Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in The Bahamas has everything you want in a tropical paradise, with a wide range of amenities and an international vibe. Best of all, the resort has kosher food and minyanim available all year, including a Shabbat plan, organized and supervised by Rabbi Sholom Bluming of Chabad of The Bahamas.

I stayed at Baha Mar in November as part of a group of journalists, social media content creators and kosher cookbook authors invited by the hotel for a taste of what the resort offers kosher visitors. The meals were delicious. So was the entire experience.

Baha Mar has exquisitely landscaped grounds with 10 different swimming pools, a water park with rides and slides, and miles of gorgeous beach with white sand and turquoise water. For the sports enthusiast, there is tennis, pickleball, golf, mini golf and a basketball court. The casino in the main lobby, between the east and west wings, is open and airy. It is inviting, if that’s your thing, but easily bypassed if it is not. There is an area on the grounds where pink flamingos, the national birds of the Bahamas, gather, and you can watch them parade with their handlers at set times. Turtle Cay is home to a group of the reptiles. A knowledgeable guide lets visitors in to interact with them.

Accommodations range from well-appointed standard rooms with two beds to luxurious apartment-style residences with one to three bedrooms. All the rooms are updated, with a soothing neutral color palette. I stayed in a very upscale one-bedroom apartment beach villa with a large outdoor patio that overlooked one of the pools. A robe and slippers were laid out each night. A chaise lounge in the bedroom was the perfect spot for late night reading.

Kosher food is available in three places. Cinko, the resort’s signature restaurant, is open for dinner with gourmet Latin and Asian cuisine. Knosh, a food truck near the beach, is the place to go for breakfast, lunch and Motzei Shabbat dairy and pareve fare including fruit, baked goods, egg dishes, salad bowls, flatbread pizzas and sandwiches. Café Madeline, a lovely restaurant in the main part of the hotel with an open-air patio, has a grab-and-go case with kosher-marked and sealed yogurt parfaits, salads, bagels and sandwiches.

Cinko is a very modern gourmet restaurant with plenty of seating including an outdoor patio, specializing in the cuisines of five countries—Argentina, Peru, Japan, China and Korea. The name is a play on the word “cinco,” Spanish for five. In an interview at the restaurant, Manager Donovanh Ortiz Perez told me that the concept was chosen as there was nothing similar at the resort and it appeals to everyone. Cinko is two years old and has experienced growth of over 35% since it opened. Perez said many people check for available reservations at Cinko first before they make their reservations to stay at Baha Mar.

The menu was devised by their team of Peruvian chefs, who use special spices and ingredients so the dishes are both kosher and authentic. He gave me a few examples, like Huacatay a black mint originally from Peru with a distinct flavor. Special potatoes come from farms in Peru. Perez imports rice from Korea. Cinko uses a mix of seven different spices called Togarashi from Japan. Meat is sourced from Argentina. Perez said it took a lot of time to find suppliers who would meet their high standards. Every Thursday, the restaurant lays out a panel of spices, ingredients and sauces to review for quality. The restaurant is very strict about kashrut. Every day there is a training session with the staff. The cuisine is definitely spicy but people can request dishes to be mild if they prefer. A note on the menu suggests that anyone with an allergy or special dietary requirements should speak to the manager about their preferences.

Our group arrived at the resort on a Thursday. We had a preview of Cinko’s fabulous cuisine at a glamorous reception the hotel made for us, where resort executives told us how committed they are to providing Jewish guests with kosher options. We had our first meal at Cinko that night.

For groups of 10 and over, Cinko serves a prix fixe family-style meal of four courses. It was a superb sampler of Latin and Asian cuisines, with many exciting spice and flavor combinations. After an appetizer of shishito peppers in a spicy, sweet sauce, we had ceviche classico, with cilantro, red onion and sweet potato, and salmon criollo sushi rolls with avocado, cucumber and aji Amarillo, a Peruvian chili pepper. The second course was Yakitori, grilled chicken skewers, and Togarashi Yuca, fried sticks of yuca, root of the cassava plant with a potato-like texture and slightly nutty flavor, served with another sweet, spicy sauce.

The third course was Korean tacos, which use bibb lettuce cups to enclose shredded beef, and mushroom carnitas, shitake mushrooms in a tortilla topped with Chinese five spices, plum sauce and pickled daikon. Fourth course was Pollo a La Brasa, Peruvian rotisserie-style smoked chicken, which brought a familiar dish to great culinary heights, served with fries, and Kimchi fried rice with aji panca chili, gochujang, scallions, choclo soy sauce, salsa criola and fried egg. For dessert we had a trio of velvety chocolate lava cake, smooth, silky coconut flan and churros.

Cinko has a complete bar with a wine list and cocktails. I had a delicious concoction called El Cinko de Muerte, made with dark rum, lychee juice, almond syrup, fresh lime juice and bitters. Very tropical. After dinner, we strolled around the hotel taking in the sights and sounds, including a jazz bar with live music.

On Friday, we had breakfast and lunch at Knosh, the kosher food truck by the beach. Calling it a truck doesn’t do justice to this lovely gem, which actually looks more like a train with its nicely designed curved front and back. Located at the end of the path to the beach, tucked away in its own little garden, it is a kosher oasis. Sitting at a cozy table for breakfast, under a blue sky, with birds flying from branch to branch on the surrounding trees, and the tranquil blue ocean just beyond, was pure bliss. I thoroughly enjoyed my avocado toast with fried eggs, feta cheese, dill, arugula and confit tomatoes plus coffee.

After a long walk on the beach, and a swim in one of Baha Mar’s beautiful pools, it was time for lunch from Knosh, which we had at a private table along the path to the beach. I ordered a Superfood bowl—seared tuna, quinoa, cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs, hummus, feta and tahini. Several in the group had flatbread pizzas. There are three varieties—margherita flatbread with tomato and mozzarella; funghi flatbread, a mix of wild mushrooms, truffle cream, potato, mozzarella, arugula and parmesan; and roasted eggplant flatbread with tomato, basil, parmesan and arugula.

We were joined by Rabbi Bluming of Chabad of The Bahamas, who has lived on the island with his wife for 14 years, now with a few small children. He has been the driving force behind kosher food and minyanim for guests, and he gave us a little background about how he accomplished his goal. Rabbi Bluming told resort management that a lot of Jewish people are attracted to The Bahamas and they would really welcome kosher food. He asked them to try having a kosher restaurant as an experiment for six months and they readily agreed—after a few l’chaims, he added. The success of Cinko has brought more kosher options, like Knosh, and there will be more to come. He mentioned the possibility of a kosher ice cream stand in the future.

A few months ago, an eruv was erected around the property, up to the beach. “It’s really a special thing to have a resort that really goes that extra mile to make kosher travelers feel comfortable, to make them feel at home,” said Rabbi Bluming. He pointed out that Knosh was placed in one of the most prominent and beautiful areas of the property. “I think it is a real gift to the kosher world and something that I’m personally grateful for, and all of us are very grateful to the Hyatt and their team for doing this.”

With Shabbat starting so early, there was just enough time to take another beach walk and then get ready to go back to Cinko, where tea lights were laid out for lighting. There were many observant guests for this weekend, including several groups celebrating birthdays. When there is a large crowd, a minyan is held a short walk away in the chapel. There is a sefer Torah at the hotel, donated by one of the hotel’s former guests. We returned to Cinko for a home-style Shabbat dinner.

The table was set with hummus, babaganoush and avocado dip, along with challah rolls and bottles of wine. First course was Turkish salad and trays of honey mustard salmon and gefilte fish. The main course was a ribeye roast with vegetables and kugel. Dessert is the chef’s choice. On our visit it was chocolate layer cake.

At the end of the meal, the room resounded with zemiros and bentching. It was heartwarming to have a traditional kosher meal with a room full of like-minded guests in such stunning surroundings.

On Shabbat day after Shacharit, we had a sit-down lunch in Cinko, but since our visit, Cinko has returned to preparing boxed lunches to be picked up and eaten elsewhere. You can bring lunch to your room or have an outdoor picnic at one of the many inviting spots on the property. Boxes include challah roll and hummus, salad, salmon teriyaki, pastrami sandwich chicken wrap, grape juice and dessert. Since there is no seuda shlishit, Rabbi Bluming suggests saving something from lunch to fulfill that requirement. Choose something pareve so you can enjoy Knosh’s superb dairy fare Motzei Shabbat. Cinko makes children’s meals for Shabbat dinner and lunch.

I don’t swim on Shabbat but I enjoyed relaxing, schmoozing and looking over the ocean in the cabana our hosts reserved for us. Later in the day, there were a few showers, so I read on my patio under the overhang, making the most of every minute outdoors at Baha Mar. After davening at Cinko, Havdala brought the day to a close.

We returned to Knosh, which opens 30 minutes after Shabbat for just one hour. It was understandably quite busy, since it is open for such a short time. If you visit, go early to secure a spot and your choice of menu items.

We had our meal at the private table on the path between the hotel and the beach where we had lunch, which was lit up for a glowing dinner. I had fish and chips, made perfectly with a crunchy beer-battered exterior, and crispy fries. By this time our group had become quite friendly and we ordered a variety of pizza flatbreads with tasty toppings to share.

Saturday night at the hotel was humming with activity from all the restaurants and bars and the casino. Our hosts arranged mini golf for us on a lighted outdoor course. I stayed for a while to watch, before returning to my bedroom chaise lounge and the book I brought along to read. Sometimes a vacation can be for relaxing in luxurious comfort.

Sunday morning came all too quickly. I had time for one more delicious breakfast at Knosh before flying home. This time I had a bagel, cream cheese and lox to get back in the New Jersey mood.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar makes vacationing a pleasure for kosher guests, with its array of food options and minyanim, especially on Shabbat. Be aware that a minyan depends on the number of interested guests staying at the resort. Rabbi Bluming put together a WhatsApp group to check on availability. Word is getting around about everything Baha Mar has for an incredible kosher vacation. Whenever you plan to go, make advance reservations at Cinko. For Yeshiva Week in January, the hotel is making The Palms, another restaurant on the property, kosher. With 800 reservations between Cinko and The Palms, both restaurants are at maximum capacity and Yeshiva Week is sold out.

If there’s a simcha in your future, you can make a world-class destination event at Baha Mar. The huge convention center has a grand ballroom and smaller rooms, plus a separate kosher banquet kitchen. Jennifer Goodwin, event sales manager, has a special focus on the kosher market. She works with the Cinko chefs to plan custom menus and she can make all arrangements. When we were there, we glimpsed a wedding on the beach, which looked positively romantic and gorgeous. Goodwin spent a lot of time with our group and talked about how much she loves bringing people together and ensuring each aspect of an event is meticulously planned and coordinated. “It’s the best thing to be able to give families an experience with all things kosher, whether it’s a bar or bat mitzvah, a wedding or a family gathering,” she said. “And I’m the person to do it.”

For more information about Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, visit https://bahamar.com.