nassau, bahamas
Baha Mar with Kids:
Why We Went Back
A second trip to the Bahamas, this time with all four of us, and the things we'd tell any family thinking about it.
The first time I went to Baha Mar, it was just my son and me on a trip with friends, and it became the vacation he wouldn't stop talking about. So this summer we went back, this time with my husband and our daughter too, and I finally got to see the whole thing through all four of our eyes.
We live in South Florida, so the flight is about 45 minutes. Barely enough time for a snack. That's part of why Baha Mar has become one of our favorite family getaways: it feels far away and it isn't.
This trip also happened to be the reward at the end of our summer goals, which I wrote about here. My daughter had just learned to swim across the pool by herself, and there's nothing quite like watching a four-year-old put that to use for an entire week on vacation.
Where we stayed
We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, which is the heart of the resort and the easiest home base with young kids. Everything is walkable from there: the pools, the beach, Baha Bay, dinner. With little ones, not getting in a car for three days is its own kind of vacation.
How we spent the days
Mostly in the water, honestly. We went pool hopping all day, every day, and never ran out of pools.
The beach cabana. We booked a cabana on the beach and it ended up being our favorite day. We had food brought right to us, wandered down to the food trucks along the sand, swam in the ocean, and still walked back over to Baha Bay for a few slides and a river float before dinner. We also did some pool hopping, swimming under the waterfalls and to the wildlife grotto at Dean’s Blue Hole Pool and enjoyed some relaxing pool time at the Fortune Pool. With small kids, having a quiet, shaded home base between all of that made the whole day easier.
Baha Bay. The kids could have lived here. Turtle Cove and the lazy river, about a hundred times. The slides, all day. We rented a cabana at Stingray Cove too, and I'd do it again. It gets crowded in the afternoons, and having our own space for snacks, shade, and a breather was worth it, especially in the summer heat.
Dean's Blue Hole. We swam here every single day of the trip, with the aquarium right beside us, turtles and sharks and fish gliding past while the kids floated. Our son also jumped off the big cliff and we had a blast cheering him on.
Animal Sanctuary. During one of the resort's animal experiences we got to pet the tortoises, and during another we saw the sea turtles and sharks up close and touched sea stars and urchins. My kids still talk about the tortoises.
The Fortune pool. Under the waterfall. Enough said.
The flamingos. We saw them, and my daughter was thrilled. It's a five-minute stop that little kids remember for a year.
Where we ate
Lunch at Costa was our absolute favorite. I'd eaten there on a previous visit and made us go back, and it was just as good as I remembered. The kids fed the fish before lunch came, and it was just the perfect, tranquil spot for our family to enjoy. The staff was also amazing there, we appreciated their hospitality and kindness.
Marcus was our best dinner, overlooking the beach right at that hour when the light goes soft.
We also did Sugar Factory (the kids' pick, obviously), Cleo Mediterráneo, and lunch at Barracuda while we were at Baha Bay. And the beach cabana days were mostly food trucks and whatever got delivered to our chairs, which was perfect.
What I tell my friends
Book the beach cabana. It was the best money we spent.
Book a cabana at Baha Bay too if you're going in summer or with kids under six. The shade and privacy matter more than you'd think.
Do the animal experiences. The tortoises and the touch tank were the things our kids brought up on the flight home.
Don't overplan dinners. Costa for lunch, Marcus for one dinner, and let the rest happen but reservations are key if you don’t want to wait too long.
Stay at the Grand Hyatt if you have little kids. Being in the middle of everything means shorter walks and fewer meltdowns.
We'll be back. We already know that.
💌
Jenn from The Mom Society™
Every trip we take runs on the same handful of things. You can shop my travel favorites and the kids' travel list anytime.