If you are considering staying at this resort or buying a time share here, don’t, especially if you need frequent access to the Internet and email. The owners and operators of this resort don’t appear to realize that it’s the 21st Century. There’s one cheap, crappy router to serve the entire resort, and it’s located in the reception office, so you know what means. No connections or access from the rooms, the constant hassle of having to slog over to the reception area, frequently broken corrections, much wasted time, and a generally bad experience. Of course, if you're living in the 19th century, you'll probably be happy here.

Perhaps the developer of this place, the Peterson family, whose Rolls Royce is conspicuously displayed in the parking area, could spring for the few hundred bucks necessary for some decent routers and expansion of the wifi system for in-room access. But don’t count on it – my wife and I have been coming here for more than five years and nothing has been done, in spite of the many complaints we and other visitors have made.

Maintenance here is also poor, room quality and appointments so-so, and room space extremely cramped. In short, this place is run on the cheap, and it's very obvious. Maybe this is because it's an RCI resort (they run everything on the cheap) or the owners are cheap skates. Who knows? But it shows everywhere. The only redeeming quality of the place is the Bahamian staff, who are universally gracious and cheerful. I'm sure if they owned the place things would be much better.

Avoid this place like the plague. Your money will be much better invested and spent somewhere else.

The Coles notes:

If you want to party, you might want to consider somwhere else. If you want to relax you will probably love Taino Beach. Would recommend staying in the Marlin if you can. I'd recommend it to friends, but do a little research so you know what to expect. Hopefully this review will help. I attached photos of the food, view from our patio and the beach.

Here we go...

My girlfriend and I just arrived back to a cold Canadian January after visitng Taino Beach for 7 days. Prior to booking the trip I read many of the reviews posted here. Some were spot on, and others I think are the result of a lack of research before booking, or possibly.... unrealistic expectations??? We are pretty easy going people so a couple flaws here and there didnt bother us.

It all boils down to what you are looking to get out of your holiday. My girlfriend and I are in our mid 20's but were not looking for a place to party. As many of the reviews here state, Taino Beach and the near by Port Lucaya are not bustling with night life. In our particular situation that was exactly what we were looking for, a quiet place to relax. I dont want to make it sound like a boring place, there are many bars nearby if thats your thing, but the resort itself is quiet.

We booked the Marlin through RCI....some sort of time share company. We received it as a gift and it was our first time using RCI. My main concern was being hastled to buy time shares or memberships of some sort, but that didnt happen. There is a Bahamas energy tax you will have to pay at check-in which cost us $170 USD (for the Marlin). Apparently the cost is different for the Ocean and Coral buildings. We were expecting this thanks to the reviews posted here. It is also mentioned on the hotel confirmation.

The Resort Grounds / Beach:

We felt the resort was very clean, well maintained and in good repair. I'm guessing this was off season, there were very few guests and it was very quiet. As many of the reviews here state the beach itself was fantastic. Again, very few people and increadibly nice. We had no issues finding a quiet spot to tan or swim in the ocean. We only had one day where it was too cool to lay out on the beach so we ended up going into Port Lucaya instead.

The Room:

We loved our room and agreed that the pictures online don't do them justice. We stayed at the Marlin, which many say is the nicer/ newer building. We did not have the chance to look at rooms in the Ocean or the Coral. From talking to other guests the rooms sounded dated but I guess it depends on how much time you think you will stay in your room.

Our room had ceramic floors, marble counter tops, stainless appliances and a flat screen tv. The room had a livingroom with two couches, both of which fold out into beds. We also had a very nice patio which overlooked the pool. To be honest It was dificult to find anything to complain about. About the only thing we could think of is that the rooms are not very well insulated as far as sound. At times we could hear other guests banging around cupboards or doors but it really wasnt that bad.

The Activities / Stuff to do:

The resort offers many activities through a tour company. We did the 90 min wave runner (seadoo) island tour and loved it! We would highly recommend it because it was a blast and you got to see many sights on the island. We also rented a scooter for 24hrs which was awesome, parasailed at the Raddison resort (near by in Port Lucaya) and took the glass bottom boat tour. The activities were a great way to break up the beach lounging if laying around all day isnt your thing. These were all at an aditional cost.

Port Lucaya is about a 10 min water taxi ride from the resort. Its a nice little area with many restaurants and shops. Its not huge but its easy to kill an hour or two walking around. We visited Port Lucaya 3 or 4 times throughout our stay.

Food:

We loved the food at the Taino Beach restaurant. My girlfriend can be a picky eater sometimes but we were always able to find something. Also great views from the beachside patio. Wether at the resort or in Port Lucaya we didnt have a bad meal. Port Lucaya has many restaurants to choose from as well. I read many complaints about the prices for meals however they are on par with what we pay here in Canada....so no sticker shock for us. You can have lunch starting at around $15-$20 a person with an adult beverage. We averaged about $50ish a meal for dinner with drinks and so on.

Would also highly recommend "Red Beards Pub" located near Taino Beach.....sooooo gooood. Huge portions and a great bar atmosphere. We ate there two nights in a row. Good north american style bar food and local dishes.

We also did the grocery run offered by the resort. It costs $3 and they bus you to a grocery store in Freeport. Prices are about average. Some items cost less, some cost the same, and some cost more. I would recommend it if you dont feel like eating out ever day.

The Staff:

The staff were very friendly and always willing to help out and answer questions. One of my main concerns before going was beeing solicited or hastled to buy time shares - which never happened one time. Im not sure if that was because they forgot about us or what, but it certainly made it more relaxing.

I also read here that the staff will call your room asking about buying time shares and so on. This was easily avoided by unplugging our room phones when we checked in.....not sure if they tried to call us, but thats an easy way to avoid unwanted calls. Other guests at the resort did mention getting phone calls though.

Conclusion:

Overall we had a great time at Taino Beach and the Bahamas in general. Keep in mind there is very rarely such a thing as a perfect vacation, so if you dont sweat the small stuff and are an easy going person you will love Taino Beach. Just do some research and decide if this type of vacation is for you.....its not a 5 star all-inclusive, but theres a great beach, good food around and nice people.

We would go back.

If you want the beach, you got it. If you want a delicious meal, you got it. If you want a unique room to stay in, you got it. if you want an awesome swimming pool for people of any age, you got it and finally if you want a friendly staff, you got that too. I love Taino Beach. I've been going there with my family and friends for about 10 Years now and it is always a very fun experience. The pool area is awesome with a grotto swim up bar with happy hour, theres a water slide that people of all ages enjoy, little caves for privacy and when the water slide is on the entire pool turns into a lazy river. if you walk down a little more you're at the restaurant "Taino By the Sea", where they have the best conch fritters on the island as well as delicious meals, including there burgers. They have inside and outside dining areas which offer amazing views of the beach and sunset . The beach is cleaned daily with huts and beach chairs for free. The beach is also very long so it is perfect for walks on the beach, with a jetty on one end for rock fishing, snorkeling, and boat watching. They have bonfires on the beach a couple times a week with great entertainment. The rooms are so cute, I stay in the coral and they rooms are beautiful to me big and spacious with a Jacuzzi behind the bed and a huge shower. They currently do not have any shopping to do on site but with a quick ferry ride you are at Port Lucaya for all of your shopping, dining, and entertainment needs. There is internet services in the lobby for people who must use the internet even though they are supposed to be on vacation. Taino Beach is perfect for families and couples of all ages. I love Taino Beach and I would never stay anywhere else.

We traded into this resort and have been fans of timeshare for many years. Our weather was a bit cold and we found there was not much to do at Taino when it is colder. However, I can imagine if the weather was very hot and you can spend a lot of time outdoors, doing activities, then this place would be just fine.

With regard to the specifics about our stay, first, the positive things to note:
--Beaches. if the weather is moderate to hot, this is a well-situated resort. If you are not the type of person who spends a lot of time on, in and under the water, this is not the right country for you to visit. Beautiful photo-worthy beaches abound, plenty of water sports right off your beach and scuba, party boats, fishing etc.. all very close by. Take a walk down to Paradise Cover/Junkanoo Beach Club as a nice change of pace.

--Pool. the pool is nice and might be happening/festive during a very hot day but, if the weather is not super hot, the pool water is way too cold to enjoy…which means the lazy river, poolside bar, waterslide etc… might as well not exist since you can’t use them. While I realize there are large periods of time during the year where they don’t need to heat the water because mother nature does it for them, not heating it during the winter is a major limitation and big downer to guests with kids.

--Staff. We had several very friendly people and others who were rather abrupt and downright frosty with us. I chalk some of this up to “that’s just the way it is in the Bahamas”. I would suggest they utilize a "secret shopper" guest program to rate the individuals who work there and get better consistency of service for their customers.

--Ferry. We did not need a car for our entire stay but more adventurous people, might. The water ferry is actually a positive in my book because the five-minute separation between Taino Beach and Port Lucaya, is enough where those staying at Port Lucaya can party, dine or do activities when wanted – and leave them behind when not. We had one poor instance of service where we wanted to take a Ferry to attend something at a specific time and the ferry driver “was in a meeting” and basically just blew off driving the Ferry…..very frustrating. It would be nice if they had a drawbridge to Lucaya but the Ferry is not a big hassle.

Rum Punch. I don’t know how they get away with doing it but they often had Rum Punch in the lobby each night – that wouldn’t be acceptable in the U.S. but is a nice touch in Grand Bahamas! Way to go, Taino Beach!

Rooms. The two bedroom units in the Marlin building were equivalent to a 2 bedroom at a Marriott or Hilton timeshare…rooms in the other buildings, are not even close to that quality level (see below). However, the Marlin is closest to the pool so, when the resort is crowded (which it was NOT for our stay), the Marlin rooms might be loud.


AREAS OF CONCERN:

Marlin vs. Coral vs. Ocean buildings. As mentioned, the Marlin is pretty modern. Coral and Ocean building rooms that we saw were…..odd ---everything from the cabinets to walls, was coral-like in appearance and an unappealing beige color and strange metallic gold fixtures. The bathrooms were only semi-private, with glass doors and walls. The TVs were tiny.

Rooms. Okay, so this is our chief gripe. We traded a two-bedroom unit and were told (plus written confirm) by RCI that we had a full Two Bedroom at “Coral” Taino Beach. Only problem with that is that there are no 2 bedroom units at Coral! The units here are narrow, with a front “studio” type of unit connected at the narrow end with an efficiency suite, which is basically another studio and a kitchen in an open space. There is a bed in the middle of the kitchen room area. So, your dining, kitchen and tv-congregating area has a non-private bedroom in the middle of it, which is odd. Arguably, however, the studio connected to the kitchen-efficiency room is a suitable one-bedroom. But, as I mentioned, we traded in for a 2 bedroom since we had our kids with us. This is where it gets almost laughable – our "2nd bedroom" was another studio room not connected to our first room! We had kids and unless they were to sleep in our living room/kitchen/dining room bed, they would have had to leave our room, go outside and then to their own studio. Some people might like that separation but, it was not a true 2-bedroom. When we asked about it, we were told that the Ocean and Coral rooms did not have true 2-bedroom units. RCI should take note.

Internet. Okay, people, it is the year 2012 ---- for ANY hotel or resort to not have wireless internet, throughout the resort and in every unit, is SOOOO 1990s. Nothing says “outdated resort” more than Draconian internet capability. Moreover, it should be free as it doesn't cost much anymore. At Taino Beach, guests are forced to congregate in the lobby to get wireless (and then, only during certain hours of the day)…this is bad for Taino as well because those using the Internet have a front-row seat to customer complaints and gripes at the front desk….so, Taino beach is inconveniencing its guests and airing its dirty laundry to them at the same time. Taino should spend a thousand or two dollars and get internet throughout the resort and while your at it, have the wireless signal accessible on the beach and by the pool.

Ocean View. They way this property is laid out, there are very few units with ocean views and those seemed to be reserved for owners and not RCI traders or renters. The Ocean building is closest to the beach but as we stated, not the nicest interiors. Be careful because the staff seems to think that if you lean off your balcony and strain your neck and can see a sliver of water from the ocean, that it counts as “ocean view”.

Energy Charge. Another sign of an outdated timeshare is one that still charges an energy surcharge. We were socked with an additional $256 in charges upon check-in…welcome to Taino Beach! This is even more ridiculous since we did not use the air conditioning ONCE during our entire week, due to the cooler weather and (as mentioned above) the resort was not heating the pool….so, I am incredulous as to what that energy charge got us in return…it might make sense in the summer but the charge should be lower during the colder months.

Inability to Charge Purchases to Room. Sorry to beat the “outdated resort” theme but not being able to charge drinks, activities to the room is a big inconvenience and out of step with other modern resorts. As a result, guests are forced to have cash on them at all times --- which when you are walking around in a bathing suit is a real inconvenience.

Noise. The walls are thin and sound carries, even in Marlin. The rooms have tile floors….as a result, every scrape of a chair or movement of a table makes a loud screeching sound that can be heard in all the units above, below and side to side. The resort should invest in some felt or cotton and glue those to the bottoms of the heavy wooden chairs and tables to reduce that noise. Moreover, the maids tended to yell at each other in the hallways, which was very loud – maids should be instructed to keep their conversations to the non-guest areas.

Glass/Debris on the Beach. We were shocked at how much glass and debris was on the beach…definitely bring water shoes. The resort should clean the beach better than it was.

Food. I don't think I had one great meal the entire trip....that is not Taino's fault since we only ate in their restaurant once...the best food we had was at Agave in Port Lucaya.

Bonfire. So, there has been a lot of chatter on here about the Bonfire. For my family of four, it would have cost $150 to attend the Bonfire. While festive, I think it is probably worth about half to a third of that amount -- my observation is that Taino makes a lot of money selling the Bonfire to cruise ship passengers and those staying at the hotel are better off just buying their own food and drink and then walking out to the beach to enjoy the remnants of the fire after the buses return to the cruise ships. On this note, I think Taino should spend a little less time catering to cruise ships and perhaps a little more attention to activities for its own guests --- our activities director was basically missing in action the entire trip. Note -- when the weather is colder, you need MORE activities, not less.

Beach Bar. Taino really needs a beach bar with a waitress or two that can bring you drinks on the beach. We probably would have spent another $200 or so had there been a bar in close proximity to where we were hanging out on the beach.

Beach Towels. I don’t know what it is about the beach towels since many on Trip Advisor have made the same comment but we sought to change our beach towels probably about six times through our trip – and, each time were told they did not have any beach towels. This was ridiculous given how empty the resort was --- all they had to do was get a few from an empty room. Not cool.

I don't want to sound too grumpy because we did ultimately enjoy our trip --- it is just that Taino has been in business for a long time and should fix some basic things (like how RCI portrays their rooms, heating the pool), some little things (like internet, towel service, noise proofing). That being said, if you go at a time where you get warm to hot weather and manage to get a room in the Marlin building, you should be able to have a great time and overlook some of the other odd annoyances that you don't find at more modern timeshare resorts.