Grand Hyatt Baha Mar – A Grand Vacation in Nassau, Bahamas

Bahamas is a famous Caribbean destination.  One of its main attractions is Atlantis – a resort with multiple waterparks, hotels, casino and fine dining.  It comes as no surprise that it is one of the most crowded spots in the island BUT a great vacation in Bahamas is more than just staying in Atlantis.  For a different experience, we decided to stay at the brand-new resort Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

We were fortunate that we were be able to book a room at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar few weeks before our trip and only a month after the hotel was launched.  *Again, our Hyatt hotel points came in handy!  We used it to book our room and we ended up paying only for the fixed service charge of $50.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar’s Elaborate Design

Complete with the huge Baha Mar sign, golden ornament and lion statues, the hotel’s glamourous style was easily distinguished as we made our way through the driveway and entrance.

When we entered the lobby, we were stunned by its beautiful interior.  It is obvious that they spent a great deal of time and money for the design.  Excellent attention to detail!  At the reception area, there are tables filled with vases and colorful flowers.  There is also a gorgeous aquarium with unique-looking fish behind the reception desk.

There are large, white pillars and indoor plants all the way from the lobby to the casino.  Some areas have wooden ceilings and wooden ceiling fans.  The lobby has high ceiling, marbled floor and sofas.

Outside, you would see the colorful, pastel buildings of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.  This mix of bright blue, yellow, pink and white is the color motif of the hotel’s outdoor facilities.  It’s nice to see the cute sign posts and huts!  They are useful and decorative.

Another great design feature of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is the shallow water right outside the lobby.  At night, it has a scheduled flame show.

Grand Deluxe King Room

The room had a lovely dark blue and white modern design with gold accent.  It had a small balcony with a partial ocean view and partial rooftop view of the resort.  The size of the room is moderate.  It had an open layout where the bathroom and the bedroom can be separated by a sliding door.  The bed faces the balcony which provides a great view.  It had a flat screen TV, tub, and sofa.

The toiletries are from Espa London and has the scent of bergamot, jasmine, and a hint of cedarwood.  We had 2 sets of cleansing bar, body wash, conditioner, shampoo and body lotion.

Welcome Amenity

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has one of the best welcome amenities we’ve received in our vacations.  We had a plate of beach-themed chocolates and everything on the plate was edible (and delicious)! 🙂  The chocolates were beautifully crafted.  There were blue coral, painted white chocolate sea shells, painted white chocolate flip flops and four different kinds of pralines!  It lasted us for 2 days.  We also received 2 pairs of matching flip flops with blue and white colors.

7 Outdoor Pools

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has 7 outdoor pools.  You would think that you would only need one or 3 at the most, right?  Well, each pool of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has its own feature which makes all of them irresistible to try!  They have an infinity pool with sequenced fountains.  Another pool has a waterfall coming from the infinity pool.  They also have a pool with lounge chairs enclosed in rainfall curtains.  A pool I think all kids would love – rocks for jumping, a cave and an aquarium right beside it!  This aquarium has green sea turtles, fish, and sharks.  If you want to learn more about the marine life in the aquarium, they have the Exploration Center that educates the guests about these sea creatures.

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Private Beach

Its white sand beach has clear, turquoise water.  It doesn’t have as much marine life now as the beach in The Cove, Atlantis but it has just started.  When we were snorkeling, we saw artificial reefs at the end of the beach enclosure.  Hopefully, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar will be able to attract more fish and house more coral reefs in the succeeding years.

There are lounge chairs and umbrellas free for use of hotel guests.  One of the things we liked most about our stay in Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is its complimentary non-motorized water sports.  They have paddle boards, sailboat, kayak, snorkeling board and floatable mats.    We were so happy because it was our first time to use a paddleboard!  The staff at the beach were very friendly and helpful.  They assisted us on all of the equipment we wanted to use.

*Life vest is required at all times when using the non-motorized watersports.

They have a rope on the deeper part of the beach which is probably for safety reasons.  When we used the paddleboard and reached this part, it was already very deep.

Benefits of Being a Globalist

Aside from collecting points to redeem a room for a vacation, we also get to build up the nights required to achieve the Globalist status in the World of Hyatt.  We love being a Globalist because there are benefits that come with this status.  In Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, we were granted a 4 PM late checkout which should be only 12 PM without the status.  We also get a complimentary breakfast buffet at 3 Tides.

Customer Service of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

Like all World of Hyatt hotels we’ve stayed at, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar had outstanding customer service and hospitality!  From the moment we arrived until our check-out, everyone was very friendly and helpful.  The luggage crew welcomed us from our vehicle and took care of our luggage while we checked in.  The guest services at the reception area also gave their warm welcome and we were given a tour of the hotel.

They were also quick to amend our concern when we had a misunderstanding during the check-in.  It was not mentioned to us that, as Globalists, we have a complimentary breakfast buffet.  Unfortunately, the breakfast buffet was already closed when we learned about it.  When the supervisor learned about our situation, he gave us a $100 credit that we could use at their bar or restaurants.

Small Crowd

Another good thing about a newly-opened hotel is its smaller crowd.  During our stay, we could count the people we would encounter in an area which is impossible to do in Atlantis.  Most of the time it’s only 10 people or less.  It is very relaxing.

Casino

Like the Atlantis, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has a casino.  We liked it better than Atlantis but it might be because of our better luck here. 🙂

One problem we had with our stay is returning to our room after swimming.  We asked several times if there was another path wherein we do not have to walk inside the air-conditioned casino to get back to our room but there wasn’t any option.  We had to pass through the casino every time which was uncomfortable and cold because we’re wet from swimming.

Restaurants

During our stay, there were only few restaurants/bars open.  We were able to try the outdoor Drift Bar & Grill which served good food.  They also serve daiquiris there so you can order a glass and have it by the pool!

If you want a really cheap option for delicious food, you could ride a bus and go to Fish Fry.  A one-way bus ride is less than $2.

Upcoming Features

Since Grand Hyatt Baha Mar just launched on late April 2017, construction is not yet complete.  There are still some features and facilities that we are looking forward to see on our next visit!

• West Tower
• Caribbean flamingoes
• More dining options
• Luxury brands along the casino

If you are not into waterparks or slides, you might enjoy Grand Hyatt Baha Mar more than Atlantis. 

It is more peaceful and everything is brand-new.  There are many activities you can do at the pools, beach, and casino.  Bus transportation is also easily accessible from its location if ever you choose to go to Downtown Nassau.  Find available rooms and dates here.

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