| Written by: Mark Ostermann

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Quick Thoughts

I am back with another quick thoughts / mini property review. I know that the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has been written about, vlogged and blogged to death, but thought I would share my perspective after our stay. The property is one of the better Hyatt hotels I have stayed at, but it isn't without a few warts. I'll go over all of that and more with this Grand Hyatt Baha Mar quick thoughts post.

What Was The Cost Of My Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Booking & Is There Is Value In The Price?

When I originally booked the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar it was still a category 6 hotel and it was peak pricing because of it being spring break. That meant the award price was 29,000 points a night. While that is steep, it has gotten even worse with the award chart category changes that happened in 2025. The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is now a category 7, which means the same stay would now cost 35,000.

I felt like 29,000 was a bit on the high side, but think there is still some value during busy times. The property has a ton to offer and it can get very pricey on the cash side of things. I do think adding 6,000 points on top of that might be a bridge too far to cross. I did notice that there were some off peak dates available during hurricane season for 25,000 points, but the cash price drops down to around $350 a night then too. That means getting outsized value may be difficult here.

Some Thoughts On The Room: What I Liked About It & What Could Be Improved

We had a standard two queen beds room with an ocean view, and I thought it was really nice. The space was great, the finishes were high end and the design was perfect for the islands. It was one of the better rooms we have had all around. It would compare very well to our room at the Conrad in Orlando even though it was quite a bit older. The edge would go to the Conrad though, no doubt. I thought the Grand Hyatt room was holding up really well for being a popular property that has been open for almost a decade now.

If I was going to be super nitpicky I would say that it would have been nice to have some furniture to sit on in the room for when lounging. I also thought the furniture on the balcony could have been better. Neither thing really changed our stay overall though. The open bathroom in order for the tub to have an ocean view was an interesting choice as well. Especially when staying with a family, but once you close it off you don't even notice that it isn't a solid wall though.

What Are Some Of The Better Amenities The Property Offers & Is It Missing Anything Important?

I thought that the water park was the gem of the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. It wasn't a cheap water park added just to say they had a water park either. It was a legit water park that people would (and do) pay for to enter, even if not staying on property. There were 7 or 8 water slides, a wave pool, a massive lazy river and multiple kid areas that were pretty amazing. The water park even had a freaking Vineyard Vines store in it (one in the lobby as well).

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Quick Thoughts
Other Attractions On Property

That would have been enough, but the hotel pools, beach and casino were also very nice. If you are big into the casino culture then you will like this place. The design of the casino is very similar to the Wynn Las Vegas, because they were designed by the same person. The casino area is a bit on the thinner side, but is pretty long. There are all the high end shops and restaurants you would want surrounding the gaming floor as well.

Plenty Of Activities As Well

They had events going on all of the time too, like a foam pool party one night and some carnival type games set up another day. A great environment for families overall during our stay.

Areas That Came Up A Little Short

One thing I was hoping for more of was an island feel out by the pools. There was only one swim up bar, and it felt kind of like an afterthought. We also didn't really experience any live music, which I found surprising. I would have loved some steel drums to really drive the island vibe home. While they had some food trucks out at the beach, which offered some lower priced food (at least for on property), I would have loved to have a tiki type of restaurant or bar on the beach.

I also wish the club lounge was still open, but more on that below.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Quick Thoughts

What Was Your Favorite Thing About The Property?

The water park was everyone's favorite thing. It gave us something to do every day when we needed a break from the beach or pool lounging. I also liked that even though it is a massive property, during the busiest week of the year, it never felt overly crowded. There was enough stuff, and space, for everyone to find their own little piece of paradise. That may not have been as true in the restaurants come dinner time, but we were able to work around that.

What Was Your Least Favorite Thing About The Property?

The breakfast set up was not the best for Globalists. That is because they limit how much you can spend on breakfast according to how many people are in your room. The cost only covers two children and two adults at the breakfast buffet (which is really good). Kids over the age of 12 are considered an adult. They let us slide through the first morning with our 13 year old son, but wanted to charge for 3 adults after that. Not wanting to get stuck paying $40+ for breakfast I bowed out the last two mornings so the wife and kids could eat for free. I headed to Starbucks and ordered a coffee and breakfast sandwich for $15.

Sadly enough, the Starbucks is the most affordable place to grab breakfast or lunch if you don't have status. That is because the prices are pretty much the same as on the mainland, which is high at home but decent for island prices.

Other Options Outside Of The Buffet

There are a couple of other options for the breakfast redemption that is better for families without smaller kids. That is because you can order food for 4 or 5 people and keep it under the $145 limit (inclusive of taxes and fees). You just order from the menu and the age doesn't really matter then. One option is one of the food trucks (Knosh), which isn't the best. The other option, Cafe Madeleine, was booked up with reservations the entire week. You may want to grab a reservation early if that is your plan! I don't think I could eat at Knosh the entire week, although my wife really liked her bagel with lox.

The Lounge Being Open Would Be A Game Changer

This is why the lounge closing is such a bummer. There would be no issue with getting the entire family in for breakfast, and we would still get a buffet style set up. We would have also received an evening cocktail hour with some food as well. They at least offer Globalists two free drink tickets each day of your stay to compensate for the loss of the lounge. I still would prefer the lounge being open though.

Would I Stay At The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Again?

I would stay with the family here again for sure. Although I wouldn't love dropping those kind of points, we would spend at least a couple of nights here when in the area. If it were just me and the wife then I would consider the Goldwyn down the beach, which is an SLH Hilton hotel. Our friends stayed there for a couple of nights and it sounded like it was less kids centric and a very high end resort. You could always walk down to enjoy the Baha Mar casino and restaurants as well.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Quick Thoughts: ToP Thoughts

My kids still talk about the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar months after our stay. It ranks as my daughter's favorite hotel anywhere, slightly edging out the Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea for her. I think it can be a fun option for an adults only trip with the casino, bars and restaurants there, but it really shines for families. That is especially true if you kids are in the pre-teen to young teen age where they can be a bit independent but also still love waterparks. That is the true sweet spot in my opinion for this one. Let me know what you think about the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar over in the ToP Facebook Group.