Baha Mar Review With A Baby

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of UPPAbaby. The opinions and text are all mine.

Sean, Penelope and I took our first vacation to Baha Mar in the Bahamas when she was just 3 months old! We were so nervous but decided “we’re DOING IT!”.

Sean and I both agree it is one of our favorite vacations EVER. We loved it so much we wanted to book a room for next year before we even left!

Initially, we wanted it to be just the three of us. But after booking our flights, we decided to ask my parents to go with us. Best decision of our lives basically!

Baha Mar is very popular vacation spot right now. We have several friends who have gone too! Not to mention the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills made an appearance on the show. So naturally, we had to go too 😉

When you become parents for the first time, a big topic of discussion is traveling with a baby. It’s like….how do you even do it. Surviving at home is hard enough!

So if you fall in this category and deciding where to go, below is…

• a recap of our trip
• why we chose the Baha Mar
• restaurant recommendations and
• how to travel with a 3 month old

All in all, traveling with a baby is like ripping off a bandaid. It’s also the gift that keeps on giving. Do it once and you feel like you can do anything with your baby.

Why The Baha Mar With A Baby

The main draw for us was the 3 hour direct flight from Chicago to the Bahamas.

You also never have to leave the resort because there’s so much to do. Baha Mar is insanely gorgeous, and made up of three different hotels {the Grand Hyatt, the SLS and Rosewood}. All three hotels share the same grounds (there are a few areas that are exclusive to Rosewood and SLS guests) and there’s something for EVERYONE.

The Grand Hyatt (where we stayed) is known to be family friendly which was the best option for us. The SLS is very cool and clubby. It’s perfect for a bachelorette party or a couples trip. And the Rosewood is a five star, luxury hotel. Michael Jordan’s son got married here while we were there and Teresa Guidice was vacationing there during our stay too.

There are a million pools on the property (we tried going to a different one every day!), a casino, tennis, bocce ball, croquet, shopping, a spa, everything from high end restaurants to casual food trucks and the list goes on…

Oh and the beaches and weather are heaven on EARTH!

Travel Tips To Baha Mar With a Baby

Here are my best tips specifically for the Baha Mar. I list my “general traveling” tips further down!

Make dinner reservations at least a month in advance. The restaurants fill up FAST. So book these ASAP on Open Table.  The last thing you want is to be waiting for a table with a baby past his/her bedtime. I included my favorite spots below. We made early reservations around 6 PM. Given the resort is family friendly, you’re in great company with other parents at this time. We even went to some of the nicer restaurants early on with Penelope and it was fine!

Ask for a room with a full size balcony {versus a small Juliette balcony}. So this never occurred to us as new parents! When your baby goes down at 7 PM and you’re all staying in one room, there’s no where to go! You’re left sitting in the dark whispering because who wants to go to bed at 7? With the larger balcony, you have an extra space to go and can talk freely once your baby is sleeping.  We unfortunately did NOT do this so learn from our mistake!

Penelope slept in the bathroom in her UPPAbaby Bassinet. This was the best setup so Sean and I could hang out {quietly} in the room. As you guys know, I’m a huge advocate of the UPPABaby VISTA. All the parts work together as a system. Priceless when traveling. The Bassinet attachment of the  VISTA Stroller is KEY because of it’s double duty.

Penelope slept wonderfully in it every night, plus naps on the go. It’s  safe for overnight sleep, so we didn’t need to bring a crib or another bassinet in addition to a stroller. Makes traveling lighter and easier! I swear all that fresh ocean air knocks these babies out!

Reserve Transportation With a Car Seat. Something to consider. We hired a car company with a car seat to take us to and from the airport. Since there were five of us, it was the same price as getting two taxies. Plus we didn’t have to travel with a car seat. Worth it!

Stop at the grocery store. On our way to the hotel, we picked up wine, bottled water and some snacks to have on hand. I get SO hungry and thirsty nursing. We brought wine down to the beach one night too!

Bring a regular sized stroller. EVERY family I swear had an UPPAbaby stroller. But regardless of what brand you have, bring your full size stroller (versus a travel or smaller one). The grounds, hallways and doors are VERY wide and spacious and incredibly accommodating for strollers.Penelope napped and played in her basinette attached to the stroller at the pool, restaurants and during walks. Laying on her back with the ability to kick freely kept her well entertained. We’d even change her diaper in it by slipping a changing pad underneath her.  It’s also convenient because you can load all YOUR stuff in the bottom!

Nursing. I personally prefer to be a little discrete when nursing in public (that’s just me!). There are so many chairs and nooks throughout the resort, so you can tuck away but still be in the action. Versus going all the way up to your room. I found it surprisingly easy as a new mom! At the pool I would use a towel to cover up. We’d try to get lounge chairs in the back or under an umbrella for a little extra privacy. At night I’d bring my favorite muslin blanket and it was totally fine at restaurants.

Ask For a Fridge. If you’re pumping, you can store milk in your room. This was key for Sean and I’s big night out. The Baha Mar gladly accommodated us.

Complimentary sunscreen, water and towels. The less you have to pack the better right? You probably want to bring sunscreen for your baby but no need to bring it for yourself! They have FREE Sun Bum sunscreen, towels and water at every pool.

Restaurant Recommendations

I did extensive research and feel like we nailed everywhere we went! As mentioned, BE SURE to make reservations on OpenTable at least a month in advance. Side Note: Some places take reservations and some don’t.

Café Madeleine

This place is adorable! It’s the best coffee and breakfast spot on the resort, so get here EARLY! The coffee is SO GOOD and I highly recommend their avocado toast. We stopped here for gelato one night too 🙂

Food Trucks

One of our favorite nights! We brought down a bottle of wine down and ate by the beach! Everyone chose which food truck they wanted and posted up at one of the many tables. HIGHLY recommend the tacos at El Jefe. SO. YUM! 

Afterwards, walk down to the end of the pier for a front row view of the ocean sunset!

Cleo

All the reviews I read consistently said this is one of the best dinner spots on the resort. It’s part of the SLS hotel. 100% get the hummus and naan to start. And the Brussel sprouts are out of this world! We sat outside on their patio, which made it convenient with the stroller.

Sky Bar

Worth a stop for a pre or after dinner drink! Rooftop bar that overlooks the ocean. Adults only. Sorry baby!

Costa

This restaurant is in the Rosewood and the most beautiful restaurant on the property! I’m talking open-air cabanas overlooking lush gardens and pools filled with koy fish. So be sure to get a reservation here. My parents had a date night here (before they watched Penelope for us) and LOVED it. Next time hopefully Sean and I can go here!

Manor Bar

Go here for a night cap if you have someone to watch your kiddos! It reminded us of the Ralph Lauren Polo Lounge and they make craft cocktails. Adults only. 

Golf Course For Lunch

This may be the best kept secret! If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the resort, take the complimentary shuttle to the golf course for lunch. We essentially had the whole place to ourselves and the food is DELICIOUS. No one thinks to go here and given it’s a Jack Nicklaus course, the view is almost as great as the ocean.

 

H2O & Out Island Bar

For lunch and pool drinks we loved the restaurants at the pool. We ate here almost every day. The drinks are awesome and all made to order. The swim up bar is a must if you have an extra set of hands to watch baby.

Baby Travel Tips

A few extra “general” tips for traveling with a baby no matter where you vacation.

Bring your parents. I get this isn’t feasible for everyone. But if you can and they’re willing, DO IT. Sean and I got to sneak away to the ocean for thirty minutes by ourselves and go to the swim up bar. My parents even gave us a date night! It was perfect because we had access to so many restaurants, bars and the casino. And Penelope was just a hop skip and jump away if we were needed.

Just having the extra hands to change a few diapers, help out when she’s fussing or hold her while you eat…it goes a LONG way. Sean and I actually got to enjoy each other versus it all being about Penelope. With that being said, if my parents couldn’t have gone with us, we would HANDS DOWN still have gone and had a GREAT time.

If you have an UPPAbaby VISTA stroller, get the UPPAbaby VISTA Travel Bag. It’s $130 but the real value is in the warranty. If your stroller is damaged by any airline, UPPAbaby will send you a brand new one! I purchased ours from Buy Buy Baby right before leaving because it’s a no brainer. Just be sure to register it. Takes five minutes tops.

All baby stuff is FREE for flights. SAVE MONEY by capitalizing on this space! Car seat. Stroller. Etc. all flies FREE! We maximized our stuff by stashing diapers {and whatever we could} inside UPPAbaby VISTA Travel Bag. This helped us avoid fees for our luggage being overweight and bringing less bags. I packed my stuff and Penelope’s stuff in one large suitcase, while Sean brought a carry on.

Flying with a baby. Everyone told us to nurse or give Penelope a bottle before take off and landing. This helps with popping their ears! I also spoke with a pharmacist who recommended giving her Tylenol to help them with any pain. I gave it to Penelope as soon as we settled in our seats. Obviously talk to your doctor about this but it worked great for us.

Muslin blankets. They’re light, airy and big. Great for naps, nursing, swaddling, covering up her VISTA Bassinet while she was sleeping, etc. Since it’s hot you want something light. Used ours constantly.

If your baby cries on the plane. Don’t let your fear of a crying baby prevent you from making memories! I was given the below advice and it REALLY resonated with me:

It’s all about YOUR mindset. Nothing to do with your baby.

Your baby will cry if they want to and there’s not much you can do to prevent it. Just deal with it the best you can and REMEMBER: you’ll never see these people again. Refreshing right?

Penelope cried for five minutes on our way to the Bahamas. My mom grabbed her and walked her to the back of the plane. She stopped immediately! On our way home we got a good ten minutes of wailing. We were CRINGING but it sounds worse to you (the parents) then probably others.

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I hope these tips help you feel a little more confident if you’re debating if you should go somewhere or if you have a trip coming up! Feel free to DM me with any questions on Instagram. I totally get it how daughting it feels never having done it before! Remember: JUST DO IT!!!