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Postcard from Atlantis Resort, Bahamas

Looking for a tropical family vacation that offers adventure, excitement and the comforts of home in a gorgeous setting? Nadine Silverthorne reviews the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island

By
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Originally published in Today's Parent March 2012

Photo credit: Nadine Silverthorne

When your dear, sweet, helps-you-with-your-kids mother asks you to take her away in honour of her 70th birthday, you can’t really refuse. This is how I found myself in the Bahamas with my entire family. My mom, dad, sister (a.k.a. Tante), two kids (Nate, 7 and Lucy, 4), my husband and I took the 3.5-hour flight from Toronto to Nassau, followed by a very slow taxi ride (from US $32) to the opulent Atlantis Resort on neighbouring Paradise Island.
 
With the Caribbean’s largest casino, a mix of low-key and fine dining, in-room babysitting, a new kids’ club, aquariums, marine adventures and a state-of-the-art water park, Atlantis sounded like Vegas-meets-DisneyWorld: something for everyone. Sold!
 

When to go and why:
Paradise Island’s peak season starts New Year’s Eve through to Victoria Day. September through December tends to be cheaper and less crowded due to the small chance of extreme weather like hurricanes. We risked it and enjoyed mostly sunny days the first week of December. An afternoon of drizzling rain made a good excuse to experience the waterslides (we were wet anyway).
 
What to expect:
Atlantis isn’t for the price conscious, but keep in mind that costs include access to the waterpark, beaches and aquariums.15% gratuity is automatically added to every bill.
 
Hoping for a truly Bahamian experience, the Americanized resort culture, with dining options that included a southern American BBQ joint, pizza, burgers and fries and a lot of chains (Starbucks, Jamba Juice), surprised us at first — but made for familiar, kid-friendly offerings (plus Tante's daily latte).
 

Money-saving tip: We soon clued in that American prices (a burger combo by the pool costs US $13) meant huge American portions, so we opted for a cost-effective Canadian solution — splitting meals.

 Next up: Where to sleep, what to pack and more >

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