Immerse yourself in authentic Bahamas at the Grand Isle Resort, set on the ivory sands of Emerald Bay overlooking the brilliant turquoise Exuma waters. Welcoming couples and families alike with a low-key and relaxed atmosphere, this exotic paradise immediately sets you at ease, whilst the tropical grounds blend seamlessly into the surrounding tropical landscape.
The resort offers a wide range of activities both on and off-site, you can skim across the crystal sea with the complimentary kayaks and paddleboards or feed the local stingrays. Alternatively keep your feet on dry land with a treasure hunt or beach bonfire. Take it down a gear and stretch out next to the resort’s infinity pool with a signature cocktail before restoring the body and mind in the SeaStar Spa with one of the many treatments on offer.
The Grand Isle Resort is a sun-kissed tropical haven, surrounded by natural beauty with friendly and attentive staff. Soak up the magnificent views, sip on a cocktail and savour the memories that will last a lifetime.
1174 Reviews
94% of travellers recommended this hotel
Traveller ratings
Excellent
891
Very Good
192
Average
56
Poor
18
Terrible
17
What to Expect
Sleep Quality
Location
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Reviews
Sep 17, 2019
Paradise Found!
Rhinebeck, New York
I had the privilege of visiting Great Exuma and staying for several days at the Grand Isle Resort and Spa. It is, as stunning as it looks.
My villa was spacious with a kitchen that offered "top of the line" appliances and a comfortable bedroom with television and private bathroom.
Without a doubt, the best part of my stay was relaxing at the resort and doing as little as possible. My day began at the fitness center, with views of the infinity pool and Emerald Bay. A stroll on the beach, quick dip in the ocean, then settling into my chaise lounge to enjoy the view. A few steps away, lunch at the poolside restaurant served some of the best Mahi Mahi I tasted on the island.
Service throughout the resort - from pool side to ocean to restaurants - was attentive and courteous.
Afternoons were spent (steps below the pool) at the gorgeous "new" 23 North Beach Club, alternately swimming, reading, napping in my cabana, with drinks available from the restaurant, 23 North.
Recently built, beautifully appointed, with views of the bay from each room, the restaurant has a sophisticated ambiance with a cool island vibe.
Dinner began with a sensational cerviche, followed by mussels in a light herb infused broth, and rolls from the sushi chef. For dessert, a walk on the pier under a full moon, with a glistening bay and a warm breeze, feeling gratitude to be at the Grand Isle Resort and grateful to find my paradise.
Sep 12, 2019
DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE! IF YOU WANT TO HELP GO TO AN AIRBNB!
Miami, Florida
Check your hotel statement.Overpriced and some horrible food. Eggs Benedict was $16 came with terrible vinegar taste ingredient in the Hollandaise sauce. Check your restaurant bill. Avoid these people
Sep 02, 2019
Worst value for money holiday ever!!!!
Our experience has been dreadful from start to finish on this island and I don’t really know where to start as nothing of what we expected for this very first visit in the Bahamas came true, apart from the gorgeous colour of the water!!!
Our villa which we thought would be right on the ocean as was requested, was a “sea view villa” and not a “beach front villa”, so basically our primary view was on the Marina... Our room configuration was wrong, but nothing was offered to us apart from moving further away from the sea view into a bigger villa for an upgraded price. The villa’s decoration was totally outdated and was not properly cleaned on a daily basis, the staff merely made our beds, and the floor was filthy. The villas had no complimentary food or drink available, let alone water (one had to purchase bottle from the bar at 15$ a piece!) or a mini bar!!
The beach which is supposed to be one of the prettiest on the island was a disgrace: totally ruined by tons of algae's and thousands of plastic bags and trash right in front of the hotel!! The other resort on the same beach has its front cleaned every morning but this stopped right where the Grand Isle resort started!!! After many complaints from different guests and not much reaction from the staff, one guest took it upon himself to manually pick up all the plastic and garbage to clean up a little part so his children could play.
Despite what was mentioned on the website, the resort offers very little water sports activities (no scuba diving, water skiing, windsurfing or kite surfing), in fact all it has is a few run-down canoes and SUPs, masks and flippers which are just lying on the beach wherever the previous guests might have left them! No staff will help you get them into the sea or out, or indeed tidy them up at the end of the day!! My husband ended up buying masks and tubas from the next door resort’s shop as all their beach material was in such a shabby state!
The resort only has two choices of restaurants, one of which is for adults only at lunch time, and the other being the one where all meals could be taken as a family with only à la carte service (even for breakfast!). We felt like we were held hostage as despite rather light meals, we ended up paying an extra minimum of 500$ per day for a family of five!! The food is very basic, you seldom get what you wish for as many of the dishes on the menu are not available and/or the one your order ends up missing half of the ingredients written on the menu! There are very limited healthy options as all the dishes are much too sweet or spicy or fatty or are deep fried!!! One would have hope for simple grilled fish, but that did not exist! Breakfast always ended being served after a good 50mns’ wait with all dried up food...
The management and staff were very careless and unhelpful to try and make our stay more pleasant whatever the request. The hotel does not offer any transportation to any other activity spot, and the only possible excursions had to be booked online by ourselves as their concierge is not able to do that either!!!
The only thing you do get is blasting music everywhere you go around the resort, but really not the ideal type to rest or relax with a good book!!
Given the disastrous first days we decided to rent a car to escape and properly discover the rest of the island... That was a huge disappointment also, as apart from the beautiful nature, we encountered a succession of sorry sights with abandoned houses all along the roads, car/ship wrecks, and to top it all, plastic and trash everywhere! We did not find any shop to buy basic food or many other restaurant alternatives... Even the local water sports center we had seen advertised on the internet proved to be inexistent!! Basically, the whole island has been ruined by its inhabitants and we do not understand how such beautiful surroundings and landscapes can be spoilt to this point!
Aug 20, 2019
It's alright.... Wouldn't stay there again.
Pensacola, Florida
The resort is nice and there is a great sense of security. However, the food is priced pretty high... Even in comparison with other places on the island. We received a schedule of events on a Friday, which listed the activities taking place from that Friday through next week. Well, that night was supposed to be karaoke night. We all got ready, had dinner by the pool, and waited for karaoke. We waited and waited - as did numerous other people. Turns out, it was canceled. The weather was beautiful so there really wasn't a good reason. The next day, we took a full-day excursion and rushed back to shower and get ready for the seafood buffet. We went to the restaurant and were told it was canceled. Again, other people in line for the restaurant were also unaware of the cancelation. There was no reason given. We asked the office for a comment card and we were given a blank sheet of printer paper (I thought that was comical because we are certain that such an upscale resort would not use plain paper for comments). We asked if the kids movie was going to be canceled for the next day and they were not sure. Fortunately, it was not, although we had several different answers when we asked at what time the movie would be showing.
The food, although way overpriced, was good. The villas are nice, and the resort is well maintained and clean. The resort is far from town. Fortunately, we rented a car. I would highly recommend staying closer to Georgetown.
Aug 19, 2019
Perfect in every way
Florida
My two sisters and I had a "sister's week" vacation in one of the three bedroom villas at Grand Isle this week. I don't remember when we have had such a great time.
The villa is spacious and comes with comfy pillows on the beds, a great kitchen, and balconies. We did not get the golf cart because the walk to the pool, beach and restaurants is not far. There are two pools, both very nice. One is right beside Palapas restaurant, and the other is an adults only pool by the 23 North restaurant. The adult pool is awesome! As for the beach, it is clean, powdery white, and with the most gorgeous water you have ever seen. Snorkels and kayaks are available for free, and we snorkeled for hours.
The restaurants are also great, and the food is delicious. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner on different days at Palapas. The only complaint I have is that for some reason, the lunch was extremely slow service, every time! The 23 North restaurant is perfection. You really need to make a reservation for dinner, but the service is top notch, especially thanks to Shaval Parker, who made us feel special. He went above and beyond every time we visited for lunch or dinner. We will be back, hopefully every year!
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1174 Reviews 
Traveller ratings
What to Expect
Reviews
Paradise Found!
Rhinebeck, New York
DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE! IF YOU WANT TO HELP GO TO AN AIRBNB!
Miami, Florida
Worst value for money holiday ever!!!!
It's alright.... Wouldn't stay there again.
Pensacola, Florida
Perfect in every way
Florida