Atlantis Resort, Bahamas
There are two Atlantis Resort’s in the world, one in the Bahamas and one in Dubai. We were able to tour the Atlanis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas. We pre-paid a tour which included the casino (where they did not allow any pictures), the grounds, the lagoons, The Dig, and history of the hotel. We learned that the middle section which connects the Towers was named the Michael Jackson suite and goes for 25K per night.
The resort opened in 1998 and was created by South African hotel magnate Sol Kerzner and Kerzner International Limited. Initially, Paraside Island opened it’s Coral and Beach Towers as the Trump Plaza, then changed its name to Atlantis when the Royal Towers were built. In 2007 a 600-suite luxury hotel named The Cove Atlantis opened on Paradise Island. In December, another tower called the Reef Atlantis. Atlantis was heavily impacted by the crisis in the United States in 2008 and had to lay off 800 employees to face decline in occupation rates.
As you enter the casino you will notice an amazing crystal sculpture which is valued at one million dollars. It is called the Crystal Gate and was created by Dale
The Crystal Gate
Chihuly. It contains more than 2,000 hand-blown crystals, the Crystal Gate reaches 20 feet to the sky. Dale Chihuly has also created glass sculptures for the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
Lagoons at Atlantis
Aquarium
In 2007 the Aquaventure opened which includes slides, lazy rivers, and rapids into one large waterscape over 141 acres. The centerpiece of the attraction is the Power Tower which contains four waterslides. The slides include The Abyss, The Drop, The Falls and The Surge. Aquaventure also includes one of the Atlantis’ most popular attractions, The Current.
The Dig
The Dig is a made up of aquariums which are located beneath the lobby of the Royal Towers. It is the world’s largest open air marine habitat. Hundreds of different aquatic species can be spotted in the Dig’s various tanks such as angelfish, sharks, manta rays, and various types of jellyfish. The guide explained that the goal of The Dig is to provide visitors with what life was like in the legendary destroyed Lost City of Atlantis. The Predator Lagoon is full of sawfishes, barracudas, stingrays, and sharks. There is a 100 foot clear acrylic tunnel which runs underwater, allowing visitors unobstructed views of the marine environment.
To find out more information about the hotel, check out http://www.atlantisbahamas.com.
Nassau Cruise Port
Nassau is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. The Bahamas are a country of over 700
Festival Place Welcome Center
islands in the Atlantic Ocean just east of Florida. Nassau is has a population of is just over 210,000 people.
We sailed into Nassau Cruise Port on a hot, sunny day in June overlooking Prince George Warf. The port is huge!!! 7 cruise ships can dock there at once. Tourism is the mainstay of Nassau. Nassau is the largest cruise port in the Bahamas and attracts 3 million cruise passengers each year. Bahamas is the third richest country in the Americas after the US and Canada.
Nassau has a tropical marine climate varying yearround from low to high 80’s. I can honestly say this is one place that may have even better weather than Kauai!
Sailing into Nassau Cruise Port
$$ saving tips: If you are on Paradise Island for the day, book your tour of the resort in
Nassau Cruise Port
advance. Our tour was $24 per person for three hours which is very cheap. It even included our transportation to and from the port. You can gamble in the casino with US dollars when visiting the resort. I highly recommend the tour for kids!!! Unfortunately, our kids missed the tour that day. The shops in the hotel are very pricy, inclusive of jewelry, hand bags, shoes and clothing. However, there is a gift shop that has small trinkets under $10. We bought my daughter an Atlantis snow globe as a souvenir. There wasn’t really time to eat on the tour, so I would recommend eating before you view the resort. In speaking with one of the guests at the hotel- their complaint was that the pools close down at 7 p.m. and the water park closes at 5 p.m., leaving nothing to do in the evening. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and we asked her questions the entire time. The tour is a great way to preview the resort and decide if this is a place you would want to return to.
5wheelsto5star was featured in the March 2014 issue of Destinations Travel Magazine
5 Wheels to 5 Star 