Just now flying back from our 4 night, 5 day stay at the SLS Baha Mar in the Bahamas. I wanted to get this post up while everything was fresh on my mind!
Let me take you through the events of the week and throughout the post I can talk about what we loved and didn’t enjoy so much.
First I will start with the outfits and then I will talk about the hotel! I have a few more (5 total) to add to this post and will do so as I upload them to Instagram!
The Outfits
Baseball Tee I Jean Shorts I Grey Sneakers I Black Sunglasses I Bric’s Luggage
Romper I Round Straw Bag I Earrings I Graffiti Pop Lipstick
Black Bikini I Striped Sarong I Black Sunglasses I White Headband
Pink Dress (back in stock!!) I Cork Heels I Gold Earrings I Large Cult Gaia Handbag I Coral Pop Lipstick
Striped Bandeau Swimsuit I Mirrored Sunglasses I White Headband I Cute Pop Lipstick
Gingham Set I Cork Heels I White/Gold Earrings I White Sunglasses ($12) I Large Cult Gaia Bag I Coral Pop Lipstick
Yellow Romper I Yellow Hair Wrap I Large Cult Gaia Handbag I Graffiti Pop Lipstick
Blue Maxi Dress I Tory Burch Sandals I Tortoise Sunglasses
Reversible Swimsuit (one side is striped and the other polka dot-fits tts) I Flamingo Float (similar) I White headband I White Sunglasses ($12)
*Go up a size in the dress* I Pink dress I Black dress I White Dress I Tortoise Clutch I Turquoise Earrings
Hotel/Checking In
Let me start by saying we originally booked this trip and tried to cancel it on Expedia within 24 hours. Expedia will cancel your flight within 24 hours BUT hotels are apparently on their own. Both Expedia and myself tried to ask for a refund (again, within 24 hours), and SLS Baha Mar would not give us one.
On Monday we arrived in Bahamas and had a super nice Mercedes SUV there waiting for us (make sure to book this service in advance with SLS -it is free.) If you wait until you get there they will make you take a taxi.
It is a super quick 10 min ride from the airport to the hotel.
The hotel itself is the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed at. It is connected to the Hyatt Baha Mar, which is equally as stunning. No detail was left undone. Everything inside is gorgeous and the grounds are PERFECT.
We got there at 1:45 pm and were told that check in is usually at 3 but our room was almost ready so we should be getting a call in 20 min or so to grab our keys. Since it was only 20 minutes we left our bags and walked around to explore the hotel. 30 minutes later we still had no room keys. Long story short, we didn’t receive room keys until 3:30!!!! We were NOT HAPPY because if they would have just said something in the beginning then we could have grabbed our suits and enjoyed the afternoon!
Turns out, this SAME THING was told to two other couples around us and they had arrived at noon! Can you imagine arriving at noon, being told your room would be ready in 20 min, and STILL WAITING for a room at 3:30? Not cool.
Both of these things (them not canceling the reservation in the first place and then this) left a bad taste in my mouth.
Service/Employees
Everyone at the SLS Baha Mar and Hyatt Baha Mar were so extremely nice and helpful! They always had a smile on their face and loved to just sit and chat and get to know you! The pool service and restaurant service was always very fast and friendly!
Food/Drinks
The food and drinks were out of control price wise, but very tasty. The frozen drinks at the SLS pools were around $18!!! If you walked over to the Hyatt pools you could get them for $14. If you wanted a water bottle that was $6-7!
They did have tap ice water available by all of the towel stands, so that is what we ended up drinking most of the time.
Lynlee and I did not think the food was all that great. The chicken was always very dry and none of the food had a lot of flavor. It definitely wasn’t worth the price! We didn’t get to try the Conch Shack or the Poke Shack though. We did eat at Fi’lia and Cleo (both were just ok.. NOTHING compared to Maui’s food!) Wouldn’t have been so disappointing if our bill wasn’t around $200 after each meal! OK…Eeaggerating a little, more like $130-150!
Our favorite place to eat was Cafe Madeline! A super breakfast spot and it wasn’t too outrageous!
Pools
The SLS/Hyatt Baha Mar have around 7 combined pools!!!!! Seriously there is something for everyone.
Privilege Pool- We were told one day that the SLS pool would be closed from 2pm on for an event so we walked over to Privilege Pool. Kind of bummed when they told us it would be $100 a set minimum spend, but figured it would be easy to spend that if we spent the entire day there (and it was, a pitcher of mojitos alone was $80!) It was Vegas-style with tons of beds around the pool and big blown up flamingos floats. They even yelled and whoop’d when someone would order bottle service haha! They had a DJ that came around 1pm. It was pretty fun! There is also a night swim every Wednesday night at this pool but not sure how much it costs to get in for that.
Kids Pool- I think Privilege Pool is the ONLY adult-only pool at both hotels. But, the best pool for the kids had this massive cave with an aquarium inside. It had waterfalls and you could jump off the waterfalls into the water below. They also had a very shallow end at the pool for the younger kids.
One pool had a swim up bar. We actually never went to this pool! It is tucked away so we just kept forgetting about it.
One pool had these insane cabanas (for free) that had water running down on either end when you turned it on! I took a picture in one of these (see navy swimsuit pic below!)
A couple pools were private (you had to rent a cabana to swim there).
The SLS pool was pretty cool but very small. The drinks were more expensive there so we mostly went to the Hyatt pools every day.
The Beach
The beach strip that the hotels own is massive. You can definitely find a chair out there if you want and they will bring you an umbrella if you need one.
They have a huge dock that you can walk out on for an amazing view of the ocean!
You can walk out into the water (about waist deep) and find tons of round floats that fit two+ people! Lynlee and I kept meaning to go out there but forgot! I thought that was so cool!
They also have two sand volleyball courts and one water volleyball court that is actually a blown up court in the ocean! My family would have so much fun out there!
There were paddle boars, kayaks, and all sorts of fun things you could grab.
You could also find food trucks lining the beach!
The water in the Bahamas is so insanely beautiful! Crystal clear and turqoise as far as the eye can see.
The Casino
You can actually gamble in the Bahamas! The SLS/Hyatt Baha Mar casino is massive, very clean, and has soooo many machines and tables!
The Grounds
There was just something to see at every corner! It really would have been an amazing vacation if we had known what we were in for with the pricing of everything. If we had been more prepared for the trip, this might have been my favorite hotel of all time!
Both hotels really are so gorgeous. It is hard to explain, but just SO MUCH detail and thought went into it and you noticed everywhere you looked.
There was so much fun stuff to do (apparently there is also a night club in SLS we also missed and there will soon be a gorgeous rooftop bar called Monkey Bar!)
I highly recommend going if you are budgeting and saving up for this kind of experience. If you have kids I would recommend running to the grocery store and buying things to prepare for them so that you aren’t spending that much on them every day. A lot of people did this with alcohol too! They would buy wine and beer at the grocery store to drink at the pool- definitely an option for those on a budget!
I hope this review helped! I know I was all over the place but I am just trying to give the most honest review I can! I think the water is prettier in the Bahamas than in Maui (yes, I said it.) But that is the only thing that comes CLOSE! Maui hands down has everything else beat!
If you are on the East coast then Bahamas is definitely an amazing option. Those of you on the West coast- head to Maui!
PS- if you view my Instagram Story highlights on Instagram, you will see everything I talked about above on video! I saved everything to that throughout the week!
xox Amanda
Comments
does SLS still have marine animals in captivity there? I seem to remember seeing photos of an aquarium of sorts but didn’t know if this was outdated. I don’t want to go somewhere that keeps marine animals in small aquariums.
Booked a trip to baha mar for a babymoon for May, I’m afraid I won’t like the size of the hotel. Wish I could cancel and go to the Exumas or Eleuthera 🙁
Baha mar is a small boutique hotel and only guests have access to their pools! But next door is the Hyatt with their 3-4 pools and baha mar guests have access to all of those! You’ll love it! Xox A
I will NEVER RETURN. Upon arrival, my room was facing a parking lot and a demolition site. This was misrepresented when I booked through expedia. I said I was getting “partial ocean view”… THE ONLY WAY TO SEE THE OCEAN WAS IF YOU WENT ON THE BALCONY STUCK YOU HEAD OUT AND LOOKED ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT. I noticed that the shower was way too high for me to climb into, let out climb out of with NOTHING TO HOLD ON TO. I am not very agile and I told them that I needed a different room with a step in shower or a lower bathtub. I called immediately on the first day after I “almost” slipped as I was exiting the shower. I told them it was a dangerous situation for me as I am not a young person. They completely ignored my request and told me that they were “completely booked”. They said they could accomodate me if I was willing to pay an additional $500 dollars for a differnt room. I told them that I didn’t have any more money to pay for a safe room. I pleaded with them again on the second day. Again to no avail. They kept trying to get me to pay an additional five hundred dollars. Sadly, on the third day, my worst nightmare came true and I slipped out of the tub and sustained serious bruising and pain. I called the front desk and they sent up security which then took an incident report and pictures of my leg which was completely black and blue. SUDDENY AT THIS POINT, THEY FOUND A ROOM TO SWITCH ME TO. BUT IT HAD TO COME TO THIS DISASTER BEFORE THEY WOULD LISTEN TO MY NEEDS. I stayed in the new room for two nights in complete discomfort. I couldn’t enjoy the amenties for the rest of the trip due to the severe pain. They tried to get me to sign a paper that said that I wouldn’t sue in the future. I am still feeling back pain due the impact of the fall and this was three weeks ago. I have not received an apology or even any money taken off my final bill when I left. The food was very expensive and overpriced. They should be more respectful to people’s needs. If they had switched my room to begin with, this would never have happened. I am still considering a lawsuit.
Hi Anna,
Which hotel was this exactly? SLS Baha Mar didn’t have step in showers so I just wanted to make sure it was the same place!
xox Amanda
We’re debating between Bahamas and Cayman Islands, I’ve been to both but it was forever ago. Or might even look into Hawaii again but we went on our baby moon to Kauai. Its hard to find beach trips where you don’t have to worry about Zika and those seem to be the only options right now.. Looking for a fun and relaxing trip with my husband, leaving the baby for the first time. Want to lay by the beach, spa day etc but also go do some excursions or fun activities. I was interested in SLS but now I’m debating. I dont’ love HUGE resorts but it seems nice and manageable. Did you feel like it was too big, kind of like a Vegas hotel? Did yall ever venture out of the resort? Have you been to Atlantis? How did it compare? I didn’t love how big Atlantis was
I stayed in Nassau last year as was really dissapointed with how Americanized it was, I’ve heard the other islands are a lot better! Appreciate your honest review.
We have been to Nassau and were overall unimpressed. The last two years we decided to give the Bahamas another chance but chose an out island, Eleuthera. It is incredible! No all inclusive or big resorts but absolutely unmatched in beauty! Definitely check it out if you want somewhere off the beaten path a bit (but with all the modern convieniences still!)
Yeah I think we will do Exuma next or something! I need to check out Eleuthera!! xox Amanda
My hubby and I are looking to visit Bahamas before we have a baby! I loved your review!! I booked SLS prior to your review simply on the fact that we just discussed Bahamas and then boom! You were there and everything looks GORGEOUS!!’ Okay-so what are your thoughts on going as a last vacay before a baby and did you try to cancel due to price?! I wanna stay here and for $200 difference between SLS vs staying at Grand Hyatt, I think it’s probably worth the splurge but ehhhh if we are going to go the pools and all, I guess ultimately it would be the guest room experience and access to certain things exclusive at SLS. Lmk your thoughts! Thank you so much Amanda! Xoxo
We were going to cancel because we just wanted a break from traveling and booked it on a whim without really thinking! If you have already booked then you probably can’t get the money back! I am not sure what SLS really has that Hyatt doesn’t actually because at SLS you have access to both, but I am not sure if it is the same the other way around. I would call the Hyatt front desk and ask what the difference would be in staying at Hyatt vs SLS!
I can tell you that the beds were sooo comfy at SLS! But that could be the same for both?
You guys are going to have such an amazing time! I love the idea of a babymoon! Plus I didn’t see a single mosquito!
xox Amanda
My family and I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar last summer. Half of the places were not opened yet, but what was open was awesome. The place was beautiful and the people that worked there were so friendly! We had a couple of issues with getting our room cleaned, but they really made up for it and took care of us. I agree it was very pricey, but it was the same for any of the places we ate off the resort too. There was a bar and food manager named Jonathan that worked at the pool by cave who was awesome! We had a great time and will hopefully go back again. I loved seeing all the pictures that were posted and it made me smile remembering our vacation last summer.
I stayed at Atlantis for two weeks but checked out out the Baha. It is too big has inexperienced staff and bad food. I was disappointed so was my wife.
The Atlantis was too big or the Baha was too big?
xox A
This is such a good post. Your trip looked so fun! Love all of your fun outfits.
We are between Hawaii and Bahamas for Xmas, I’ve been to Hawaii multiple times and have only done turns (flight attendant) to bahamas and i think I’m personally more excited for another Hawaii vacay for snorkeling alone. There’s just something about Hawaii i think takes the cake
Yeah Hawaii is just so clean feeling, everyone is so friendly, it is easy to rent a car and drive around yourself without any fears! xox Amanda