SLS Baha Mar

The location is beautiful, the one clear positive. For the price and the upscale luxury image, the stay was a letdown. Service was rude or indifferent almost everywhere, with only a few exceptions. The resort seemed badly understaffed across restaurants, pools, housekeeping, bars, and guest services. We ran into a string of cleanliness and safety problems. I got food poisoning after eating at The Swimming Pig on our first night. At the waterpark, an unsecured umbrella hit an older woman in the head. Staff closed all the umbrellas afterward instead of addressing the installation problem. At Katsuya, my son slipped in standing water in a hallway with no warning signs, and staff first tried to deny it happened. We had reservations but were seated outside near a strong sewage smell. Pool towels weren't available for hours at a time, and the bars were so poorly stocked that martinis came in regular glasses because they had no martini glasses. The rooms felt dated, worn, and not particularly clean. To me, the resort came across more like a 2.5-3 star hotel or an overcrowded discount cruise ship than an upscale Bahamas destination. Baha Mar has a great setting and potential, but management, staffing, cleanliness, maintenance, and guest experience aren't being handled at the level they should be. I wouldn't return. I don't like being treated brutally by staff over and over.

There’s a lot to enjoy at SLS at the Baha Mar for a quick vacation. The food, service, golf, spa, and water park were all fantastic, with something for everyone. The downside for me was the rhythm club music playing throughout the resort, 24 hours a day. It left me longing for some peace and quiet. If that isn't your vibe, I'd look for somewhere else to stay.

The resort is beautiful, and Marinique at the front desk was a real highlight. She was warm, welcoming, and went out of her way to help me find something. I want to commend her. The service elsewhere felt disappointingly slow, beyond what I'd expect from island time at a resort of this caliber. At Cleo, we had breakfast there every day, but our waters and coffees were never refilled, so we had to do it ourselves. At dinner, the first drinks took ages, no one asked if we wanted another round, and we had to chase servers for water again.

Marinique made check-in a delight. She was helpful, kind every time we saw her, answered our questions, and went above and beyond to arrange the adjoining rooms we requested. The rooms she chose had exceptional views and location. She deserves a raise and promotion for her customer service. Many other hotel staff we met were pleasant, too. The pools and grounds are beautiful and well kept. Some food and drinks were very expensive. There was also a lot of seaweed on the beach, though the hotel did what it could to clean it, and most of it was probably outside its control.