Pelican Bay at Lucaya Reviews

My husband and I stayed at Pelican Bay in September of 2008. We are actually planning on returning to the Bahamas this September and will again stay at Pelican Bay. The staff were always helpful, some much more so than others, but that is to be expected The rooms were clean, comfortable and well-appointed, especially for the price. The hotel is situated next to a very interesting shopping area. The pools, one of which we could see from our balcony, were small, but never crowded with plenty of lounge chairs and towels at your fingertips. Breakfast came with the room and was served buffet style, not fancy, but plenty to chose from. The hotel is not situated on a beach, but directly across the street is a large, white sand beach that Pelican Bay customers may take advantage of, as with the casino. it's a great place for a relaxing vacation in a beautiful setting without spending a fortune. We prefer to stay in a smaller hotel rather than the newer anonymous hi-rises. The smaller ones tend to be more intimate, cozier and easier to find your way around in. The reason I gave "Room Comfort" only 3 Palm Trees was the room felt damp at times. Also, we like to spend time on our balcony in the evenings, but this was not possible here. Our a/c vented onto the balcony and blew out very hot air making it impossible to sit on the balcony comfortably. But, all in all, we enjoyed our stay at Pelican Bay very much and will be staying there again.

The resort staff was amazingly friendly and helpful. The property was very well maintained and groomed. We had a suite which was very spacious for 2. Only 1 of the 3 pools were open/functional. We were there with a large group for a wedding. We practically had to beg them to get the hot tub turned on and warm. You have to either go across the street to the casino or take a ferry over to get to a beach. Everything in the area was very over priced. It was almost $60 for a case of locally brewed beer and the same for imports like Budweiser, etc. The downtown was a short walk away but there was hardly anything of interest there. The food was decent we ate at just about every restaurant in the marketplace. The best restaurant by far was at the resort. Sadly this experience left me never wanting to venture to the Bahamas again I felt it was a very poor value. You could easily experience the same offerings in the keys.

This property was a great place to stay for the value. The pools are nice, but there is NOT immediate access to a beach from this property. They served a decent breakfast every morning, and food is within easy reach of the property. Literally about a 1-2 min walk and there are over 10 different food options. There is shopping and bars in the same area, and a casino across the street. I booked the hotel, and to date this was the best price I ever paid for a trip. Becuase the price was so low I was skeptical about the property, but once I got there everything was nice. The staff was nice, and the property was nice.

My husband and I purchased this $299 per person air inclusive deal from cheap caribbean and were very happy with the price. The weather in October was colder than usual in Freeport, but that didn't stop us from going to the beach. The Pelican Bay resort's breakfast was outstanding and the deck overlooking the bay was fantastic. We used the free ferry that dropped us off directly at the resort's pool. The room was a bit musty and the lighting was poor. We weren't too thrilled that the rooms didn't have a fridge and microwave that is coming to be such a standard in resorts these days, but we made do. We would purchase another cheap trip like this again, because it was a nice way to spend a few days. Thanks, CheapCaribbean!

great location. Next door to many restaurants and shops. Across the street from the beach. Must pay for chair on the beach side. try the chinese store in the international market - great deals on jewelry and robes.

LARGE ROOMS...GREAT LOCATION....SHORT WALK TO BEACH AND THE MARKET WHERE ALL THE DINING, SHOPPING, BARS, HARBOR, ETC. NEXT DOOR TO THE BEST DIVE SHOP. HARBOR LOCATION ON WATER, 600SQ FT ROOM W/DECK OR PATIO, NEXT TO THE MARKET AND CLOSE TO THE BEACH MAKES UP FOR NOT BEING ON BEACH YOU HAVE A 1/2 SIZE REFRIGERATOR IN THE ROOM, BUY RUM, OJ, PINEAPPLE JUICE, COCONUT WATER MIX YOUR OWN DRINKS. THIS STUFF IS ALL CHEAP AT THE DUTY FREE STORES. DRUG STORES ARE VERY LIMITED AND TWICE THE PRICE OF US. 10 OR 12 DINNING CHOICES IN THE MARKET, THE ONES WE TRIED WERE GOOD NOT GREAT. BIG DADDY CONCH FRY STAND GOOD LE MED WAS BEST OVERALL FOR ME, BREAKFAST (VERY GOOD W/ GOOD HARBOR VIEWS) LUNCH AND DINNER. LE MED PAN FRIED SNAPPER WAS THE BEST DISH ON THE TRIP.

I didn't want to leave this island! Everything from the hotel, to the restaurants and people was fantastic! Worth every penny! This hotel is in the ideal location, as you are minutes away from Port Lucaya Marketplace, and can walk to all the shops and restaurants, and they have amazing places to choose from to eat. We didn't have one bad meal! The fact that there is not a beach at Pelican Bay is no down side..you take the water taxi over to the other hotel about 2 minutes away and you are dropped off to a beautiful beach with access to their facilities which are equally as nice. Can't wait to go back!

After reading the reviews here on Pelican Bay, my expectations seemed to be a bit too high after staying here. The rooms are nice and clean and it is near everything, but for next time, if I can get the same rate across the street at the Radisson (which I could have when I booked this trip but the reviews swayed me towards Pelican Bay), I might go that route instead.

The Pelican Bay staff appeared to be very friendly and accomodating. The hotel was beautiful on the outside. The interior was also nice and our room had a great view of the pool area as well as the restaurant. The people were all very friendly. The food at "Sabor" was delicious but the portions were too small. It was difficult to find good places to eat in the Bahamas. Finally, we found a place called Caribbean Cafe that served delicious food. The plumbing system (toilet) at Pelican Bay was totally inadequate. Also, we were able to use the beach located across the street at the Radisson Hotel. However, we opted not to do so when we realized that the beach chairs were all locked up and it would cost us thirty dollars to rent one chair. There were two of us, so needless to say we made our way to the ferry that took us to Taino Beach where the seating was free.

I stayed in one of the cheaper hotel rooms, NOT one of the staterooms, so it is possible those are much, much nicer. Overall, it was quiet and comfortable, reasonably clean, a really good value, and it was on par with what I expected, but definitely no upscale resort room. I came to Freeport to do things, not sit in my room, so I was fine with sacrificing luxury for price. The bed was comfortable, a King, more than enough room for me and my guy. The sheets were very soft and nice, however there were old blood and bathroom stain remnants on the comforter, which was not changed out during all week long I was there. Considering that all the bedding was plain white, I don't see why they didn't manage to bleach it out. The mattress was a good firmness, but the pillows were pretty shot and should be replaced. Only the sheets were ever changed. The room was huge but spartan, obviously old, overall, but looked like some effort was made to maintain it. I would have liked if there was more effort made in cleaning the tile floors every day, there was always sand gunk getting on my bare feet. The TV was the old kind, small, with iffy reception. The bath is not too small, had the most toiletries of every hotel I have stayed at ever, and were a nice luxury brand. The water pressure was quite low, but the showerhead looked new. The temperature was very fiddly and I advise CAUTION - it consistently would go boiling hot about 3-5 min into the shower, no matter what I initially set it on, and I would have to keep nudging the lever more towards cold throughout my shower to keep it comfortably warm. And this is coming from someone who loves very hot baths, so you don't have to worry about getting enough hot water. The onsite restaurant had okay food, but very limited selection and very, very slow service like most Freeport restaurants. Don't bother with any of the desserts. The Taino beach pass is a bit misleading, you have to walk sort of across the street and through another property to get to the beach and it can be a bit confusing due to lack of signage. The pass is only good for one use. The beach did seem quiet and private however. And you'll be shocked how close it is to Pelican Bay, in reality. The 3 pools were reasonably clean, not overly chlorinated, and usually not too busy. The spa was not hot, barely warm in fact, and usually not actually bubbling, and I never could find a switch for it. Some advice on the nearby marketplace - avoid the center square and the straw markets unless you want to deal with pushy salespeople. We ate at most of the places there and the best service was at Island Java, Giovanni's, and Cappuccino's. The food at Zorba was good, but better order everything you need on the first go-around. Good luck getting drink refills at any place in Freeport. The food was better than I expected at most places but the service could be downright infuriating, even when expecting "island time".