The Caribbean - Atlantis Resort Bahamas - questions

Hi,

Considering a vacation to the Atlantis Resort. Got a few questions for anyone with knowledge:

1. Which airport is technically the closest to the resort?

2. Does the resort offer an airport shuttle? How much does it cost per person?

3. How big is the resort? From the map it looks huge, but how big? (like 3 square miles i'd guess?)

4. Meals...Meal plans. I get the concept - pay money and you get meals at certain places. Does the most expensive one mean that it covers every single meal during the stay?

5. Is it good for a huge group of people (like 40 people)? Would there be something where you can call up the concierge and they set up a private dining event?

6. Is MLK weekend with the week after the holiday a good time to stay? When is the good time to book?

Any other good info would be helpful. Thank you very much!

Never stayed there, but NAS is the closest airport. My sister who went there in March said it was about 40 minutes away by car.

There is a closer airport on Paradise Island (PID) but it is underserved and most commercial flights will go into NAS.

I have gotten a shuttle to/from NAS but that is because I booked through a US based travel agent. Depending on how you make your arrangements, you can ask for shuttle service as well. I believe mine was around $22 r/t pp. Local cabs are available at the airport but negotiate your price before you get in.

The property is HUGE and expanding constantly. I cannot give you square footage but to walk from one end to the other is tiresome. Not only are there various hotel buildings; there is a casino, a shop area, a marina, condos, many water park-type attractions...the property is vast.

I believe even the high end meal plan only includes breakfast and dinner. You are on your own for lunch. Read the fine print before committing to the plan. (And food there is quite costly.)

As far as the group deal, it all depends on your group. Do you plan on having constant meetings or is this more a pleasure trip? I would think that the size of the resort might make it possible to never see some of the 40 other people in your group during the trip if you were so inclined. All up to you as to how much togetherness you really want ;) I am sure private dining could be arranged through the hotel. Like any resort, you can have anything you desire if you are willing to pay for it.

MLK weekend may be busy but the following week would probably find fewer youngsters there. Let me just say from my experience that the water (both pool and beach water) is COLD in the Bahamas in January and February....something that may be very important to you if you plan to swim.

If booking for many people you may want to get an early start. Historically, Atlantis offers MANY deals in the off-season and I would say wait if you were just booking one or two rooms. With a group, I think the rules change and you should start planning early.

I am heading to Atlantis in about a month. I'll report back after my trip.

Hope this helps.

Most flights go through NAS. We had a limo that was arranged through our casino host, but I'm not aware of any regularly scheduled hotel shuttle. Taxis are plentiful, however. Figure 30-50 minutes, depending on traffic.

Atlantis is massive, perhaps too massive. Service can be highly variable, even at the top-dollar Cove and Royal Towers. If you want a REAL luxury experience with 5-star service, I would recommend the Ocean Club. You get access to everything at Atlantis, but you can also escape the crowds. It's not cheap, but it is worth every dime. Otherwise, if you are planning to hang out with a big group and expect to spend most of your time at the resort, I would suggest staying in the Royal Tower, as it is central to most everything.

Personally, unless its too cheap to pass up, I would skip the meal plan, particulary if you plan on spending time in Nassau or elsewhere on Paradise Island.

As flyerwife mentioned, Atlantis can hook you up with pretty much anything you want, but be prepared to pay. Also, the last time I was in the Bahamas in January, the temperature was in the high 50s most of the trip, so if you are really looking forward to the beach or pool, I would suggest going no earlier than late February or March. Of course, the casino is always a comfortable 72 degrees...:)

Agree with the other posters about flying into NAS. As previously mentioned, negotiate a price up front to avoid unpleasant surprises upon arrival at Atlantis.
Personally, I would avoid the meal plans. They are really expensive, and quite restrictive. Resign yourself to spending plenty of money on food, and eat at the higher end places. At least you will somewhat feel that you are getting your moneys worth. (Ie: Nobu, Mesa Grille, or the Steakhouse).
I have stayed in the Royal Towers and at the Cove. Both are great. The worse day is when the cruise ships pull into Nassau. Millions of people run to Atlantis..making simple things like getting a pool chair impossible.
If you do your homework in advance, you can avoid some of the ripoffs. (ie: swimming with the dolphins).
My advice: Head over to the fish fry in town one night. You will have a great time at a great price for real authentic food!

I spent a month at the Atlantis last year for work. Stayed at every hotel. I personally like the Beach Tower as you could actually hear the waves of the beach unlike the other hotels, however it is the farthest from the casinos etc...
The hotel is perfectly suited to hook up anything for a 40 person group even at the last moment. They hooked up breakfast for 100 with less than 12 hours notice for me. The food at the resort is expensive and underwhelming at best. There were a couple of restaurants across the street from the hotel where you could get breakfast/lunch etc...check on that though as the Atlantis was expanding as these places were destine to be torn down. The fish fry wasn't what we expected but was good nonetheless. Ask the locals to show you where you can get chicken in a bag - in a bag goes fried chicken, fries and ketchup - it is really good and cheap (five bucks) and they will enjoy that you at least bothered to learn something local. Underneath the bridge to the hotel are lots of fish shacks where the boats come up and you can get a meal right off the boats. Also, just on the other side of the bridge are several restaurants.

The taxi from the airport is about 35 bucks. I never had any problem with being charged anything but that price. Walk out there are gentleman who work for the airport - they ask where you are going and put you in a taxi. As others say, unless it is included in your package it is not included and most aren't included.

If you need any more information - let me know. I hired a very lovely man - Mr. Simmonette (although frankly, there are five surnames on the whole island). He took care of my crews travel needs and has a fleet of cars, people movers and buses. He was so incredibly reliable, honest and sweet I would love to hook you up with him.

Please know that the Atlantis really upsales it's rooms. The Beach Towers and Coral Towers are a disappointment for the price. The Royal Towers are what you would expect and in the middle of everything. The lobby is incredibly loud and boisterous at all hours. The Cove was my favorite, maybe because no kids were allowed at the pool. But the pools near the Cove also have better food options.

I loved the dolphin experience. I got to know the trainers and was given a tour of the back - it is a really amazing. To see how well they are tended to lessened my guilt a little bit. The aquariums are beautiful - go 1/2 hour to hour before they close. Everyone will be inside having dinner and you will be able to have them all to yourself or first thing in the morning. In fact, YOU MUST go first thing in the morning to the largest aquarium behind the Royal Towers. There is a manta ray in there that does back flips each morning, I didn't even know they could do that.

If you have time go on a boat ride that takes you out all day with a picnic on a sandbar - amazing.

If you have anymore questions PM me, I will be happy to help.

Mesa Grill is loud and overrated. Nobu is loud but yummy. The Dune at the Ocean Club - go and eat in the bar, they have tables and although you can't get the whole menu you can get quite a lot and have a beautiful view of the beach.

If you're going with a group of 40, my advice is to just call up sales and ask them directly all your questions and more.

From the nature of your questions it would appear you have very limited, if any, knowledge of Nassau/Paradise Island. So I also recommend some extensive research before you committ. FT is a good start. There are also many other great websites and travel agents with reams of helpful information.

Bottom line for Atlantis - great resort, although huge and can be crowded (think Disneyworld). You can get anything want for a price. A high price.

Cheers,

We held a conference for 100 people at The Atlantis last year. A few months later we got a check from the Bahamian Tourist Bureau (I believe that was the name) for 3K or 4K for holding the conference in the Bahamas. I can't recall the exact amount. It was a bonus since we were unaware that we would be getting any such check.

I've stayed at the Atlantis countless times and have always, except once, bought the gourmet meal plan. The upper end restaurants have very good food. We never had any complaints. The last time we didn't have a meal plan at all and it worked out just fine. The meal plan covered breakfast and dinner. Be aware that even if you have the gourmet meal plan that there can still be surcharges to your bill if you order the most expensive things on the menu.

Bobette

My advice: Head over to the fish fry in town one night. You will have a great time at a great price for real authentic food!

I concur with this. I'm one of the regular evil cruise passengers (though we never go to Atlantis, why waste time with the other tourists ;)) but every time we hit Nassau we go to the fish fry for seafood and beer. It's absolutely fantastic FRESH seafood mostly outdoors and it's dirt cheap. You're mingling with the locals, so you know it's good. The conch salad is incredibly fresh. Like they grab a conch, break it open, and chop it up in front of you. :)

I dislike being "stuck" dining at a hotel, even if you get a meal package I'd suggest getting out.

"fish fry" village, about a 10-minute walk from from downtown Nassau. It is an eclectic collection of 13 to 15 stalls serving local food. Fun and cheap and good.

An upscale dining experience would be http://www.graycliff.com/ a beautiful spot to smoke one of their own made cigars and have great meal.

I concur with this. I'm one of the regular evil cruise passengers (though we never go to Atlantis, why waste time with the other tourists ;)) but every time we hit Nassau we go to the fish fry for seafood and beer. It's absolutely fantastic FRESH seafood mostly outdoors and it's dirt cheap. You're mingling with the locals, so you know it's good. The conch salad is incredibly fresh. Like they grab a conch, break it open, and chop it up in front of you. :)

The conch salad there is the best I ever had.

I An upscale dining experience would be http://www.graycliff.com/ a beautiful spot to smoke one of their own made cigars and have great meal.

YES! Thanks for mentioning this! We had a fantastic dinner for about 15 of us in a private dining room, and it was one of the highlights of the trip.