Atlantis Resort

[Anonymous]

has anyone been there - pros and cons? We may stay in a section called "The Cove" - a high end hotel within the hotel.....I don;t like crowds - is it like a Disney World type place? Is it tacky - what kind of people go there?

[Anonymous]

We HATED it. It's huge, there are crowds of people just coming to gawk, you have to walk forever to get something to eat, and the service is terrible. Very Disney, and very tacky. I love the Bahamas, but there are much better places to stay. The water attractions are great though, so it might be worth a visit for a day. If you have kids, I'd recommend any of the Beaches family resorts (especially the one on Turks and Caicos) or the family Club Med (the Dominican Republic and Mexico resoorts especially).

[Anonymous]

We went two winters ago. Pros: nice rooms, pools and slides were fun for the kids, sea life exhibits, etc. were also good for the kids, beach was pretty nice, reasonably easy to get to, babysitting was good (we used it so that we could go out for nice food a couple of nights, variety of restaurant choices available.

Cons: we had iffy weather, not sure I would go in January again, food was pricey and choices that were good with kids were fewer, it's a big, busy place with lots of kids, service was just OK.

I would go again for a long weekend kind of trip, but would not go for a full week or something like that. If you decide to go, we did a swimming with dolphins thing that was good there as well. It is not "Disney" or what I would consider tacky but it is not a place that has an "exclusive" feel and it is big and bustling.

[Anonymous]

I haven't been to Atlantis but I did go to Sun City, designed by the same guy, and I watched a show about Atlantis. It is relentlessly vulgar. The question is whether you are prepared to embrace and enjoy the tackiness of it all.

What kind of people go there? I don't want to sound like a snob (actually I do) but it probably helps if you have more money than class.

[Anonymous]

It very much like Vegas-- which means there are things that are impressive (huge tanks filled with sea creatures, giant water slides, etc.) but it is all over the top. We got a free weekend there and enjoyed ourselves more than we expected. The food wasn't very good but we found enough that was ok.

[Anonymous]

We stayed at the Cove last March. The rooms are very nice but for that kind of money, try staying at The One & Only. Especially if you do not like crowds. Atlantis if FULL of crowds everywhere you go. And they nickel and dime you on everything. The food and drinks are very expensive. There certainly is alot to do there but I agree with other PP -- it is like Disney or Vegas -- but even more expensive!

[Anonymous]

I 2nd what pp's have said. Unless you want Vegas/Disney in the Bahammas skip it.

[Anonymous]

Food is super expensive.
Entrees at the "nice" restaurants are entirely $40-60 plus $6-8/side vegetable, etc. There are no cheaper options at dinner time.

We were there for a day (pre kids) and it was fun to play in the pools, etc but I wouldn't have wanted to stay any longer. The crowds are overwhelming (just getting a pool side chair was a major ordeal).
Much nicer is the One and Only Ocean Club.
http://www.oneandonlyresorts.com/flash.html
They have an agreement with Atlantis where you can use the Atlantis pool facilities for a day.

Also, we stayed on some of the other islands in the Bahamas (Eleuthera and Harbor Island) and much preferred them to Paradise Island.

[Anonymous]

I have heard The Cove is nice -- I wouldn't even consider staying in the other part of Atlantis - it is cheezy and a little like Las Vegas. Not much redeeming about it. I would be interested how seperate The Cove really is, like the seperate hotel at Mandalay Bay? Is it just better rooms or really almost a seperate resort?

[Anonymous]

If you don't like crowds, don't go there. IT is a GIANT hotel. I don't know about the cove, but unless you intend to take advantage of what Atlantis offers (which is the crowded part), then you should just pay to go to an expensive, small resort.

My five year old loved it. We were on a family holiday with in-laws, and were miserable.

[Anonymous]

We have been there 2 times with our 3 year old for week long stays and actually love it, but you have to really know what you are going to get and be OK with it. I mean that it is as all PP have said a very over the top, crowded, expensive vegas like trip. That said, my son LOVES and I mean LOVES it - he talks about it all year long. We go with my inlaws and stay at the HArborside where the rooms have kitchens and a seperate work out, dining and pool area. This is not where you guy for some quiet R and R, but we have a blast.

[Anonymous]

We went a few years ago in June and LOVED it. We didn't have kids then though, so wasn't looking at it from that angle. We did not have crowds at all, the only crowd I remember was if you went too late to the breakfast buffet, but maybe it was the time of year. Also, I didn't really notice the cheesy Vegas vibe, but we avoided the casino etc. so I all I remember is laying out by the beach or the pool, drinking fruity drinks or floating down the man-made water river in a giant tube (okay maybe that's a bit cheesy, but it was relaxing).

We were there for four days/nights, not sure if more would have been too many. Rooms were nice, everything was clean, service was great, the food was really good and I'm pretty picky about that (much better food than on some nice cruises we've been on). I had joined my husband there who was finishing up a business trip there so maybe we were just directed to some of the good spots to eat (there are a lot to choose from). I would definitely go back.