girlonthego

Has anyone stayed here recently? Which room were you in and did you like it? I am not sure which tower to book.
Thanks

megz

ive never stayed there because its wayy too expensive---coming from toronto for 3 days its like 1200.00..which is nuts for just 3 days. not sure where your coming from but if i were you, i'd book at the beach tower...closer to the beach ...it looks nicest! good luck

travleis

The Royal Tower is the newest and best (relative term)of the three. Built in 1998. The Coral Tower is the oldest and most outdated. It was built in 1969. That's ancient by Caribbean standards.
The Beach Tower was built in 1986.
I really dislike the whole resort so I'll just end my comments there.

anitavacation

Although you will hear quite a few negative reviews, I spent a week at Atlantis last year with my 3 children and another family. We stayed in the beach tower which was nice, but an average hotel type room. I found the Atlantis, while yes it is expensive, but I have yet to be at a resort and have it not be, to be an amazing resort with so much to do and entertain. They have so many possibilities for entertainment and dining I believe they are sure to please anyone. Like I said it is expensive, especially the food, but they do have meal plans which I thought were reasonable. We greatly enjoyed our stay there, everyone was extremely kind and helpful and we were able to greatly enjoy our vacation. After taking a trip off of Paradise Island to explore (which as a note, I personally felt unsafe on Nassau at night), we decided that we could not have been at a nicer spot. I do believe the only complaint I would have is that you are continually asked on the beach to buy something, whether it be a drink, jewelry or whatnot. The solution would be to go with the flow, or go to the private beach near the Coral Towers or enjoy one of the many many beautiful pools. Atlantis clearly marks the beaches however as to this practice and how the beaches are not under their general jurisdiction. One note I will pass on is that when researching the resort, trying to find a good package price was beyond me. I contacted Atlantis directly, and they not only gave me a greatly discounted rate, but found flights for the 8 people in my party at more than $400 less than I could find myself. They also included many extras, such as day trips to snorkel etc., which we did take and had a wonderful time. I hope if you travel to Paradise Island you will have a wonderful time.

greenaerobicmom

We stayed at the Atlantis last year during the President's Day weekend. We got stuck there due to the snowstorm in the northeast and had to stay 3 extra days. Sounds wonderful, but not at Atlantis prices!!! Anyway, by the 2nd extra night, we got wise and moved to the Holiday Inn next door which I liked much much better. Our room at the Atlantis was in the Royal tower, but not oceanfront. Our room at the Holiday Inn was bigger, cleaner and with a better view. I would never stay at the Atlantis again. I would stay at the Comfort Suites which is also next door and which allows you to use the Atlantis facilities. Beach lounges are at a premium and I still can't believe someone had the nerve to steal mine when I got up for 5 mins. The Atlantis was also not very accommodating when we felt stranded and made us keep checkign back with the desk for availability. Our key card to our room also had problems which resulted in us having to call security every time we needed to get into our room. Anyway, the atlantis is a great place to visit, but I will never stay there again; although, they do have the best Dirty Banana drink ever!!!! Have fun!

actran

We stayed at the Comfort Suites 2 1/2 years ago. As mentioned before, it is much cheaper (cheaper being relative) and you get all the benefits of staying at Atlantis. The resort is so spread out, I don't think there really was any extra walking either. You can even charge things at the Atlantis to your Comfort Suites room. If you do go, eat at the Sheraton. It was some of the best food we had.

schmerl

People seem to either love or hate Atlantis. I really enjoy it there. Try one of the big travel agencies for a good package deal. We've booked through Liberty Travel and gotten pretty good deals. We have found we spend LESS money on food without the meal plan. THere are places off the Atlantis grounds with reasonable prices. We usually stay in the Coral Tower due to it's central location. It is in the middle both price wise and location. We never had trouble getting lounge chairs on the beach. They do fill up early around the pools. The aquariums and the Dig are absolutely incredible. The water slide are great fun. ENJOY!

pgmargate

message:royal towers stayed in royal towers 15526 ocean view for 6 nights over x-mas.even though i prefer sightseeing vacations i took this vacation for the kids. if you can afford the royal towers than book it, the other towers do not compare favorably. i was pleasantly suprised that i enjoyed the stay almost as much as my wife and kids.

wantsomesun

PLEASE DON'T GO TO ANY OF THE SITES recommended by Gerry (aka Harrald), he brings nothing to the board but bad information and several people have reported picking up viruses after visiting his "sites". He is a disgruntled individual who had a business deal go bad in the Bahamas and has had a vendetta for several years. He posts on several boards and has been kicked out time and time again.

Just FYI.

claudiale

I have stayed at Atlantis two times. First the Royal Tower with a junior suite with a Nassau view and the second at the Coral Tower. I loved the junior suite and we love Atlantis! I am currently planning a trip to Aruba and several people have posted to me that you get what you pay for. I think that says it all. It is expensive, but it is top notch. I hope some day we can take our grand daughters there!

travleis

I will disagree that you get what you pay for at Atlantis. Personal opinion, to be sure. But that's my biggest gripe with Atlantis. It's such a poor value. For the same money you can stay at a much nicer resort, have much better food, better service, safer island and an authentic Caribbean experience. Atlantis is never listed as one of the top 15-20 Caribbean resorts in polls of experienced travellers.

claudiale

where are these wonderful places? have you been to Aruba?

travleis

Aruba was my first Caribbean destination (back in the early 1980's...my how time flies--scary). And for value, Aruba is indeed high on my personal list of recommended destinations, provided that scenery and world class lodging is not a requirement.
Claudiale, if you really want to experience the best the Caribbean has to offer, and want to do so with value and crowd factors in mind, I think the best solution is to travel in the shoulder seasons--after winter, before mid-summer, or in late fall after hurricane season (or in hurricane season if you're a risk taker).
If you are careful about screening prices and look at the cost of staying someplace like Cap Juluca or Jumby Bay or Little Dix or the Mexican Riviera or a half dozen othe rplaces, it's easy to have a much higher quality vacation for less money than a Royal Tower stay at Atlantis.
Granted, some people go to Atlantis because of the Disney-ish atmosphere. Kids have a ball there. You won't find anywhere else in the Caribbean like it. But then why not just go to Disney and Daytona? Atlantis is so un-Caribbean that it's almost like not being in the Caribbean, and Nassau is not the greatest tourist stop in the Caribbean either IMO.
If someone wants an actual Caribbean vacation and has the money to spend to stay somewhere nice, I think Atlantis is a poor choice and is surpassed by many other places...unless you're a 4-14 year old.

girlonthego

Travleis,
We are going to Aruba in April! How funny that you mention that island. (We have never been.)
We are going to Atlantis because we went there on our honeymoon 15 years ago when Merv Griffin owned it. When we go it will be our 16th anniversary and my fortieth birthday and we are taking the kids. Yes, Iknow it is a crazy, crowded, overpriced place, but I am sure we will all have a blast for a few days there. It's the nostalgia as I hit my middle age..........

almesq

I was also at the old Paradise Island Resort when Merv owned it, and spent a week there last year as well. It's a bit crazy and over the top, and I'm not sure if I'd go back anytime soon, but we did have a good time. Nice pools, nice beach, good food, and great weather. How much is there to complain about?
As for Aruba, I love it. Perfect weather, gorgeous beach and water. Have a great time.

pgmargate

TRAVLEIS: IF YOU KNOW OF A PLACE WITH WATER ACTIVITIES ANYTHING LIKE ATLANTIS PLEASE TELL ME WHERE. YOU GO TO ATLANTIS BECAUSE THE KIDS LOVE IT.

travleis

That's a big part of my point.
The kids don't care whether they're in the Caribbean or at a water park like those in the USA.
So why spend all the money taking them to the Bahamas when they can have as much fun in the continental US for a fraction of the cost?
A little like the debate over taking an 18 month old to Disney World. Parents see it as novel and special, but do the kids see it that way?

pgmargate

travleis: your point is well taken,the only problem for us is the weather at xmas vacation time in the u.s. is very suspect for water activities.thanks for your perspective.

travleis

That's a very good point, pgm.
For families who really want a mid-winter beach vacation southern Calif, Texas and most of FL (northern half) don't offer the kind of weather conducive to water activities.
I guess that's part of the reason the Caribbean resorts can hike their holiday rates so high and still fill all their rooms.
Nassau can still be pretty cool in late December, but it sure beats the Pacific Ocean!

tom42

It's hard to say which Tower you should stay in. The Royal Tower is the best of the three, the Beach Tower the worst, with the Coral in between. The Royal Tower, however, is the mst expensive. I've been to Atlantis twice and stayed at the Royal Tower each time. I thought the room was very nice - spacious and nicely accomodated (but definitely not the best room I've ever stayed in). To add my two cents to the Atlantis debate - I will most likely not be going back to the Atlantis. It is a pretty cool resort but it is not a good value for the money. The main two reasons for me are that the restaurants are a big disappointment for the prices and the casino does not have the type of gaming that I like. Also, I think because it is so large, the grounds don't look like a five star property. Not to say that it looks shabby - but it lacks the lush landscaping that you can find at smaller deluxe properties.