SLS Baha Mar

Marinique Moss at SLS front desk was very helpful and kind. I arrived super early and she tried to accommodate my early check in as fast as possible. She was bubbly and had a professional manner, her assistance was the perfect way to begin my weekend.

This is my favorite place on earth. The staff are always warm and welcoming. We love coming here because we are really treated well. Everyone always has a smile and can’t do enough for us. The hotel and grounds are beautifully maintained and the beaches are spectacular. The restaurants are also terrific. The food is top notch. I recommend the SLS every chance I get.

Our cabana server, Anthony aka smiley made my 40th birthday that much better!!!! He took amazing care of our family and made sure to check in on us consistently. The kids loved the virgin strawberry daiquiris and chicken tenders. He kept the buckets of beer flowing.

Anthony makes the best espresso martini, you must try it! He has this awesome energy that we enjoyed while taking a break from the summer heat. Sitting at Monkey Bar is a divine hideaway from the steamy high noon temperatures- for sure!!!!!!!

This review is intended to help travelers who are not quite sure if Baha Mar and/or the SLS is for them. I had really debated about traveling there because I have heard a lot of negatives but there are also so many devout fans of Baha Mar - so I needed to experience it myself. I wanted to pass on some of what I learned/experienced in the hope that it will help you make a more informed decision. The Bahamas is undoubtedly beautiful - is Nassau/Baha Mar more beautiful than all of the other islands in the Caribbean? No, it is not. It is not uniquely beautiful enough to have the second highest VAT in the Caribbean or to charge close to $100 pp, per day in "resort fees." I read plenty of reviews before I went, every single one of them warned about the expensive food&drinks. I live in the 2nd most expensive city in the United States (NYC). I know all too well about overpriced food and $25 cocktails. And still I was astounded by the prices. Reading on a travel blog that the food is expensive is a very different experience than sitting in a restaurant and contemplating a $25 fruit salad or a $26 order of guac & chips. 2 cocktails and a sandwich by the pool = $75. 2 chicken sandwiches at a “food truck” = $50. The prices are so outrageous it actually feels offensive. Other travelers suggested tips and tricks like bringing your own alcohol and buying food at the supermarket. But doing all of that makes it feel like less of a vacation to me. The feeling of constantly being nickel and dimed by the hotel also makes it feel less relaxing and less hospitable. Many people in the staff were nice enough, but also didn't necessarily seem invested in the traveler's experience. The food was serviceable at many of the restaurants, with the only outstanding meal being at Marcus. The constant need to have a reservation at the restaurants coupled with a cancellation fee ($100pp) also makes it less relaxing and sometimes it felt like I was working for the hotel instead of the hotel accommodating me as the guest. If you're still undecided please see my checklist below. I think you will enjoy Baha Mar if: you've ever been in a frat or a sorority if you enjoy amusement parks/water parks if you enjoy being around kids - all kids, not just yours! if you like a party atmosphere - I don't mean festive, I mean "in da club" if you like to gamble and/or spend time in a mall if you don't mind crowds if you're not a foodie if you like Vegas if you like to do a lot of walking if you're with a big group of friends and or family If you have met some or all of these criteria and think Baha Mar is for you, let's talk about where to stay! I would advise against the SLS. It is VERY much a party hotel, the music is pumping in the lobby and by the pools, Thurs-Sat the rooftop bar is open and packed. It was unfortunate when 1 or 2 people were being escorted out by security b/c they had been over-served. On Friday night it was difficult to go through the lobby and to the elevator bank to get to my room because of the crowd. Other guests who are pre-gaming in adjacent rooms help to solidify the frat house feel, as did the half full cocktail someone left directly outside my door. Before arriving I had been in email contact with the concierge because the front desk/operator NEVER picks up the phone from an outside line. So I emailed to find out if the room I was booking had a separate bath and shower. I was told that all of the suites have a bath and shower, I need not worry. ...and yet upon check in it turned out that I did not have a bath in my room, in fact most of the suites do not have a separate bath and shower - I was then told that the hotel is phasing out of having tubs in the rooms. Disappointing to be misled and equally disappointing not to have a tub, but not a dealbreaker. The room was nice and it was clean, it had storage space, but no top sheet on the bed....and the smallest bathroom I have encountered at a hotel. If I enjoyed a cramped bathroom, I would have stayed home. To add insult to bathroom injury: there is zero privacy. The shower and toilet are enclosed with glass doors. Glass, like the kind you see through, as though they realized that the spaces are too small to have anything but a glass door because it would feel claustrophobically enclosed. I don’t think my knees literally touched the door, but I am 5’4 and they were VERY close. The entire bathroom itself has only a curtain to close it off from the bedroom area. The SLS seems to like this curtain theme: not only are curtains the bathroom "door" they are also the coverings for all the closets. I don't know if they think it looks chic? but it actually looks like they just ran out of money in the construction budget. The bathroom sink was perpetually clogged and the hardware was rusty. MANY of the reviews I read mentioned the peculiar bathroom set up, so I honestly hope that the manager does not have the temerity to comment on my post with the trite and sorry formulaic and utterly false "we are so sorry to hear about this and we are taking this into consideration" because it is as obvious as some clear bathroom glass that they are not, so to continue to mislead potential guests that it will be different is duplicitous. The SLS cannot be everything to everybody but they should be something to someone.