My 25 year old son and I just returned today from spending Spring Break at Paradise Cove Beach Resort on Grand Bahama Island. What a fabulous vacation!! If you want to truly "get away" from it all, this is the place to stay. Our house (new in 2007) was beautiful and directly on the beach. Our "lawn" included tall swaying coconut palm trees. The snorkeling really is fabulous on the outside of the reef; my son swam the entire length of the reef one afternoon following a sea turtle. The colors of the tropical fish are beyond belief. And we had just as much fun studying the tide pools at low tide for sea critters. This is NOT the place for you if you need a five star hotel and twelve restaurants and lots of shopping. Its out in the country! Its just two houses, and a small gift shop, bar and grill (best conch fritters on the island) and equipment rental shop. You have the place completely to yourself except between the hours of 10 AM and 6 PM when there are other snorkelers. I found nice conch shells washed ashore every morning. The owners are Robin and Barry Smith and they are SO NICE and pay attention to every detail. It is way laid back and so NON-American. The houses have full kitchens and are equipped for cooking. (Okay you won't find springform pans or chafing dishes but the basics are there) You'll want to stop in Eight Mile Rock for some groceries but be prepared for sticker shock. We went to City Market (big pink store on right hand side) but I later saw a Winn Dixie advertised there. Bring more cash than you usually do because some stores ( a little tiny place I stopped to buy beer) don't take credit cards, including the gas station we stopped at! (Gas was $4.59/gallon)
I can't say enough about what a great place this is; the snorkeling is the best spot on the island and the Smiths and staff help even the beginning snorkelers feel safe. There are big bright floats placed strategically out in the water which really helps you find your way back in easily. They also serve as a resting place. I want to go back tomorrow!!!!!!

We are a family of four, with two pre-teenage kids. While staying at the Westin Our Lucaya, we took a day trip to Paradise Cove, primarily for snorkeling. A friend had highly recommended it.

The day before we had done the 90 minute snorkeling tour directly from the Westin's beach. That was "just OK", so we were looking for a chance to see at least a bit more coral, etc., and not so much in the open ocean, especially as the wind had picked up a bit.

And - Eureka! For the same $35/adult that we paid at the Westin, we got the full day at PC, with transporation and lunch included.

The resort is family owned and operated, and you feel like part of their family while you are there.

I haven't snorkled much, but certainly it's the best I've ever experienced. As other reviewers point out, you just walk out from the beach into the protected reef. It is certainly the easiest combination of easy, safe access and good underwater scenery that we've ever experienced.

For our family it was just a perfect day. We highly recommend it for families who would like a change of pace from the Our Lucaya scene - especially if you enjoy snorkeling.

It is true, to call "Paradise Cove" a "resort" in the usual sense of the word is a stretch. However, if all of the reviews were read about this site, a person should have understood this. Grand Bahama Island is still recuperating from a series of devastating hurricanes from two years ago. Paradise Cove just recently opened in May '07 for any type of on-site accommodations. Only two units, out of the five that had been destroyed, have been rebuilt. We were one the first families to stay at the newly opened facilities. We were extremely happy with our two-day stay as it proved to be a unique experience.

Paradise Cove is a 20-minute drive, at least, from the airport. We arrived late in the evening and the worst part of our stay happened then. My husband was attacked by sand fleas. The strange thing is, he was the only one who was bitten out of our party of four and it was only that one evening.

We stayed in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom "villa" right on the beach! It was extremely clean and well-stocked with supplies, except food of course. It had a fully equipped kitchen, complete with microwave oven. Since it had just opened, everything was brand new. No one was in the other unit so until the Cove opened up to snorklers, so it was like our own private beach! It was really cool.

Food was a problem, as the only way to get food there is during the operating hours of the snorkling which was 10-6. Luckily, I had anticipated this and we had brought some basic food supplies. Since we didn't have a car, we did rely on the snack house for any prepared food. Although the menu was very limited, it was very tasty.

The snorkling was excellent, especially as you get farther out. The family who owns it is very nice and helpful. We will definitely stay here again and can't wait to go back.

This is ridiculous to say it's the #1 resort on the island. It's a place to go snorkeling with two rooms on stilts on the beach. We stayed at the Westin (absolutely fabulous stay) and drove to Paradise cove because we saw that it was rated #1 and figured on a rainy day we would drive and explore and have coffee at another resort. It was a long, slow drive, scenery was not nice and it's not a pretty beach even. there's a ramshackle snack bar, tiny gift shop but I heard the snorkeling was nice. Repeat,,,this is not a resort...even the road to the beach is not paved!!!!!