The Best Hotels in Freeport, the Bahamas
Freeport on Grand Bahama is the second-largest city in the Bahamas and is best known for its oceanfront Lucaya district, with beaches, resorts and shopping galore. The diving here is also sublime.
Freeport makes for a great base for discovering Grand Bahama’s other unique attractions, including the Lucayan National Park, which boasts one of the longest underwater cave systems in the world, or the seafood shacks of Taino Beach. Here, we reveal some of the best hotels in Freeport – bookable on Culture Trip.
1. Bell Channel Inn Hotel and Scuba Diving Retreat
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Family-focused and budget-friendly, the Bell Channel Inn first opened its doors in 1980 and remains in the hands of the family who opened it. In fact, the hotel’s motto is that they treat everyone like family, and here, that’s not just marketing-speak. The site is compact, with a courtyard pool and 32 waterside rooms that are bright and homey, with pastel color-schemes and rattan furniture. A great base for divers, the renowned dive shop, Caribbean Divers, is just a short boat ride from the hotel.
2. Taino Beach Resort and Clubs
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There are swim-up bars, and then there are swim-up bars in a cave. At Taino Beach, you’ll find the latter. Housed in its own grotto made of hewn rocks, it’s a cool break from the sun. Here, the beachside lifestyle is a breeze to ease into, with BBQ grills located around the property and white sands on the doorstep. The swimming pool is another highlight, in a tropical setting, along with a lazy river and a 100ft (30m) water slide. For those that sail, there’s a serviced marina with 25 boat slips. On the accommodation front, there are cream-hued rooms spread across three buildings in this hotel in Freeport and all offer full kitchens, master bedrooms and patios or balconies.
3. Pelican Bay Hotel
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4. Dolphin Cove
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Foodies, brace yourself. This 36-unit condo-hotel in Freeport, which hugs a tropical waterfront, is serious about its food. Describing its restaurant as “vintage,” guests are required to dress formally for cuisine prepared by an award-winning team of Bahamian chefs, where the open kitchen concept is intended to give the feeling that chefs and staff are preparing dinner for 30 friends. The seared sea scallops with minted pea and pineapple salsa are a must. Tours leave from the hotel’s dockside – no lines, just personalized service. Take a leap into Owl’s Hole, a 30ft (9m) drop into a crystal-clear freshwater cave, or for experienced divers, famous Tiger Beach offers the opportunity to swim with tiger and hammerhead sharks. After all that activity, relax in rooms furnished like homes away from home, with quaint Bahamian decor and perks including kitchens, washer-dryers and marina views.
5. Ocean Reef Resort and Yacht Club
Restaurant, Contemporary
Emily Langan contributed additional reporting to this article.
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