This is your guide to the best vacation with kids – what to do & where to eat!

Baha Mar is an amazing resort – the perfect mix of luxury but also so much fun for the kids. When planning our 10 year anniversary trip we knew we wanted the kids to be with us. We debated going to Greece (top of my bucket list), Hawaii, and California. Decided on coming back to Baha Mar as we love the Bahamas and had a great parents getaway a few years ago. Our trip was for 6 nights, and had the best time!

Note that this travel guide to the Baha Mar Resort contains affiliate links, where I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!

Table of Contents

Getting to Baha Mar

We’re lucky the flight is about 30 mins from Fort Lauderdale airport to Nassau. Our kids ages (5 & 7) are so content with iPads and snacks on the plane. After you get through customs in the airport, there’s a duty free shop where you can stock up on adult beverages before heading to the resort. This is one of our money savings tips.

Taxis are lined up out front but the last two visits we’ve had great experiences with Sandra’s transportation. They’re on time, friendly, and can provide car seats for the kiddos. You can pay a little extra for a stop off at the grocery store and liquor store as well.

The Resort and Rooms

With 1800 rooms, Baha Mar is broken into 3 hotel brands – Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, SLS Baha Mar, and Rosewood. We stayed in the Grand Hyatt which is the lower priced of the three and great for kids. We did have a frustrating start where our room upgrade to oceanfront wasn’t honored due to overbooked rooms. Our room ended up facing the fountains which still has pretty views and you can see the sunset.

Where to Eat

There’s over 40 restaurants, bars, and lounges at Baha Mar! Choices to satisfy all cravings. Here’s a link to our full guide on what and where to eat at Baha Mar and we’ll breakdown which restaurants kids 5 and under eat free. Here are a few of our top eats:

• Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House: Our favorite meal. We would have ate here twice if we could get in a 2nd night. Get the red snapper green curry and shrimp & grits.
• Carna: Modern steakhouse. Order the Dario’s Sugo Pappardelle pasta.
• Sugary Factory: Kids love it. Plus our kids favorite meal of the entire trip, chicken & waffles.
• Katsuya: Really good sushi.
• Fi’Lia: Scratch-made Italian food. Try the Caesar salad made at your table.
• Cleo: Mediterranean with small plates to share. Get the haloumi cheese saganaki – flambé tableside.
• Pizza Lab: Casual pizza spot that you can also order slices to go.
• The Swimming Pig: Casual pub that will transport you to Europe, and if you need to catch a game back stateside.
• Umami Burger: Located in Baha Bay, we ate lunch here twice before hitting the Surf simulator. Get the Jalapeño ranch with any and everything.

Tip: Plan your meals ahead of time, like a few weeks. Reservations can fill up quick.

RELATED: Baha Mar Restaurant Guide

Things to Do

Activities are endless at Baha Mar in the Bahamas. With a new water park, at least 10 pools, animal sanctuary, golf and mini-golf, kayaks, a kid zone, bocce ball courts, flamingos, & art workshops – just to name a few!

Beach

We’re beach people. And we love the beaches here – the waters are mostly calm, crystal clear turquoise and the sand is so soft on Cable Beach. We spent most of our time at SLS beach on the left side of the pier. There’s beach rentals like kayaks and paddle boards available. We saw some sea life right from the beach like sea turtles, sting rays, and needlefish.

The floating mats and water hammocks are where it’s at if you want to relax. OR if your kids want to wrestle while you try and relax.

Baha Mar Water Park – Baha Bay

Baha Bay water park is brand new! Just opened in 2021. It has it all – thrilling water slides, to a relaxing lazy river. Expansive food options inside the water park. We liked how it was all in one area vs how spread out Atlantis Resort is. Baha Bay has slides and rides for all ages, most of the larger water slides you have to be 48″. Our daughter Wynn was a shade short and couldn’t ride the big ones.

• Sting Ray Cove offers twisty slides that were really fun for adults too, tipping water bucket where you can get drenched, and smaller slides for your little tots. We spent a majority of our time here, there is no height limit.

• Turtle beach is the spot for the families with little ones. 5 different colorful slides that splash into foot high water. Right next to it, is a more shallow pool with splash pad.

• The Surf is where you can practice your shredding and wipe out. This surf simulator makes you feel like your riding the waves.
• There’s also a lazy river, wave pool, and 6 more thrill slides. Nixon talked me into riding the thunder ball slide which I thought I was going to die until 2 seconds into the slide. Your closed into a capsule where the floor drops out and you plunge straight down into the slide.

Pool Time

How many pools are there at Baha Mar? At least 6 pools. Dean’s Blue Hole is the most iconic pool and where we spent most of our time. This is the pool with waterfalls, a 8ft and 15ft cliff dives, and the grotto with window views of the shark and sea turtle aquarium.

H2O is the other pool we wrapped up our day at. It’s extremely large, has two hot tubs and a swim-up bar. Bartender Ryan will make the most amazing fresh spicy margarita. He even squeezes fresh lemon juice for the kids frozen lemonade.

Baha Mar Flamingos

Baha Mar’s Flamingo Cay is home to at least 20 flamingos. You can even join a Flamingo parade around the property everyday at 9:30am and 3pm.

Sanctuary

For a fee, you can feed and interact with nurse sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, and local Caribbean fish.

Golf

Baha Mar has the #1 ranked golf course in the Bahamas. With kids, we opted for Mini Blue. The very impressive miniature golf course.

Nightlife

Baha Mar has multiple Kid Club options. It allows parents to get a little alone time. They have day clubs for the kids to explore, cook, even arts & crafts. For night time there’s more clubs and even on-site babysitting.

For parents who want some alone time, dance the night away at Bond nightclub or hit the tables at the casino.

If your kids are in tow, after dinner we’d go watch the fountain light show. The pier at night is magical. Grab a wine and relax on the dock. You’re sure to spot some sea life.

Go See the Swimming Pigs

The only time we left the resort was to see the famous swimming pigs! We did a full day excursion at Sandy Toes Bahamas. The boat takes you to Rose Island for a full day on a private beach with snorkeling, sun, pigs, cocktails and they even cook you lunch. See how we spend our day swimming with the pigs. Totally recommend!

FAQs

• Can you use all pools at Baha Mar? You can use all pools at Baha Mar except the pools at SLS and Rosewood. Those are exclusive for the guest staying at those properties.
• What airport do you fly into for Baha Mar in the Bahamas? Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) is located approximately six miles from Baha Mar, about a 10 minute drive.
• Is Baha Mar in the Bahamas all inclusive? No, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is not an all inclusive resort.
• Is the Baha Mar water park cost extra? Baha Bay is included to all guest. Visitors can purchase a day pass to visit the water park as well.