1. Travel

Discuss in my forum

Grand Lucayan Bahamas Resort

About.com Rating 4 Star Rating
User Rating 2 Star Rating (1 Review) Write a review

By , About.com Guide

Grand Lucayan Bahamas Resort

China Beach restaurant and pool

© Starwood Resorts

The Bottom Line

This big Grand Bahama Island resort offers a range of accommodations and prices in a beautiful island beachfront locale that's just 55 miles from Florida and can be reached by boat as well as air.
<!--#echo encoding="none" var="lcp" -->

Pros

  • Lots to do at resort, day or night
  • Grand Slam tennis facility is unique and cool
  • Cheap eats and shops right across the street for the budget-minded
  • Nice selection of excursions
  • Prop Club nightclub draws locals as well as tourists

Cons

  • Freeport air service a bit lacking
  • Casino action sometimes slack
  • Lots of kids under foot; not necessarily a romantic setting
  • Large resort fills most of 7.5 acre property, so privacy is at a premium

Description

  • Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas
  • Phone: 800-395-7046 or 242-373-1333
  • Rates: Room-only, $110 to $450 nightly. All-inclusive rates also available
  • Dining: Steakhouse, Asian, Latin, international buffet; about a dozen eateries total
  • Spa: 2,000-square-foot spa on site
  • Other Amenities: Golf, tennis, nightclub, casino, pools, beach, water sports, Kid's Club
  • Rooms: 1200-plus

Guide Review - Grand Lucayan Bahamas Resort

The Radisson Grand Lucayan Resort (formerly a Westin and Sheraton property) on Grand Bahama Island falls a bit short on appreciation among Caribbean travelers. Not only is this one of the most complete resorts in the region, it’s also close to the U.S., reasonably priced, and offers a degree of familiarity and reliability thanks to its participation in the Radisson family of resorts.

The resort buildings stand side-by-side on a stretch of sandy beach on the north coast of Grand Bahama Island, close enough to the main town of Freeport for an easy daytrip but far enough away to ensure a sense of isolation. Guests have access to such amenities as a casino, golf, spa, three pools, a unique tennis center featuring the surfaces of all four Grand Slam events, a kids club, multiple restaurants, and the Prop Club disco.

You could stay on the resort property and never get bored, but one nice feature of the Grand Lucayan is that there’s a marina and entertainment complex (the Port Lucaya Marketplace) right across the street. Guests can take a quick walk to dine at fine restaurants or fast-food joints, drink at an open-air bar next to a stage where junkanoo dancers and bands perform, or shop at a scaled-down version of Nassau’s famous straw market.

Grand Bahama Island also is far less developed than Nassau’s New Providence Island, so you won’t be battling traffic when you want to do some touring. Among the excursions available from the hotel are exploration of a unique cave filled with crystal-clear water in Lucayan National Park, a kayak paddle through a mangrove preserve, and a lunch outing to a vast deserted beach that’s ideal for a romantic afternoon for two.

<!--#echo encoding="none" var="lcp" -->

User Reviews

 2 out of 5
Very Limiting, Member tlcamerica

Our first stay at this resort when it was under the Sheraton management in 2007. It was all-inclusive and the our room on the Sheraton property overlooked the back of the hotel. We received a much appreciated upgrade to a front of the hotel ocean view at no charge. Very nice . The restaurants, Iries, Churchill’s Chop House & Bar & China Beach are great restaurants, especially the very upscale Churchills. Don't dress like you are just coming off the boat, this is fine dining. Iries has an outside enclosed patio. It is a must for a romantic dinner. The other restaurants are just run of the mill and the prop club looked like it was something from the 1960's, a definite overall upgrade needed to this run down look. The all-inclusive package allowed you to go on both properties, the Sheraton or the Westin. There are swimming pools everywhere. If one seems crowded, you just walk over to the Westin and enjoy a more secluded pool. It is seamless, you would think you are on one large resort. Now for the really bad news. The Radisson bought out the Sheraton and now they are limiting the all inclusive to just Iries. No Churchills Steak House or China Beach. Iries is great restaurant. make no mistake about it but without the other restaurants that are on the Westin property it is not worth the going rate of $1250 per person for a 7 night stay with an oceanview for just the hotel no airfare. Airfare is the least expensive of the ""package"" its just the all-inclusive that defeats the purpose of getting an all-inclusive with one nice restaurant. The others are just for breakfast, a burger and drinks, which the walk around waiters will get you when you sit by the pool. I noticed a lot of complaining from those who didn't do the all-inclusive because of the crazy prices at the restaurants. Wine with your meal, by the glass only, dinner and desert will run you over $250 at Churchills. Very, very pricey. Hotel pricing for dinner at its best. Would I go back? No, not until they add Churchills Steak House. China Beach is chinese food, nice atmosphere but Churchills & Iries is what makes the trip worth the $1250 per person. This is hotel rates as of August 2009 at resortvacationstogo.com. Even if you stayed at a $200 a night hotel or $1400, you would be ahead of the curve by being able to choose your restaurants with $1100 to spend during your week vacation.

Write a review

35 out of 37 people found this helpful.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.