We arrived with moderate expectations, but ultimately found our stay at Rosewood Baha Mar to be disappointing.
To start with the positives: the grounds and hotel are beautiful and well maintained. The Rosewood is noticeably quieter and less crowded than the SLS and Grand Hyatt, and the pools never felt packed. The flamingo encounter was genuinely wonderful and is something I would highly recommend, especially for families. Keeper Arienne was warm, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about the animals, and she did a lovely job helping our daughter interact with the birds.
Unfortunately, the remainder of our experience fell well short of what we expect from a five-star property. This may resonate particularly with travelers accustomed to other luxury hotels, such as Four Seasons, as the level of service and consistency here did not compare.
We chose Rosewood specifically because we were traveling with a toddler and believed it would be well suited for families, given the dining options, access to Baha Bay, and the way the property presents itself. Prior to arrival, the concierge team was responsive and helpful by email, which set high expectations. Once on property, however, the experience felt disjointed and inefficient, with very little sense of ease or attentiveness.
Service throughout our stay was inconsistent. On our first day at the lagoon pool, after being set up with towels, we were told to use the service button to place orders. Despite pressing it multiple times, no one came for over 30 minutes. Servers passed by without acknowledgment, and when one finally approached, they closed the umbrella over my chair without saying anything and walked away. I was genuinely surprised by this interaction. Eventually, I had to approach a staff member to place an order.
The following day was somewhat better with a more attentive attendant, but overall it felt as though service was prioritized for regular guests. We tipped well and early, yet still felt like an inconvenience when asking for assistance and were checked on far less frequently than others nearby.
One positive is that pool seating was plentiful, and there was no need to wake up extremely early to secure chairs. The zero-entry lagoon pool is understandably popular, though even arriving around 7:00 a.m., some chairs were already reserved.
As for the pools themselves, while the lagoon pool is attractive and designated as a family pool, it was uncomfortably cold. Our toddler could not stay in it for long, so we ended up at the cabana pools, which were warmer but far less appealing.
Dining was another area of mostly disappointment. We tried Costa, Marcus, Cleo, and Katsuya. Costa was particularly poor, with the exception of the guacamole. Marcus was inconsistent food-wise, and service there felt cold and unwelcoming. Cleo had good food, but we were seated outside near a service door while many better tables appeared to be available. When I asked to move, I was told nothing else was open, yet those tables were still empty when we left. Katsuya was the exception, with both the food and service being very good.
We also experienced a significant issue in our room. Our bathroom light repeatedly turned on by itself in the middle of the night, waking us multiple times. I called the front desk around 8:00 p.m. to report the issue. They asked if they could send someone immediately, and I explained that our toddler was asleep and requested that someone come the following morning. This was acknowledged and agreed to. However, at 11:30 p.m., someone rang the doorbell repeatedly and knocked loudly, waking our daughter. It took quite some time for her to fall back asleep. After again speaking with the front desk and reiterating that maintenance should come in the morning, the same issue occurred again the following night.
Ultimately, what lingered most from this stay was not the amenities, but the overall feeling it left us with. A significant portion of the staff at Rosewood and across Baha Mar made us feel more like an inconvenience than welcomed guests. While others may have had different experiences, this was ours—and it is not one we would choose to repeat.
