from the beach. Some negotiation may be possible for the Cabanas depending on availability.
Beach
A fine sand beach with hotel lounge chairs and service awaits guests at the water’s edge. Third-party water sport rentals are also available along the beach and boardwalk. The hotel has also positioned food trucks serving tacos, burgers, ice cream, and other quick bite snacks. Flamingos reside near the Rosewood but are accessible to all guests.
Suite
This family-style suite offers two bedrooms separated by a common space. Ours had two queens in one bedroom and one king in the other. This is the largest suite offered before moving to poolside villas, each of which is a separate building. It’s ideal for families or couples travelling together and while I secured it on an extreme sale, it retails for $1300 USD per night.
Living Room
Between the bedrooms to either end of the suite is the living room. A large couch provides seating for more than six across from the TV. A well-placed chair with large reading lamp is near the window with views of the property and the Caribbean sea.
A Balcony runs the length of the space with outdoor seating and ocean views.
A dining room table across from the breakfast bar offers seating for six off the open plan living room and kitchen area.
A guest bathroom completes the living room. This feature makes the suite a three-bathroom, two-bedroom space and keeps the bedrooms and personal spaces private.
Kitchen/Laundry
This family suite comes with a large kitchen. An island serves as both storage and an eat-in breakfast bar. A dishwasher, oven, stovetop, full-sized refrigerator, and plenty of glasses and dishware for a large party.
In addition to a full kitchen, the unit came equipped with a high-end washer and dryer set. It’s located in the kitchen due to the water lines, but this is also convenient for families staying with guests as it remains in the common space behind its own set of closed doors and separated again by each bedroom door so noise is not a concern.
Master Bedroom
Featuring a king bed in the Master bedroom, the comfortable beach theme persists. A private balcony over looking the water and the complex makes for beautiful morning views. A small chair with an ottoman between the bed and balcony door welcomes private beach reading. White shiplap, classic wood features, a ceiling fan, and tile floors give the look and feel of a perfect tropical getaway. A desk and chair complete the room.
Master Bathroom
The hotel’s ownership, a Chinese firm, has brought som upscale bathroom design features from premier Hyatt hotels in Asia to the Caribbean. The sliding, slatted doors to the bathroom can be closed or open to allow for privacy or an evening relaxing in the tub with an ocean view.
Split vanities give a his/hers space for getting ready before dinner. At the back of the bathroom, space is split each behind shaded glass doors, one for a very large shower with rain shower head, the other, a water closet.
Second Bedroom
The second bedroom in this suite offered two double beds and much of the same design elements of the master bedroom. Another private balcony with separate chairs and tables is available in this bedroom as well.
Second Bedroom Bathroom
The second guest bedroom is smaller and the same as the standard guestroom elsewhere in the hotel. The shower still features a rain shower head as well as a wand sprayer but is built over the tub, convenient for families travelling with small children.
World of Hyatt Service and Benefits
As a World of Hyatt Globalist, I enjoyed complimentary breakfast, late checkout, bonus points, and have received an upgrade to a suite in the past, though this room would not have been eligible for an upgrade.
Lounge access in this property is a must. For those World of Hyatt members that may have “Club Access” upgrades but do not otherwise qualify for access to the lounge, this would be the property for which they should spend them.
Open from 6 am to 10 pm, the lounge offers soft drinks, beer, wine, and spirits as well as light snacks throughout the day. At meal times, a substantial selection is available from hot items like pancakes, bacon, and eggs at breakfast to chikcen wings, and warm foccacia in the evening. Many cold items are available too including smoked salmon, salad, and charcuterie.
For more information on the World of Hyatt loyalty program, see this post.
Value
Cash prices for a standard room at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar can vary by a hundred dollars or more. For the purposes of valuation in this case I will use the average nightly rate in 2019, $235/nt. This price is a little steep but the rooms are fit to a high standard and the property offers just about anything a guest could want in a Caribbean vacation.
For World of Hyatt members, the property is a Category 5. Award nights cost 20,000/nt for a standard room – points and cash awards can be secured for as little as 10,000 points and $140. This provides a value of 1.15¢/point, well below Suites and Lobbies’ valuation of 2¢/point. World of Hyatt members should pay with cash for their stay if possible. This property is also not a good use of Category 1-7 certificates for World of Hyatt Globalist members.
What do you think? Have you stayed at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar? How was your experience?
