Atlantis Review
Jan 17th, 2006, 12:29 PM
#21
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ill certainly come back and post about my experience, good or bad!
I dont think we'll do any of the food plans, but we may change our minds once we get there, really it's up to my boyfriend, it's my birthday weekend so I think he'd probably intended on footing most of the bill. I do realize that it is probably a huge family resort, but Im hoping that since school is back in and it is after the travel filled holidays the place wont be that crowded, either way, we dont mind kids in the least. My boyfriends a big kid himself and he's obsessed with sharks and aquatic life so thats a plus. I do expect it to be quite expensive, but to be honest, sometimes we spend $500 in a weekend just going out in New York, so why not do it in the Bahamas, right? Be back soon!
I dont think we'll do any of the food plans, but we may change our minds once we get there, really it's up to my boyfriend, it's my birthday weekend so I think he'd probably intended on footing most of the bill. I do realize that it is probably a huge family resort, but Im hoping that since school is back in and it is after the travel filled holidays the place wont be that crowded, either way, we dont mind kids in the least. My boyfriends a big kid himself and he's obsessed with sharks and aquatic life so thats a plus. I do expect it to be quite expensive, but to be honest, sometimes we spend $500 in a weekend just going out in New York, so why not do it in the Bahamas, right? Be back soon!
Jan 17th, 2006, 04:48 PM
#22
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks so much everyone!!! After reading a lot of your comments, ect. I think we are going to cancel the MAP plan, we can always change our minds when we get there (which I didn't realize). We really are not big breakfast eaters and my kids/husband are going to need lunch. Along with the fact that now that we know that we can venture off property to eat and buy grocerys I think it is the way to go for us. And we would like to eat in one of the gourmet resturants too. I just hope this isn't going to be a problem with the travel agent. I wish I had found this board before I booked!
Jan 18th, 2006, 07:35 AM
#23
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Years ago we stayed at one of the properties next to the Atlantis and walked up on a couple occasions to have breakfast and visit the casino. I wasn't impressed with the beach but the pool was nice and lively. My favorite was the Atlantis aquarium. The one problem I had with Paradise Island /Nassau was the water was COLD in March! I had a few beers with the locals in downtown Nassau (which was fun) so I felt pretty good about the island but the next day we did more exploring (circled the island) on a moped. I would not recommend that for the faint of heart or anyone for that matter. There is serious poverty and people milling about in large groups who didn't appear real friendly. Anyway, we survived and overall it was a fun vacation...so enjoy!
Jan 18th, 2006, 09:22 AM
#24
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We have plans to travel to Atlantis in August with our 21 and 19 year-olds. They enjoy nightclubs, dancing etc. Is this somewhere they can take advantage of this without driving? Do we need a car? What about getting groceries etc.?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Jan 18th, 2006, 06:51 PM
#25
There is a market just down the street where you can buy grocries. No need for a car. I haven't been to Atlantis in a couple of years, but there used to be a club right off the casino for dancing.
Jan 19th, 2006, 05:23 AM
#26
I think that part of the problem that many people have with the Atlantis is that you pay Four Seasons prices but you do not get Four Seasons quality.
I've gone twice and stayed in the Royal Tower. The rooms were nice but nothing exceptional. If I had paid full price, I would have been disappointed.
As far as the restaurants - again, same problem - NYC prices but not NYC quality. They were mediocre but nothing spectacular.
That being said it can be a fun place for a long weekend - nice beach and grounds, the Dig is cool, and a casino.
I've gone twice and stayed in the Royal Tower. The rooms were nice but nothing exceptional. If I had paid full price, I would have been disappointed.
As far as the restaurants - again, same problem - NYC prices but not NYC quality. They were mediocre but nothing spectacular.
That being said it can be a fun place for a long weekend - nice beach and grounds, the Dig is cool, and a casino.
Jan 19th, 2006, 08:54 AM
#27
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't know if this is mentioned above, but:
1. There is a massive construction project going on behind the Royal Towers -- condos or timeshares or something like that, so the view from the BACK of the Royal Towers these days is basically dirt and construction equipment. You might do better by staying in the Coral Towers for the next several months. (That's as of middle-December, 2005.)
2. If you watch the different travel sites you do NOT have to pay $400 a night. You can pay as little as $99 per room per night for Beach Tower (perfectly acceptable) if you time your trip accordingly.
1. There is a massive construction project going on behind the Royal Towers -- condos or timeshares or something like that, so the view from the BACK of the Royal Towers these days is basically dirt and construction equipment. You might do better by staying in the Coral Towers for the next several months. (That's as of middle-December, 2005.)
2. If you watch the different travel sites you do NOT have to pay $400 a night. You can pay as little as $99 per room per night for Beach Tower (perfectly acceptable) if you time your trip accordingly.
Jan 19th, 2006, 02:14 PM
#30
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't be on the fence. If Atlantis is charging a lot of money now, wait...watch the travel sites. Look for specials. They roll around every now and then. Sign up with Travelzoo -- they always post the specials there.
For $99-$179 a night (per room) you'll have a blast; for $270-$400 a night you may feel ripped off.
For $99-$179 a night (per room) you'll have a blast; for $270-$400 a night you may feel ripped off.
Jan 19th, 2006, 05:16 PM
#31
The Atlantis is what it is. I think it is a fun resort with good food. You can dine in numerous restaurants and never leave the property. Nassau is the closest city and it is not a place that I would recommend visiting.
When you pull up to the resort, it is very over the top. It is actually gawdy because of the statues and fountains. But it adds to the atmosphere. It is fun. If you want to get away, drink, gamble, sit on a beach, enjoy a cool slide and eat some good food, then go and have fun.
We went for my fortieth birthday and we had a blast. I doubt we will return because there are so many places to visit. It is expensive, but so is everywhere else in the Caribbean. My brother stayed two nights in the Beach tower and said that it was dumpy and old. We were in the Royal towers and reserved a basic room.(Which looked very nice.) My husband upgraded us when we arrived to a suite to surprise me for my birthday. It was even nicer.
I would not change my plans because of a few bad reviews. I would take them with a grain of salt. Some people think a Holiday Inn is a fabulous resort and some expect the Ritz. So each person is giving his or her opinion. I thought the people were friendly. I had a good experience there. We had good housekeeping, dining was delicious, drinks were frosty, kids loved the pools and slides(so did my husband).
I would rate the grounds as first class-five star and more. This is a huge property and the grounds are kept very clean and beautiful. The basic room at the Royal tower was like a nice Marriott room. The suite was more like a Ritz room with a fantastic bath. The lobby is pretty awesome walking through. The place is crowded and there always lots of people milling around. If you are looking for quiet, this is not the place.
When you pull up to the resort, it is very over the top. It is actually gawdy because of the statues and fountains. But it adds to the atmosphere. It is fun. If you want to get away, drink, gamble, sit on a beach, enjoy a cool slide and eat some good food, then go and have fun.
We went for my fortieth birthday and we had a blast. I doubt we will return because there are so many places to visit. It is expensive, but so is everywhere else in the Caribbean. My brother stayed two nights in the Beach tower and said that it was dumpy and old. We were in the Royal towers and reserved a basic room.(Which looked very nice.) My husband upgraded us when we arrived to a suite to surprise me for my birthday. It was even nicer.
I would not change my plans because of a few bad reviews. I would take them with a grain of salt. Some people think a Holiday Inn is a fabulous resort and some expect the Ritz. So each person is giving his or her opinion. I thought the people were friendly. I had a good experience there. We had good housekeeping, dining was delicious, drinks were frosty, kids loved the pools and slides(so did my husband).
I would rate the grounds as first class-five star and more. This is a huge property and the grounds are kept very clean and beautiful. The basic room at the Royal tower was like a nice Marriott room. The suite was more like a Ritz room with a fantastic bath. The lobby is pretty awesome walking through. The place is crowded and there always lots of people milling around. If you are looking for quiet, this is not the place.
Jan 20th, 2006, 11:16 AM
#32
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Like it has been said other places in this thread, your enjoyment of Atlantis may be directly proportionate to what you pay. There's a special going on NOW for the month of February (2006) -- $159 per night per room for Beach Tower (more for Coral and Royal), so if anyone is interested, CHECK IT OUT on the Atlantis website. (I have nothing to do with any of this -- my brother is a fan of the place and just forwarded me the link.)
Jan 20th, 2006, 11:20 AM
#33
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Actually the link is not readily apparent on the website. Here it is:
http://www.atlantis.com/specials/sp0106-159.html
http://www.atlantis.com/specials/sp0106-159.html
Jan 22nd, 2006, 06:02 PM
#34
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just got back from Atlantis. My boyfriend (26 years old) surprised me with a weekend there for my 23rd birthday on Friday so we only stayed for 3 days but I can honestly say it was better than some 8 day vacations I've taken.
The place is amazing, especially if you find sea life fascinating because there's so much of it from sharks to the tiniest sea anemonies, they're all over, tehres even a little aquarium called The Dig that was really interesting. I felt like Atlantis was a cross between a water park, a pool and aquarium and a beach resort.
A few things I agree with from other reviewers is that it is VERy expensive. It was just me and my boyfriend and we spent $900 not including what we paid for the rooms or airfare, and that's in 2 and a half days! It is also VERY big and you do a lot of walking, if you're into something more intimate and less crowded dont bother with the Atlantis, or stay next store at the One & Only resort or the Comfort Inn where you have access to the Alantis. That said, I dont think it was THAT crowded, the place is too big to be really crowded, people are so spread out.
Other than that I have to say the staff was very nice, not overly nice or overly accommodating, because that's impossible when you're dealing with thousands of guests, but certainly not rude or snobby as some people have said and they did all they could to accommodate what you needed. In fact my boyfriend made friends with many of them and they recognized us around the resort when we passed them.
The room we stayed in was in the east side of the royal towers and was definitely bigger than your average hotel room. It was also very clean all the time and the cleaning ladies were great. It was on a high floor and overlooked the harbor. The only room issue we had was that we got to our room and it had 2 beds when we'd requested 1 king size bed but we called guest services and were in a new room with a king size bed in literally 15 minutes.
At night we didnt go to the casino, we arent really gamblers, but the casino is huge and as others have said, definitely reminded us of Vegas. It looks like a lot of fun if you like gambling. We went to the newly opened restaurant Nobu for my birthday dinner and the food was AMAZING. If you're not aware of Nobu, it's a famour Japanese chef. We're from New York and getting a reservation at Nobu here is really hard so it was cool to be able to eat there. The service there was a little iffy only because they'd just opened a week ago and were having some problems getting orders out properly, but the staff was still very sweet and accomodating. After that we drank and danced at Dragons until 1:30am and called it a night. Dragons was fun, but really small and didnt get going until 11:30 or so but fun music and drinks, we danced and certainly got the effect we wanted by the end of the night
In total that night alone we spent about $500 just on dinner and drinks, but mostly because we ate and drank..A LOT, and the drinks were expensive. As far as the automatic 15% gratuity on everything, I didnt mind at all. Gratuity is customary where I live and the customary tip is 20% so even if service wasnt great we'd still leave at least 15% so it didnt matter to us that it was already added in.
There is tons to do during the day as well. There are a bunch of pools, the lagoon and the beach. Just so much to take in. THere's also a little marina town. We didnt even see all of the grounds because we were just there for a few days and before we left for the airport we discovered a whole new pool and bunch of waterslides we never knew were there! The beach was nice, I only laid there once after we rented a jet ski, which was one of the highlights of our trip. We paid $50 to jet ski for a half an hour and had so much fun out there it is inexplicable, even though I got thrown off the back of one twice, I never stopped laughing.
SOme people have said it was hard to get chairs by the pools, there were always chairs available, some of them were just inshady areas, sometimes there's nothing out in the sun but a great tip for those who dont have kids and want some peace and quiet, go to the Sports Center, its a bit of a trek to get there and its surrounded by construction but there is a lap pool there and lounge chairs all around and its drenched in sun and we went there every day and there were MAYBE 3 other people there sunbathing. It was perfectly peaceful, if you dont mind the occassional bulldozer in the background. THe watersliders were fun. My favorite was the one that went through a dark tube and ended up going through the aquarium with the sharks in them. The sharks were small but very cool. We wanted to see the tiger shark but found out it had died jsut a couple months ago. The big big slide that going almost vertical I didnt even attempt, too scary for me. But I heard people getting off of it saying it was fun. Looked like it hurt though!
Other than that, all in all, it was the most fun Ive had in a weekend in a long time. The weather was great (81 every day, sunny, some clouds), the food was great at the restaurants we went to (Carmine's, Nobu and Murrayss Deli) but beware of some of the poolside food. Shark Bites (burgers/chicken wraps, etc) was good but there were a few other food huts that werent so great. And the cocktails by the pool are VEEEEERY weak, Id stick to beer if you want to feel anything at all
I know my review probably wont apply to a family of 5 kids staying for 8 nights who wont exactly be partying until 2 in the morning or going to swanky dinners at Nobu but either way if you have any questions ask away.
I loved Atlantis and although on my next trip to the Bahamas I'd probably opt to go somewhere a little more quet and exclusive I will be back to Atlantis some daY!
The place is amazing, especially if you find sea life fascinating because there's so much of it from sharks to the tiniest sea anemonies, they're all over, tehres even a little aquarium called The Dig that was really interesting. I felt like Atlantis was a cross between a water park, a pool and aquarium and a beach resort.
A few things I agree with from other reviewers is that it is VERy expensive. It was just me and my boyfriend and we spent $900 not including what we paid for the rooms or airfare, and that's in 2 and a half days! It is also VERY big and you do a lot of walking, if you're into something more intimate and less crowded dont bother with the Atlantis, or stay next store at the One & Only resort or the Comfort Inn where you have access to the Alantis. That said, I dont think it was THAT crowded, the place is too big to be really crowded, people are so spread out.
Other than that I have to say the staff was very nice, not overly nice or overly accommodating, because that's impossible when you're dealing with thousands of guests, but certainly not rude or snobby as some people have said and they did all they could to accommodate what you needed. In fact my boyfriend made friends with many of them and they recognized us around the resort when we passed them.
The room we stayed in was in the east side of the royal towers and was definitely bigger than your average hotel room. It was also very clean all the time and the cleaning ladies were great. It was on a high floor and overlooked the harbor. The only room issue we had was that we got to our room and it had 2 beds when we'd requested 1 king size bed but we called guest services and were in a new room with a king size bed in literally 15 minutes.
At night we didnt go to the casino, we arent really gamblers, but the casino is huge and as others have said, definitely reminded us of Vegas. It looks like a lot of fun if you like gambling. We went to the newly opened restaurant Nobu for my birthday dinner and the food was AMAZING. If you're not aware of Nobu, it's a famour Japanese chef. We're from New York and getting a reservation at Nobu here is really hard so it was cool to be able to eat there. The service there was a little iffy only because they'd just opened a week ago and were having some problems getting orders out properly, but the staff was still very sweet and accomodating. After that we drank and danced at Dragons until 1:30am and called it a night. Dragons was fun, but really small and didnt get going until 11:30 or so but fun music and drinks, we danced and certainly got the effect we wanted by the end of the night
In total that night alone we spent about $500 just on dinner and drinks, but mostly because we ate and drank..A LOT, and the drinks were expensive. As far as the automatic 15% gratuity on everything, I didnt mind at all. Gratuity is customary where I live and the customary tip is 20% so even if service wasnt great we'd still leave at least 15% so it didnt matter to us that it was already added in. There is tons to do during the day as well. There are a bunch of pools, the lagoon and the beach. Just so much to take in. THere's also a little marina town. We didnt even see all of the grounds because we were just there for a few days and before we left for the airport we discovered a whole new pool and bunch of waterslides we never knew were there! The beach was nice, I only laid there once after we rented a jet ski, which was one of the highlights of our trip. We paid $50 to jet ski for a half an hour and had so much fun out there it is inexplicable, even though I got thrown off the back of one twice, I never stopped laughing.
SOme people have said it was hard to get chairs by the pools, there were always chairs available, some of them were just inshady areas, sometimes there's nothing out in the sun but a great tip for those who dont have kids and want some peace and quiet, go to the Sports Center, its a bit of a trek to get there and its surrounded by construction but there is a lap pool there and lounge chairs all around and its drenched in sun and we went there every day and there were MAYBE 3 other people there sunbathing. It was perfectly peaceful, if you dont mind the occassional bulldozer in the background. THe watersliders were fun. My favorite was the one that went through a dark tube and ended up going through the aquarium with the sharks in them. The sharks were small but very cool. We wanted to see the tiger shark but found out it had died jsut a couple months ago. The big big slide that going almost vertical I didnt even attempt, too scary for me. But I heard people getting off of it saying it was fun. Looked like it hurt though!
Other than that, all in all, it was the most fun Ive had in a weekend in a long time. The weather was great (81 every day, sunny, some clouds), the food was great at the restaurants we went to (Carmine's, Nobu and Murrayss Deli) but beware of some of the poolside food. Shark Bites (burgers/chicken wraps, etc) was good but there were a few other food huts that werent so great. And the cocktails by the pool are VEEEEERY weak, Id stick to beer if you want to feel anything at all
I know my review probably wont apply to a family of 5 kids staying for 8 nights who wont exactly be partying until 2 in the morning or going to swanky dinners at Nobu but either way if you have any questions ask away.
I loved Atlantis and although on my next trip to the Bahamas I'd probably opt to go somewhere a little more quet and exclusive I will be back to Atlantis some daY!
Jan 25th, 2006, 12:19 AM
#35
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have stayed on Cable Beach (ta the Wyndham) and at Atlantis. Our most recent trip to the Bahamas was last March and we stayed at Atlantis. We stayed a week and had an incredible time. Never once did I feel service was poor, nor did I find the place was dirty at all. We stayed in the Beach Tower (although we did not get as good a deal as some have described on this site, since March is a peak travel month, with Spring break). We had the gourmet meal plan. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to sample the great gourmet restaurants there. For us it was a great deal. The breakfast buffent in the royal towers is amazing also (and included in the plan). For those who have sticker shock at the food prices, remember the Bahamas IS an island, almost everythingmust be imported, so food will be expensive. There are some restaurants on Cable Beach that are just as expensive and less than half as good as those at Atlantis. I loved this resort and will return again and again.
