We found the British Colonial Hilton to be a great home base for our vacation. We stayed for 8 nights and found the entire staff to be very friendly and helpful. The Bahamas is expensive and the automatic charges at any hotel can add up, along with the automatic 15% gratuity that goes onto any food bill. But, the Hilton is set in a nice spot that allowed us to go downtown, take advantage of tours, and walk to Fish Fry area for many good meals. We appreciated the helpfulness from the staff...even in the midst of renovation that is still ongoing. If come back to the Bahamas...we'll stay at the Hilton.

Just returned back from 10d at the British Colonial Hilton.

The renovations are nearly done, we had a nice renovated room on the sixth floor with a great view of the harbor. Currently the Portofino buffet restaurant is your only dining choice. Both of the lounges are currently under renovation, so if your looking for entertainment at the hotel you won't find it at the moment. But you probably aren't going to the Bahamas to hang out in your hotel anyways! The Portofino is definitely due for an upgrade, I only wish we could have seen the new lounges they have planned they look spectacular.

The most spectacular feature of this hotel in my mind is the staff, that starts from the front desk to chambermaids, maintenance people and bartenders at the pool that you see everyday. Clearly these people have been schooled in customer relations :)

The rooms are decent but not spectacular. Considering this building is nearly 100 years old and the ongoing maintenance that is evident, I think they are doing the best with what they have. It has load more character than say the Sheraton or Wyndham, but while its a period building, it isn't the Chateau Lake Louise or St. Regis SFO

Not unique to this hotel, as we were in the Bahamas just last year are the insidious add on charges you will find everywhere. Standard 15% gratuity applied even if you walk up to the bar and get your own drink or visit the buffet for example. Then there is also the $9/d charge for the maid, plus $8/d energy charge. I thought just Atlantis was doing this but no its everyone :(
At least there is no resort charge here! On that note, the somewhat smaller but "private beach" was a big factor for us in choosing to stay here. The beach isn't so private, as on nice sunny warm days there is flocks of cruise ship passengers admitted to the beach / pool area at $20 head. Luckily while we were there this only happened a few times, but I have to question the wisdom of allowing a bunch of mostly boisterous teenagers in to use your recreation facilities ?

If your staying on business your are right in the middle of everything, if you are there on pleasure you are a little isolated half way between the cable beach area and the paradise island area. Cabs are plentiful and its about $12 to either place. The best Duty Free shopping on the island though is just steps away on Bay St.

there you have it...

I pre-paid for a series of rooms on a business trip and got a great rate (under $200/night). But that was the end of the bargains. Every service there comes with a mandatory 15% gratuity "for your convenience." Really. I wish businesses would just be honest and say, "for OUR convenience." That automatic gratuity sometimes undermines good service. But I would say that on the whole, we experienced very good responses from the valets, bellmen, front desk, concierge and many of the restaurant staff.

The Hilton's renovations are nice, though not yet completed as of mid-June. The only restaurant is the Portofino. Coming soon will be a coffee shop and higher-end restaurant. The room sizes are fairly decent, but the AC system is irregular. Sometimes it freezes you out and other times it leaves you sweating. We couldn't figure out why from night to night. And if you are traveling with lots of gear (we had heavy film equipment), make sure not to stay on the 5th floor as it has three steps oddly placed in the middle of the hall. The only floor like that and an impossible hall to use with luggage carts.

The hotel is very clean and features attractive decor. We had the chance to visit the Atlantis (overwhelmingly large and flashy) and the Wyndham (awful decor inspired by the Love Boat in the '70s, sucks the life out of you) and based on those experiences, we were very happy with the Hilton.

One thing to note before visiting Nassau is that you drive on the left and the national speed limit is 35. So not a problem to adjust if you are a tourist. There are no crazy highways. But there IS crazy traffic. Bay Street is the DC Beltway of Nassau -- constantly congested. Pedestrians can travel faster than cars on that road. And the Hilton sits in the middle of it. If there is a parade, if there is a heavy rain and requisite flooding, if there is perennial road work anywhere downtown, you will be stuck in traffic the moment you leave the hotel. Factor that in and you'll be a happier business traveler.

Having seen some of the resorts here, if you are a business traveler, this is the only sane place to stay. There's a nice beach and pool out back, too, nicer than you would expect from the descriptions.

As a Hilton Diamond Member I had a pretty decent time here. Yes, a small section of the hotel was under construction, much to the management's credit it was quiet and barerly visible. Concierge desk worked out dive trips without any flaw. Reading past reviews of this hotel I have noticed comments about the craftsmenship of the new construction, I am in the construction industry and the carpenters did a decent job. I cannot comment on the cost of this hotel, as I did use HHonors points. I must tell you my only minor gripe about the hotel, is that many of the people who were not guests used the Breakfast facilities. This created a large line that never seemed to move, needless to say we never utilized this facility. However, I don't see how the hotel can remedy this, so I do not place blame. The bathrooms contain a separate shower and bathtub.... very lateeeda! I visit Nassau quite often, although this is my first time staying at this hotel, I will be staying here again in the future.

Two things that must be done.
1) visit the "Fish Fry", great food, reasonable price, relatively cheap beer, $10 cab ride from the hotel.
2) if you are a diver..... Stuart's Cove, do the "Shark Feeding Dive", this occurs everday at 1 PM. This was truly awesome, they feed the sharks by hand!

Final Note: Atlantis Casino, 1 Budweiser, 1 shot of Jose Cuervo, $17.. damn.