The Four Seasons Ocean Club and Rosewood Baha Mar are luxury hotels in the Bahamas, known for their superb beaches, upscale amenities and exceptional service. We outline the differences between these hotels below to help you determine which of these you should choose.
1. Best Location: Four Seasons Ocean Club Vs. Rosewood Baha Mar
The Rosewood Baha Mar boasts the best location for facilities compared to the Four Seasons Ocean Club, but it does feel built up and almost urban in comparison.
Situated within the expansive Baha Mar resort complex on Nassau’s Cable Beach, the Rosewood offers immediate access to a wealth of amenities, including a pristine white-sand beach, multiple dining options, a casino, a golf course, and a variety of entertainment and recreational activities.
The highlight for families is the 15-acre Baha Bay water park, which has huge slides, a lazy river, and a wave pool, all walkable from the Rosewood Hotel. Stingray Cove is also a great option at Baha Mar if you have a young family. This Rosewood provides almost unlimited fun and is a sophisticated resort, but it is in the built-up resort area of Baha Mar and lacks the remote exclusivity offered by the Four Seasons Ocean Club.
The Four Seasons Ocean Club, located on the more secluded Paradise Island, offers a tranquil and exclusive retreat with beautiful beachfront and lush gardens, but it requires a short drive or boat ride to access the broader attractions and amenities of Nassau, making it less convenient for guests who prefer immediate access to a wide range of activities and services, but perfect for those who want to escape and unwind.
Best Bahamas Resort: Grand Hyatt Vs. SLS Vs. Rosewood Baha Mar
The Grand Hyatt, SLS, and Rosewood Baha Mar are all luxury hotels in the Bahamas. They are all based in the same resort complex, with the Rosewood pitched as the most luxurious of these three properties. This resort complex offers superb beaches and pools and a plethora of facilities, restaurants, and water sports shared by the three hotels. Worth noting, the Rosewood has its own exclusive patch of sand, which guests of the other Baha Mar properties can't access. We outline the differences between these hotels below to help you determine which of these you should choose.
2. Style & Character
The Four Seasons Ocean Club excels in style and is probably the best Four Seasons in the Caribbean. Its timeless elegance and historical charm. Situated on Paradise Island, this resort exudes a classic Caribbean sophistication reminiscent of a private estate, featuring colonial architecture, manicured gardens, and luxurious beachfront villas that evoke an aura of refined exclusivity. Its rich history and associationures enhance the resort’s style with iconic fig, providing a sense of heritage and grandeur.
The 226-room Rosewood Baha Mar epitomizes timeless elegance and luxury with a refined, classic style incorporating sophisticated Bahamian elements. The hotel’s design showcases rich textures, bespoke furnishings, and an emphasis on natural materials, creating an atmosphere of understated opulence. Rosewood’s character is defined by its dedication to providing an intimate and exclusive experience with personalized service and attention to detail. We love the numerous hidden rooms, like the Library, which feels like the library of a colonial mansion and offers a peaceful place to retire for a coffee or a cake.
The Manor bar is another treat. This bar feels like a historic cigar lounge and is very sophisticated. We also love their Tingum on the Sand cafe, which serves breakfast and snacks right on the sand, so you can sit with your smoothie or avocado toast and dig your toes into the sandy shoreline. This cafe is in a tranquil area of the beach and is a great place to hang out with a book. The Rosewood is a tranquil retreat that appeals to discerning travelers seeking a serene and luxurious escape, complete with private beach access, lush gardens, and a serene ambiance.
While the Rosewood’s stunning and fresh design appeals and historic feel is undoubtedly classy, it sits within a large modern resort complex. The Four Seasons Ocean Club stands alone with real history and storied character.
Best Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts In The World
The best Four Seasons hotels & resorts in the world include Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, Four Seasons Lanai and Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii, Four Seasons Surf Club on Miami Beach, Four Seasons Costa Rica, Four Seasons Los Cabos At Costa Palmas, Four Seasons Palm Beach, and Four Seasons Hampshire. To be honest, we wanted to include several other properties in this article, but we would have to stray into the realms of the top 20 or 30 or even top 100 properties to include all our favorite Four Seasons hotels. There are just so many great ones!
3. Pools
Four Seasons Ocean Club on Paradise Island offers a more intimate and tranquil pool experience with beautiful ocean views and a serene ambiance. It lacks the variety and extensive amenities found at the Rosewood Baha Mar has access to but feels much more exclusive.
The Rosewood Baha Mar boasts some great pools including the luxurious cabana-lined lagoon pool, which is complemented by an elegant adults-only pool, but it is the water park within Baha Mar that stands out. It is a kid’s dream with so many slides and fun things to do.
4. Beach
The Four Seasons Ocean Club has the best beach between the two, offering a pristine, private stretch of white sand beach on Paradise Island. This exclusive beach is known for its serene and tranquil environment, allowing guests to enjoy a peaceful and uncrowded experience with crystal-clear turquoise waters perfect for swimming and snorkeling. The beachfront is lined with luxurious loungers and umbrellas, with attentive service providing refreshments and amenities directly to guests.
The Rosewood Baha Mar on Nassau’s Cable Beach offers an exclusive beach area for Rosewood’s guests, and access to a range of water sports and activities, it is shared with other properties in the Baha Mar resort complex. It is a great beach area but feels less isolated and exclusive when compared to the Four Seasons beach.
Best Four Seasons In The Caribbean: Ocean Club Bahamas Vs Nevis Vs Anguilla
Four Seasons has three exclusive hotels in the Caribbean, Four Seasons Resort Nevis Vs. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla Vs. the newly opened The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort, but which is the best in the Caribbean? Four Seasons has had a presence in the Caribbean for more than 25 years, having operated Four Seasons Resort Nevis since 1990. Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Anguilla was the second resort in the company’s Caribbean collection. The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort is the third.
5. Rooms
The Four Seasons Ocean Club offers elegant and well-appointed rooms with a classic Caribbean charm. They tend to be smaller and more traditional in design than the more contemporary and generously sized accommodations at the Rosewood Baha Mar, standard rooms typically range from around 400 to 600 ft², while suites can be larger, offering up to 1,500 ft² or more of living space.
The Rosewood Baha Mar boasts exceptionally spacious accommodations that combine modern luxury with Bahamian elegance. Standard rooms typically range from around 600 to 800 ft², while suites can be larger, offering up to 2,000 ft² or more of living space.
The rooms at Rosewood Baha Mar are the best of these three hotels and epitomize luxury and sophistication, featuring elegant furnishings, colonial-style wooden wall detailing, dark wood floors, four poster beds, and a marine color palette. Even the base rooms here are large, and the decor feels almost historic even though the rooms are actually found in a very modern building. Details such as dangly lights, backlit cabinets, and a living area with a large sofa beside the bed mean that these rooms are large and luxurious enough to spend a decent amount of time in. The huge bathrooms here are designed in a Four Seasons style with double sinks and separate toilet and shower cubicles separated by frosted glass. Bath products are by Maison Caulieres.
It’s worth checking out each hotel’s website to see what the rooms look like before choosing. Both hotels have beautiful rooms.
10 Least Expensive Four Seasons Hotels In The World
Some of the most expensive Four Seasons hotels, and possibly the most amazing in historic glamor, are also some of the cheapest if you book in low season. Equally, some lesser-known cities like Budapest offer wonderful Four Seasons hotels at incredibly low rates. The Four Seasons brand of hotels doesn’t discount its rooms, but you can sometimes buy a packaged-up break with free nights. Equally, if you book on unpopular nights, such as winter weekends in European cities, or Sunday nights at hotels like Four Seasons Hampshire, you can pick up a much cheaper room rate.
6. Conclusion
Four Seasons Ocean Club is a stunning, high-end resort. If you are used to the Four Seasons charm and service, this hotel is for you. Rosewood Baha Mar is a stunning resort in a huge resort complex. It offers an incredible range of facilities but you are sharing them with guests from the rest of this massive resort so this Rosewood lacks the exclusivity of the Four Seasons.
Honestly, if I were travelling with my family, I would probably stop by the Rosewood for two or three nights for my boy to enjoy the water park before spending a further three or four nights at Four Seasons the Ocean Club. If you aren’t into water slides, then Four Seasons is our top pick.
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