We just returned from an absolutely awesome vacation in Freeport, Bahamas, thanks to the wonderful staff at the Ocean Reef Yacht Club and Resort. Since it was rated as a 3 star hotel I was not sure what to expect, but it exceeded everything and then some. We stayed in a very spacious 2 Bedroom Townhouse that included a fully equipped kitchen and a beautiful view. For transportation just walk out to the end of their driveway and the public buses will stop and pick you up for $1.00 per person and drive you anywhere you want to go. Our initial thought was to rent a vehicle but unless you are really accustomed to driving on the wrong side of the road with speed limits that are pretty much non-existent I would recommend taking the public bus. Not only was it cheap, but the drivers were all so helpful. On the 2nd day we went to the City Market in Freeport and bought enough groceries for 2 adults and 2-16 year old boys. If you are not into cooking on vacation there is an excellent restaurant at the resort called Groupers. They have everything from Bahamian dishes to BLT's. If you do a lot of eating I would recommend the grocery run since it gets quite expensive for food otherwise. Be prepared, as always when on vacation, to pay way more for food than normal. Once you’re downtown there is Burger King, McDonalds, Subway, KFC, etc. The resort also provided daily shuttle runs at 10:00 a.m. to downtown free of charge.
The resort has 2 very clean pools, and a hot tub. Since it is a yacht club you meet people from all over the world who either stay on their yacht year round or who just fly in and vacation on their yacht. Don't miss the free Monday Night Madness party with Rico, free Bahama Mamas and free food. Also great prizes, we won a 2-night 3-day get-a-way. The resort was a little off the beaten path but only 5 minutes from the beach and downtown by public bus. Downtown has a wonderful straw market where Bahamians trinkets, t-shirts, towels, etc. are sold. Make sure to check out Tia's gift store at Ocean Reef, as we found her prices to be even cheaper than the prices in the straw market. Make sure to talk with Doreen at the activities desk as soon as you get there as she can definitely point you in the right direction if you are looking for things to do. I highly recommend the semi-submarine snorkeling package for $40. It was well worth it, we even saw a Lemon Shark. I would stay away from the Deep Sea Fishing package as it costs $100 per person and not only did we not catch anything, we never even saw anything. I guess it is luck of the draw. The Reef Fishing was much better, the fish are smaller but at least you catch something.
I also got an awesome deal on the price through Expedia.com. It was $744.00 per person for 5 nights/6 days, which included air fare from Milwaukee.

i bought into the ocean reef vacation club 2 years ago and it was the best thing i could have done. we have been going to the grand bahama for over 12 years so it was time for me to invest where i would have somewhere to stay every year that would feel like home. The vacation club plan is nothing like a timeshare because you are not tied into a certain week that you are only allowed to go. the staff is great and always make us feel welcome and part of their family. if there was something wrong with our unit they had no problem with moving us into another unit and moving our luggage and food for us. the monday night madness party is a blast and they always make sure that the kids are having a great time and involve them in some of the games and dances. they just adore my 4 year old granddaughter and she loves the staff like they were part of our family.

Service is great - the resort is small enough that everyone is treated like family! We had 3 br/3 bath townhouse and it was fantastic! Has complete kitchen so you can take advantage of their shuttle trips to grocery store and cook some meals if you like.

The restaurant (Groupers Grill) has great meals from breakfasts thru dinner with specials every day. Menu has some very good local dishes and many other good meals. (Plus "happy hour" at the bar.) They have a free welcome dinner and party on Monday night with dinner, drinks and party that you could spend $50 at other places.

The nearest public beach is about a mile away but they have shuttle service to the beach if you don't want to walk and even have car and scooter rental on site if you want to be more independent. Driving on
"the wrong side" is easier than you think!

Loved it so much, can't wait to go back again!

Overall, Freeport was nice, and our room was nice except...the walls in the 1 bedroom units are paper thin, it feels like your neighbors are right on top of you. At different times throughout the week, we were awakened in the night to the sounds of people snorring, urinating, and other sounds that we should not be able to hear, much less loud enough to wake us through the wall.

It was a shame to look forward to a trip for so long to have such little privacy at night. Overall the Island was fine, but I would not stay at Ocean Reef again. Also, since the staff has relationships with outfitters/tours in the area, they don't want you to know about any other activities on the island except the ones they promote (make commission off of)
There are lots pf fun things to do on the island, but many of them you will have to find on your own.

Red