Just returned from PIBC with my husband and 2 mid-twenties sons. We were apprehensive about a few negative remarks we had read regarding this property. Although we did notice the "odor" upon arrival, it never bothered us again. We were disappointed that our room #38 had absolutely no view, but were pleased that it was spotlessly clean and nicely decorated. Our villa was conveniently situated for parking access, beach, office, exercise room and grocery mart. The little mart had a nice variety and wasn't any more expensive than other grocery stores on the island. A gallon of water at $1.50 a bottle was a bargain.

Our bed was quite comfortable, but our sons weren't especially thrilled with their twin beds. We did have a nice couch sectional that doubled as a sofabed, but didn't use the bed option as the TV was right there. The layout of the villa was attractive and functional. The kitchen was fully furnished. One minor gripe was not enough dishwasher detergent. (Bring along a couple of Electrasol tablets).

Our plane was delayed, so we missed the welcome cocktail hour. We didn't take the opportunity to eat or have happy hour on the property either. We rented a car and were constantly on the go! They have a buffet on Wednesday by the pool that we were planning on trying, but weren't in the mood for ribs & chicken (had it the night before.) We did visit their sister property for happy hour at Columbus Tavern. That was a very enjoyable bargain.

The beach was fantastic. You could walk to The Atlantis in less than half an hour. The Cloisters and One & Only Beach Club were a nice walk away too. We did rent a car, and were glad we did. Although PIBC had taxis and free transportation, it was too hot to do anyhing but ride around in an air conditioned rental car.

Internet access was $5 or free with purchase at Breezeway Cafe. DVD or CD players available for a fee. (Nice size TV with good reception.) Maid service only once a week was adequate. It would have been nice to have had bigger bath towels and a few extra rolls of TP, but any complaints we may have had are very minor. All-in-all we had a perfectly nice stay on a very peaceful, attractive property with a gorgeous beach. We considered ourselves very lucky!

We just left Paradise Island Beach Club last weekend and we were scared from the very beginning at the airport. The bathroom was nasty! Water all over the floor! No welcome island music of Bahamas, very dull appearance. Then the taxi ride, the vehicle we were told to get into to was falling apart! The roof inside was all torn and the sits were extremely dirty. My husband was very worried at this time about what the resort would like. The taxi ride was not like other reviews $30 one way. When we arrived to the resort we were shocked! The front desk area was sub-standard! Dull lighting and the chandelier lights three were out! When walked to the front desk the ladies at the desk were rude, no manners and no smiles! You would think that they would know how to greet new arriving visitors to the island- Absolutely not! We were assigned villa 16, which was close to the beach and to speak of the beach it was breath taking! Beautiful and the waters wonderful! That in my opinion was the best thing this resort had going for itself was the beach.

If you have children I would recommend this resort at all, there's nothing more to do than to sit on the beach. I had two teenagers with me and I really felt bad, but don't believe they enjoyed themselves.

They had market on the grounds and you had to be very careful, we brought bread from there and when we got back to our rooms the bread was molded. The eggs we brought 6 of 12 were broken. The staff working the market was not helpful and she also was rude, she didn't have it any better just sitting talking the guest money for stale products, never ever smiling.

The room was decorated in an old timeshare style, and the couches were filthy I didn't want to sit on them. The smell everyone keeps talking about was not noticeable from our villa thank God! But we are not PBIC timeshare owners but Hilton Grand vacation, and we shocked! I called the customer service area with Hilton immediately! To express my displeasure of these facilities, and to have them answer why RCI would recommend just a place to Hilton members? They apologized and tried to get us out of there but there was nothing else available, even all-inclusive. You can image now how we felt when we were willing to pay all-inclusive prices to get out of there. We were not happy. Plus we ended up paying all-inclusive prices in the end anyway. We were expecting a grand tie in the Bahamas, and we left there never wanting to return! And we won't!

Again thank God for the gorgeous view of the beach!

They do have a water taxi that takes you to the "straw market" at these odd times, but they weren't on time. Sometimes they would have you waiting for the taxi, and know one would show up. One day the maintenance guy drove us to the straw market in the employee van, he promised us that the water taxi would pick us, we were going to wait for the last taxi, so we could make sure we had everything we wanted to bring back to the US. Do you know the taxi never showed up, we waiting another hour, before we gave in and took a regular taxi back to the resort. And of course we got back after 6:00PM and everything was shut down, nobody left to complain to.

Food prices were crazy! We were a party of four and every meal was $100 at least, now that's just the meal, this didn't include the taxi ride to get there. It was crazy! You had to leave the resort get edible food, the restaurant at the pool was terrible, and it wasn't really island food but American. In the breezeway you could have breakfast, but they use to same food to make your meals we brought from the onsite- market. Remember that food was old. My recommendation is if you really want to go to the Bahamas, please stay somewhere else, where the staff knows how to treat vacationers and greet them politely. My husband kept saying they need to go to a customer service training class to learn how to treat their customers. Be mindful if you are not already a member of this timeshare resort industry; use your timeshare somewhere else! I've already complained to Hilton and RCI, not to recommend this resort to Hilton vacation owners, it doesn't meet their standards at all!

HILTON GRAND VACATION OWNERS BEWARE!

We got a great deal at the Paradise Island Harbour Marina for a one bedroom apartment overlooking the harbour. The room was fabulous but had no beach acess except for free admittance to the Paradise Island Beach Club which was across the street.
When we first arrived we couldnt find our hotel because it was completely obscured by the massive construction site hiding it. However, after going into and through the construction we found a pretty little resort with a very nice garden and pool area over looking a marina. The Columbus Restuarant is located on the grounds and the food is moderately priced for Paradise Island and is prepared by a chef who is well known and respected in the area.

The real probelm and the reason we will not return was the foul smell from the sewage plant at the resorts beach at Paradise Island Beach Club. We tried to go to the beach twice but the smell was so nauseating that we quickly left. We were lucky because we had rented a car and could easily go to another beach. On New Providence Island where Nassau is located which is just over the bridge, there are plenty of lovely little beaches along the coast where the locals go and which are trully beautiful and AWAY from sewage.

All in all our vacation was very nice, touring the forts, the Queens Staircase and Cable Beach would not have been possible without a car. It was well worth the rental cost when you add up all those taxi fares!

There are many hotels in Nassau, Paradise Island and Cable Beach. If we were to return to the Bahamas we would find a hotel elsewhere away from the Atlantis Sewage Plant.

This is not a hotel but a timeshare property. It is possible to rent a week from a timeshare owner off of the internet and well worth your effort to do so. Although the property is not new it has been and is being well maintained. The property is on Cabbage Beach which has been rated in several travel magazines as one of the world's best and least crowded. Our family makes the trip from Texas every year and have never been disappointed. Stop by and check it out the next time you are on Paradise Island. You'll be glad you did.

Disclaimer: I am an owner of a week here at PIBC but I am not part of management. My week is NOT for sale.