Atlantis Paradise Island is the magnet that draws thousands of winter-weary visitors to the balmy breezes of the Bahamas. The kid-friendly but sophisticated resort and water park, covering 140 acres and employing almost 8,000 workers, was designed to reflect “the myth and legend of the Lost City of Atlantis.” However the high-energy, extravagant playground is also a magnet for your wallet (lunch for two can be north of $100).
The three giant, peach-coloured hotels and two smaller, older hotels of Atlantis dominate the skyline of Nassau and Paradise Island. But meandering among them is what’s claimed to be “the largest artificial marine habitat in the world.”
The 11 lagoons include a 14 acre dolphin pool where guests can interact directly with the playful mammals and The Dig, a maze of glass-walled underground chambers filled with 9 million litres of water holding more than 50,000 fish and other sea critters including sharks, giant stingrays and turtles. Guests also flock to Aquaventure, the 63 acre water park, where the imaginative rides range from the extreme excitement of eighteen waterslides (including a daring waterslide roller coaster) to a lazy tube-filled river with occasional rapids that circles around the park.
Adults seem to enjoy their playtime at the Caribbean’s largest casino filled with millions of dollars worth of art including several massive and dramatic glass sculptures.
For guests at any of the Atlantis resorts, most of the water park is free but it gets very busy with other tourists to Nassau as well as many cruise ship passengers. However, the area is huge and visitors can usually find quiet areas next to one of the 11 pools (including three kids’ pools) or, even better, on the adjacent Atlantic Ocean beach. The soft coral sand and warm, brilliant turquoise water provide one of the longest and best beach areas we’ve ever experienced at a resort.
The Atlantis complex boasts over 3500 hotel rooms spread over its vast acreage. Families usually stay at the Beach Tower, the Coral Tower or the centrally located, 1200 room Royal Towers (with a lofty bridge between the two towers and a high-end Nobu Japanese restaurant on the ground floor). For several days we stayed at the quieter and more adult-oriented Cove Atlantis, a 600-room luxury hotel built as part of a $1 billion Atlantis expansion in 2007. Our room was extremely comfortable and spacious with a large balcony overlooking the azure waters of Paradise Beach and, in the distance, the entrance to Nassau Harbour and the coming-and-going of cruise ships. Atlantis hotels are not all-inclusive but The Cove provides complementary bottled water in the evening. Unfortunately, unlike many hotels these days, WiFi is not free.
Atlantis has 40 restaurants and bars throughout the property and, among those we tried, we found the quality of the food to be excellent. The Cove has a large buffet gourmet restaurant called Mosaic that includes a great variety of freshly prepared meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. Breakfast is expensive – $35 for the buffet – but especially good with fresh-squeezed orange juice and a staggering variety of fruits, cheeses, pastries, and Bahamian specialties plus an omelet and carving station. The Cove’s Executive Chef, Gal Kozer (an Israeli trained at the French Culinary Institute), told us that local Bahamian products other than fish are difficult to obtain and must be flown in every day. “A tomato that costs a dollar in Miami costs $1.50 here,” he said. In addition, Bahamian law requires that all restaurant bills include an extra 15% service fee. We found the service to be excellent but it’s a shame patrons can’t decide their own tip.
The major culinary draw at The Cove is MESA, celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s signature restaurant that combines southwestern cuisine with Caribbean flavours. Also expensive (but worth the splurge), the menu features treats like a cactus pear margarita and appetizers such as Shrimp and Roasted Corn Tamale or a Blue Corn pancake with barbequed duck, scotch bonnet chili and star anise sauce. We loved our entrees of New Mexico Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Yucatan Style Grouper with Crab Succotash Sauce.
There are also several lunch and snack areas near the beach with very tasty but pricey food. Our Hog Burger (large beef patty covered with barbecued pulled pork and cheese) was especially good. We spoke with several guests who thought the accommodations, friendly Bahamian service and attractions at Atlantis were terrific. But they all objected to the cost of food and beverages. “I just bought a large bottle of water,” Mark Wenners of Washington, DC told us. “And it cost $15! That’s not right.”
For a change from the rather frenetic pace of Atlantis, we spent our final two nights at the lush and relaxing One & Only (Ocean Club). With the same ownership as Atlantis (and less than a kilometre away), this former retreat of A&P grocery heir Huntington Hartford was like a different world. The seaside property is covered with tropical vegetation and even includes a Versailles Garden and the remains of the 14th century French cloister that Huntington Hartford re-assembled on his property. Luxurious rooms in a series of low-rise buildings all face an expanse of lawn and gorgeous beach. Little touches like lemonade on arrival, champagne and chocolate strawberries delivered to your room each day, 24 hour on-call butlers and free WiFi just added to pampered feeling of this resort. The palm-ringed swimming pool was large and quiet (no loud music like at The Cove) with unobtrusive staff providing cushioned loungers, chilled water and towels.
One & Only has an elegant, sophisticated ambience that meshes perfectly with its world-class restaurant. The Dune, overlooking the well-manicured beach, gets its basic menu from acclaimed French chef (now living in New York), Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The Dune’s talented Executive Chef, Alex Powell, says he follows Chef Jean-George’s recipes but adds as much Bahamian and Caribbean ingredients as he can. The results are divine.
Our two evening meals at The Dune included a Black Plate appetizer (quail with Thai spices, crab spring roll, shrimp satay, lobster daikon and tuna in rice paper) a Bahamian seafood platter rich in conch, fresh grouper smothered with a peppery tomato sauce and a whole roasted Bahamian snapper with fresh herbs and pumpkin gnocchi.
The Bahamas is a wonderful winter destination for Canadians with its lively and unique attractions. Air Canada Vacations features some fine all-inclusive resorts in the area but if you want to be in the centre of the Atlantis action on Paradise Island, you’ll eat very well and have excellent accommodation. You’ll also pay for the privilege.
Photo Credits
All photos by John & Sandra Nowlan
The tranquil beach at the One & Only Resort, adjacent to Atlantis
Who roasted Bahamian snapper at The Dune Restaurant
The Cove and the lazy tubing river at Atlantis
Breakfast by the sea at One and Only
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