18 Best Hotels in Bahamas

The largest hotel in Marsh Harbour has a fresh look and feel following a major post–Hurricane Dorian overhaul. The resort centers on its marina and is set on 40 manicured acres overlooking the Sea of Abaco, five minutes from the Marsh Harbour airport or a short ferry ride away from Hope Town on Elbow Cay. The spacious ocean-view rooms have natural stone floors, marble wet bars, built-in hair dryers, and in-room cable TV, with Wi-Fi throughout the sprawling grounds. Use of nonmotorized water-sports equipment is complimentary. Lounge poolside or enjoy fruity rum drinks at the bar while your kids explore the beach playground.

The motto here is "Tan your toes in The Abacos," making this beachfront resort the ideal place for a getaway. The cozy rooms— some with Atlantic Ocean views and some overlooking the harbor and the Sea of Abaco—have simple comfortable furnishings. Luxury villas have kitchenettes, small living areas, and sunrise and sunset water views. After your complimentary pickup in Hope Town, rent your own boat so you can zoom into town or to the smaller neighboring cays. The bar is a lively spot for guests and locals to mingle and for couples to watch the magenta sunsets. Ask for a table on the enclosed patio overlooking the ocean. 

This cozy, small, owner-operated resort is elegant and sophisticated, offering both quiet solitude on a stunning private beach and serious adventure for sports enthusiasts. Each villa (two one-bedroom, one two-bedroom) has an outside veranda with breathtaking views of the snow-white beach. Owners Carlo and Elena please with great service and superb Italian cuisine. Guanahani is famous as a kiteboard and catamaran sailing center and offers complimentary kayaks, a catamaran, and snorkeling gear. Airport transfers are included.

It you want more space to stretch out during your Paradise Island vacation, consider these one-, two-, and three-bedroom town-house–style villas that can accommodate up to nine guests and are fully equipped with separate living/dining areas, kitchens, and private laundry facilities. The pastel-color four-story buildings are situated across the marina from the main Atlantis resort, offering both peace and quiet; however, it is a 10-minute walk (or a shuttle ride) to the popular water park, beaches, amenities, and restaurants of the rest of the resort. Shuttles run throughout the sprawling property from 8 am until midnight. There is no beach here, but you'll have two relatively quiet pools to enjoy if you decide to stay on-site. Although you have access to the Atlantis restaurants and their meal plans, many guests hire a provisioning company to stock their villa before they arrive or take advantage of daily food-store runs. There is also a casual poolside restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and tropical drinks.

The spectacular view of Harbour Island's Pink Sands Beach is the major selling point for this luxury boutique hotel. The decor is both modern and tropical—rooms are decorated in shades of green, with wooden furniture, and surrounded by coconut and palm trees. There's a restaurant on the property that serves three meals a day, but the resort is also centrally located if you feel like dining at one of Harbour Island's more popular restaurants. The Ocean View Club is also great for guests who seek privacy and seclusion but don't want to stray too far from the center of the town.

With harbor views, luxuriously decorated rooms and suites, and the only restaurant and swimming pool in Schooner Bay right downstairs, this quaint bed-and-breakfast inn is the perfect spot for visitors who want to be taken care of. Three suites are located in the main three-story house, while the rooms are situated in two small cottages right out back. Two beaches—one perfect for lounging or paddleboarding (just grab a board and head into the water), the other great for snorkeling—and a 50-acre protected forest with well-marked walking trails are all just a quick golf-cart ride or five-minute walk away. The Dining Room is the only full-service restaurant in the community serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner (dinner is served Thursday through Sunday only). The menu is often determined by what looks good at the community farm, and they use as much locally sourced product as possible. 

Perched on 22 acres of oceanfront property, this modern resort features three poolside one-bedroom bungalows and four large four-bedroom houses. All accommodations have a spectacular view of the Atlantic and a refreshing ocean breeze. Several of the houses have private pools, though you might prefer the swim-up bar at the resort's restaurant. While free Wi-Fi and satellite TV come standard, a good book and poolside cocktail may be all you need. This service-oriented resort can also arrange adventure tours and fishing guides.

This casual, lusciously palm-shaded beach and oceanfront property has been going strong for more than 50 years and offers 17 private cottages, with a main dining clubhouse, lounge, and waterfront terrace and bar. It’s the historic and pioneering scuba-diving resort for the entire Atlantic and Caribbean and has a devoted following of divers, snorkelers, eco-adventurers, anglers, couples, and families. It’s even been listed as one of the official “1000 Places to See Before You Die” within the eponymous book. Small Hope is an all-inclusive experience with everything included, such as meals and drinks all day, beachside hot tub, Wi-Fi in the lounge, beach fitness equipment, Discover Scuba lessons, fishing tackle and bait, bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, and transport to the batik factory in town. The staff are very experienced, warm, and friendly. Room rates start at $325 during the low season and $385 during the high season.

The perfect balance of luxury and casual chic, without the megaresort feel, this eighteen-room resort on 300 feet of narrow beach is a mile north of George Town. Decor includes luxurious, dark colonial-style furniture and woven jute beds. Pillow-top queen- and king-size beds, 400-thread-count linens, feather-down comforters, stone floors, and marble baths with glass-enclosed rain showers and double-vanity sinks round out the opulence. French doors open onto private patios or balconies that overlook the pool and a gorgeous white-sand beach. Marvel at the lodge's tiered, stained-pine cathedral ceiling. Augusta Bay Restaurant serves authentic Bahamian dishes.

This 1899 landmark hotel is the social heart of Nassau; it's the setting for political meetings and events, and offers guest rooms with views of the harbor and old Nassau. The first colonial hotel, built by Standard Oil cofounder Henry Flagler, attracted socialites, royals, and industrialists at the turn of the 20th century and during the boom years of Prohibition. That building was destroyed by fire in 1921, and the present Mediterranean-style British Colonial—an exact replica—opened a year later, featuring a lustrous saffron facade, gleaming marble floors, and soaring arched ceilings. Those elements remain today, with modernized interiors dappled with stylish velvet and rattan furniture. The onsite dining options cater to your every need, whether it is a hearty poolside bite or a sophisticated dinner: The Mahogany Club, the hotel's flagship restaurant, offers a delightful mix of pan-European plates with Caribbean influences; the Woodes Rogers Tavern, a moody, high-ceilinged bar with dark walls and a glistening chandelier, is a popular gathering place; and the Sakana Noodle & Sushi Bar, a lively sushi bar using handmade noodles and fresh local fish for the perfect light bite. The fitness facility overlooks the garden, and though petite, gets the job done.

Sandwiched between one beach on the Atlantic and another calmer, sandy stretch on the bay are four spacious cottages—including three three-bedroom cottages and a two-bedroom cottage—and two villas, all with views of the water. Each has lovely rattan furniture and a modern kitchen with utensils. Conch Shell and Conch Pearl, the three-bedroom cottages, each have a master suite with a king-size bed and walk-in closet, washer and dryer, satellite TV, and a DVD player. Snorkeling and diving are excellent around the reef that protects the Atlantic beach. If you rent a boat—it's recommended—you can tie up at the property's bayside dock. 

The family-friendly Coral is at the heart of the Atlantis resort, giving you good access to all the top amenities—including the casino and Aquaventure—at a moderate price point. There's a pool just for guests of this tower that includes a swim-up bar; in the lobby is a kids' concierge desk to help kids and their parents plan their vacation days. Some of the top Atlantis restaurants are located in The Coral, and Marina Village is just steps away. Good-size rooms are decorated in a sophisticated beach theme. A $59-per-room daily resort fee includes Wi-Fi, reusable water bottles, and access to Aquaventure, the movie theater, and the fitness center, as well as shuttles throughout the sprawling property.

The old-world flavor of this Georgian colonial landmark—built in 1740 by ship captain John Howard Graysmith—has made it a perennial favorite among both the rich and the famous (past guests have included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis, and the Beatles). Al Capone stayed here in the Roaring Twenties when it was owned by his sweetie, Polly Leach, and Lord Mountbatten visited when Lord and Lady Dudley were the proprietors. It's easy to forget that you're steps from downtown Nassau when you stay here. Thick foliage envelops a series of garden villas and cottages, amid limestone courtyards with ponds, pools, and fountains. Rooms have been renovated, giving life to the plush upscale interiors. They each bear a Bahamian name for the road they overlook—Hibiscus, Yellowbird, and Baillou. For refined continental fare, the hotel's namesake restaurant is one of the island's premier places to dine. The hotel also operates cigar and chocolate factories on the grounds and a small shopping village across the street.

Sparse white walls and crisp white linens evoke a timeless, understated chic at The Landing, which is acclaimed as much for its singular style as for its superb cuisine. Each of its guest rooms is simply decorated in a colonial plantation style in the Captain's House, built in 1820, and the main house, built in 1800. Want a memorable harbor view? An antique telescope peers out of a lookout nook from the Attic Room, which also has a gleaming white bathroom complete with a sumptuous white chaise lounge. Soothe yourself in the garden's tranquil pool when you're beached out—and don't miss the sybaritic outdoor shower, cleverly designed around the roots of an ancient fig tree.

The first Exumas hotel and granddaddy of the island's omnipresent Peace & Plenty empire, this pink, two-story lodge is in the heart of the action in George Town. Rooms have private balconies overlooking the pool or ocean. There's no on-property beach, but its Beach Club on Stocking Island is a five-minute ferry shuttle away (free for guests). A poolside bar, named "Doc's" in honor of Lermon "Doc" Rolle, who held court at the poolside bar for over 40 years, offers an incredible view. The indoor bar attracts locals and a yachting crowd, especially during the National Family Island Regatta. Peace & Plenty also has five island cottages on Stocking Island for those who want to make Exuma their temporary home.

Pink Adirondack chairs on the dock welcome you to this colorful and casual resort situated on the bay side of the island. Guest rooms are in cottages with private patios, built on sloping grounds, each decorated in an upscale Caribbean design. Both restaurants at the resort are among the best on Harbour Island, serving delicious Bahamian fusion dishes. The resort also boasts what is perhaps the island's best sunset view, which you can enjoy while you're splashing around in the infinity pool or lounging in one of the cabanas on the small private beach. 

This Bahamian-owned 3,000-square-foot, five-bedroom house is completely off the grid, solar powered with a generator as backup. It boasts a large living and dining room space, full kitchen, wrap-around veranda, and three large decks for sunbathing, moon-gazing, and enjoying an almost 360-degree view of the ocean. The house is surrounded by gardens of fruit-bearing trees and flowering plants, and it's just a five-minute walk from a pristine beach. It sits on a 70-foot elevation and is at the end of a 3-mile unpaved road, so ask for 4WD at the car rental company. All that's needed for a time of supreme relaxation is grocery for self-catering, or ask Andrew, the owner, for help with ordering full meals prepared by an excellent cook. There is hot water, air-conditioning, laundry facilities, a hot tub, Wi-Fi, ceiling fans, and a collection of games. If you need anything else, Andrew lives on-property and is available to answer questions and make connections.

With the largest marina on Harbour Island, equipped with 51 slips capable of accommodating yachts up to 160 feet, this resort is ideal if you're a self-sufficient traveler or family that doesn't require many amenities but enjoys spacious condo-style rooms and water-focused activities. Each junior suite or one- and two-bedroom unit is well-appointed in a modern colonial style, with rich dark woods and plush beige sofas sharing space with sepia-toned photographs and plasma-screen TVs. Valentines draws a serious boating crowd with its dockside bar and complete dive shop. For the best marina views, request a room in the Andros building.