11 Best Resorts in the Bahamas: 2019 Readers' Choice Awards
For our 32nd annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey—yes, more than three decades—a record 600,000 registered voters weighed in. The impressive number of 2019 results were especially exciting for us: We’re ever curious about where you go, what you loved, and who you went with. If your time off calls for a little more R&R, like pristine, private pink beaches, full-service kids' clubs, flamingo parades, sublime spa treatments hopping nightlife, perhaps a casino or two, or personalized snorkeling excursions—look no further than these 11 resorts, voted the best Bahamas resorts.
Click the link to read the Top Resorts in the Bahamas as a list.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Courtesy SLS Baha Marhotel11. SLS Baha Mar
$$$ |
Hot List 2018 
Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Baha Mar, the three-resort complex in Nassau, the Bahamas, that opened in stages in late 2017 (beginning with the Grand Hyatt and now complete with Rosewood), makes repeat beach weekends actually easy to pull off. There is a grown-up approach to embracing the destination: Former chief curator of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas John Cox oversees a 2,500-piece collection of local art, and heads up what we think may be one of the greatest hotel gift shops anywhere, where all-local artists create and sell handbags, picture frames, and clothing—it's like having your own arts and crafts market in the hotel.
Tadeu Brunelli/Courtesy Grand Hyatt Baha Marhotel10. Grand Hyatt Baha Mar
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is one of the resorts that has so much going on, there’s no need to leave. Clock the beach right in front, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf course, premium tennis facilities, six swimming pools, a wildlife sanctuary, luxury shopping, art center with the largest collection of contemporary art in the Bahamas, and the largest casino in the Caribbean—with more than 100,000 square feet of the latest gaming equipment and entertainment venues. The 1,800 comfortably sized rooms (including more than 230 suites with various numbers of bedrooms) all have floor-to-ceiling windows, and full or Juliet balconies. There are more than 30 dining options, ranging from poké bowls, to hot dogs from an Airstream trailer on the beach, to hand-pulled Chinese noodles, to award-winning Mediterranean fine dining. The 30,000-square-foot spa is run by ESPA, leader in luxury wellness. If it all feels too…big, there’s the Reserve, a hotel-within-the-hotel, with a dedicated entrance and check-in desk, a private lounge, and butler service.
Chad Chisholmhotel9. Royal Island
Readers' Choice Awards 2019If a private island is more your speed than a big resort, this place is for you. Just 15 minutes by private boat from North Eleuthera, it's a 430-acre oasis with five bungalows on the sand, which together can accommodate 18 guests. It’s dreamy to chill on the beach with your family or close friends, but if you feel a call to adventure, the staff can handle that, too. Beyond the standard water activities are offerings like spearfishing, picnics on sandbars, and outdoor movies on the beach. The Beach Club and Spa includes a fitness and yoga center, as well as body treatments—daily massages, anyone? The island comes with a 24/7 onsite manager and a personal chef, who prepares dishes from custom menus that guests curate themselves before arrival, which can include wellness smoothies, make-your-own sushi parties, and dining on the fresh catch beneath the stars.
hotel8. The Reef at Atlantis, Paradise Island
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2022A stay at this tower within Atlantis is like living in your own paradisiacal apartment with a kitchen, living space, and ocean views. Marble floors, sleek sofas, and chandeliers fill public spaces. Atlantis’s 40 restaurants include several focusing on seafood: Try ancho chile–rubbed salmon at Mesa, conch fritters at Bimini Road. Swimming with dolphins is a highlight of activities on offer at man-made but effective Dolphin Cay.
- Women Who TravelMay 2024 Horoscope: This Month, Travel Will Be Joyful
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
Durston Saylor/Courtesy Rosewood Baha Marhotel7. Rosewood Baha Mar
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023There are a few givens we look forward to with beachside mega hotels. Water toys—paddleboards, overwater trampolines, jet skis—are fun and plentiful. There’s a pool for every type, from child-free to swim-up-bar to infinity. A Rolodex’s worth of restaurants and bars means what you want to eat is always available. The year-and-a-half-old Rosewood Baha Mar, with its 237 rooms overlooking Nassau’s waters, nails all of the above on a smaller, more intimate scale. It also pulls off something exceedingly rare for its genre: It captures the destination in a way that goes beyond conch-fritter shacks off the beach path (which we also love). For a satisfying glimpse of art, stroll the complex, where the 2,500-piece collection including stained-glass sculpture and photography is all local and curated by John Cox, formerly of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. In fact, it’s likely guests will meet the affable Cox while here. He heads up Baha Mar’s creative space, where a selection of local artists craft bags and clothing in a large studio on the property’s first floor. This mix of locality, cerulean sea, and ultra-private intimacy makes Rosewood Baha Mar the easiest place to stop in to for winter sun without becoming a total beach bum or one of the hoardes—although if you're into it, there's easy access to a vast casino in the Grand Hyatt, golf and tennis courts, and hopping SLS hotel nightlife.
Douglas Scaettahotel6. Atlantis, Paradise Island
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023Built around Aquaventure, a 141-acre theme park outfitted with all manner of rides and slides, the ocean-themed Atlantis, Paradise Island, located just beyond Nassau, isn't just ideal for the all-around aquaphile—and with 14 pools, cascading waterfalls, and salt-water lagoons, it certainly is—it's also great for marine life enthusiasts. The over-the-top mega-resort is home to one of the world's largest open-air marine habitats, as well as Dolphin Cay, a state-of-the-art education center where you can learn about, and play with the friendly mammals. There's also an 18-hole golf course; 40 restaurants, bars, and lounges; and a casino, and three possible properties where you can park your suitcase—The Reef, The Cove, and Royal Towers. The latter are the most iconic, but book a room at The Cove for a more upscale, low-key stay.
- Women Who TravelMay 2024 Horoscope: This Month, Travel Will Be Joyful
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
Courtesy The Covehotel5. The Cove, Eleuthera
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019A secret-feeling sanctuary tucked between two white sand coves on the less touristy island of Eleuthera, this resort feels almost like a private island. The 55 rooms, suites, and villas have a simple-but-sweet design and lots of modern touches, such as fine linens, Nespresso machines, and outdoor patios. Many of them are in freestanding bungalows, and most are close to the beach. There’s a strong focus on experiential adventure and underwater exploration, with complimentary resort bikes, private boat excursions, kayaks, SUP boards, and an array of island tours. The spa emphasizes the holistic benefits of bodywork, with treatments that range from a traditional Thai massage to organic seaweed leaf wraps to the Mindful Dreams Ritual. The two restaurants use produce from the resort’s own sustainable garden, along with organic beef and locally sourced seafood.
Atlantis Paradise Islandhotel4. The Cove at Atlantis, Paradise Island
$$$ | Hot List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023Connected via walkways to the rest of the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, The Cove is a refuge of calm within a complex that’s all about activity. The 600-suite tower has its own slice of beach with a row of cozy cabanas, two celebrity chef–helmed restaurants (Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and Fish, by José Andrés) as well as an outpost of beloved local favorite Harbour Island's Sip Sip, and private access to two adults-only pools. The service is unfailingly friendly if not always prompt. Mementos of its mega-resort subjugation include required wristbands and high prices.
- Women Who TravelMay 2024 Horoscope: This Month, Travel Will Be Joyful
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
Christian Horanhotel3. The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023Not only will you feel like a celebrity here, but you might just brush by a few at this beachfront resort with a 12th-century Augustinian cloister and impeccable gardens modeled on those at Versailles. The 4,400-square-foot villas have infinity lap pools and louvered hardwood doors that open onto a private patio or balcony. Food and service are excellent—especially at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's DUNE. Enjoy a nightcap at the Library bar, which has the nicest bartender on the island. The newly renovated Hartford Wing includes completely renovated and expanded guest rooms and suites, plus a new beachfront infinity-edge pool, complete with a new bar and grill.
Courtesy Warwick Paradise Island Bahamashotel2. Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas All-Inclusive Resort
Readers' Choice Awards 2019This all-inclusive, adults-only resort aims to put the “paradise” in Paradise Island, one of the most easily accessible in the Bahamas. Not having checks to sign or added costs to worry about is a good start. There’s a modern-chic design in the 250 guest rooms, a private harbor on the south side of the island with a white sandy beach, weekly fishing tournaments on the boardwalk, and convenient access to shopping, dining, and the Paradise Island casino. Note the five restaurants on the premises: Verandah and Chickcharnie’s Pizzeria & Grille are good for quick bites between activities, while Abbiocco and Edgewater Grill are meant for well-dressed fine dining, and Tings on a Stick pays homage to Asia.
- Women Who TravelMay 2024 Horoscope: This Month, Travel Will Be Joyful
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
Lyndah Wellshotel1. Kamalame Cay, Bahamas
$$$ |
Gold List 2018, 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Getting to Kamalame Cay, a private island resort off of Andros Great Barrier Reef, takes a bit of time—you'll fly into Andros, then take a taxi to the port, and then finally a short boat ride to the hotel entrance. But the payoff is evident as soon as you step onto the deck and take in the lush island, with its welcoming Great House, beautifully designed pool area, and calm beaches. All guests of the resort stay in standalone bungalows, which makes it feel even more like you're at your own private island retreat. Each bungalow has a deck—most with direct beach access—as well as its own golf cart and bikes for exploring the 96-acre island. And every morning, breakfast is delivered in a wicker basket, with treats from fresh fruit and juice to house-made pastries and hard-boiled eggs. And while the food at most Caribbean resorts is nothing to write home about, Kamalame stands out in the care it takes in its food, with rotating dishes like ceviche, seafood salads, crab-stuffed avocado, and Bahamian curry. Look to sample some it during the laidback, wine-soaked lunches thrown by David and Michael King-Hew.
