Mary Kate and Ashley helped form our 16 year old daughter’s dreams. So, when my daughter, Stephanie, found out that I had a conference at Atlantis, a resort Mary Kate and Ashley filmed at, she could hardly wait to go. The only problem was it was during school time. "No problem" she said, “I'll take my homework with me. I'll even get it done before I go" she said. "But your marks aren't too good," I said. "They will be," she said. So it was settled.
So we began planning. "Let's give this to Mom for her birthday present. She can't refuse it then."
Not a bad idea, I thought. Her birthday is January 4th, so close to the Christmas season, I have often overlooked it. This could make up for the last 26 years. And my wife would need a break about that time, because it was soon after our other daughter's wedding.
"Can I bring a friend?" asked Stephanie. "I don't want to go on the water slides alone.” I checked and we had enough air miles, so I said "Yes". It was settled. Four of us were going to Atlantis.
Getting There
Atlantis is a short flight from anywhere in the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada, with many direct flights and airlines going there. But from the west, it's not easy. It would take 3 daytime flights, or one red eye and another flight. I really didn't want a red eye so I booked Edmonton to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, all on March 5th. All went well. We missed all the Midwestern snow storms and we were actually in Nassau two hours earlier than planned, because we caught an earlier flight than we had originally scheduled from Fort Lauderdale.
We had a tour company, Dan Knowles Travel, take us from the airport to the hotel. It took 25 minutes. When we got there, we were all pretty tired.
The driver asked me, "Are you straight?"
"Huh?"
"Straight – you know - all right."
"Yeah, I'm straight" I said.
The Hotel
We stayed in a premium one bedroom suite in the Harbourside Villas. It was
huge (900+ square feet). The bathroom had a whirlpool tub, a shower, and two separate areas with sinks. This was great for privacy – the girls had their own space and so did we.
The bedroom was nice and the girls slept on the fold-out couch. Lots of room, lots of space. And their couch had the added benefit of being comfortable.
We had a kitchenette equipped with a stove top hot plate, a convection oven/microwave combination, and a fridge. Very nicely equipped.
We hit the hay the first night, and slept well.
Other Hotels
There are several to choose from at Atlantis; The Atlantis Paradise Island Royal Towers, The Atlantis Paradise Island Beach Tower. The Cove, The Coral, The Reef Atlantis, British Colonial Hilton – Nassau, and the Nassau Palm Hotel. While we were there, Robert DiNiro’s daughter was getting married at The Cove.
Eating Out
We planned to stay in Harbourside because we heard food was very high priced. So the first day we took a cab and got groceries. $21.00 both ways for cab fare, including the waiting time.
Food was expensive, even there, but a lot cheaper than the resort where a bottle of water cost $8.00, a burger $25.00, and so on. It’s best to bring a suitcase full of food and only buy necessities.
At night we ate out. One night at The Point, located next door to the Harborside suites. The next night, the Grand Bahamanian, the third night at restaurant outside of the resort, and the last night we ate at Chop Sticks. Service was great. The staff was very attentive. In fact, we have never seen such wonderful attention. And one night we decided to eat where the Bahamian's ate. We hopped in a taxi and were taken to a special district, known as the Fish Fry. The district consists of about a dozen restaurants, all close together. Mom and pop places.
We asked the cabbie, "Which one's best?"
"They’re all good. Just look where the brothers are eating, and that'll be a real good place."
We chose one where the brother's were eating and sure enough, it was great.
A staple food in the Bahamas is conch. It's served in fritters, chowders, salads, fried, etc. It's actually very good. Other great dishes are seafood and steak.
Activities
Atlantis is like Disneyland with a water theme. Everywhere you look there are sharks, sting rays, mantas, etc. There are water slides and two tube rides – the rapids and the lazy river. One water slide actually ends up in the shark tank – of course, you're protected by a glass wall. There are lots of beaches and places to relax. Plus, there are multiple water activities from snorkeling, scuba and snuba. A real special treat is the deep sea swim with the dolphins, not to be missed.
One unique Bahamian thing is the lounge chairs are all equipped with a sun shade. Great for preventing burns!
The Casino
The Casino has an Atlantian flare – with amazing glass sculptures adorning the many areas. There are the usual slots, and table games. But they have high limits. Not for the weekend gambler. I broke even at the end of our trip. Not bad.
The Comedy Club
One night we went to the comedy club where we saw three very good stand-up comedians. Our favorite was the one from Nassau. Not to be missed.
The Theatre
Every night there were free Movies, including many recently released in the last year. This is yet another pleasant way to spend the evening.
The Teen Club
Located in the Beach Hotel, a teen club runs from 8:30 to midnight. I asked Stephanie if it was good. "Too many rich, stuck up kids" she said.
The People
Bahamanian's are extremely friendly and hard working. They are always ready to greet you and make sure you are taken care of. In the British style, they drive on the left side of the road although cars have steering wheels on either side of the vehicle.
One day we saw staff cleaning the pillars of the hotel, from top to bottom. I've never seen this before, despite the fact I've traveled the whole world.
The Bottom line
I asked Stephanie if she liked it.
"Dad, this is the most beautiful Hotel in the world."
