Hotels by island
Where to Stay in the Bahamas
Ten places to stay in the Bahamas and the night before the Florida ferry, with price bands, check dates and the Grand Lucayan status.
Photo: Atlantis, Paradise Island · Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
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BahamasHopping lists hotels that are open and bookable. Each property was checked for operating status against the hotel’s own site or a major booking platform, and closed or rebuilding resorts are named as such. The descriptions cover location, price level and the kind of stay each area suits. They contain no guest scores and no reviews written by the site.
Prices are “from” rates per night in US dollars, taken from the linked detail pages, and each section gives the date of the check. Booking happens with partners. The buttons open Stay22, which compares Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, and BahamasHopping may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to the traveler. Rates change with season and event dates, so confirm the live price before booking.
Nassau & Paradise Island
Nassau is the main arrival point for flights and has the widest choice of rooms. Paradise Island suits families because The Royal at Atlantis includes the Aquaventure waterpark. Cable Beach, about 15 minutes west of downtown, suits beach stays at Baha Mar or at Breezes, the cheapest all-inclusive in Nassau. Downtown has the 20-room Graycliff and no beach. No ferry runs from Florida to Nassau.
Comfort Suites Paradise Island is the value route onto the island. Guests get day access to Aquaventure, the beaches and the pools (advance booking required) at less than half the price of Atlantis itself.
Price band: Breezes (all-inclusive) from $110, Comfort Suites Paradise Island from $155, The Royal at Atlantis from $280, SLS Baha Mar from $350 per night. As of August 20, 2026.
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Freeport & Lucaya
Lucaya is the base on Grand Bahama, with the beach, Port Lucaya Marketplace and the main hotels. Downtown Freeport has a few budget hotels and no beach. The Fort Lauderdale ferry docks at Freeport Harbour, about 5 miles from Lucaya, and a taxi costs $15 to $20 (agree the fare first, taxis are not metered).
The wider Grand Lucayan resort is being redeveloped by Concord Wilshire in an $827 million project. Demolition and construction start in the second half of 2026, with completion targeted for early 2028. Only Lighthouse Pointe, the all-inclusive on Lucaya Beach, is open, with construction activity around it. Pelican Bay at Port Lucaya is the marina-side alternative, Viva Fortuna Beach an all-inclusive about 20 minutes east, and the Royal Islander the budget choice downtown.
Price band: Royal Islander from $71, Viva Fortuna Beach from $130, Pelican Bay from $140, Lighthouse Pointe from $180 per night. As of August 20, 2026.
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Bimini
Alice Town on North Bimini holds most rooms, bars and the fishing marinas, and it is walkable from the ferry dock. Resorts World Bimini sits at the northern tip with a casino, pools, a beach club and a marina. It is about a five-minute taxi from the ferry, so plan for transfers. Bimini Big Game Club, a 10-minute walk from the dock, is the base for fishing charters. Sea Crest Hotel & Marina is the cheapest hotel, 8 minutes on foot.
Most Bimini hotels include no breakfast, and the guide budgets $15 to $25 per person for it. From December to April, rooms should be booked 2 to 3 months ahead.
Price band: Sea Crest from $120, Bimini Big Game Club from $180, Resorts World Bimini from $200 per night. Rentals: one-bedroom condos $120 to $180. As of August 20, 2026.
Harbour Island
Harbour Island is reached from Nassau on the Bo Hengy III via Spanish Wells (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, arriving around 11:10), or by air to North Eleuthera and a water taxi. Hotels sit either on the Atlantic side by Pink Sand Beach or on the harbour side near Dunmore Town and Government Dock. The island has only a few hundred rooms, and December to April fills months ahead.
Pink Sands Resort has cottages directly on the beach and is not all-inclusive. Coral Sands is a renovated beachfront hotel. Valentines Resort & Marina, with 39 suites, is close to the dock and suits guests arriving by ferry. Romora Bay is a 17-room harbour-side boutique resort.
Price band: Romora Bay from about $280, Valentines from about $320, Coral Sands from about $400, Pink Sands Resort from about $700 per night, high season. As of August 12, 2026.
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Eleuthera & Spanish Wells
Eleuthera is about 110 miles long, so the choice of base decides how much driving a stay needs, and a rental car is essential. Governor’s Harbour is central, with Pineapple Fields condos on the Golden Mile. Cocodimama has 12 rooms above a pink sand beach near James Cistern, French Leave is the only full-service resort, Sky Beach Club rents cliff-top villas, and Gregory Town has owner-run guest houses near Surfer’s Beach.
Spanish Wells has no large resorts. Lodging is mostly vacation rentals and a few small inns, and Russell Island across the bridge is cheaper.
Price band: Gregory Town guest houses from $95, Pineapple Fields from $245, Cocodimama from $260, Sky Beach Club from $580, French Leave from $620 per night; Spanish Wells rentals from about $150. As of August 20, 2026.
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Exuma
Visitors who book a day tour from Nassau need no Exuma hotel and sleep in Nassau. A stay on the islands works best from George Town or Emerald Bay on Great Exuma, or from Staniel Cay for access to the swimming pigs. Peace & Plenty Hotel sits on George Town harbour, and Grand Isle Resort & Residences offers villas with kitchens at Emerald Bay. Staniel Cay Yacht Club is the only stay within a short boat ride of Big Major Cay, Thunderball Grotto and Compass Cay, and it books out months ahead.
Sandals Emerald Bay closed on August 15, 2024 and is being converted to Beaches Exuma, with opening targeted for late 2027.
Price band: Peace & Plenty from $190, Staniel Cay Yacht Club from $330, Grand Isle Resort from $480 per night. As of August 20, 2026.
Abaco
Hotel stays on Abaco cluster on Elbow Cay (Hope Town) and in Marsh Harbour, where Abaco Beach Resort at Boat Harbour Marina is the best-known address. Hope Town is car-free, and the G&L Ferry (formerly Albury’s) from Marsh Harbour takes about 20 minutes. Hope Town Harbour Lodge is next to the ferry dock with a pool facing the lighthouse, Abaco Inn lies between the Atlantic surf and White Sound, and Sea Spray Resort & Marina has villas on White Sound.
Man-O-War Cay has only private cottages and villas, so many visitors base themselves in Marsh Harbour or Hope Town.
Price band: Abaco Inn from $230, Hope Town Harbour Lodge from $250, Sea Spray Resort from $300 per night. As of August 13, 2026.
Andros
Andros has no large resorts. Lodging consists of a handful of small all-inclusive lodges built around diving, bonefishing and nature, and rooms are limited. Small Hope Bay Lodge near Fresh Creek has beachfront cabins and reef and blue-hole diving at the door. Tiamo Resort is an off-grid, solar-powered property on a South Andros beach reachable only by boat, and Kamalame Cay is a private-island retreat off Staniard Creek.
The island has no public transport, so lodges arrange pickup from the dock or airport. The Nassau mail boats take 5 to 7 hours.
Price band: Small Hope Bay Lodge from about $380 (all-inclusive), Tiamo Resort from about $550 (all-inclusive), Kamalame Cay from about $600 per night. As of August 20, 2026.
Fort Lauderdale: the night before the ferry
The Baleària ferry leaves Port Everglades Terminal 21 at 9:00. Check-in opens at 6:00, arrival between 6:15 and 6:45 is recommended, and the terminal doors close at 8:00. A hotel near the port removes the dawn drive. Holiday Inn Express Cruise-Airport is one block from the terminal with a free shuttle. Hyatt Place Cruise Port is half a mile away with a free shuttle, though its schedule may not match early sailings. Candlewood Suites Airport/Cruise is the cheapest and has kitchens.
Prices near the port rise when large cruise ships are in. Stays from Tuesday to Thursday typically cost 20 to 30 percent less than weekend stays.
Price band: Candlewood Suites from $105, Holiday Inn Express Cruise-Airport from $141, Hyatt Place Cruise Port from $155 per night. As of July 20, 2026.
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Miami
No ferry runs between Miami and the Bahamas. The Baleària ferry leaves from Fort Lauderdale, about 30 miles north, a drive of 30 to 50 minutes on I-95. Miami works for a city night before a flight or before the drive north. InterContinental Miami is downtown, 5 minutes from PortMiami. YVE Hotel Miami is the mid-range choice, and Comfort Suites Miami Airport North is the budget choice with a free morning shuttle to PortMiami.
PortMiami handles cruise ships only, so these shuttles do not serve the ferry terminal.
Price band: Comfort Suites Miami Airport North from $105, YVE Hotel Miami from $140, InterContinental Miami from $180 per night. As of July 26, 2026.
Good to know before you book
Taxes and fees
Holiday accommodation in the Bahamas is subject to VAT at the standard rate, which the Department of Inland Revenue lists as 10 percent. Its guidance for the tourism industry also places mandatory service charges and resort levies under VAT. Booking platforms may show room rates without these items, so the total at checkout is the figure to compare. The Nassau guide puts the Atlantis resort fee at $50 or more per day (August 20, 2026); the resort’s own site has the current amount.
Seasons and prices
High season runs from December to April. The busiest weeks are December 20 to January 5 and spring break in March, according to the peak-season guide. Rates from June to November run 30 to 40 percent below winter prices in Nassau and Freeport.
Hurricane season
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the highest risk from August to early October. The hurricane season guide covers ferry cancellations and refunds.
All-inclusive or boutique
All-inclusive properties exist in Nassau (Breezes), in Freeport (Lighthouse Pointe, Viva Fortuna Beach) and in the lodges of Andros. Harbour Island, Eleuthera and Exuma price by room, and food is extra. Pink Sands Resort, for example, is not all-inclusive. Small hotels on the Out Islands often include no breakfast.
Hotel map for Nassau
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Frequently asked questions
Which island is the easiest first stay in the Bahamas?
Nassau and Paradise Island have the most hotels and flights. Bimini suits a short trip because the Baleària ferry from Fort Lauderdale takes about 2 hours and docks at Alice Town. Freeport and Lucaya are a ferry crossing of about 3 hours.
Can I still stay at the Grand Lucayan in Freeport?
Only Lighthouse Pointe, the all-inclusive on Lucaya Beach, is open. The rest of the resort is being redeveloped by Concord Wilshire, with completion targeted for early 2028. Pelican Bay and Viva Fortuna Beach are the other resort-style options.
Should I book the hotel or the ferry first?
The ferry date. The Florida sailings run on some weekdays only, in autumn 2026 Wednesday, Friday and Sunday to Bimini and Tuesday and Saturday to Freeport, and the days change by season. Confirm the room right after.
Are taxes included in the prices on this page?
No. The prices are published “from” rates per night. Holiday accommodation carries VAT at the standard rate, listed by the Department of Inland Revenue as 10 percent, and many hotels add service charges or resort fees. Compare the total at checkout.
Where should I stay the night before the Florida ferry?
Fort Lauderdale, near Port Everglades. The ferry leaves Terminal 21 at 9:00 and the doors close at 8:00. Holiday Inn Express Cruise-Airport is one block away from $141 a night, and Candlewood Suites from $105 (July 20, 2026).
Sources
Prices and facts come from these BahamasHopping pages (check dates in brackets) and two official pages.
- Nassau, Freeport, Bimini, Eleuthera, Exuma and Andros guides, Spanish Wells guide, peak-season guide (all August 20, 2026)
- Harbour Island guide (August 12, 2026) and Marsh Harbour to Hope Town (August 13, 2026)
- Hotels near Port Everglades (July 20, 2026) and Hotels in Miami (July 26, 2026)
- Bahamas Department of Inland Revenue, About VAT: standard rate 10 percent (checked October 3, 2026)
- Department of Inland Revenue, VAT Guidance on Holiday Accommodation and the Tourism Industry: holiday accommodation, service charges and resort levies are taxed at the standard rate (checked October 3, 2026)