9 Best Family Resorts in the Bahamas

A red-and-white-striped lighthouse rises up at the Hotel Grand Lucayan, an all-inclusive resort on Grand Bahama Island that offers family fun on the beach, tennis, golf and a 25,000-square-foot oceanfront spa and fitness center.

In the resort’s Lighthouse Pointe building, guest rooms let the sun shine in with private balconies and views of the ocean, the marina or the island. When stomachs start to grumble, chow down with the gang on pizza at Grand Lucayan’s Pizzeria Capri, or nosh on conch fritters at the resort’s Waves Bar and Grill. Hotel Grand Lucayan’s movie nights mean classic, family-friendly flicks by the pool.

When it’s time for a little me time, unwind at Senses Spa, choosing from treatments made with tropical ingredients like rum, lime, spices and seaweed. Or enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbly at Sunday brunch with Champagne.

Your family will be spoiled for choice at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, a sprawling oceanfront resort with six pools, water sports, tennis and golf and a wildlife sanctuary. Guest rooms evoke the ocean, decorated in deep-blue hues, while suites have aquamarine accents.

Everyone’s palate is sure to be pleased at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, with more than 30 choices for dining, ranging from global haute cuisine to fun food truck eats. The kids will love nachos from El Jefe or hot dogs from Sandy Dog—both eateries are housed in ultra-cool Airstream trailers.

When date night calls, drop the kids off at one of Baha Mar’s evening sessions for children where they can enjoy hours of fun activities including scavenger hunts, movies or games. If they want to get creative, they can try their hand at arts and crafts or dabble in glitter face painting.

Grownups can make their way to Jazz Bar for live jazz and specialty cocktails. Sip the Cloud 9, made with just picked soursop, gin and homemade syrup, while a pianist tickles the ivories.

Don your best resort duds and book a table at Shuang Ba, for a dinner that skillfully blends traditional Chinese cuisine with modern influences and makes exquisite use of fresh local seafood. You can choose from appetizers like the piquant conch salad with celery, sesame oil and Thai chilli and main courses including steamed scallops with black bean sauce and crystal noodles.

The Reef at Atlantis is sleek pink high-rise resort overlooking the blue-green sea vistas stretching out from the white sand beach, and it’s close to Dolphin Cay for when the gang wants to venture out for animal adventures.

Make this non-smoking hotel your base to check out Atlantis Paradise Island’s open-air marine habitat, home to more 50,000 denizens of the deep, including barracuda, sharks and rays that have the run of 14 different themed lagoons.

Residences at the Reef have kitchenettes or kitchens for a cozy feeling of home, albeit one with ocean views from terraces or balconies. Family suites at the Reef at Atlantis can accommodate up to eight people, so you can bring the grandparents too.

Channel your inner Captain Jack Sparrow or Anne Bonney in swashbuckler style at the Reef’s microbrewery, Pirate Republic. When your carnivore cravings kick in, make a beeline for Seafire Steakhouse for dishes like coriander crusted beef carpaccio, prime cuts or red wine braised short ribs.

Teens (who have been known to appreciate the chance to get away from the folks) can even pop over to the Coral at Atlantis to experience Atlantis’ kids-only nightclub, Crush. It features 14,000 square feet of games, including the latest Xbox and PlayStation. Teens can grab snacks at the concession stand and dance while a live DJ spins.

A sleek modern resort designed by star architect Jeffrey Beers, The Cove at Atlantis is a study in understated elegance and seaside chic, with something to please everyone in the family. Guest rooms have warm earth tones, beach-y pastel accents, floor-to-ceiling windows and French balconies for taking in the ocean views.

Although the Cove’s 9,000-square-foot pool, Cain at the Cove is adults-only (guests must be 16 and older), families are welcome at the resort and can enjoy the Reef’s Cascade pool, just next door. The Cove is also close to Aquaventure Water Park, where the gang can spend hours splashing in pools and on rides and slides.

There’s plenty of family-friendly food, like burgers, conch chili cheese dogs and lobster quesadillas at the Cove’s Sip Sip Café, where children under 18 can sup when they’re with adults. After dinner, grownups can roll the dice at Atlantis Casino and take in a little art too as the casino is decorated with colorful, sparkling glass sculptures by the artist Dale Chihuly.

If you’ve ever wondered what the Lost City of Atlantis would look like reimagined as a luxury resort, The Royal at Atlantis sparks the imagination, evoking palaces of Neptune or Aquaman, with activities to match the theme.

Here you can immerse your family in the Atlantis fantasy with real-life excursions. Head out for snorkel trips where the crew can learn about marine life and coral reefs while they snorkel among the cool artifacts of the Ruins Lagoon, surrounded by colorful fish. You’ll find the open-air marine habitat handily located in the middle of the Royal at Atlantis.

If you want to splash out like the Royal Family, book the 10-room 17^th-floor Royal Bridge Suite, complete with two entertainment centers, a grand piano, butler service and 12-foot ceilings. You can go from Neptune to Midas in one fell swoop—there are water views throughout the Royal Bridge suite and a 22-karat gold chandelier in the dining room.

Hotel Marley Resort and Spa is a cool oceanfront boutique hotel housed in the former vacation home of the late superstar Bob Marley and his family, complete with a reggae theme and a restaurant and spa with local flair. It’s decked out with rich Afro-Caribbean décor, with designs chosen by Rita Marley, Marley’s wife.

Choose from themed suites or snag the Marley Beach House, with six bedrooms and an infinity pool. Introduce the kids to the music and life of this legend as they pore over the memorabilia at the resort’s Bob Marley Music Gallery. Mellow out to the sounds of waves lapping the beach at one of the resort’s two ocean-side pools.

Head for the resort’s Natural Mystic Spa for tranquility-inducing treatments with African, Asian and Caribbean influences. Then tuck into gourmet Caribbean cuisine dished up by award-winning chefs at open-air restaurant Simmer Down. In the words of Marley, “People get ready!”

The pastel pink, blue and yellow hues of Atlantis Harborside Resort‘s villas offer a cheery welcome to families ready to settle in and have some serious fun, enjoying everything from making their own jewelry to supping on celebrity chef cuisine. Master suites in three-bedroom deluxe villas have whirlpool tubs, so you can unwind in the privacy of your own space. Villas have full kitchens, so you can whip up your family’s favorites when you’d rather eat in.

But you shouldn’t miss the chance for some top-notch cuisine. Atlantis’ fine dining restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs include Fish by Chef Jose Andres and Nobu by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

Fresh Bahamian seafood is the star at Fish, where you can tuck into dishes such as Jose’s mini lobster roll. Nobu is Mecca for sushi lovers of all ages, and also serves other Japanese-inspired dishes like blue fin toro tartar with caviar and King Crab tempura with amasu ponzu.

Have budding artists in your brood? Get creative with the kids at Atlantis’ Earth and Fire Pottery Studio, where you and your crew can paint your own pottery and make items with art glass, including your own jewelry.

Feel like locals happily arriving home when you and your crew check into Grand Isle Resort and Spa’s villas designed in charming West Indies style, with easy access to activities that ensure family fun.

Want to swim with the pigs? This family-friendly resort on Exhuma’s Emerald Bay can make it happen. And Grand Isle’s Hummingbird Hut is kid-central, with children’s activities like boogie boarding and treasure hunts for the little ones to choose from.

The local ocean waters provide the ingredients for treatments at the resort’s Seastar Spa, from sea water-infused Thalassotherapy, to algae scrubs and seaweed facials. Or hit the greens with a few rounds at the Greg Norman-designed Emerald Reef Golf Club, the Caribbean’s longest golf course.

Grand Isle Resort and Spa knows that busy families need to fuel their fun with delectable eats. Dig into the delightfully spiced Asian-Bahamian cuisine at 23 Degrees North Beach Club. Take your palate on a world tour when you choose from dishes like local Exuma grouper with red curry, sweet potato, bass and coconut cream and Korean spice lamb chops with green asparagus and Neri Goma sauce.

At the Coral at Atlantis, Bahamian ice cream is just one of the bonuses that beckons you and your brood, along with its poolside cabanas and proximity to popular aquatic and marine life attractions.

Don’t miss the resort’s popular ice cream parlor, Sun & Ice for a tasty, colorful scoop or two of gelato, ice cream or sorbet. The creation of Bahamian chef Wayne Moncur, the frozen treats are made with local ingredients including spices, fruits and herbs. You and your gang will flip over flavors like guava, hibiscus and pina colada, and milk chocolate chip and goat pepper.

The Coral’s guest rooms are bright and airy, decorated in coral and neutral tones with modern furnishings, balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows to let the sunshine in. When you’re ready to hit the pool, book one of the Coral’s private poolside cabanas for the gang, complete with refrigerators and food and drink service.

The Coral is an ideal base from which to explore family attractions like Aquaventure Water Park. The park’s 141 acres of family fun include 11 swimming pools, water slides, river rides and a water-play fort for kids.

Also nearby is Dolphin Cay marine mammal habitat, home to sea lions and dolphins rescued after Hurricane Katrina. It’s a heartwarming destination where kids can learn about and interact with marine life.