ATLANTIS RESORT, PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS

The Royal Towers. When we can, we stay on the left tower in this picture. It is best suited for the spots we need to hit with our son, and my brother also gets his rooms there, it’s best when the family stays together.

A top view. There is a lagoon in the middle of the Atlantis, and more pools than I have ever seen in one hotel complex.

There are water slides for ages 2-99. Actually is you are 99, you are best on the 2 year old slide, come to think of it. My son at 6 1/2 last year started going on slides his scaredy cat dad (me) won’t go on. I did get talked into one, it was so fast I almost threw up at the bottom. What a big baby! And there are 2 lazy rivers. 2! One has a tsunami and rapids: we all take turns getting capsized, not on purpose, suffice it to say my mom will not share a water tube with me again!

One year, this was our view. We could see manta rays from our bed. It was totally awesome. We have also been to several feedings, sharks, turtles, etc. This hotel is also an aquarium. And an amazing one at that, one of the largest in the world!

Awesome trails at this resort. We walk to the different feedings and the various smaller aquariums set up all over the place. And again, the many, many pools. Oh yeah, and a beach, my son goes there to try to catch aquatic creatures and entertains himself for hours!

The famous “Dig” at the Atlantis. The Dig is a series of aquariums located beneath the lobby of the Royal Towers and is the world’s largest open air marine habitat. Hundreds of different aquatic species can be spotted in the Dig’s various tanks such as angelfish, sharks, manta rays, one of which being larger than ten feet, and various types of jellyfish. The goal of The Dig is to provide guests with a taste of life in the legendary destroyed city of Atlantis. If one observes the bottom of the floors in the different aquariums, wreckage and debris will be scattered about representing the “Lost City of Atlantis.”. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

The Dig starts in one of the Hotel restaurants and winds through the hotel bottom until it reaches the outdoor lagoon. We try to do this walk once a day when staying at the Atlantis, it is a phenomenal experience. There is also a predator tunnel further out, again, an awesome experience and can also be viewed from above the water.

All in all, an amazing vacation experience that we are blessed to have been able to enjoy several times over the last few years. Last year I got an amazing deal during the recession, this year, not so amazing. There was a one day price drop and I did not act. I learned my lesson! Airfare to the Bahamas during Thanksgiving has been surprisingly inexpensive. Food is quite costly, especially with my fancy relatives who like to play dress up! I would be OK with pizza or Johnny Rockets, that’s my budget!

If you have kids and plan the trip correctly, you can get a deal and have the experience of a lifetime. I enjoy it, but my thrill comes from experiencing this vacation through my son’s eyes, he has a wonderful time with all the pools, slides, aquatic life, trails, and especially FAMILY!