nk15

I am just annoyed with the overcrowding and the costs. I have been trying for a while to get a reasonable airfare to the Bahamas, it always seems high, but I finally did it on miles. I am trying to finish the Caribbean and get Bahamas off my list, and I don't want to keep going to the same places all the time...
The Bahamas taxes are wild, $115 to leave the island on a miles ticket....

pdisme

I've admittedly only been to three countries in the Caribbean but all had similar exit taxes, and also had significant portions of the wait outside in the heat which NAS doesn't. Flights to/from NAS on Southwest were pretty cheap when I went, and Baha Mar had much more room and lower crowds compared to prior trips to Atlantis, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. NAS also has US customs right in the airport, so you can save a significant amount of time on the return compared to some destinations. If you have an Amex Plat there's a lounge you can use there too.

SP03

I’m at the GH right now. The service is very good at the Bahamas in general and it exceeded my expectations here. I was upgraded to an ocean view king room with balcony (photos in link below) and it was spacious and modern. Couldn’t be happier.

The buffet breakfast is huge with an excellent selection. Including tropical popsicles.

I was expecting overpriced mediocre food based on all the reviews and I was blown away by Cafe Boulud. Highly recommended.

comeflywme

Great to hear about your stay. Curious what specific dishes blew you away at Cafe Boulud. Might check it out in a couple months.

SP03

I thought everything was good. Really enjoyed the swordfish. And service was fantastic.

Just to set the right expectation. I thought to food was exceptional by island standard. It is better than what I had at the Atlantis, Ocean Club, or Graycliff. I would be happy to eat there even if this restaurant were not on the island.

I also really enjoyed the fried chicken at Marcus and the mezze platter for 2 at Cleo.

Dcislander

TSA Pre Check too!!!

Dcislander

[QUOTE=SP03;34637619 mezze platter for 2 at Cleo.[/QUOTE]

Second that!

harbourxie

what other benefits for globalist now? Do they still give out drink coupons like 2 drinks a day? Thanks,

pdisme

Yes, you get a coupon per day which is good for two drinks, but has to be redeemed for the two drinks at the time of using the coupon.

Dcislander

The 2 drinks at a time kind of stink if you travel solo or for work.

Globalists get resort fee waived and free breakfast but you HAVE to babysit it at checkout . 10 stays now and the majority took standing in line to ask them to remove the fees. They do it politely but it’s not automatic.

They’ve finally worked out the suite upgrades. There are a ton of different suite options between the two towers. Early in the operation I was upgraded to residences but now the upgrades are to Grand Hyatt suites which are end rooms in the west tower. I turn them down as I really dislike the layouts. The suites share an end of corridor door with a room next door so if you’re unlucky you get to hear two doors slamming all night. The living space is more of a foyer than a room. No couch, just two oversized chairs and a TV. You do get a balcony on both the ocean and the fountain sides. If you’re tempted by the upgrade, ask to see the room first so you can make the decision. I’m a bigger fan of the ocean view balcony rooms.

SP03

The breakfast charges showed up on the app but when I asked the front desk, I was told "I don't see it" so I'm not sure if they were filtered out for them automatically.

I was given a king room facing the ocean, I thought that was a fantastic room. Based on the pics from the website, I didn't bother asking for a suite upgrade.

pdisme

Yep seconding Dcislander The Grand Suite is what I had back in August when I'd used a suite upgrade award, and I found that weird foyer at the end of the hallway to be annoying as well, as I'm sure our neighbors did, because we are late gamblers and they were early risers lol. Huge room, but we never used the entire front south/fountain facing part of the room because it's just big and pointless space unless you're entertaining, but then there aren't enough seats anyway if that's how you were trying to use it. I could see it being useful for a wedding trip if you had extra chairs; could easily have 20 people in there. The bathroom is comparable to the king room; perhaps slightly larger but not appreciably. It is also of course as far as you can get from the elevators, so it would be quiet if not for that entry area for both rooms.

Regarding breakfast charges, they explicitly told me they remove them morning of, or at checkout, when I went to the desk on the final night to have them removed trying to save time. So budget time to deal with nitpicking your bill into the checkout process.

drdavidge

Anyone hear an update on when the Grand Club Lounge will open back up?

pdisme

Regarding beds, be aware that they will refuse to deliver a rollaway bed to a king non-suite room for fire code reasons. If it's one of the end suites that you get with a suite upgrade, those are actually fairly large and would work out well with a rollaway, because the bedroom area closes off from the front room. However, the bathroom is on the bedroom side, so kids will be coming in and out of there anyway. Personally I enjoyed the west tower because it was closer to/from the water park.

SP03

Not sure if it will ever reopen.

The breakfast buffet selection is much better and at the price they charge, not sure how many people actually pay for breakfast. So I suspect a lot are people who book rates with breakfast included and Globalists. You get two free drinks a day, which is also pretty good. I assume you don't get cocktails at the lounge.