5 reasons I did not love Baha Mar ⋆ chic everywhere

and 5 reasons I did like this trip

We vacationed at the Baha Mar Resort in Nassau Bahamas last May. I have stopped and started writing about this vacation because it was not what I would call my favourite of all time. It was a lovely resort but it also had me wishing we had of just gone to an All Inclusive resort in Dominican Republic. If you are on the fence about whether this resort is a good fit for your vacation days I am sharing the 5 reasons I did not love Baha Mar and 5 reasons I did like this trip.

5 Reasons I Did Not Love Baha Mar ( and 5 reasons I did)

Dislike – Casino Lobby – we stayed in the Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar. It is one of three hotels on the property and it is the one that houses the casino. Unfortunately the casino is basically the main floor of the hotel and there is no avoiding it. It isn’t housed in some other building. It is the main floor of the main hotel. I found it so tacky walking through the casino to go pretty much anywhere. It felt like we had gone to Las Vegas instead of the Bahamas. If that is your vibe perhaps you would be ok with always walking through the blinking lights of the casino games. Personally I thought it took away from the otherwise elegant look of the hotels.

Liked – Wildlife – There are a number of sanctuaries on the property that guests can interact with. There is an area with flamingos that I loved. They even bring the flamingos out and do talks about the birds. The main pool also has a viewing area where you can see sea turtles and nurse sharks. I thought these touches were so fun. These were great areas for kids and you didn’t have to pay for the other hands on options to still get to experience this wildlife.

Dislike – Food is Expensive – The Baha Mar resort is not all inclusive. Which means you are always charging meals to the room which can add up fast. Especially since many of the food options are not super affordable. I shared our tips on which restaurants to choose if you are on a budget here.

Liked – Food was good and large portions – The one thing I can say about the restaurants at Baha Mar is that I liked everywhere we ate. And the portions were large enough to have leftovers for lunch.

Dislike – Everything was an upsell – as I said earlier Baha Mar is not an all inclusive resort. But the level of upselling was a bit excessive. There were multiple levels of cabanas but you had to rent them. And they cost close to $1000 per day. Sure they had tvs and couches but honestly it seemed a bit extreme. I am used to snagging a cabana (like we did here) because we are up early, not because I paid another premium. You had to shell out for food and drinks. Excursions. Staying at this resort made me realize I prefer the ease of an all inclusive vacation when heading to the beach.

Liked – Snorkling on site was fun – every morning we put on our snorkel gear while the ocean was quiet and did some snorkeling near the pier. Near the pier and the artificial reef there were lots of tropical fish and we even saw some rays. I do wish the resort would have some staff swim through this area and pick up all the garbage that seems to make it into the ocean.

Dislike – Resort felt American not Caribbean – This resort felt more like a hotel complex you would find at Disney or Universal. It seemed like it was a bit more themed than your usual Caribbean resort. I think part of this is because of the large high rise style of the hotels. Or maybe that the restaurants were either American themed or a sister location to a restaurant in the US. The vibe was very different than other Caribbean islands I have visited.

Liked – Close flight – Nassau is a super close flight to Canada. Only 3.5 hours to fly from Toronto. Even closer to the eastern USA which is why many of the vacation goers are from the US. It is a great spot for a short mini break.

Disliked – Loungers were uncomfortable – I found the loungers to be in need of cushions. But the only way to get loungers with cushions was to pay for a cabana or pay for the more expensive hotels. My bum was thankful to leave the loungers behind.

Liked – Grounds were beautiful – As much as the resort felt a bit more like an American theme park than a Caribbean resort you can’t deny it is beautiful. Every where you turn is an amazing Instagram worthy background.