It’s been a long time coming, but the Baha Mar has made its debut.

The New Providence megaresort officially opened to guests on Monday, a major milestone for a project that first broke ground in 2011 and after a whirlwind six years has finally opened its doors to paying guests.

The first debut phase is the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, which welcomed its first paying guests on Monday, a Baha Mar spokesperson confirmed to Caribbean Journal.

The resort, set on Cable Beach outside of the hub of downtown Nassau, had begun operations late last month.

Rates for the property, which will likely compete directly with the nearby Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, offered rates starting at $350 USD per night for a 470-square-foot “Grand King” room with floor-to-ceiling windows, a balcony and a bathroom with a rainshower.

Rates ranged as high as $1,850 per night for a two-bedroom ocean-view “residence” with between 1,460 and 2,750 square feet of interior space.

The $3.5 billion Baha Mar resort, which went through a bankruptcy process before being acquired by Rosewood parent company Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd last year, was the largest in-construction project in the Caribbean.

The Grand Hyatt opening is the first phase of the newest addition to the ever-exanding group of Bahamas hotels, which will eventually include the SLS Baha Mar, slated to open this fall, and the Rosewood Baha Mar, which is projecting a Spring 2018 opening date.

tt also includes the Royal Blue Baha Mar golf course, an 18-hole track designed by Jack Nicklaus, and a 100,000-square-foot casino, among other amenities.

— Alexander Britell