Breaking Down the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

Tamara is just back from a multi-generational trip to the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. If you have ever wondered what it is like to stay at one of the popular Baha Mar Resorts, now is your chance to get the scoop and see if it is really the vacation of your dreams or not.

Episode Highlights:

• This was a multi-generational trip with 14 people ages 17-83. There were a lot of considerations when choosing a destination including budget, activities, direct flights, and mobility issues.
• Tamara also considered the Hyatt in Aruba, the Hilton Zemi Beach House in Anguilla, and the Westin or Kimpton Seafire in Grand Cayman.
• There are three hotels within one resort at the Baha Mar and it has multiple restaurants, making it possible to stay for a week and eat somewhere different every night without taking cabs into town.
• The food is really expensive at the Baha Mar so you need to build that into the budget as it is inline with going out for a nice dinner in a big city, which is similar to many other island resorts.
• The three hotels are:
  • Rosewood Baha Mar - luxury property
  • SLS Baha Mar - good for couples, friends, and more of a party scene
  • Grand Hyatt Baha Mar - good for families and more affordable
  • There is also a "Reserve" section of the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar with suites and lounge access that is a hotel within a hotel
• You fly into Nassau and you fill out a form on arrival and then the immigration line was quite short. They pre-arranged hotel transfers through the concierge.
• There are many pools within the Grand Hyatt but if you don't reserve a cabana, sunbed or premium lounge chair it could be hard to find chairs, especially if you want a larger group to be together.
• They rented a cabana at the Nexus Club, which has an indoor section with a couch, television, fridge, and a full bathroom. It also had a sun bed, a table and chairs with an umbrella, and use of two in-pool loungers. It was a private pool just for those renting cabanas or staying at a certain room category that included a hot tub. It also had its own bar and food service.
• The beach isn't deep but it is longed and it is lined with 4-6 rows of lounge chairs packed in together and the beach was quite busy even in June.
• There is also a waterpark that is included for guests with some big slides and a lazy river, as well as a good restaurant.
• You can do paddle boarding and snorkeling and there are also paid motorized water sports and there is an activities desk that arranges excursions and day trips.
• The Baha Mar also has a kids club with daily activities and there are flamingos that do a "parade" every morning.
• The food at Baha Mar was very good and even Tamara was impressed.
• Regatta is where they serve a huge breakfast buffet but it costs about $44 per person.
• Because Tamara is a preferred partner with Hyatt Prive, she was able to get the following perks and amenities:
  • Free breakfast for 2 people per day per room
  • $100 per room resort credit
  • $50 per room beverage credit
  • automatic upgrade within 24 hours of booking
• There are many pool bars serving food for lunch and there are also food trucks by the beach.
• You need to pre-book dinner reservations and they cover the gamut from Italian, Asian, Chinese, Steak, Mediterranean, and some celebrity chef restaurants like Cafe Boulud and Marcus Fish and Chop House (from Marcus Samuelson)
• In Tamara's opinion, the Baha Mar is better suited for families with teens or adults versus with younger kids as the casino is really the center point of the resort.

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