Atlantis Paradise Island: Travel Recap
Two years later than we originally planned, we finally were able to make it to Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas!
This is a place that Ryan and I have been to two times before-once in 2004 and again in 2007. We were so excited to go back to a place that we loved, and this time share in the excitement with our girls!
There is so much to do there, and so many amazing things that they offer-sharing in a blog post is the best way to share all of the things we love along with some great tips to consider if you are thinking of vacationing at Atlantis.
FOOD:
It’s important to note that Atlantis is not an all inclusive resort. I know that is something that a lot of people look for when planning a vacation. They did offer meal plans prior to the pandemic, but then did eliminate that option throughout the process of rescheduling our trip.
When the trip was over, we added up the total cost of all of the food purchased (for a total of 9 people), and less money was spent than the initial cost of the meal plan! This might not be the case for everyone, but it worked out for all of us. As a whole, we aren’t huge drinkers, so that may have helped keep the total cost lower.
So what kind of food/options are available? There are plenty of options on the resort with a variety for everyone.
We had breakfast every morning at the buffet in one of the Royal Towers. It was easy enough and there was plenty to choose from. I will say if you aren’t much of a breakfast person, the buffet might not be worth it, as its $35 a person.
Lunches were easy, quick meals for us. There are waiters/waitresses that make the rounds in the pool areas that you can order from. There are also quick bite places near all of the pools that you can order directly from, too.
At the Atlantis marina area (connected to the resort) there are plenty of restaurant options from casual dining, fine dining, quick bites and snacks!
If you want to enjoy all of the restaurants they have to offer, I highly recommend downloading the Atlantis app and making reservations as far in advance of your trip as possible.
Our travel agent hadn’t suggested this to us, and we waited until we checked in to try and make reservations without much success. Despite that though, we were still able to enjoy a lot of their delicious eats!
Our favorite meal the whole week was at Carmines, in the marina. It is a delicious Italian restaurant in the heart of the marina. Served family style, there is a variety of food from delicious steaks, savory pasta dishes, and even seafood! With 9 of us, we ordered several dishes-rigatoni, fried calamari, meatballs, chicken parmigiana, porterhouse steak, just to name a few. We couldn’t even finish everything!
Dessert was an incredibly large and filling dessert called the Titanic! Again, so much food that we couldn’t finish it all! While there are a lot of great food options at the resort, Carmine’s is a must!
POOLS/SLIDES:
There are so many options for lounging and playing-adult only pools, family pools and kiddie pools/splash pads. We generally stayed at the same pool everyday, the Ripples and Splashers was what Cecelia loved the most, and honestly it wasn’t overly crowded, and felt manageable. There are some pools that are a lot more crowded than others, but there are truly so many to choose from, and all are gorgeous!
The kids absolutely loved the slides-just when I thought they did them all, there were more! I was able to sneak away and do a few myself and they were so much fun!
A little suggestion/tip: the slides open at 10am. The lines then, and within the first hour of opening are minimal, so that is the best time to do them without having to wait a long time. We timed our mornings to have breakfast, go back to our rooms to change into our bathing suits and get ready for the day. By the time we got to our lounge chairs it was close to 10:00-the big kids would go do the slides over and over!
RANDOM TIPS:
If you can manage travel days without a stroller, wait to rent one at the resort. It was one less thing we had to pack and deal with when traveling. Between Ryan and myself, we managed Cecelia just fine without a stroller. Not long after we checked in we rented a stroller. It was SO convenient to have, as the resort is incredibly massive. I believe it was only around $15/day to rent, which I think is pretty reasonable.
They also have cribs you can request as well. All five of us shared one room and it worked out perfectly fine! Ryan and I shared a bed, Ella and Charlotte shared another, and then we had a crib for Cecelia!
The main beach at the Royal Towers is nice, but we enjoyed the smaller beach in the Cove the best. We unfortunately waited until the last day to hang out at this beach, but we loved it! It’s a little smaller and kind of nestled, which made it less windy! It’s super close to a little quick bites place, too which makes it convenient to get some food/drinks and eat on the beach!
We didn’t leave the resort at all, no reason other than we felt like we had all we needed on the resort, plus there was plenty to do! We found a nice routine of walking around the resort after dinner each night, just exploring! Each night we found new areas, nooks and crannies that we hadn’t seen the evening before! There’s so many marine exhibits from sharks to stingrays that you can experience! Aside from the marine exhibits, the resort itself is just beautiful to walk around and take in the scenery!
