A Trip to Atlantis, Paradise Island.

It's been rather quiet around here and I apologize.  The reason is because I have been traveling to warmer climates and have now returned to bring you my tales of fun in the sun.  Ok, so it was only a quickie jaunt to the Bahamas, but if you'll let me have my minute, I'd appreciate it.

Several weeks ago I posted about the invitation I had received to participate in a trip to Atlantis on Paradise Island.  This in itself was exciting for obvious reasons, but it was also very awesome because it meant my first solo road trip with my 3-and-a-half-year old.  No daddies, no little sister - just us.  And in retrospect, this was the BEST part of this opportunity.  But there were so many other cool things as well.

The trip was hosted by the folks at Atlantis, JetBlue, and Lego, and was put together in order to introduce Atlantis's brand-new, state-of-the-art kids club, Atlantis Kids Adventures.  With so much to tell about the experience, below is a round-up of each segment of the trip.

JetBlue.  If you've never flown JetBlue, you don't know what you're missing.  In order to use up some air miles we had accumulated, our last few family trips were made using a different airline, and let me just say - THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE.  I always joked that in order to be a flight attendant one must first have in place the proper chip on one's shoulder.  This is so not the case over at JetBlue.  The staff are super nice, the seats are - dare I say it - comfortable, and the in-flight entertainment at each seat is unbeatable.  They even offer your first checked bag free ($20 at the "other" airline) as well as yummy snacks (not available on other carriers unless you pay).  JetBlue's new home-base at JFK's Terminal 5 offers everything travelers could want, including free WiFi, lots of food options, and a children's area.  They also fly direct to Nassau from Boston so all around, JetBlue rocked.

See?  Happy kid:  
Atlantis Resort.  We arrived promptly and checked-in quickly, an important factor when traveling with kids.  We made our way up to our room in the Royal Towers and changed into our bathing suits to go enjoy some of the best of what Atlantis has to offer - outdoor activities.  But first, we explored our standard guest room and concluded that it was just that - very standard.  Almost like any hotel in any town, USA, while I was sort of hoping for accommodations that were inspired by our Bahamian location.  The room was reasonably clean (I'm fastidious about hotel cleanliness) and the standard amenities were present and accounted for (except for bathrobes.  I wanted to wrap my post-bath daughter up in a cozy robe but none were to be found).  

While I did not visit any other accommodations, I have heard from friends who have stayed at Atlantis that The Reef is much prettier and offers greater conveniences for families.  So apart from our room being overlooked by housekeeping one day, the room experience was adequate.

Atlantis Activities.  This is where Atlantis really shines.  The truth is, you are not headed to this destination for decadent accommodations, you're here for the fantastic outdoor activities.  While I was with my rather gun-shy preschooler who wanted to swim and splash in the pools, I will say that there were just so many things to do for people of all ages.  We were treated to the shallow water interaction at Dolphin Cay (not included in your rate) which was very impressive.  In particular, the staff were tremendous. 

We spent loads of time at Splasher's Island, a Mayan-themed water park expressly for young kids.  Alex went up and down the tot-sized water slide about 400 times before retreating to our chairs, which were complete with sun hoods (no annoying umbrella's everywhere!!).  We also made use of the River Pool, which is the perfect happy-medium for mom and child with its zero-gravity entry and unimposing atmosphere.  There are towel, snack, and lunch huts every five steps so you will never be wet or hungry, but watch out for those pesky seagulls who will steal your child's lunch at the first sign of weakness.  This was another example of the fab staff, who responded to the situation quickly, bringing Alex a new hotdog and relocating us to the (relative) safety of the covered bar area. :)

We attempted the lazy river ride several times (at my urging), but each time my timid daughter got scared and changed her mind.  It looked awesome and other visitors seemed to love it.  The big water slides looked thrilling as well, and just up my alley had I had someone to watch my kid for a few minutes.  They offer outdoor rock climbing, snorkel, snuba and scuba, and many other outdoor adventures.

The Kids Club.  Our "real" reason for visiting Atlantis was the grand opening of the high-tech Atlantis Kids Adventures.  I thought it was very nice.  I mean, very state-of-the-art complete with a performance room for your drama queens and kings, a computer room, a Lego construction room, arts and crafts and several fantasy-like rooms such as a life-sized Victorian doll-house which my daughter L-O-V-E-D as well as a pretend grocery store and a wizardology room.  They do offer a culinary experience and while we are cooking school devotees in Boston, we were sorely disappointed in the cooking experience offered at AKA.  The first half included a science-y cooking demo (a demo!! they're 3-5 year olds!) involving a reef made out of sugar and apparently the second part consisted of the kids recreating the sugary reef using chocolate.  We bailed before my daughter's eyes glazed over too much and headed to the fab water attractions.  It seems the culinary experience is only offered for 6+, however it is SO easy to do fun, easy cooking with little kids.  We do it every week in Boston and it's one of our favorite activities.  I'm sure the staff will do what needs to be done to improve this activity that holds great potential (though the chef hats and aprons are really cute). 

Overall, I was impressed with the new kids club, geared toward 3-12 year-olds.  It seemed to offer a great deal of options for kids who want to be indoors - though I do wonder why anyone would opt to be inside at such a beautiful resort - save for a rainy day or an hour here or there.  Like everything at Atlantis, the fun does not come cheap.  Half a day at AKA is $40 while the full day is $65.

The food.  Taking into account that we were part of an organized press junket, I still thought the food at Atlantis was mediocre and waaaaay excessive.  We were treated to buffet after buffet of everything under the sun (except for many healthier options) as well as a grandiose dessert tower - at almost every meal.  A self-proclaimed junk-food junkie, even I balked at the choices made available to us meal after meal, as even I craved a gigantic salad bar or simply prepared piece of protein.  While I can't speak to whether this is the style a guest of the hotel can expect, we did breakfast at the Marketplace buffet every morning, an overwhelming array of, well, any and everything you can possibly want for breakfast.  We enjoyed the treat (chocolate croissants!  scrambled eggs!) and also enjoyed some of the healthier options - yogurt with fruit and nuts, cut-up fruit - before starting our day.  The price for the buffet was exorbitant - as expected at any resort of this nature.  Under different circumstances, I would opt for the more casual Plato's, a quick lobby cafe which appeared to be serving a more low-key breakfast. 

As guests of Atlantis, we were plied with food and drink.  It was a party at every meal.  I thank our hosts for going to extremes to make us feel special, but my child is still bouncing off the walls from the cupcakes, unending ice cream and chocolate that seemed to be even more readily available than water at every meal  That said, I wish I had swiped a few of those popcorn balls to bring home - YUM!  And while we are still coming down from our sugar high, it bears mentioning that each dessert was prepared so creatively, each was almost like a mini work-of-art.

Cost.  As invitees of this media trip, we did not have to worry about cost.  However, I did look at pricing and Atlantis is definitely geared toward those with deep pockets.  There are packages for 5 days/4 nights that start at $499 per night, and dining plans to help keep costs down.  (I will say that were I to visit Atlantis again, I would choose a dining plan, but definitely treat myself to one of their better-known culinary hotspots like world-famous Nobu or Jean-Georges Cafe Martinique.)  Everything at the resort is very pricey.  I ordered warm milk to our room and signed a bill for over $6 - for a glass of milk!  WOW!  

Overall impression.  Atlantis is a wonderful family destination.  It will keep your family occupied for as long as you stay, and the vibe is robust and energetic.  Props to whoever hires the staff - dealing with them was a highlight (I don't think I've ever said that about anywhere before).  The grounds are enormous so bring your map and your walking shoes!  I do want to thank the team at Atlantis and JetBlue for inviting us to experience this adventure and unknowingly providing me with such special bonding time with my daughter.  I often say that vacations are what memories are made of, and Atlantis definitely provided that for us.

More questions?  Feel free to contact me!   

Airfare, resort accommodations and all meals and activities are courtesy of JetBlue and the Atlantis. All views and opinions reflected on this blog are my own and were in no way influenced by any outside party.

For additional reviews, visit Uptake.com.

Comments

[Can Can (Mom Most Traveled)]

So exhausting, but my son is asking if we can go back to the "Lego hotel" and bring Papa next time!

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very cool space! I love your taste and it looks like it'd be so much fun to poke around in there... I used to live in DE but am now in VA, but if I ever go back that way to visit family I'd love to see it in person :)

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Now that's so much fun! I'd like to be there someday :)

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Kids loves to travel. Nice blog!

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that's is reall fun