g_m_s_l

I am taking my 2 & 4 yr olds to Bahamas. 1st family trip ever. Very nervous about choosing the right place. Like to stay at Wyndham. Any comments? Is there a more suitable place for kids? They like to be BUSY BUSY. Atlantis is a possibility and definatly a place to visit for us. Wary about travelling about without car seats...will this be complicated.. renting car NOT an option. Any must to do's/don't with kids? I will be 1 week. Thanks for you help

travelbuff

The Wyndham is quite nice. I have stayed there several times and when you check in ask if you can have an ocean view or upgrade if available. Although, I think all the rooms with an ocean view have balconies, probably not a great idea for little ones.

You also might look at the Comfort Suites, which will give you full access to the ATlantis, and I believe there is also a kids camp there, so you can get a bit of a vacation too.

Staying on PI, you won't be taking alot of cabs, more like the bus or a water taxi, so your only concern might be the ride to and from the airport. I don't think it would be worth the hassle of dragging car seats, unless you want the kids in one on the plane.

In Nassau you might want to see the Pirate Museum and the ARdastra Zoo and Gardens. The Pirate Museum is downtown Nassau and the Zoo is a short ride on East Bay St. on the #10 bus (jitney).

YOu might consider taking a stroller or two so the kids can be coralled a bit, and it may make it easier on you to get to restaurants and attractions.

Hope this helps, have a great time.

kellybeaches

Personally I would say if you have the budget, do Atlantis over the Wyndham. I've stayed on cable beach twice-once at Breezes (very nice, but mostly adults) and once at the Wyndham. Both times we took day trips to Atlantis. It's a short drive over the bridge. We went to the Wyndham because we wanted to do a quick weekend on a cheap budget. It was not the kind of place we like to stay at, but the price was right and we needed a getaway. There were mobs of people, and it's definitely a high, high rise hotel. The beach at the time we were there was full of seaweed. We didn't go in the water from the beach at the Wyndham because most of the beach there is above the water-there is a retaining wall surrounding it. There is a small lagoon type thing in front but that was all murky when we were there. You can walk next door to the other hotel beaches, but it's a pain and I would hate to do that with 2 toddlers. The pool was crowded.

Here’s a link to view our trip to the Wyndham:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...xelty&Ux=0

I thought Atlantis was really nice for kids (and adults!)-I would like to stay there when my kids are older. It's sort of like a caribbean disney. I think they (and you) would love it. There are tons of kiddie things contained within the Atlantis resort to do, including shallow pools, aquariums, and a nice beach. I hear it's expensive, but I guess you get what you pay for. Our personal preference for trips right now is the more remote the better-actually we've stopped staying at hotels all together and now rent private villas on remote islands, which are great. However, I think Atlantis would be the one hotel I would venture to if my kids were older since there is so much for them to do. If you're able to get out for an "adult only" dinner, check out Graycliff on the mainland. It's amazing-they have the largest wine cellar in the western hemisphere and the oldest bottle of wine in the world. I would return to Nassau just for that dinner! Enjoy!

kellybeaches

Ps-the car seat issue. The car rental companies will rent car seats to you as well. We’ve done this in the past and it has worked out well for us.

juliajane

Hi I am in the bahamas right now. We stayed at atlantis for 4 nights and then moved onto compass point. I would say stay at atlantis or the suites with access. The kids pool at atlantis would be great for your 2 and 4 year old and adults can also relax there. My 4 year old had a blast!!!I did not like the look of the wyndam..you will not be bored at atlantis!

girlonthego

Atlantis is HUGE! It has just about everything. The pools are great and there is a lagoon which is calm water and great for little ones. You could run them all over the place there and they will tire out. You won't need a car. In fact, you won't even need to leave the resort.
Car seats are a personal thing. We never used them on any of our trips to islands. Of course, by the time mine were four, they were sitting with seatbelts(old rules). They are teens now. You can take a shuttle bus from the airport to the atlantis. We did this and then cabbed it back.

twins2go

We took our 19 month old twins on a 4-day trip to Atlantis over St. Patrick's Day weekend. My FIL is a frequent patron of the casino, and wanted to take us along for the ride this time. It was my first trip to the Bahamas, and as a pre-kids devotee of the French Caribbean, I was not expecting much, but I have to say Atlantis really, really impressed me as a fantastic place to go with small children. The girls had an absolute blast playing in all the different kids' pools and especially the beautiful lagoon beach, which is just perfect for little ones with a nice soft, flat beach, shallow water, and no waves. They also loved looking at all the fish in the Digs. The resort is very clean and well-done in my opinion. It was great for us to travel with the inlaws, as my MIL was happy to stay at the room during the twins' nap every afternoon while DH and I roamed the property with rum drinks in hand. It took us all 4 days to cover the whole place... it just keeps going and going with new things to see and do. The new Dolphin Cay was incredible just to walk up to and watch.

We have no experience with the Wyndham or anything else, but I will not hesitate to go back to the Atlantis with the girls anytime. This is despite the horrible experience we had checking in and getting through security at the Nassau airport (leave yourselves LOTS of extra time) and the fact that, as someone mentioned, the resort is surprisingly stroller unfriendly. There is a way to get anywhere with the stroller, but you will have to be patient and go out of your way. I would recommend bringing a super lightweight stroller for your 2 y.o. and being prepared to carry the toddler plus the stroller down stairs a lot... it would save you many steps. Unfortunately that was not an option for us with our giant rig of a double!

As for carseats, we skipped them and rode to the hotel with kids in laps and fingers crossed. All went well with no hair-raising moments, but I was worried the whole time. We flew with the girls as lap babies, though. If we were buying them tix, which we will next time, I might bring the carseats just to make the plane ride easier.