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Our Family Trip to Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas

Paradise Island is the perfect place for a family vacation. If you are not familiar with Paradise Island, it is a small island in the Bahamas, across a bridge from Nassau. Only 685 acres, it has a semi-tropical climate and is hidden among the islands between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean, a few hundred miles from the United States’ southern coast. The main attraction on Paradise Island is the spectacular Atlantis resort.

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

Photo courtesy – Marriott Resorts

We had the pleasure of staying at the Comfort Suites, which is right next to the Atlantis resort. The best part about staying at the Comfort Suites is that you get to use all of the Atlantis amenities, but still come back to a smaller, quieter place to call home during your visit. Check out my full review of the Comfort Suites Paradise Island here.

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

The Atlantis resort is truly a kids paradise. Named one of the top 25 Amusement/Water parks in the World by Trip Advisor, The Atlantis water park, Aquaventure is full of things to do for kids of all ages. The adults have a great time too! The park features over 20 million gallons of water. WOW!

Walking to Aquaventure through the main entrance is an adventure in itself. You’ll walk through the area called “The Dig.” It’s like a walk through the ruins of Atlantis while being surrounded by likely thousands of fish including 500 pirhanas, six-foot Moray Eels and brilliantly colored tropical fish.

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

Throughout the park there are lagoons, caves, and pools that showcase exotic marine life like sting rays, barracuda, hammerhead sharks, sea turtles and more. It’s one of the largest collections of marine life in the world. There’s over 50,000 aquatic animals representing over 250 marine species. Our favorite spot was watching the baby sea turtles!

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

Aquaventure has high speed water slides, 20 swimming areas, a splash park for younger kids and so much more. One of our favorite activities was the mile-long river ride. This is no lazy river! Riders experience rolling rapids, wave surges and slides. The best part about this ride is that there are never any lines for the main loop. There are sometimes lines for the slides, but they were worth the wait too.

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

In addition to the huge water park, the resort offers visitors a variety of other activities like snorkeling with tropical fish, walking through the shark tank, making friends with a dolphin or feeding the sting rays. We had the pleasure of having a Dolphin encounter. Our dolphin Cosmo was the largest in the Dolphin Cay. Most of the resort’s dolphins have been rescued after hurricanes or other injuries.

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

Screen Shot 2016-07-19 at 11.38.09 AMAll around the water park are places to dine or have a tropical drink. My favorite was a combination of Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri. I think they called is a Miami Vice. The kids enjoyed typical grill options like hamburgers and chicken fingers. My husband and I enjoyed wraps and salads.

The resort has a wide selection of dining options as well. Atlantis actually features 21 restaurants, 19 bars offering everything from buffets to family-style meals and fine dining. My favorite meal was the grouper at Olives Restaurant. The fare at Virgil’s Real BBQ was also amazing! This is a bit more casual and kid friendly. There is also a marina village with other restaurants, shops, a candy store and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

Back at the Comfort Suites, they provide free buffet breakfasts and have a restaurant and bar. My daughter LOVED the waffles. They conch fritters are great too! They also have a pool and swim up bar. It was a great place to unwind after a busy day at Atlantis.

I have few complaints about a stay on Paradise Island. Here are my tips for making your stay as enjoyable as possible.

Tips for a Great Family Vacation at Atlantis Resort

  • Consider staying at Comfort Suites or booking Atlantis during the off season for the best rates.
  • Carry a resort map. Atlantis is HUGE so it can be tricky to navigate.
  • To save money, do some shopping on Nassau to pack snacks/lunch.
  • If you want to be around the main pool (next to the Mayan Temple slides), arrive early to reserve seating with your towels. Otherwise, I recommend finding a spot near the lazy river closer to the kids splash park. We never had to compete for seating there. Shhh, don’t tell anyone.
  • There are also private cabanas and a preferred seating area that you can book in advance for a fee.
  • Don’t carry money within the resort, you can charge nearly everything to your room. If staying at Comfort Suites, you do need a credit card for some activities/shops.
  • Ask for routes in and out of the water park where you can avoid going through the smokey casino.

Atlantis Resort - Paradise Island, Bahamas

Have you been to Atlantis or Paradise Island? What tips do you have for a great stay?

 

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  1. This trip looks incredible!! It must’ve been a blast to experience and enjoy the warm weather πŸ™‚

  2. This place looks absolutely amazing! I hope I could go there too! Diving and swimming with dolphins (and stingrays and whales and turtles!) has always been on my bucket list. πŸ™‚

  3. Liz Mays says:

    Holy tamales, that place looks incredible! I wouldn’t have to set foot off the property the entire time.

  4. This is such a beautiful place! I enjoyed seeing this part of the world through your eyes!

  5. John Hill says:

    nice

  6. Lisa says:

    This makes me want to book a trip tomorrow! What a gorgeous location and so much to do right there!

  7. gingermommyrants says:

    It looks amazing here. I would love to spend a few weeks relaxing and recharging my batteries at the Comfort Suites.

  8. Ann Bacciaglia says:

    I had a great experience staying at a Comfort Suites. This looks like a great vacation destination.

  9. I’ve never even heard of this place before. Simply stunning!! I would love to go here with my family, sounds like the perfect get away

  10. Kathy says:

    That looks amazing! I would love to be able to go there someday. Everything looks so beautiful. I hope that I’ll be able to visit sometime.

  11. We loved Atlantis. It’s gorgeous there! Truly paradise!

  12. Jeanette says:

    I have always wanted to check out that place! I am insanely jealous LOL! We are hoping to make it there in the next few years!

  13. Danielle says:

    This is a vacation destination that’s on my wish list. We went on a Bahamas cruise about 8 years ago and got the chance to visit Atlantis, but didn’t have full access. Just from the little bit we saw I knew I wanted to make a special trip just to experience everything. And now seeing everything you did, it just reiterates how much I want to go. Maybe we can budget for it for next year’s vacation.

  14. Meagan says:

    My husband lived here for 2 years and has always wanted to take me back with him. Your photos are stunning! Makes me want to take a vacation right now!

  15. Tara says:

    I would love to travel to Atlantis. It looks amazing. And being able to have a dolphin encounter is great.

  16. Robin Masshole Mommy says:

    That sounds amazing. I would LOVE to take my family there πŸ™‚

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