This place has all the makings of a great resort -- comfortable, functional well appointed rooms, lots of space and peace, friendly staff. Unfortunately there were alot of minuses that would be straightforward to address to make this place better.
1. The breakfast service at Dockside Grill was TERRIBLE. By the time we got our coffee, we had finished our breakfast. And you couldn't ever find anyone to ask. The waiters would disappear in the kitchen and never come out. I saw people wait to have their order taken, and get up and leave after waiting too long.
2. Despite what you read, there are no snorkel trails. I realize that unfortunately hurricanes destroyed the reefs, but the resort should stop advertising snorkel trails and maps.
3. Don't expect very much in the town of West End. It is a quaint, peaceful fishing village but limited services. You need a car to get to the nearest town.
4. The women at the Tiki bar could be alot friendlier.
It would not be worth it to go back.

I finally have a chance to review this resort. I attempted before but had so many negative comments to write about that I didnt finish. My husband and I decided to try our first trip to The Bahamas. The pictures online of this place look incredible. When we arrived at the airport we were picked up and driven to the resort. The resort is about 20+ miles from the airport. As we were driving to the resort there we drove through miles and miles of poverty stricken towns. I guess its kinda hard to start a relaxing trip when you drive miles and miles through houses that are built out of what they could find laying on the ground. That was the beginning of a long trip at Old Bahama Bay. When we arrived to our rooms we were impressed with the rooms. The rooms are the best part of staying here as you have a balcony that overlooks the ocean, huge jet jacuzzi tub, marble, etc. The rooms are great! We decided to go to the properties 'store' to get stuff to nibble on since we were so hungry from a long flight. When we went to the store we were shocked by the lack of items to choose from. I think they had some chips, bread, and cookies. I guess we were thinking the store would like like a mini mart not a store that was going out of business. The weather was so windy we spent the next 4 days in our room and working out. When we got a nice sunny day we were shocked by a couple HUGE problems. The first thing we ran into is that the resort has a severe problem with no see-um bugs. My husband and I laid out by the pool and were attacked by these little bugs every few seconds. I actually read my book from in the pool so I would stop getting attacked by the bugs. I guess they come out when the wind stops and the sun is shining. We were told by the resort to use the bug spray in our room. Well, who wants to add sunblock and then add some bug spray to then get attacked by the minute by these small black bugs. They were horrible. We finally left the VERY SMALL pool to go back to our room. As we changed clothes we noticed that we had red bumps all over our body and they itch so bad. We went to the store where we did noticed they carried a cream to stop the itching. The next day we decided to hang out in the ocean thinking the bugs would not be over there. We met another couple who actually had to go to the island's doc to get a cortizone shot for his severe case of no see-um bug bites. They were staying 4 nights and said that was way too long to stay at this resort. The more we spoke with them the more we realized how bad the bugs and terrible service by the pool was. When we placed an order for drinks and food at the pool we quickly realized that the people behind the bar did not like 'us tourist' and that we would not be served our drink or food by the pool. We would need to go get it ourselves! We thought with spending $250+ a night that the service would be much better. And, its not like there was a ton of people at the pool that they were so busy. They just didnt want to happily serve guests staying there. We heard a rumor from another employee there that they have had problems in the past with customer service and had to shut down the resort. The restaurants are okay. The food service is SO SLOW. The first night I went to eat at the restaurants they were out of a main entree, second night I tried ordering something different and they were out of what I ordered again. The restaurant was not that full that our food service could have been quicker. Then one morning we ordered the banana loaf (which was on the menu) and when we got back to the room they had charged us over $35 for the load of bread!!! We were shocked. My husband and I worked out twice a day because we were so bored from lack of activities to keep us busy. We did all we could in the room each day to keep us busy. And, you didnt want to ride your bikes into town because fear of the locals wanting to beat you up! After 5 nights my husband was ready to go home. We checked out early and headed back to Florida where the food and customer service is much better. Even better we didnt get eaten alive by these no see-um bugs. The hotel did refund us for the days we didnt end up staying which was very nice. When we arrived in Florida our entire bodies were covered in red bug bites. They itched just like poison oak and was hard to sleep for the next few nites because of the bites. The rooms were exceptional at this resort. But, you could only eat at the two restaurants which were always out of main items. There wasnt a lot of stuff to do here. There is no internet access in the room either. No newspaper delivered to your door. No spa room to hang out in. When we got home we actually had lost weight from working out so much in there work out room. Usually, you gain weight on vacation not loose. We did venture into town one day ($80 to rent a car for the day) and the town was also very poor and desolate. Save your money and go somewhere else. Too many other excellent choices to choose from to be here.

We booked three nights in this hotel after reading some good reviews in magazines. It is also part of the small luxury hotels chain.

Disappointed. Although the Hotel premises are resonably well maintained, the hotel is surrounded by a massive construction site. You can hear trucks and cranes in operation during the stay. Apparently, the same owners are building a massive development in the vicinity. It is to be called Ginn-sur-Mer, awful project. This should have been flagged in both the SLH website and in last minute. Neither site explains that there are constructions going on.

If the wind blows in the wrong direction you will get a lot of dirt blown in your direction. They were in the landfill stage, with lots of movement of dirt from one place to another. Our arrival was increadibly daunting as we saw that the hotel was set in the middle of that mess.

On top of it all, Grand Bahama island was fiercely hit by hurricanes in 2004 and 2005. The coral life was ruined. So were the trees and the island seems deserted. Nearby villages dilapidated.

Service was mediocre. With a nice welcome but then the service in the restaurants was slow and unattentive despite the ratio of 8 waiters to 2 customers at the time we were there. Room service was bad.

If, like us, you prefer to have breakfast in a restaurant that is not infested with flies then the main restaurant of this hotel will not accomodate your requirements. I just cannot believe that a hotel of this nature cannot be bothered to address such a common, yet unforgivable problem.

The rooms are spacious and nicely decorated. The beach is disappointing for Caribbean standards.

Having stayed at many hotels of the SLH and the luxury hotels of the world I can say with confidence that this was the worse experience ever. Not comparable to other 5 star hotels. If there is a place where you will NOT get value for money, it is at Old Bahama Bay.

My husband, teenage son, and three of his high school senior buddies enjoyed a fabulous Spring Break trip to Old Bahama Bay the first week of April. We stayed on a boat docked at the gorgeous marina which gave us access to all of the resort amenities and it was, by far, one of the nicest trips we have ever enjoyed. OBB is absolutely lovely...beautifully landscaped with manicured lawns and abundant flowering shrubs and trees. The beach is "groomed " every morning and the emerald green water is breath-taking. The complimentary bikes, fitness center, and water activities (esp. Hobie Cats and snorkeling) ensured plenty of activity for the boys when they were not just enjoying the pool and beach or playing beach volleyball. My husband and I loved the comfy chairs by the pool, getting to know boaters from near and far, the funky beachfront bar, and the ability to relax and let the teens find their own fun in a safe environment. The service was exceptional and we felt pampered and welcomed from the moment our driver Kelly met us at the airport til the time we (sadly!) had to check out and return home from paradise! We especially enjoyed a bike ride to lunch at Coffee by the Bay in the nearby town of West End...admittedly not a garden spot by US standards, perhaps, but chock full of very friendly people, great cracked conch, and a memorable look at a local fishing village. The bakery down the road offered a yummy bread pudding! Go to Freeport if you want activity and crowds (which we enjoyed for one day of our trip) but book Old Bahama Bay if you want to unwind and get away from it all but still have all the creature comforts you could imagine! Highly recommend the Yellow Bird at the bar!