Sunshine and sand are ideal for many travellers. Not me. I have done my best to avoid beach vacations over the years, as my preference is a theme park or more of a novelty experience. I was able to steer clear of a "sunshine and sand vacation" for a long time by simply making it clear that I was only willing to visit the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. My fascination with Atlantis dates back to 2001, when the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie, Holiday in the Sun, was released. It was a fantastic direct-to-video movie that was set primarily at the Atlantis resort. It seemed like the most incredible place to visit. Even without an interest in beaches and waterparks, my interest in Mary-Kate and Ashley won out. So, when my husband declared that he needed a winter getaway, it quickly became apparent that Atlantis was in the cards. Here are a few highlights...
Winter travel is something that I have managed to avoid for the most part. It is not a great time of year to travel due to the unpredictable weather. Unfortunately for us, travel to the Bahamas and from the Bahamas was an absolute nightmare all around. There was an intense snow storm that started the night before our flight out. It was 12:00 a.m. when my husband received a notification that our flight had been cancelled. We scrambled to see if there was a different option and booked another flight down, not knowing if that one would also be cancelled. We drove to the airport early to make sure the car was able to make it through all the snow and waited. The newly booked flight was delayed...but eventually we made it out. The airplane had to be de-iced and there was a lot of turbulence, but we made it. By the time we reached the Atlantis resort, it was dark outside, and we were exhausted. At the same time, we were thrilled to simply have reached Paradise Island.
Over the next several days, we were able to explore the Atlantis resort in full. The weather was a bit inconsistent (extremely warm on our first full day, windy and cool for the next two days, and then warm again on the fourth) but it was nothing like the snow we left behind. A lot of our time was spent exploring the different
aquariums that are on the property. We visited them multiple times a day and had a lot of fun looking at the different fish, sharks, and stingrays. There were also sections with dolphins and turtles. There was some time spent on the beach, in the swimming pool, and in the waterpark. We walked around the different hotels, looked at the shops, went the marina, and even went to the Margaritaville restaurant that was just off of the Atlantis property. It was nice that the resort had different areas to explore and ways to stay occupied throughout the day.
There was certainly enough to do on Paradise Island that our days were quite full. It was nice to be able to walk around and see all of the different aquariums. Though it would have been nice to participate in some of the "extras" offered by the resort, the prices were a lot, especially with the exchange rate taken into account. Sadly, there was no feeding a stingray or seeing a dolphin up close and personal...but we had a good time anyway. All too quickly, it was time to return back home. Except that our flight was delayed and then delayed again. We were at the airport for hours and hours. It wasn't until midnight that our flight finally left the Bahamas. It took ages to get home and it was a stressful and frustrating experience. Though our time at
Atlantis was wonderful, getting there and back was awful. I do not have plans to travel again in the winter if it can be avoided!
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Have you ever visited the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas? Do you have any travel plans in the next little while?
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