Posted by: Editor on Dec 05, 2006 – 12:50 PM
lodging No other hotel on Earth is marketed with as much publicity, advertising and sheer bombast as the Atlantis on Paradise Island in Nassau.
“Welcome to the lost world of Atlantis” are the words of the desk staff at the hotel in the Bahamas as they greet you. It is a fitting boast for a property that’s unusual and outsized in every sense. It has 2,917 guest rooms spread over 171 acres, 35 restaurants and eateries, a water park, a casino and sea-life exhibits featuring three times as many specimens as the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
But the pricey Atlantis is not for everyone. If you enjoy the contrived, family-friendly fun of a Disney theme park and the atmosphere and activities offered aboard a cruise ship, it just might be the perfect island resort for you. It is far from ideal, however, for those who wish to dabble in the local culture or get a sense of genuine island life Nassau is a 30-minute walk across a long bridge.
Duplicating my own experience of several years ago, a friend of mine there recently tried to find a quiet spot to make a phone call and failed. There’s no escape from the constant noise, from the giant shells mounted on exterior walls splattering endless streams of water into the pools below, to the bleeps and dings in the casino, to the oversize halls, lobbies and atria that serve only to amplify the din. Speakers are hidden in bushes, so even if you find a stretch of walkway away from the crowds and pool-area splashing, you’re still surrounded by piped-in music.
Also, any attempt to walk from one part of the property to another is a confounding experience, as the twisting pathways often end at small terraces overlooking a lagoon lovely, but not when you want to make a beeline for the pool or beach. The resort seems designed to route you past its shops and dining areas.
On the plus side, if you’re willing accept the contrived atmosphere and isolation from the real Bahamas, there’s no end of things to do.
There’s a daily raft of activities if you’re looking to do more than just loaf by the pool or pay a beach concessionaire to take out a personal watercraft or go parasailing. You could join an adult tennis clinic or take a class in cardio kickboxing, take gaming lessons in the casino, watch free movies, park the kids in any of several daylong events and games, or learn about the sea creatures on site.
Which brings me to the point where Atlantis really shines: its water-park rides and ocean-life exhibits. The water elements at the resort are impressive by any standard: a collective 1,150 feet of waterfalls and 20 million gallons constantly circulating through 11 lagoons housing more than 50,000 live ocean creatures from 250 species.
All this is best shown off from two underwater viewing tunnels: one through the Predator Lagoon surrounded by cruising sharks; the other, the fancifully named “The Dig,” is a hokey trip through the supposed archaeological dig that brought Atlantis back to light.
The water elements are not limited to hokum and aquariums. There’s a seven-acre water park featuring a lazy river for tubing, a sort of aqueous jungle gym for children and, among the water slides, one that plunges 60 feet down the face of an ersatz Mayan temple before leveling out into a clear tube that races you through a shark-infested lagoon.
In January, this water park will expand to 63 acres, including many more slides and a mile-long river ride. Also opening next year will be Dolphin Cay, built to house a pod of dolphins rescued after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their Gulfport, Miss., aquarium.
For more info, go online to www.atlantis.com.
Advice by Arthur Frommer
Frommers