Eating on a Budget at Atlantis and Baha Mar

Visiting a luxury resort in the Bahamas like Atlantis or Baha Mar is a dream vacation for many, but the food costs can quickly add up and strain your budget. While we always book our trips to both Atlantis and Baha Mar on points (see our travel hacking post for more info on this!) food was by far our biggest expense! With some planning and clever packing, you can enjoy delicious meals for the week without breaking the bank.

What You Can’t Bring In

Due to customs regulations in the Bahamas, there are some food items you unfortunately can’t bring into the country:

– Fresh fruits and vegetables
– Dairy products
– Meat products like ham or sausage
– Eggs
– Alcohol

While disappointing, these restrictions free up space in your luggage for affordable food items that are allowed.

Essential Foods to Pack

To make the most of your mini fridge space (or rented one at Baha Mar, it costs $50 to have a mini fridge there), focus on non-perishable foods, snacks, and simple ingredients to assemble meals in your room:

– Cereal, oatmeal packets
– Granola bars, protein bars
– Peanut butter, jelly, honey
– Bread, bagels, popcorn
– Canned tuna, chicken, or salmon
– Condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayo
– Spices, cooking oil, seasonings
– Pasta, rice, bouillon cubes
– Coffee, tea bags, powdered creamer, powdered drink mixes

A small electric rice cooker allows you to easily prepare sides like rice and quinoa to complement premade main dishes from home or restaurant leftovers. I’ve also been known to bring a griddle for pancakes – but the rice cooker does that job for us now too. Don’t forget the lid, a spatula, and pack some plates and utensils! I usually will make homemade granola and dehydrate a bunch of apple slices with cinnamon (you can bring dried fruits, just not fresh!)

Packing a Brita pitcher allows you to have filtered water constantly without having to worry about water bottles. Atlantis has water refill stations throughout the resort as well as at certain ice machines. Baha Mar only has filtered water stations at ice machines (we had one on the 12th floor of the Hyatt) but we used the Brita pitcher anyway. You can find Brita tumblers as well if you prefer that. We just filled tumblers from home with our pitcher to go out!

Other Tips for Saving

Take advantage of free breakfast while negotiating resort credits or food packages in your room booking to offset some costs. We don’t have a Hyatt status that earns free breakfast yet but if you do, you should be able to take advantage of that at Baha Mar.

For affordable lunches, pack sandwiches and snacks to take to the pool, beach bars, or parks within the resorts.

When dining at restaurants on site, go at off-peak times to take advantage of discounts or happy hour deals. Share appetizers and desserts instead of individual orders. Don’t forget to book your reservations a few weeks in advance, and cancel 24 hours in advance if you change your mind!

With a little bit of planning and smart packing, you can lock in big savings on food and drink at Atlantis and Baha Mar without sacrificing delicious meals and treats during your Bahamas getaway!