Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Bahamas worth it on points?
Yes. The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is one of the best Hyatt points redemptions in the Caribbean. If you want the deep-dive, here’s my Caribbean island-hopping itineraries. At 25,000 points per night, you are getting a $400-plus per night resort for free. The beach, pools, and flamingos alone justify the trip.
How do you get to the swimming pigs in the Bahamas?
Book a full-day boat excursion from Nassau to the Exumas. The swimming pigs are at Big Major Cay, about 50 miles from Nassau. Most tours include snorkeling stops, lunch on a private beach, and the pigs. Expect to pay $300-400 for two people.
What is the best time to visit Nassau?
December through April for warm, dry weather. Hurricane season runs June through November. January-February is peak season with the best weather but highest prices. Book hotel points well in advance for winter dates.
Why the Bahamas in January
Book hotels: Search Booking.com hotels
The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar was bookable with Hyatt points, the swimming pigs are a $30 boat ride away, and Nassau is a three-hour flight from New York.
In This Post
After a cold New York winter, we needed a quick warm getaway. Nassau is a three-hour direct flight from New York, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar was bookable with Hyatt points, and we could swim with pigs. That was enough.
Baha Mar Resort
Baha Mar is a massive resort complex on Cable Beach in Nassau. It has three hotels — the Grand Hyatt, SLS, and Rosewood — plus a casino, golf course, and a long stretch of white sand beach. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, which was the best value option and still felt high-end.
The resort is self-contained enough that you could spend your entire trip without leaving, and honestly, most people do. The pools are spread across different levels with swim-up bars, the beach is gorgeous, and there are enough restaurants to eat somewhere different every meal.
The Flamingos
Baha Mar has a flamingo sanctuary right on the resort grounds. You can walk up and watch them from just a few feet away — no fence, no glass. Early morning is the best time to visit when the light is soft and the birds are most active. It is one of those experiences that feels surreal, standing next to wild flamingos with the ocean in the background.
Swimming with the Pigs
This was the highlight of the trip. We booked a full-day boat excursion that included the famous swimming pigs at Big Major Cay in the Exumas, plus snorkeling stops and a beach lunch.
The pigs are exactly as advertised — they swim right up to your boat looking for food. They are surprisingly big and enthusiastic. The guides make sure everyone gets time in the water with them and the photos are unlike anything else.
Tips for the pig swim:
- Book well in advance, especially for January and February
- It is a full day trip — you leave early and get back in the late afternoon
- Bring reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, and a waterproof phone case
- Motion sickness medication if you are sensitive — the boat ride to the Exumas can be choppy
- The pigs can be pushy about food. Keep your hands empty when you are not feeding them
Where We Ate
Baha Mar has an impressive dining lineup:
- French bistro with excellent pastries and a solid brunch. We ate here our first night and went back for breakfast
- By Marcus Samuelsson. Caribbean-influenced dishes with bold flavors. The jerk chicken and rum cocktails were standouts
- Italian by Michael White. Great pasta and seafood. Reserve a table on the terrace for sunset views
- Steakhouse with an impressive meat program. On the pricier side but worth it for a special dinner
- Casual beachfront taco spot. Perfect for lunch between pool sessions
The Casino
Baha Mar’s casino is the largest in the Caribbean. We spent one evening there after dinner. The floor is massive with all the usual table games and slots. Even if you are not a gambler, the architecture and energy are worth walking through.
The Baha Mar Restaurants: What Was Worth the Splurge
We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar for three nights in January and ate at a different restaurant each evening, which is the move at this resort. The property has enough dining options that you never need to leave, which is both convenient and dangerous for your credit card.
Cafe Madeleine on the first night was the lightest option — French-inspired bistro food with good cocktails. We booked for 7pm (not 7:30 like the other restaurants, which we almost missed). Solid but not the standout. Filia on night two was Italian and better than expected for a resort restaurant. The pasta was handmade and the wine list was genuinely curated, not just overpriced hotel bottles.
Marcus on the third night was the winner. This is Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant (the chef behind Red Rooster in Harlem), and it felt like the one place in the resort that had an actual point of view rather than just being expensive. The Bahamian-influenced dishes with West African flavors worked in a way that hotel restaurants usually fail at — you could tell the kitchen cared.
For lunch, El Jefe is a beach-side food truck setup that serves tacos and quesadillas for half the price of anything in the restaurants. Scoops does good ice cream during the day. Drift at the pool is fine for drinks and snacks but nothing special. Budget at least 150-200 dollars per person per dinner at the sit-down restaurants, or 30-40 at the casual spots.
The Swimming Pigs: Honest Review
We booked the swimming pigs excursion through Viator for $189 per person, with hotel pickup at 9:05am. The tour includes a boat ride to Exuma (about 45 minutes each way), time with the pigs, and a beach stop. This is the most Instagram-famous activity in the Bahamas, and I went in expecting it to be overhyped.
It was not overhyped. The pigs are genuinely wild, genuinely swimming, and genuinely hilarious. They wade into the water when they see the boats coming because they have learned that tourists bring food. The smaller pigs are friendlier (the big ones can be pushy). The water at Big Major Cay is impossibly clear — you can see the pigs’ legs moving underwater from the boat.
The beach stop after the pigs was at a sandbar with nurse sharks and starfish in the shallows, which we did not expect and ended up being the second highlight of the day. The whole excursion takes about 6 hours and is genuinely worth the money. Book morning departures — the afternoon trips get choppier water on the return.
The Casino: Set a Budget Before You Walk In
The Baha Mar casino is the largest in the Caribbean and it is designed to keep you inside. The air conditioning alone is worth the visit when the humidity outside hits 85%. We went after dinner on the first night with a budget of 200 dollars between us, which we burned through in about 90 minutes at the blackjack tables. The minimum bets are higher than Vegas (25 dollars at most tables), and the atmosphere is more subdued — couples and families rather than bachelor parties.
If gambling is not your thing, the casino floor connects to the lobby bar and several of the restaurants, so you end up walking through it constantly anyway. The architecture is genuinely impressive even if you never place a bet.
Practical Tips
- Direct flights from JFK and LGA to Nassau are about 3 hours. Delta, JetBlue, and United all fly the route
- Taxi from the airport to Baha Mar is about $30. You do not need a car if you are staying at the resort
- The currency is Bahamian dollars are pegged 1:1 to US dollars, and USD is accepted everywhere
- Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is bookable with World of Hyatt points. We used 25,000 points per night, which is excellent value for a luxury beachfront hotel
- December through April for the best weather. January is peak season but the resort is big enough that it never feels crowded
Tours: NZ tours on Viator
Activities: NZ on Klook
Travel Insurance: We use SafetyWing for travel insurance on every international trip. It covers medical emergencies, trip interruptions, and lost luggage starting at $45/month with no fixed end date — perfect for multi-country itineraries.
What It Cost (Two People, 3 Nights)
Here is what we actually spent for two people over three nights:
| Category | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flights (NYC-Nassau RT) | $400 | Delta Comfort+, 3 hours direct |
| Hotel (3 nights) | 75K Hyatt pts | Grand Hyatt Baha Mar on points |
| Swimming pigs excursion | $380 | Full-day boat trip for two |
| Food and drinks | $800 | Resort dining is pricey, Fish Fry is cheap |
| Tips and incidentals | $100 | Beach attendants, taxi to Arawak Cay |
| Total | $1,580 + points | Per couple, 3 nights. Points saved ~$1,200 on the hotel. |
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Would We Go Back?
For a quick tropical escape from the East Coast, it is hard to beat. Three hours on a plane and you are on a white sand beach with flamingos. The pig swim alone makes the trip memorable, and using Hyatt points for the hotel keeps costs reasonable for what is otherwise a luxury destination.
Related Reading
- Caribbean Island-Hopping Bucket List: Six Dream Trips
- Bonaire and the Brazilian GP: Diving, Beaches, F1
Gear and Guides We Recommend
Planning a similar trip? Here are some items we found useful:
- Bahamas travel guide
- reef-safe sunscreen
- waterproof dry bag
- compact snorkel set
- travel insect repellent
These are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support this site.
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Written by Jenna Fattah
I have visited 25+ countries across 6 continents, attended 7 Formula 1 races, and spent 4 years writing about what actually works and what I would do differently. Every recommendation on this site comes from trips I planned and paid for myself. Read more about me