I don’t think I’ve ever felt as nervous about a trip as I did in the run-up to our stay at the Rosewood Baha Mar. That anxiety stemmed entirely from the many negative TripAdvisor reviews I kept reading. Like many others, we’ve stayed at several other Rosewood properties in the past (such as Little Dix Bay and Rosewood London), so I booked this one with very little additional research, such is my trust in the brand. When I discovered the negative feedback, I became seriously worried that we were going to hate it.
Bottom line: It was nowhere near as bad as I feared. However, you do need to go in with your eyes wide open. This is part of the large Baha Mar complex—it’s a big hotel physically connected to two other large hotels, so you won’t get any boutique hotel feel. That said, it’s still a solid 5-star property, and many things exceeded our (admittedly quite low) expectations.
For example, the pool service was excellent. We could always get a sunbed, staff would promptly bring towels and set us up, and there was plenty of water and sunscreen available. The pool menu and drinks were also very good. Overall, it delivered a typical high-end 5-star pool experience.
As others have noted, the hotel itself is beautifully presented, and we had no issues with our room. The staff were generally helpful and pleasant.
Restaurants: You definitely need to book ahead for dinner. As long as you do, there’s little to complain about other than the cost. And that’s the second thing to be aware of— Baha Mar is a very expensive resort. If you hate feeling ripped off, the prices here may be quite distracting, as they aren’t always justifiable. That said, we enjoyed most of the restaurants we tried. The only disappointment was Costa, which was a below-average Mexican. Carne delivered excellent steaks, and we particularly liked the Chinese restaurant, Shuang Ba. However, while both were very good, neither was the best we’ve ever had — just among the most expensive.
Overall, I felt a huge sense of relief when we stayed here because I was convinced we would hate it. We actually had a great time, and I would stay here again for the fun atmosphere, the pool/ beach, and the dining options.