Grand Bahama Island - Club Fortuna
Written: Aug 12 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful beaches, low $$ available
Cons: Can get a little boring if you don't know where to go for fun
The Bottom Line: For fun in the sun, great place for a short getaway! (any longer and i'd have gotten bored)
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| lilly1000's Full Review: Grand Bahama |
Last April I went with my girlfriends to all-inclusive Club Fortuna on Grand Bahama Island. We happened to fall upon what we thought was a really good deal ($600/person included everything, flight from Boston, transfers, hotel, food & drinks for 4 nights/5 days), so we contacted our trusted travel agent who told us she'd heard only good things about Club Fortuna. None of us had been to the Bahamas before.
This package was offered through a charter (TNT), and luckily our flight and transfers from Boston went through without a hitch (I guess that particular charter - although reasonably priced - is known for delays and cancellations). The resort was just a short, comfortable bus ride from the airport (approximately 20 minutes).
CHECK IN
Check in absolutely sucked - the lines to check in were outrageously long, and no one at the hotel was in any rush to move things along more quickly. THey did have free complimentary wines and snacks for us upon our arrival, but no one wanted to leave the line and lose their places to grab a glass! ALthough the service was unusually slow, the staff was extremely friendly and didn't seem bothered at all by the fact that people were getting cranky and rather nasty toward them - they just kept smiling away (i think they were all stoned).
Our rooms weren't yet ready as we'd arrived before the actual check in time, and they had us gather under the open "theatre" area for an overview. Had I known that it was going to be a sales pitch I would have grabbed my bathingsuit from my bag and sat by the pool instead. THey also try to get you alone to talk you into timeshares - unless this is something you're interested in avoid them at all costs, as I hear they can be relentless.
RESORT
The resort itself is really cute, not posh, but open and breezy and well kept as far as cleanliness and repairs. The grounds are pretty and also well kept, with plenty of plants and pretty flowers. Most of the hallways are open with roofs and no walls. They are a combination of stucco/wood and give you a taste of carribean. The lobby attaches to some expensive shops and to the one sitdown restaurant. THe pool is decent and is sort of in the middle of the resort - it is surrounded by the lobby, shops, pavillion, bars, and bldgs which hold the rooms.
ROOMS
We were happy with our rooms - although they're not what I'd call upscale, they were very clean and not too small. The decor reminded me kind of a mexican motif, with clay tile looking floors, mexican print spreads and mexican pictures on the walls. We all had great views as the bldgs seem to have been set up around the ocean, with the terraces all facing in that direction.
BEACH
The beach is gorgeous, and huge. I've stayed at resorts with almost no beach, and that was probably the most attractive thing for me about Club Fortuna. The beach is very wide spread with plenty of room, clean, with nice sand. The weather was great and the young staff was always on hand to offer up volleyball games or even bring you a drink if you were too lazy to leave the beach and walk the hundred feet to get one for yourself! THe one thing I found at the Bahamas is that the people were extremely friendly, from the hotel staff to the bank tellers to the taxi drivers. Actually they can be a little TOO friendly if you're not careful, I had one of the staff offering me massages on the beach and I had to get a little forceful before he backed off. I'm sure he was only doing what he'd been "thanked" for in the past by other ladies.
Next to the buffet restaurant is a game area with ping pong, etc, and attached to that is a cute little quiet bar area with open, breezy walls and comfy seating. It's just next to the beach and is a great place to relax. There's also a disco which is fun but closes early. We heard from a few other guests about a couple of cool clubs downtown that were safe and more hopping. IF you get down there they're across from the big Casino.
SHOWS AT FORTUNA
We found the shows a little bit lame. It was a young staff who tried hard, and they did seem to be entertaining the younger children. We got bored with that fast and found our way to some of the downtown clubs, which were much more fun!
DOWNTOWN
If you're into the nightlife you really need to grab a taxi and get downtown. (about $10-15, takes about 10-15 minutes). (there are hotels closer to the downtown area, but they're not nearly as "beachy"). THere are a couple of casinos downtown, one huge and a lot of fun (and if you're not great at some of the gaming tables the guys working the tables are very helpful).
The shopping is also downtown, but I wouldn't recommend going into the marketplace at night. It's pretty shady and out behind the marketplace is another "hidden" shopping area that we'd found during the day which is even more shady! (i was scared back there IN THE DAYLIGHT!). Someone had told us to go out behind the marketplace, that it was a fleemarket and they had really good prices. It was definately an adventure.
FOOD AT FORTUNA
Other than the one sit down restaurant (which you need reservations for - it's worthwile but keep in mind you will pay extra for steak or lobster), they offer buffets. Although the food isn't bad, it doesn't take long to get sick of. They do try to offer up something a little different each day, but if you've ever eaten buffet food at an all inclusive you'll understand what I mean when I say it gets old quick. THe drinks on the other hand were great, the bars seem to always be opened and we had our frozen daquiris going from the time we got on the beach in the mornings til the time we went back to our rooms! THe bartenders and all of the staff seem happy all of the time and are very friendly.
ACTIVITIES
Club Fortuna offers up the usual activites, jet skiing, snorkling, etc. There's also tennis but it's so hot that no one's was ever on the courts. If you rent those motor bikes do yourself a favor and make sure you have gas in it before you take off!! We took a wrong turn and got lost, and one of us ran out of gas!!! We were in the middle of these fields and there were no cars around and we had no idea where we were! If we weren't laughing so hard I would have been crying. THank God a taxi came out of no where and we flagged him down for help!
DRUGS
If you're looking for pot (or maybe even something harder - but i couldn't tell you first hand about that), you will have no trouble finding it here. Ask any cab driver, literally, and they will have some for you. Just be careful not to try to bring it back with you, you'll never make it through customs!!
BE CAREFUL LADIES ...
of those Bahamaian men! We met a lot of people in the clubs and for the most part felt safe. But there were a couple of shady characters who didn't want to take no for an answer. Good thing taxis are always readily available downtown so you can make a fast getaway (and Club Fortuna will NOT allow anyone into the resort at night unless they have proof that they are staying there - even if you WANT to bring a guest).
LEAVING GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND
THis was miserable - our flight kept being delayed, and at first it was ok because they told us it was delayed a few hours so go ahead and enjoy the pool until it's time to go, which we did. Then we got to the lobby at the new specified time, and it was delayed another hour! And when we got to the hotel it was delayed another FIVE hours!!! It was terrible hanging around the airport, and I totally blame the charter company TNT. I believe some of the bargain deals Club Fortuna has are associated with charter companies - but TNT has a reputation for delays (although i didn't expect it to be THAT bad!). I wouldn't take this to mean you'll have problems with other charter companies.
Going away with the girls is always great, and this was a fantastic vacation for singles.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
lilly1000
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Location: Burlington, MA USA
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 3 members
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