My husband and I visited for our first wedding anniversary in June 2008.

On first impressions, the resort itself is stylish in a very simple, understated way (we had looked at booking the Sheraton or the Westin prior to this and overall we think we made the right decision - the reception at the Westin is however far more luxurious and tastefully designed, although the Sheraton was gaudy and well below par for a Starwood property)

We stayed in a suite which I would recommend - the difference in the quality of rooms from a basic to a suite is phenomenal. We weren't disappointed with the size of the suite and the views and private balcony were beautiful. There was a fantastic complimentary espresso collection to satisfy any coffee connoisseur and the famed pastries delivered through the door each morning certainly didn’t disappoint – the staple breakfast of fruit, juice, bagels etc on offer each morning by the pool is also well worth a visit…

The construction issue has been hugely exaggerated (we were concerned after reading previous reviews) - building work is only taking place in the entrance to the hotel car park and affects only a handful of rooms.

There are 3 pools which is great - the main one by the Sabor bar is quite boisterous by day but we found it peaceful at the other 2, with hardly anyone using these - all pools overlook the harbour and overall it's a very tranquil, relaxing environment. This is a particularly great choice for those without children.

Don’t be put off by the fact that it is not situated directly on the beach as the harbour side views more than make up for the crowds that a beachfront location would attract!
Although the hotel offers a free ferry service to Tino beach about 15 mins away, there is a beach nearby (just 5 minutes walk) which is equally as adequate.

On a disappointing note, the staff at Pelican were very un-enthusiastic and struggled to adopt the minimum level of customer service you would expect from any grade of hotel - we found the bar staff at the Sabor bar to be particularly rude. Had we been ‘upgraded’ to a suite (like many of our fellow guests) as oppose to having paid the full price we might have been inclined to overlook this detail.

We were also disappointed that the room smelt quite musty which we presume was down to the air-conditioning unit. The actual bedroom was poorly lit (which wasn't an issue) consequently, it wasn’t until the last day that we spotted a suspicious mound of dust accumulating in the corner of the room - only on further inspection to find months worth of dust hiding under the bed, although thought best not to dwell on it after sleeping with it for 6 nights (yuck) and the indignant attitude we feared from reception. The general cleanliness of the rest of the hotel was satisfactory.

Places to Eat/Drink:

Food in the Port Lucaya Marketplace is very basic – we ate at the general ones mentioned; The Mediterranean, Pisces etc and weren’t impressed by any of them (there’s a difference between basic, local food and meals that are no better than you would rustle up at home, no matter how ‘rustic’ they are intended to be)

The restaurants in the Marketplace weren’t particularly cheap in comparison to the selection in the Westin, so for the extra money we would recommend venturing in there - The China Beach and Ire’s restaurant were fantastic and only marginally ($2-$4 per meal) more expensive than those in the Marketplace (for the difference in quality, I would highly recommend paying the small difference) Beware that within both the resorts and the marketplace you will be charged a hefty 15% compulsory service charge (whether you felt their hospitality deserved it or not) We didn't encounter any problems where we had been overcharged as previously mentioned by others.

For drinks, Rum Runners bar in the market square has a great ambience as one would expect from a quintessential Caribbean rum shack and the staff are more than accommodating - even when caught off guard by power cuts / un-predictable electric storms (as we found out!) One good thing about the marketplace is that we were able to shop without being harassed, but the general apathetic attitude of the locals in the majority of places is far from endearing.

Port Lucaya and Grand Bahama is fantastic for a short, “relaxing” break, however with limited entertainment there’s only so many “Bahama Mama’s” and “Rum Runners” one can stomach - On the whole it was a grand stay at the Pelican Bay and we would definately consider the hotel should we ever return to Freeport.

We just returned from 11 days at the Pelican Bay! First I start by stating "It's the Bahamas; How bad can it be?"
Overall this is a nice property and after looking around the island I can see why it's rated #1.

Positive things about the Hotel:

Location. Everything is right there! The market place has several very reasonable and tasty restaurants. Being on the Marina puts you close to tours and sailing opportunities. You can walk to the beach at the Westin. They say you can't use the facilities at the Westin, but we ordered drinks at the pool bar and made ourselves at home. No problems.

Very affordably priced.

The suite is very spacious. Comfortable beds. Breakfast included.

Cons:
There is heavy construction at Pelican Bay. They used the jackhammer several days. (Just like that commercial) It wasn't as bad as you might think, but it's a jackhammer! Things stay very gritty because they are busting up so much cement. Dust is constantly tracked/blown into the room.

The beaches near the hotel are very natural. Lots of seaweeds and grasses..I've visited several Caribbean Islands and these two beaches are not the most beautiful, but still beautiful.

I have visited the islands for 15 years now, but this time the apathy and indifference of the people bothered me. There were some very nice people, but most of the people seem as if they'd prefer to walk past your lifeless body.......And it's a shame when you consider the graciousness of the people of places like India, Thailand and the Southern US.

Overall. I enjoyed the Pelican Bay. It's fun to walk around the Marina feeding the fish the leftover breakfast bagels and watch the boats sail the bay.

Things to do:
See Gold Rock Beach and Lucaya National Park.
Snorkel Deadman's Reef.
Drive to the West and East End.

Oh and check your credit card charges very closely, especially from the restaurants...

The front desk clerk was lovely and after check in left the best surprise for last...we had been upgraded to a suite! Now mind you, it was next to the construction site, but as it was Friday evening and there would be no work on the weekend, that just left Monday to worry about, So, what the heck!!

Our pool was right outside the patio doors, as was the location of the continental breakfast daily. We had the pool almost exclusively to ourselves and it looked right out over the harbor...so relaxing.

The room was clean, spacious and our housekeeping crew was very thorough daily. Everyone was charming that we met, including the lovely lady in security that helped us with a tiny problem.

The restaurant, Sabors, was an outdoor establishment and the food was excellent. It also sat along the harbor and the harbor walk and in the evenings, the sunset was beautiful.

The Marketplace was fun to shop and walk and I have to recommend La Dolce Vita for dinner...we ate there twice. Tell Screech we said "HI!"

Our first night at the Pelican Bay the hotel was over booked so we stayed in an awful room at the Sheraton. We were to transfer back to Pelican bay the next day - what a hassle. For our trouble the upgraded us to a fantastic suite! Our room was gorgeous and the view even better. There was so much with in walking distance, the hotel staff and locals were very friendly and so helpful. In addition to the free breakfast every morning served by the pool, we had pastries delivered to our room box each morning. Be sure to eat at Simply Native. It is cheaper than anywhere else and the food is fantastic! The hotel is just across the street from the beach, not far at all, and also offers a free ferry to another beach/pool - which has a swim up bar. The pool was quite and relaxing - few children.