Bahamas
A week of beach, pool, eat and repeat, is pretty awesome. And even better when the backdrop is at the Atlantis in the Bahamas. before and it’s a great resort for kids. We are usually more of people that like a smaller resort with a little more adventure and less of our trip planned but this was a nice change.
Here’s the good, the bad, the ugly about Atlantis:
1. It’s really expensive. We got a deal on the room because I had a conference. I wouldn’t pay full price. The rooms are decent but not 4 star by any stretch of the imagination, you are definitely paying for the resort and grounds itself. We stayed at the Royal Towers (this is the building that you see on all of the commercials). It’s conveniently located and because the resort is sprawling it cuts down the walk, which with three boys can be cumbersome. The Cove is more our style with more modern amenities, but we decided to save a little money on our room, and we we spend very little time there! One thing to keep in mind when budgeting for your vacation there are a lot of extra fees and upsells – and gratuity is included with everything you buy and pay for at this hotel.
2. Food is really expensive. We took our own treats and snacks which we used for lunch but breakfast and dinner each day continues to add up. Someone told us that there is a grocery store across the street, that was an affordable option but we unfortunately didn’t find the time to venture over there. We usually ate a big breakfast just to fill up for the day. The price wasn’t too different between the Cove and Royal tower breakfast buffets so we switched back and fourth . The one at Royal towers has a crepe buffet which my kids loved and some of the tables face a shark pool which was fun. The Cove just seems a little higher end with a few more options. I know they have a meal plan which we considered but we didn’t love a lot of the options for food dinner so we opted out but might actually save money if you book in advance.
3. Make reservations. This is the main tourist attraction on the island and it gets busy, and quickly. Guests won’t just be guests of the hotels and a lot of cruise ships have passengers making reservations to visit. We made reservations for dinner which allowed us not to eat with no wait. And there is a convenient app you can use also! If you don’t there aren’t your dining options will be more limited since most places don’t allow walk-ins. Some of our favorites were Nobu, Olives, Seafire (just a tip: we forgot reservations for our first night and Seafire patio is first come first serve – I lucked out stalking some table as soon as they finished). Marina Village has a few places that don’t require reservations (we always went for ice cream but there was always a line and it was pricey) and the view of the boats is amazing. They often have people playing music and let the kids dance and play and get involved! Keep in mind that this can be a long walk if you have a stroller, you have to go a completely different way and ride a silly little lift to get where you need to go. We ended up just lifting the stroller everywhere to make it faster but it’s a lot of stairs, poor Nick!
4. Enjoy the grounds. This is what you are paying for, so plan out your days and take the time to explore them! There are a ton of pools and slides (must be 48 inches to ride a lot of them) and aquariums and water animals all over. Look at a map and make sure you don’t miss any! My kids loved being just above the sharks! We kept finding new ones that we hadn’t found before. The kids loved the aquariums and it was perfect when they were sick of being outside in the hot sun, they named the stingrays that we saw daily. The beaches and pools were all quite different too. The beach closer to the Cove was more quiet with calm water that the kids loved, but the water at the main beach and incredibly beautiful but the waves are bigger and it’s busier. Just keep in mind that a lot of the activities are for taller/older children (my boys were 6 and under and were just under the cut-off). The Current is a not so lazy river that gets huge waves, one of my kids loved it, the other not so much. The lazy river was open last time we went and was much calmer but was closed for renovation this last time. Splashers is a kids water playground that my children’s loved and have slides perfect for their size. The nearby pools also had a few slides that they could go on as well. We also loved the big lagoon. There aren’t waves so my baby loved playing in the water and they even have little fish. Some little boy that my kids were playing with had a fishing net and kept catching fish and crabs! Definitely something I will consider next time.
5. Make time for yourself. My birthday happened to be during this trip, so Nick watched the babies for the afternoon and I booked a few treatments at the incredible Spa. I got a massage and a facial and took advantage of the sauna, steam room, and dipping pool in between. Prices weren’t too inflated, given the setting.
6. Have fun. We don’t usually love big resorts like this but with little kids it works out nice to have everything in one place. We can eat, play and sleep without ever having to leave the resort. There are a few things we didn’t try like the dolphin because West was too little but I’ve heard it’s awesome. Maybe next time!
I am at one of those places where I wish I could freeze time. The little things the kids do are so cute and I know won’t last forever. The kids loved sitting in the hot tub (there is only one hot tub that we could find so it’s always packed) and blowing their shirts up like muscle men. West loved the sand, digging in it, crawling in it and waiting for the waves. Jax’s long eyelashes squished up against his goggles, Kai’s sideways scissor swimming kick, and my list goes on. Please freeze time!
