This hotel is an establishment I can recommend to anyone staying at Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island. The reception area is small and quaint with an immediate island feel. We upgraded to the... Read more
This hotel is an establishment I can recommend to anyone staying at Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island. The reception area is small and quaint with an immediate island feel. We upgraded to the waterside state room which was totally worth the difference in cost. We only know this because we were mistakenly sent to a run-of-the-mill room which was not bad at all. Our room was spacious, modern decor, kitchen area, Nespresso machine (free of charge), fridge, 2 flatscreens, dual sink bathroom, in-room safe, great lighting and quiet. The balcony seemed very private with the a great view of the water, lighthouse and a pair of adirondack chairs to enjoy your rum punch on. The room also included delivery of the NY Times fax and pastries every morning. The pastries weren't extra special but still a nice touch. We ended making runs to the breakfast room every morning anyway. It was a complimentary continental breakfast. Nothing great but did the job for sure. The paper kept us in the loop with things at home. Our sleeping area was a separate bedroom with a very comfy bed. Minimal closet space but it was enough for a beach vacation.
Staying the Pelican Bay, the property had 3 pools for us to relax at. No need to pack your beach towels because the hotel provides them. The main pool had the biggest crowd, the restaurant/bar area and a hot tub. Bringing your own booze was allowed for sure just no bottles. Must keep it to plastic or cans. Be warned, the business owners know this as well and be prepared to pay double for cans of beer at the liquor stores. We had a little cooler with us and it was perfectly acceptable. We need to have cold beverages where ever we go. Warm water while sunbathing just doesn't quench as well. The main pool was also the location for the free ferry to a private beach area called Taino. The experience was nice and definitely worth trying at least once. Just show your room key and you can ride the ferry all day long. The only other people at this beach were people staying the the resorts and hotels on that beach. When they said private, it was really private which is nice. What surprised us was the upkeep of this private beach and the main beach in general. We were really shocked that they didn't comb the sands for the visitors in general. It wasn't dirty by any means but there was a ton of seaweed on the beaches, more so on Taino. Beware of the Bahamas sun, there was heavy overcast at times and still we got some serious color. After baking a bit and tiring of the heavy wind (should not be common), we went to the pool area of the hotel right by the beach. It was quite nice and would consider staying for a more relaxing time. The ferry back runs every hour so there is no worries there.
For Pelican Bay guests, we had access to the beach directly across the street where the Westin was. It was about a five minute walk through beautiful landscaping. That beach was very nice, more people and still a bit of seaweed. Also, there was a place that rented jet skis and other things like that. Warning, the Westin staff members are very territorial. We felt like there staff members coming up to us to confirm we were from Pelican Bay every 10 mins. We grabbed 2 beach chairs from a stack of hundreds and 10 mins later a Westin staff member said we needed to pay $10 to use the chairs. The pool/bar area of the Westin is also off limits and they keep a watch on that as well. We walked down the stretch of the beach it was about the same with other pool/bar areas of hotels, very soft sand, blue waters and deceptively strong sun rays.
The location of the hotel was excellent. The Port Lucaya Marketplace(overrated) aka "The Straw Market" by some, is a major attraction on the island and it runs along the water. There is walkway along the length of the entire marketplace that pretty much starts by the main pool of our hotel. This made things very convenient if you liked to stock things like beverages or needed pharmacy type items for your stay. What I was disappointed in was the lack of the produce available to the public. If you wanted some legitimate grocery-type foods for your room, it will tough to find in the marketplace. The majority of the sit-down restaurants there are a complete rip-off. It wasn't great food with inflated prices, it was average food with ridiculous prices. I've heard the term "tourist trap" but they took it way too far. It turned out the places with the bar grub were the most reasonable and tasty. Ask your hotel for recommendations outside of the marketplace. One of our best dinners ever on vacation was a place a few miles away called "Simply Native." That saved our trip on the foodie level. Also, conch is a staple on the island and the best way to have it is raw. They have conch salad which is ceviche style with a bite. There is stand right in the marketplace that does a nice job. Cracked conch is there version of fried calamari and conch fritters is all batter. The bar scene day and night was right by the Count Basie Stage area. This one bar, Rumrunners, was packed all the time. It seemed most bar had a 2 for $5 or $6 beer special. The nice thing about the bills in Bahamas is that most places automatically add 15% gratuity. Like I mentioned before the liquor stores will charge more for cans, the liquor is pretty cheap, and plenty of jewelry stores there. The "Straw Market" basically the area for the cheesy-type souvenirs which I like very much, a complete rip-off as well. To give a fair comparison, it's like buying souvenirs like magnets, t-shirts, snow globes, stuff like that in a downtown area. Now compare that to forgetting to buy the souvenirs and having to pay airport gift shop prices. It is airport gift shop prices at the town level.
For some reason, the attraction guides will still show the International Bazaar as if it is still what it once was. It is depressed and most of the stores are closed down. The downtown area is not for the faint of heart. To an outsider it could raise your Jack Bauer sensors but I was able to complete an important task - get a CD of real Bahamian music. If you do feel the need to go to either locations, I recommend to take the bus. It is basically a beat euro-style passenger van for $1.25 each way.
Now I'm not sure if I would recommend the Freeport area again but definitely Pelican Bay. The front desk agent, Chris, provided us with excellent recommendations and service. He helped us enjoy our first passport vacation together. Close