After reading reviews on Tripadvisor, we were surprised when our first encounter at check-in was with a rude lady at the front desk. She briskly ran through a large amount of important information (such as when the where breakfast was, the shuttle schedule to Taino beach, rules for use of the beach at the Westin) and when we asked her to repeat a few things she scoffed and was annoyed to do it.
Breakfast technically ran until 10:30 and we usually showed up at 9:30 and they were already low on food. One morning they even ran out of milk!
The maid service was also sub-par. One day only half of our towels were replaced and the robes weren't picked up off the floor. We also ran out of toilet paper twice.
Despite these problems the location was great, 2 minutes away from the Lucaya marketplace and across the street from the Westin. The shuttle-boat to Taino beach was easy, and the rest of the staff was very nice.
I would say for this hotel it's decent for the price but if you want a full-amenities, fancy hotel go with the Westin.

My brother and I stayed at this hotel for one week in December for a quick diving trip. The weather wasn't great for a few days so we spent more time than we anticipated at the hotel. We had reserved for a mid-range room but were upgraded upon check-in to a suite, which was a nice surprise. Front desk staff was friendly and helpful.

The suite was clean if a bit dated. The plumbing was terrible, with a waterfall-type fixture spraying water everywhere. This was especially annoying as we had to take at least two showers daily to wash off the salt water after diving. The constant replenishment of fresh towels to the room was impressive and despite our frequent showering, we never wanted for dry towels.

The air conditioning was excellent until it malfunctioned one night and leaked water all over the floor. This was dealt with promptly, however, and only proved a minor annoyance.

We only ate breakfast at the hotel as so many previous reviewers had mentioned that food was much cheaper nearby. The complimentary breakfast was below average in terms of selection and quality.

The wait staff might as well be absent. They cluster behind the bars and gossip, seemingly oblivious of the guests. If you're sitting by the pool or the hot tub, you'll wait in vain for someone to come and ask if you want a drink. You have to get up and walk over to the bar, get someone's attention and order. Then you have to wait for them to prepare the drink as they won't come and bring it to you. Similarly, if you're at the buffet breakfast and a plate is empty, the three staff responsible for keeping the buffet stocked have to be interrupted from their chattering before they'll refill it. Tips are included, which probably explains the general lassitude of the wait staff.

There is no beach at this hotel. You have to walk across the street and use the beach at another hotel (the Sheraton or Westin) and you can't use their pools or other facilities. The beach itself is very nice.

The location is very convenient for divers as the UNEXSO dive shop is on the premises, though it is pricier than the other shops around the island. The difference is worth it simply for not having to lug your gear a great distance or having to take a shuttle. The shop's boats leave for the dive sites from directly behind the hotel.

I had heard that the reef at Cozumel had suffered terribly during a recent hurricane so booked Grand Bahama instead. Unfortunately, the reef there wasn't much better. The dolphin dive was fantastic and we sighted plenty of sharks so this offset the letdown.

There are two other hotels nearby - the Westin and the Sheraton. They front the beach and seem much nicer though their rates didn't seem appreciably higher. If we go again we will book with either of them rather than the Pelican Bay.

Pelican Bay is a civilized oasis in the midst of the spring break madness that seems to grip any warm water/sunny destination for Americans. First and foremost, the staff is kind, caring and involved in making your stay as comfortable and pleasant as possible. From Stanley Wilson the head bellman to Karen at the front desk, they have it under control and always have a thoughtful, kind word.

The property links up to the inner marina and has a boardwalk to the Lucaya market and its variety of awful to pretty darn good restaurants.

The suites are spacious and comfortably appointed, the regular rooms are spacious. The beds are very comfortable, but quite tall from the floor. The walls are thick and we didn't hear our neighbors.
The balconies overlook the harbor and pools on property, but the pool noise wasn't annoying.

The Resort is just starting to build a conference center at the front of the property, so be sure to ask for a room away from the construction, if possible.

My wife and I stayed at Pelican Bay for a week in mid-March. We chose this hotel due to the many, many good reviews and high average ratings it received. Of course, people are always concerned when they see negative or below-par reviews (we also second guessed ourselves after seeing one or two poor reviews), but in the case of this hotel, there were no negatives.

We had a suite overlooking the harbor opposite Port Lucaya and it was very peaceful. The room was beautiful, the bathroom spacious, and the service from the cleaning crews was top notch. Fresh muffins placed in a pass through slot in the door every morning to go with the coffee we made was a great start to the day (I did throw the NY Times fax into the trash each day as we didn't want to know what was happening with Bear Stearns or anyone else except our families back home.) It makes for nice packing material for our sea shells though :-)

This hotel is great for couples or families, but I wouldn't recommend it for small children as there is nothing for them to do there and the hotel is really a boutique hotel. If you have young children, the Westin or Sheraton across the street would be much better. I am happy to say I didn't hear a child cry all week and that was worth the money right there. There were no spring breakers at this hotel which was a great bonus. There are three, quiet pools, the staff at the desk was friendly, and the bartenders were helpful. The free breakfast in the mornings was a great start to the day and we really enjoyed it.

We did not eat at Sabor as we didn't hear a lot of good things about it, but we ate at many other places locally and they were all good. Our favorites were: Pisces, LeMed, and China Grill (across the street by the Sheraton - outstanding Oriental cuisine). It was expensive to eat just about anywhere in this area, and these three are at the mid to upper mid of the range. Nowhere near Luciano's or the Ferry House, but pricey nonetheless. There are places to get sandwiches, gyros, subs, pizza, etc. in the marketplace so don't fret if you are on a tight food budget.

The ferry over to Taino Beach was great; I think we used it at least three days. Paradise Cove snorkeling was the "value of the week" for us at $35 for the bus trip, lunch, and snorkeling. Renting cars is expensive but we only did it for one day. Funny I had to put a $500 deposit on a car that was worth about $300. But it got us over to the National Park and to another beach place for lunch. We really enjoyed it.

There were a lot of other things we did and saw but these are the highlights. OH! I almost forgot, you MUST go to the beach party on Wednesday night. We had lobster and rice and beans for $22 and then danced for a bit. Beers were still $4 or $5 so we still dropped $100, not including the $8 cab ride over. Make sure you leave before 10pm because it didn't feel all that safe later on. That was the only time all week where we said "let's get out of here". And we are originally from Chicago so we're not just some country bumpkins. Cabs come through there all the time so just eat, have fun for a couple hours, then hit the road.

We really enjoyed it and will return.