The best hotels in the Bahamas
When NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent a year in the inky, star-filled skies of the International Space Station in 2015, it was the vivid azure waters of the Bahamas that he called "the most beautiful place from space.” With 700 islands teeming with endlessly soft, empty beaches, and towns filled with brightly-coloured clapboard cottages, swaying palms and creeping bougainvillea, it’s even better when you’re dipping your toes directly in it. The turquoise shallows of the Bahamas offer a under-water sensation thanks to its barrier reef making it one of the best countries in the Caribbean for snorkelling and diving. With so many Caribbean islands, there’s a dizzying amount of hotels on offer, from postcard-pretty cottages on the A-list favourite Harbour Island to the all-singing, all-dancing family-friendly resorts in the capital of Nassau, here’s our pick of the best hotels in the Bahamas.
More recommendations for the best hotels in the Caribbean:
Coral Sands Inn & Cottages, Harbour Island
The hard thing for a hotel that’s been around since the sixties is how to pitch its game so that it keeps being interesting. Not such an issue for Coral Sands, one of the most exceptional hotels on the Harbour Island scene that’s just had a slick refurb and is looking finer than ever. Founded in 1968 by fighter pilot-turned Hollywood actor Brett King and his wife Sharon, it’s an oasis of ocean chic. Clapboard cottages cling to the hillside with outrageous views of that mesmerising pink icing-sugary sandy shores, with New England-meets-the tropics inspired interiors - think hand-painted floral wallpapers, knotted wool rugs, driftwood walls and canopy beds, with doors that open to the sea-salty ocean breeze. Don’t miss dinner at The Pink Mermaid, the new seaside Italian bistro with its Insta-worthy interiors, or a chance to gallop along the beach at sunset on horseback, not to mention snorkelling with Queen Angelfish and turtles.
Address: Coral Sands Inn & Cottages, G939+F37, Chapel St, Dunmore Town, Bahamas
The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Nassau
Bond fans may well recognise the interiors of The Ocean Club, it famously had a cameo in the opening scenes of Casino Royale. Thanks to its occupied prime beachfront location on Paradise Island, it’s considered one of Nassau’s smartest hotels, with a low-rise structure (unlike many of the towering hotels nearby) and unobstructed twinkly ocean views, many guests come back year after year. Set within a whopping 35-acres, this resort has some of the prettiest gardens on the island, with a sculpture garden inspired by Versailles, swimming pool overlooking the Atlantic and spa with Balinese-style treatment bungalows offering Bahamian-inspired treatments. Rooms have recently been spruced up, with shades of crisp cotton, creams and pale blues, most offering the chance to wake up to the lull of the sea beneath. If you fancy blowing the budget, the opulent beachfront villas with their own private infinity plunge pools are catch-your-breath stunning, you’ll find it hard to tear yourself away. Come nightfall, expect bow-ties, dirty martinis and jazz notes echoing through the warm breeze in the colonial-style main house.
Address: The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Paradise Island, One Ocean Drive, Nassau, Bahamas
Eleven Bahama House, Harbour Island
There’s a feeling of coming home at Eleven Bahama House, with just 11 rooms, this place feels innately yours, if home was a pristine, magazine-worthy beach house. Dating back to the 1800s, the hotel was previously a B&B (supposedly renown for its new year’s eve shenanigans) and now under the helm of Eleven – best known for Deplar Farm in Iceland – its had a stylish reincarnation, mixing historical charm with seaside chic. Think vintage rattan furniture, four-poster beds, grass cloth wallpaper with zingy pops of corals, sea shells and pineapple decor. Rooms are set within low-slung buildings dotted round a central pool with its own tiki bar (which just so happens to be one of the best stocked rum bars on the island) where you’ll want to sip on a Goombay Smash cocktail (shaken up using aged Jamaican rum and homemade coconut rum and apricot liqueur). Enjoy toes-in-the-sand days lazing on a teak sitting chair gazing at that iridescent water or zipping along the coastline onboard the hotel’s private Scorpion rib boat fishing for bonefish on the saltwater flats. Guests can take over the entire place for a raucous seaside getaway too, with accommodation for up to 22.
Address: Eleven Bahama House, Dunmore Street, Dunmore Town, Bahamas
The Cove, Eleuthera
Tucked away on the less touristy island of Eleuthera, The Cove is a secluded spot for those looking for a hotel in the Bahamas that offers a peaceful, tranquil getaway. Tucked into lush landscaping along a calm, turquoise bay, this boutique bolthole is a honeymoon haven, with a hilltop infinity pool, modern, minimalist rooms that soak up those awesome sea views with hammocks for afternoon siestas and sundown cocktails at The Point Bar. This natural, untamed island is home to thriving pineapple farms, friendly locals, and slinky white sand beaches with an endless list of crowd-free adventures on the cards. Staying here is all about being as lazy or active as you please, from trips to empty beaches, swimming with pigs in nearby Spanish Well (yes, the ones you’ve seen all over social media) or pedalling around the island on a complimentary hotel bicycle, the choice is all yours. Back at the ranch, there’s a beachside grill and sushi bar when you get peckish plus a soothing spa that will help you get your mojo back.
Address: The Cove, Queens Hwy, Gregory Town, Bahamas
The Royal Atlantis Bahamas, Nassau
When you’ve got the entire brood, The Royal Atlantis Bahamas is considered one of the most family-friendly hotels in the Bahamas. The hotel is part of Atlantis Paradise Island featuring a whopping five hotel options to suit all budgets with the grand, iconic towers of The Royal being perhaps the most iconic of them all. It’s renovation-fresh, featuring a slick new design in both the East and West towers with rooms and suites that come in calming blues and pale greys, with balconies looking out towards the water. The rooms though are irrelevant because there’s so much to do here, you’ll barely be inside, with nearly a dozen swimming pools and restaurants galore (there are more than 25 dining options including Fish by José Andrés, Nobu by Nobu Matsuhisa and Paranza by Michael White) not to mention experiences including swimming with dolphins, a brilliant kids’ club (from ages 3-12) with a life-sized Victorian dolls’ house, Lego room, arts and crafts, theatre and more. And for the grown-ups, a golf course and casino.
Address: The Royal at Atlantis, 1 Casino Drive, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Rosewood Baha Mar, Nassau
This Nassau beauty is all about service. Finger-snapping, heel-clicking, brilliant service. Yes, effortless, easy-breezy charm is a Bahamian thing, but it’s super-charged here. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, they’ll be someone quietly keeping a mindful eye on what you like and what you don’t, where you want to sit and how you like your martini. The joys of this hotel is that it combines the postcard-pretty beach and swaying palms the Bahamas is renowned for with the ease of being just 15-minutes from the airport (ideal for Brits who don’t want another flight or boat ride). Yes, it’s great for the honeymooners but guests love the buzzy-as-a-honeypot vibe too, thanks to the fact its set within the enormous Baha Mar enclave – which includes two other hotels, over 40 restaurants, a golf course, the Caribbean’s largest casino, a waterpark and shopping outlets so you’ll never get bored. Food is a winner here with a restaurant by Daniel Boulud you’ll want to book pronto, while kids’ will be kept entertained with pirate-themed treasure hunts and visits to see the on-site flamingo flock.
Address: Rosewood Baha Mar, One Baha Mar Blvd, Nassau, Bahamas
Ana LuiThe Dunmore, Harbour Island
Another Harbour Island belle, The Dunmore – once a private member’s club – has been luring well-heeled guests since 1963, set on the three-mile stretch of finely crushed coral beach that's a hazy shade of rose in the day and vibrant pink at sunset, you’ll see why. It’s a sceney kind of place on an island in the Bahamas synonymous with being an idyllic one-percenters’ playground. Everything is photogenic – from the beachside chintzy interiors with driftwood walls, vintage rattan, striped parasols and immaculate grounds to the Instagrammable frosé and fish tacos. Rooms come in the style of coastal cool clapboard cottages that feel deliciously private, tucked away down little paths hidden amongst the estate’s 10-acre tropical gardens. For more bells and whistles, opt for one of the sprawling residences that offer private pools and multiple bedrooms. While it might be a hotspot, this place still manages to be charming and low-key, with evenings feeling like a smart supper club with locally-sourced crab and lobster, washed down with some of the best banana fritters you’ll ever try.
Address: The Dunmore, Colebrook St, Dunmore Town, Bahamas
