A bit about us... We are a couple in our early 30's who live and work in a big city. Every February/March we travel south with the intent of relaxation, sun and of course, fun.

The Bahamas fit the bill as we booked last minute for a 4-day escape. We learned two things on this trip: 1) never book last minute during peak season; 2) never stay at the Paradise Island Harbour Resort (former Holiday Inn).

WHAT'S BAD:
1)The hotel looked great from the outside and the lobby too. However, there was a running theme in this place and that was the unbelievable amount of RUST everywhere...in the rooms, in the hallway, by the pool, at the restaurants (there are 2), everywhere! It looked as though the place were falling apart. And it was, as our bathroom ceiling leaked and fell into our bathtub! Our room was on the 3rd floor and the entire floor smelled like a combination of garbage and cigarette smoke! Plus, the amentities in the room looked like they had black and green fungus/mold all over them. It was disgusting. We were moved to the 10th floor (non-smoking floor)that smelled like mold, but the room had less fungus/mold on the fixtures and at that point we felt like we had hit the jackpot.

2) The beach is non existent. It's literally a harbour filled with lots of big, loud boats - some cruise ships, plenty of yachts and regular boats. There is a small "beach" that has been created for children to play around with inflatable chairs. Again, disgusting considering this is harbour water, not beach conditions at all.

3) Overall, the service was terrible. Some vacationers don't care about this as the vacationing is more important than the people factor but we were amazed at how bad the service was! Everywhere we went in the hotel, the service was just lousy. You were either ignored or spoken to rudely. I mean, the Bahamas' official language is English and is quite westernized - why the brutal attitude.

WHAT'S GOOD:
1) The weather was amazing. Super hot with only a few clouds. Be sure to bring your SPF (30+), they do not warn you about the sun and a ton of people were sporting really bad burns!

2) The pool is cute but a bit small to accommodate the entire hotel, so head out early to grab chairs.

3) The food in the sit-down restaurant was great. We made reservations there almost every night. Again, the service was not great, but the food was.

4) The best part - we were within a 5min. walking distance to Atlantis! Every night we walked to Atlantis and enjoyed the window shopping along the strip + inside the Atlantis hotel. Also, there was a Starbucks where we indulged in an evening espresso or cappuccino. Atlantis is very Las Vegas. Big, beautiful and has a casino.

Simply put, Bahamas is an expensive vacation especially for a 4-day getaway, so if you're going to go then look into the Atlantis or ANOTHER resort to stay. There is nothing worse than looking forward to a vacation in the Bahamas and justifying the $$ spend only to stay at such a terrible hotel. If there were a beach it would have been fine, instead of just a crowded pool.