Teeny tiny rooms (bathroom door would not open the entire way as it hit the toilet) our view was the McDonald's across the street. The cost of the room and the food was ridiculous, we had the option of going to the executive lounge or some such silliness, but somehow the lady at the desk up there didn't have our names down so we were very publicly escorted out!
Very embarrassing and when we returned with our reservation proving that we were entitled to be there there was no apology!
The little beach was nice until all those huge cruise ships docked right beside it, leaving us wondering what manner of water we were swimming in.
The bellhops were very nice, helpful and courteous.

I recently stayed at the hotel for five days. I travel frequently to Bahamas and find this property to be one of the most elegant hotels in Nassau. It caters to the business travel, so its focuses on service and having find amenities in the room, like Peter Thomas Roth personal care sundries, Cuisineart coffee maker, robe, refrigerator, HD tv, music box where you can connect your MP4 player and nice desk to work. But the hotel also has Resort flair to it with a private beach, an ample pool and very nice ambiance.

To make your stay more enjoyable I share with you my ten tips at the Bristish Colonial Hilton:

(1) In cooler months of the year (November – April), enjoy the beach at the peak sun time, 10:00 am through 3:00 pm since the water tends to be warmer during that time of the day. The hotel beach is private but very small, the property brochures states that it is only 300 ft. but it seems even smaller. You can always enjoy the pool which is heated. Don't forget your sun block.
(2) If your room has a view to the beach, at 6:30 am open your window and enjoy the parade of Cruise Ships arriving. The hotel beach is the entrance to the Nassau Port and entertaining to see the specter of this grand ships. Each morning I saw between 2 or 4 ships arrive.
(3) Even though the beach at the hotel is very comfy and relaxing, there are far much beautiful beaches in Nassau, and some are easy to get from the hotel. You can take the public transportation bus service (not your typical big city bus service, it’s a van with 14-18 seats). Most of them have very friendly drivers, they are reliable and many tourist use it for transportation across the Island. For $1.25 you can take the number 10 bus to Cable Beach (10 minute drive from the hotel) and enjoy a post-card picture beach, with beautiful shades of turquoise waters. Ask the driver to let you know when is the bus stop to the beach (usually close to the Breeze Hotel, at Goodman's Bay) and enjoy the scenery of the ride. On the route you will see a lot construction going on as a result of the Chinese government is involved in major building projects. Also, be aware that across the street from where driver drops you is the other bus stop. The last bus passes by 6-7pm. A Taxi ride would cost you about $15 each way. At the beach often you will see that vendors wil approach you, but if you just decline politely they will leave quickly. Oh, and don't forget to bring your towel, bottle of water and Coins/currency to pay the bus.
Another option of beach easy to get from the hotel is Cabbage Beach at Paradise Island. To get there you should walk to the Cruise Port Area and take the ferry ride to Paradise Island, it cost $2 each way. Cabbage Beach is right close to Atlantis and it has a public access (no fee needed to enter). Stay in the public side, if you go in the grounds of Atlantis you will need a day pass. I personal prefer Cable Beach, because the water tends to be calmer (but neither beach has big surf).
(4) Conch fritters are a must in Nassau. I found the best place to have them is just a 15 minute walk from the hotel at the Fish Fried area. This is a place with a group of local seafood restaurants, about 10 of them. A cemented path will take you there (starts at the street sidewalk and goes on right beside the beach). My cab driver highly recommended to me that I eat at the O' Andros Rest. I found the place to be a small cozy restaurant, but big in food portions. Ten Conch fritter cost $3.00 and I also had a big Crab Salad for $8 and two people could have easily eaten from both plates. With your food you should also enjoy a local beer Kalik (from Nassau) or Sands (from Freeport) – there both very good! Walking is good, but you can also reach the place by taking the 10 bus and at evening you should take a taxi.
(5) You ought to also have a true Bahamian experience, by having the Bahama Mama. It is a local drink (heavy on liquor with coconut rum and tropical juices). There is a fun beach shack to the right of the hotel at Junkanoo beach called Tiki Bikini Hud. There is nothing extravagant about the drink, but you can't beet the ambiance of a beach shack, with tourists and locals enjoying the sand with reggae music and the view of the lighthouse from the bar.
(6) The hotel restaurants are very nice and enjoyable. But Nassau has far more to offer in cuisine with very elegant and affordable restaurants. I recommend some very enjoyable cuisine in some find trendy restaurants. I had dinner at Ichiban, a orient food with good sushi and seafood (ask for the ice scream sandwich with is the house speacialty for deseart – not your typical one). I also had dinner at Luciano's from Chicago good food, and from their evening terrace you will enjoy a beautiful view of the Nassau Harbor and the back part of the Altantis main tower. We paid around $75 for soup, lamb chops, wine and shared dessert. I also went to Montagu Garden Restaurant at the other side of Nassau and they have a shuttle bus to pick you up. The place is not fancy and the food is fare.
(7) The hotel gym is very nice. But I enjoy running and I asked the hotel concierge if there is a route that can take you over the Paradise Island Bridge and back. He pointed me to the right direction and ran for an hour, in a approximately 4.5 mile rout. When you are at the Paradise Island Bridge you can enjoy the view of Mega Yachts crossing it and Atlantis Resort at the distance. You should run with a good bottle of water, since the humidity tends to be high through out the day and can leave you dehydrated. By careful with traveling cars, since the streets tend to be narrow through out the route.
(8) Good shopping is walking distance from the hotel, since the Hilton is at the begging of the Bay Street, a strip full of fine jewelry, high fashion stores and your typical souvenir shop. I suggest that you leave shopping for after the Cruise Tourist departs the area, most likely after 4:00pm. If the day was not good for the salesman at the store, he is very open to have a final sale of the day and is most likely to bargain with you. I bought my wife her Valentines Day gift (a nice pendent) from a 30% discount, to 55% discount, plus he threw in an additional ear rings. Still, the salesman was happy to make the sale and I got a good bargain! There are also coupons in the tourist magazines and maps, so check them out before visiting the stores.
(9) If you stay on a Friday or Saturday, have dinner at the Marina Village at Atlantis - Paradise Island. (the taxi ride costs $12 but it is very worth it). They have plenty of food choices, including fine restaurants and family pizzeria. During that evening you can enjoy the Yunkanoo Rush Out, a street show with a band in very colorful carnival costumes and music full of African Beats. You will see that your feet will start to dance by themselves with the rhythm. The main instrument is the cow bell with trumpets, percussion and lots of dancing. Official Yunkanoo festival is Boxer Day (the day after Christmas) and New Yeas Day, but this group does a very good recreation of the festival. After the show, you can go the night club at Atlantis or the casino and continue to enjoy the evening.
(10) If you need help, ask the Royal Bahamian Police. They are very friendly, and I like their neat uniforms (the best picture that I have is with two of the guards with their white safari hats). Blend with the locals, there are nice people and they enjoy sharing their culture.

Nassau is a beautiful city, and I feel safe walking the streets during the day. I will be cautious in the night, just like any place in the world. The Hilton is also very safe, and every one in the hotel is friendly, and helpful. If you are traveling on a budget, there are fast food restaurant all around and a donut shops a cross the street. I enjoy very much my stay at the hotel. Hope you too.

Traveled the weekend of 1/27, me and 5 girlfriends to the Bahamas and we stayed at the Colonial Hilton because of and despite of the reviews on TripAdvisor.
I have no complaints at all about my room. In fact I think they upgraded the birthday girl to an ocean view as i had a city view booked. My friends had no complaints about the rooms though one did comment that the bathroom door should have opened out to allow for more room in their space.
And the staff..... loved them! Tristan - thanks for looking out for our meals and rides; Adrian - thanks for getting us a last minute snorkeling trip; and Sylvester for everything!
Didn't spend too much time in the room but the bed was super comfy with lots of pillows, good pressure in the shower, ate breakfast at the hotel once and had the buffet which was extensive and good, drinks at the bar last call inside were good, the pool bar was wonderful, enjoyed the hotel beach and pool, and every staff member was extremely helpful.

We stayed here for one night before heading further to Eleuthera. The hotel definitely needs a renovation in the near future. It is too expensive compared to what you get. The room was okay, nothing special. Cleanliness is okay but could be better. We would search for a nicer one when staying in nassau again.