Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas is the Atlantis we all know and are likely nearest to as far as travel goes. There are two other Atlantis resorts in the world, in Dubai and China, and interestingly, the Atlantis Bahamas location is no longer owned by the same company. I just didn’t want to you to get confused and accidently book a trip to the China Atlantis solely based on my review.

I visited Atlantis three years ago on a “work” trip. I was fortunate enough to work for a company that held a meeting once a year at a wonderful location to reward us all for a good year. I was thrilled that Atlantis was the destination. Now keep in mind that although The Bahamas are just a very short flight from Florida or anywhere on the southern east coast, it is not a U.S. territory like Puerto Rico, and you’re going to need your passport.

 

First off, Atlantis is a huge resort, which is a good thing, because that gives you a lot of choices. If you’re a family with kids, Atlantis has more than enough aquatic entertainment for you and the kids to fill every minute for a week. From the Atlantis website: “Your kids won’t want to miss their chance to dive into Paradise Island’s kids club, Atlantis Kids Adventures. Resort guests ages 7 to 12 are invited to choose their own adventure within themed spaces designed specifically for children’s Atlantis imagination and enjoyment. Hosted by a staff of Adventure Guides ready to help with culinary lessons, interactive electronic art, theater, outdoor play – and more.”

Obviously I didn’t go with my kids, but based on the incredible outdoor activities I saw there for both kids and adults, I’m pretty sure you could just drop the kids anywhere on Paradise Island and they wouldn’t even notice you were gone. But I dare say that you wouldn’t want to drop them and go off on your own adventure. When I walked around the grounds of the resort, I was happily amazed. Everywhere there was aquatic wildlife to be seen and interacted with. It was beautiful and amazing to walk by a small lagoon/water feature just about anywhere and look down to see baby stingrays swimming in the water.

If you are there with the kids, don’t forget the lazy river and the waterslides, including the waterslide that goes through a shark filled sanctuary pool. I can personally say that was pretty damn cool. And I didn’t get bit once!

Atlantis isn’t just for the kids or those of us that are kids at heart. There’s plenty there for adults including just laying on the beach, renting paddle boards or kayaks, great restaurants, nightclubs and a casino, (and if you’re curious, the casino is open until at least 3:30 a.m., maybe later, but I wouldn’t know 😉). If you don’t have kids or just don’t want to bring them, I’m pretty sure that you can have a fun filled romantic get-away.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. There are several hotels that are on the Atlantis property, so you have several choices based on the level of opulence you desire and what type of vacation you want to take. Over at Oyster.com, read THIS ARTICLE that breaks down the Atlantis hotels for you.

Here’s my rating and some minor negative details. Before I went there, a lot of online reviews and travel sites recommended buying your own bottled water to keep in your room just because of the cost of bottled water onsite and because some people didn’t like the taste of the tap water. I don’t know if it’s really an issue. I was with a company of about 250 people there and I didn’t hear a single complaint about the water. Also my room looked a little tired and worn. It wasn’t in the most luxurious hotel on the grounds, but it was clearly getting towards the point in it’s life-cycle when the rug and decor need to be refreshed, and this happens with any hotel. It’s probably all good now. Over all I give Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas a 4.75 out of 5 Philly’s. I recommend anyone go there at least once in your life. It’s pretty freaking amazing.

Safe travels! ~Phil