The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

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My kids LOVED the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar because it truly is a kids’ paradise. With waterslides for all ages, a beautiful beach, cliff jumping, and even animals like flamingos that go on parade, both you and your children will fall in love with this resort.

How Did We Book the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar?

I booked the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar over Thanksgiving break. We stayed here for four nights, so I transferred  96,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt. Since Hyatt waives taxes and resort fees on award stays, our hotel stay was truly free.

If you aren’t interested in staying here on credit card points, you can book your stay here. This is an amazing hotel that I would be willing to pay cash for… It includes a full waterpark with the price. Click Here to Book Your Stay.

Rooms at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

They have a huge selection of rooms. We booked two queens for our family of four, and we were upgraded to an ocean view room with a Juliette balcony. My dad was not upgraded, but he had a an amazing view of the fountain show.

What is the Resort Like?

The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is enormous, offering endless activities and entertainment. Best of all, many of these experiences are already included in your stay.

I heard the staff here was questionable, but we had no issues. They were all super helpful and welcoming, they even invited my young son behind the desk so he could get a closer look at the fish tank.

Since we arrived early, my room wasn’t quite ready, but my dad’s was, so the team kindly placed all of our luggage in his room. We quickly changed into our swimsuits and wasted no time exploring the resort.

The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Pools

The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has so many pools that I’m not even sure we managed to see them all.

Our favorite, though, was the one where kids can jump off cliffs and swim through a cave that opens up to views of sharks, turtles, and tropical fish. Calling this a highlight feels like an understatement—it was unlike any pool we’d ever experienced, and my kids were absolutely obsessed.

I may be exaggerating when I say my kids jumped from those cliffs a hundred times during our stay. The smaller cliff is about an eight-foot drop, while the larger one reaches around 15 feet. Lifeguards were always on duty, doing an excellent job of keeping the area safe while still allowing kids plenty of time to enjoy the thrill. We were impressed.

The Waterpark

This is the biggest perk of the resort and it’s included with your stay. The Baha Bay Waterpark was impressive. It had thrill slides, small slides, and slides for those in between. A not so lazy river with rapids, a wave pool, and even a surf rider machine.

One major perk about this park was how clean it was. I feel like waterparks can get dirty quickly but this was spotless. We never waited for any of the slides, and the kids really enjoyed it.

I really don’t have any cons to this waterpark, but if I had to pick, I would say it’s just really big. It was probably about a 20 minute walk from our room (the resort is HUGE).

The Beach

The beach has crystal clear water, which was even a good temperature in November. They had a ton of free activities including kayaks, paddle boards, and even floating mats.

I did bring snorkel gear, and there are some fish, and I even saw a sting ray. I wouldn’t say the snorkeling is great, but you can definitely snorkel right off the resort. If you want to snorkel on vacation, I would probably book a tour.

Transportation

You can take a taxi or book a transfer, they actually have their own area at the airport. There were six of us, so we opted to book our transportation through the hotel. I believe round trip it was somewhere around $150.

I do know several people just take taxis, and that is a great option too!

Food

I will not lie, the food here can be expensive! I will also say, we managed to spend less than $200 a day on food, so it is possible to keep the cost down.

We ate breakfast every day at the buffet, and we were fortunate to have a ‘Guest of Honor’ applied to our stay. This meant breakfast was included, and it saved us a lot of money. We made sure to eat a great breakfast (this was the biggest buffet I’ve ever seen, so it was easy to eat a huge meal).

Since we had a big breakfast, we ate cheese fries and other small snacks I brought for lunch, and then ate a restaurant in the evening. Tip: If you can, bring extra snacks. I brought a ton of our own snacks, and this kept us from having to buy resort food during the day.

Dinners can be EXPENSIVE, but you can also keep costs down by selecting more reasonable choices. We ate at Sugar Factory, the Swimming Pig, the Noodle Place, and Marco’s (this was by far the most expensive). Also — kids under five eat for FREE.

Tip: You will need reservations for most restaurants, so make sure you book those in advance. If it is a busy time, I would book them at least a few months ahead of time. You can click here to make reservations ahead of time and read about their various restaurants.

Is the Resort For Families?

Yes! Yes! Yes! This is the perfect resort for your family. Our kids were the perfect ages, 5 and 9, to enjoy everything the resort had to offer.

Although I think teens could have a great time here too, there are not as many thrill type rides and no teens club. So if you’re older ones want that vibe, it may be best to look elsewhere.

Would We Stay Here Again?

My kids have been begging to go back since we left. My oldest ranks the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar as his favorite resort (although he says Maui is his favorite destination). When I say it is a kids’ paradise, I am not joking.

What child wouldn’t want a huge waterpark, cliff jumping, paddle boarding, and to feel like they are swimming with wildlife all at one resort? I am not sure when we will get back, but we will get back.

Can I Fly For Free?

We always fly and stay for free (except for the taxes), although it does take some planning.

We use our Southwest Companion Passes to fly our family to the Bahamas My husband and I use points, and our children fly as our companions (so they are free – we just pay the taxes). If you’re interested in earning companion pass, you read my blog on How to Earn Southwest Companion Pass.

If you don’t use Southwest, or it isn’t a great option out of your home airport, feel free to do a free credit card consult, and I can help fly you for free.

When flying to the Bahamas, taxes are expensive. So even if you’re using points, be prepared to pay around $100 per person in taxes and fees.

If you’re looking to book a certain date, and it isn’t available, I would set an alert on MaxMyPoint. If the room opens up, it will send an alert to your e-mail and you can book.

Ready to Stay at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar?

Click here to book your stay at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. It will be a vacation your kids will remember for the rest of their lives.

Want to Earn Credit Card Points to Stay Here?

The easiest way to stay here is to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points and transfer them to Hyatt. If you need help selecting a credit card, please do my free credit card consult. If you don’t have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, that will be the card I usually recommend first.

if you are accessing this through Instagram, please click the three dots at the top and open in a different browser).

If you sign up for this credit card, earn the sign up bonus, and then refer a spouse or travel partner, you would have enough points for at least FIVE free nights at this amazing resort!