The boys had a week off from school for spring break and I was determined that we were going to do something fun and 5 days at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is just what we needed. Yes, we have a beach in our backyard so maybe the pressing need to “get away” doesn’t seem like it would be felt as much by someone living in a sunny, warm, palm tree lined paradise but I was FEELING it. I was just in a funk and I can’t really explain it but the thing I look forward to most is planning trips and traveling and having something fun to look forward to and I just felt like part of me was missing not being able to do this over the past year but really felt it even more in the past 6 weeks. Now that we are back from our trip I feel like me again and I think a change of scenery is just what I needed. So if you feel like you just need to “get away”….do it! I didn’t even realize how much we all needed this! Just seeing that bright blue ocean water makes me so happy. When people ask me what my favorite color is I always say “ocean blue” and that is the exact color I’m referring to. If the water was that blue and beautiful here I would never be able to leave our beach!
Liam’s Boardshorts (Nick’s and are linked below) // My Denim Shorts $59
After I took about 800 pics of the view from the balconies in our room (one of the best hotel rooms we have ever stayed in…I’m not sure if you can request an exact room but we had suite 2460 and it was AMAZING), of course the first thing we wanted to do was eat and check out the pools. We had a very early breakfast and were traveling during lunch time so we ended up grabbing a very late lunch at Drift Bar & Grill next to one of the pools. My cobb salad was amazing, Jonathan really loved his burger, and you can’t go wrong with cheeseburgers and chicken tenders for the kids. They also have REALLY good conch fritters that I got there another day. The conch fritters at Street Bird food truck (the blue one behind Dean’s Blue Hole Pool) were also really good. They were different and both amazing so you should definitely try both! I’m conch fritter obsessed and very picky about them so just trust me you need to try them!
Blue Floral Bikini Top & Bottoms // Yellow Floral Bucket Hat $20 // Liam’s Tie Dye Shirt //
The boys were drawn to Dean’s Blue Hole Pool so we went to check that one out first and ended up spending the next 2 days in a cabana there because they loved it so much. I mean how could you not with the awesome cliff jumps and the aquarium views of the sanctuary where you can watch the sea turtles, sharks, stingrays, and puffer fish. Oh and there are waterfalls too! Major pool goals…. definitely the coolest pool we have ever been to by far! There are also shallow areas with lounge chairs in a lot of the pools where you can keep a close eye on little ones if they are not quite at cliff jumping status yet (and if you want some quiet time away from kids there are adult only pools as well).
Pink Floral Bikini $12 (comes in 4 other colors. code 2Jennifer15 to save $$) // Pink Pastel Tie Dye Bikini sold out similar here for $13 (you can use my code for this one too!)
For the best pool views at Dean’s Blue Hole, book cabana # 60. You will be able to watch your kids jump off the cliffs 1,000 times and take some pretty awesome videos and pics (bring your zoom lens…this is the one we have and love) all while sitting in your nice shady cabana with a yummy fruity drink (I tried them all and they are all good but the Bahama Mama and Pina Coladas were my favorite). The cabanas are also great because they have a little fridge and a safe so you can store your phone, wallet, etc while you’re enjoying pool time and don’t even get me started on the towel swans….. sooooo cute! Dean’s Blue Hole is also very close to the beach if you want to run back and forth from pool to beach and the cabana is a nice spot to store you stuff for the day and have a meet up spot if you’re traveling with kids or friends.
Towel Swan love. 
He found a coconut! 
I couldn’t get enough pictures of these towel swans! 
Nick’s Blue Flamingo Boardshorts & Orange Tank Top sold out similar here // Liam’s light gray Flamingo Boardshorts sold out similar here and Light Blue Tank Top similar here // My purple bikini $7 (code 2Jennifer15 to save $$) // My Straw Bucket Hat $19.99 // They Boys Sunnies are old out but similar here $11.99 //Jonathan’s Sunnies //My white Sunnies $11.98 // Nick’s Pineapple Boardshorts sold out but similar here // Bracelets (LOOOOVE her shop. She has the cutest custom pieces and is so sweet too!) //Jonathan’s Palm Tree Boardshorts //My Pink Floral Tropical Bikini $12 and comes in 5 colors (Code 2Jennifer15 to save $$) and Frayed Seagrass Hat $28 (I have style A and it’s adjustable) // Teal Tie Dye Bikini on sale for $6 & you can use my code 2Jennifer15 too // Blue Floral Bikini Top & Bottoms and Yellow Bucket Hat
For lunch at Dean’s Blue Hole, you can order from the poolside bar or grab a bite from one of the nearby food trucks. We ate at El Jefe (the cute pink food truck) for lunch one of the days and my burrito bowl was so good (not to mention the atmosphere…pink food truck next to the beach… hello Intsta worthy photo opp)! Really this entire resort is a blogger’s dream. Even the bathrooms and trash cans are cute! You can take an Insta worthy photo anywhere here!
Blue Bikini & yellow bucket hat linked below // Purple Daisy Bucket Hat $13.99 and it’s reversible and comes in other colors too // Yellow & Lilac Bikini $13 use code 2Jennifer15 to save $$ // Blue Daisy Bikini sold out but similar here $13 and here crop top version of the top here $6 // Frayed Seagrass hat $28 (mine is style A and it’s adjustable) // Pink Floral Bikini on sale for $8 and BOGO 50% off!
After a long day at the pool we ended up stopping at the aviary to feed the birds on our way back to get dinner. The boys really loved the aviary and getting to see the flamingo parades each day (at 9:30 and 3:30 everyday). They loved it so much that we ended up booking the flamingo encounter for the next day which I highly recommend. You get to spend one on one time with the flamingos, feed them, learn about them, and even learn how to hold them. I never thought they would be so soft! My kids LOOOVED this and I honestly would’ve done it even if it was just me because flamingos are my favorite. I would recommend booking that ahead of time because it fills up fast. You will definitely get some memorable photos and it’s such a fun experience!
Light Blue Bikini Top $19.99 & Bottoms $14.99 (also comes in black, yellow, and lilac) // Pink Bucket Hat $20 // Clear Sandals (also comes in a rainbow version) // Cover-up Dress is sold out but Similar Here and Here on sale! // The boys’ Flip Flops (outfits linked above)
We grabbed some takeout after the pool to eat outside since we were all in the mood for different things. Nicolas and I got some yummy miso ramen and Vietnamese shrimp summer rolls from Stix Noodle Bar and Jonathan and Liam got pizza and a panini from Pizza Lab. Jonathan’s Panini looked so good I had to get the vegetarian one the next day and the boys were loving the cheese pizza from Pizza Lab so much we had it 3 days in a row! Stix also has really good boba tea which my boys are really into right now so we made many stops there for their brown sugar boba. We had to make another stop at Pizza Lab for dessert. I highly recommend the birthday cake gelato and any of their pastries or cakes.
Most mornings we just grabbed something from Starbucks until we saw the cinnamon rolls from 3 Tides and it was all over. We grabbed some to go and ate them at the beach which was amazing especially since we had the beach all to ourselves that morning. That was definitely one of my favorite mornings. We all agreed the cinnamon rolls were the best we’ve ever had (yes… they are better than Cinnabon)! On our last day, we ate breakfast at 3 Tides and I got the continental pastry board….sooooo good! (If you didn’t know I have a pastry obsession too….these were better than any I had I had in France….or anywhere for that matter…I always have to try ALLL the pastries). You have to eat there at least once for breakfast and definitely try the cinnamon rolls. I also highly recommend the pineapple pancakes that Nicolas got (Liam got chocolate chip pancakes from the kids menu), and Jonathan was very happy with his healthy egg white omelet. I bet you thought that was mine when I posted it in my Instagram stories….he is definitely a healthier eater than me most of the time. I can’t resist sweets.
Bikini $13 & use code 2Jennifer15 to save $$ // Hat $28 // Bracelets
After we devoured our cinnamon rolls we went to play in the ocean. They have these really fun little floaty trampoline things that you can chill in and complimentary paddleboard and kayaks. I love paddle boarding so we did that for a while and the boys wanted to go back to the pool so Jonathan and I got some yummy drinks and the boys went cliff jumping for the billionth time. I had to stop by some of the other pools and take some pics because they are all just so pretty! And the pier is the perfect spot to get a family photo or couples photo or group photo….this resort has it all so if you are looking for a relaxing getaway for your honeymoon or anniversary, a girls trip, or some family fun this is the place!
Yellow Bikini $15.99 (also comes in blue and black and they are reversible. Yellow reverses to white)
On our last night we had dinner at Katsuya (I would recommend getting a reservation if you plan to eat here). All of our sushi was really good and we loved the popcorn rock shrimp appetizer. They also have a kids menu (Liam recommends the chicken strips).
Everyone was so friendly and helpful at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and their attention to detail and customer service is top notch! I would give it 100 stars if I could. Like I said before, it’s the perfect place for families but would also be so fun for a girl’s trip, a honeymoon, or an anniversary trip. There is so much to do at the resort we didn’t even leave but you can also book off-site excursions as well. If you are interested in booking use this link and and code FREE4 to save on your trip! You get the 4th night free plus $100 resort credit! (valid 4/1-5/15/21 for stays from 4/6-9/30/2021).
Yellow Bikini Top $19.99 & Bottoms $14.99 (comes in 4 colors) // Pink Bucket Hat $20
This was our first big trip since the pandemic started and after reading over all of the policies that Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has in place I really felt at ease that this would be a fun and safe trip. They are the first and only resort to provide courtesy private jet service back to the US or a free stay for guests who test positive for COVID-19 prior to their departure from the resort. Their employees are tested weekly and all guests are required to take a test upon arrival. (check their website for their latest policies) The testing went super fast and we had our results before we even got to our room and were able to go out and enjoy the pool right away so I didn’t cut into any of our vacation time and it was so reassuring to know that everyone at the resort had been tested.
You must also obtain a Health Visa to travel to the Bahamas at this time which sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. You need a COVID test to fly anyway so you just use the results from the same test to get your Health Visa. Check your local colleges and universities because a lot of them offer free COVID testing for everyone. That’s where we got ours done. Then you just fill out your application for the Health Visa here and it can take up to 48 hours so I recommend getting your test done on the earliest day if possible to allow enough time. If you run into any issues call this number 1-(242)-502-0829 (they said it’s the least busy after 9 pm) and they were very helpful for us when Jonathan forgot to fill out the trip info for the kids (make sure you fill in trip info for everyone in your party and adults have to fill out separate forms) and got us approved right away since we were leaving the next morning. You will get an email with a barcode (and it’s always a good idea to print that out so you have it in case your phone battery dies or something) and they will email you a short survey (it’s REALLY short like 3 questions) to fill out everyday so make sure you check your email.
I hope I was able to answer most of your questions (my DMs are always open on the gram if you have any other questions or drop me a comment here). A lot of you requested a packing guide (coming soon…hopefully by the end of next week) and a hair post which I will work on next. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you have a fabulous vacation if you decide to book!
*Thank you Grand Hyatt Baha Mar for hosting us and for an unforgettable fun trip!
