We took took our 8 year old and 6 year old daughters to the Bahamas and stayed at the Atlantis for several nights. Our girls loved it. I was prepared well because I read through every single review on Trip Advisor so I wasn't shocked at what we got. The resort is huge. Pretty grounds, but rooms are very dated. The rooms are like an everyday roadside Holiday Inn. I found the service to be mediocre. We did do the meal plan and it was a disappointment. Typical buffet mentality and not enjoyable (restaurants have no views, are crowded, kind of dirty, and food is again, mediocre). I would recommend heading off property some of the time, across the bridge, for some good local dining. Getting off the resort was a treat for us. We stayed over at the Hilton (using some Hilton Points) for our last couple of nights and went over to the Fish Fry (Twin Brothers, etc.) and that was a more real experience than what you get on Paradise Island. We hit this local little outdoor patio where they chop up fresh conch salads and took our girls over to where they pull them out of the ocean. I was glad we had that local Bahamian experience. You will NOT get that at the Atlantis.

On the way to the resort, we had our taxi stop in town and we picked up some local Bahamian beer and iced it down every day and took it out to the beach (I brought a collapsable cooler). If you want a great beach, head over to the far left side of the resort where the island curves, that is where we finally ended up near the end of our stay and it was much better, away from all the chaos. Pool was calmer too. We spent more time on the lazy river then on some of the slides.

The Dolphin experience was neat for our girls. They do put on a good show, it is very touristy and you will spend a fortune. Also, it is very hard to get a reservation. You cannot make reservations before arriving, however, once you arrive, you find that they are all completely full. They kind of do a switch and bait on you. When you arrive at the resort and check in and think you are going to just easily get a reservation for this, it's not like that. We had to spend a good day or two moving through formal complaints in order for them to finally provide us with a reservation spot. Was such a headache and process.

The resort property outside is really pretty. The mermaid show is really neat. It sounded lame at first when I read about it, but we took our girls and it was mesmerizing. The mermaid (a staff member of the resort) was beautiful and swam in this big tank with real fish, coral, etc. Was one of the the highlights for me.

Also, beware, cruise ships galore. They port in Nassau and give their guests day passes to the Atlantis. They stream in and instantly the resort becomes very crowded.

I would recommend hitting the Straw Market at least once for some shopping. It's crowded with a ton of cruisers, but it was part of the experience and I got a Tori Burch knock off wallet and purse that I have received complements on back home (LOL).

I'm glad we went because it is one of those things you can mark off of your bucket list, but would I ever return? NO. Way too large, way too crowded, totally not my cup of tea. If I ever return to the Bahamas again, it will be on a far away remote beach without every tourist in the world there breathing down your neck.

I'm glad I read the reviews prior to going to Atlantis because it definitely helped with my expectations! Overall, we had a lovely stay at the Beach Towers. The reviews mentioned the Beach Tower rooms being older and dated, which they appeared to be, however, we did not plan on being in the rooms most of the time, just needed clean beds and bathroom, so it was fine that we didn't pay more for a room at the other towers! When you check in you're issued cardkeys for all adults with your name on it and this key is used throughout the resort, such as water parks, spas, restaurants, shops, pretty much everywhere - so it's truly a cashless resort; with the exception of the beach. You can monitor your transactions from your TV, there is a screen call "My Atlantis" and you can navigate to your spending so far and even check out and pay your bill from the TV if you've left a credit card on file with the front desk. Very cool!! You have to be careful because swiping that card is easy to do and next thing you know you've racked up a healthy sum of expenses!! I thought the Beach Tower lobby was beautiful, it was huge with marble flooring, gaming area, shops, etc...
Housekeeping was very friendly and made our beds at every request and/or changed our towels. Some reviews mentioned daily delivery of The Atlantean, their daily newsletter, to your room, displaying all the activities going on for the day. We didn't have it delivered everyday but it was left right by the elevator along with a daily issue of the USA Today free for the taking. The newsletter was pretty cool so you can plan what you want to do today or the next. As for transportation, for some reason, taxis and shuttles do not pick up at the Beach Towers but just the Coral & Royal, so we had to walk to the Coral Towers every time we needed transportation which wasn't a big deal but just inconvenient. When we first arrived, we were brought to the Coral Towers for check in but check outs can be done at the Beach Towers. All the Towers though are connected and can be accessed internally. The Atlantis website did not mention a refrigerator in our room but we got one, so that was a bonus, I thought. You will want to purchase snacks, drinks, water, breakfast items either online & have it shipped to your hotel or buy some when you arrive. It will help a little with the cost of food, which is exorbitant! There was a loveseat in a small sitting area which came in handy to just throw jackets, bags or purses everyday. The room also had a safe located within the closet but was awkwardly placed in front of where you hang your clothes so that was obviously an afterthought, but we were glad they had one! The lock mechanism was broken and we had to call for someone to fix it, that took a little more time and little bit of a hassle than necessary but they had it fixed pretty quickly. The front desk staff at the Beach Towers were very friendly, especially a gentleman name Charlie Gardiner, who helped answer some of our questions and helped us check in with our airline on our departure date on a computer they have set up just for that purpose. Lastly, we received phone messages from the staff every other day asking if were enjoying our stay and if there was anything they could do for us; which was very nice! I would definitely stay there again and I gave it a 4 rating because there's always room for improvement. I will be rating the resort as a whole, please look for additional information. Have fun and hope you found this helpful!!

I attended a conference at the Atlantis in November and was appalled by the lack of communication between the "Group Bookings" department and the front desk at the hotel. I pre-paid for 14 hotel rooms and arrived at the hotel armed with confirmation numbers, proof of payment, even email chains to ensure the check-in process would go smoothly for my colleagues. The front desk staff had no record the rooms had been pre-paid, so each and every time someone checked in, I was paged and had to speak to the manager to re-explain the entire situation. This was terribly embarrassing for me as I was responsible for the logistics for everyone's travel at my company, most of whom were high ranking staff.

Moreover, a colleague of mine slipped and fell on the slick tile floor outside one of the conference rooms. They could see her knee was injured so the nurse insisted she go to the emergency room for an ex-ray on her knee for "insurance purposes". Upon our return from a four hour journey the ER, nobody wanted to come talk to her to follow-up/apologize/explain to her the reimbursement process for her medical costs. After waiting in the lobby for close to an hour, a manager finally came to talk to us. It has been two months and we have yet to receive a follow-up from Management. I would never go here again.

This is spectacular resort!! The staff are incredibly friendly and honest- I left my phone on the table and next morning it was at the concierge. Not so at the Hilton in Montego Bay - my BB was stolen by someone who works there!!!
I agree that food and drink prices are high, however there are options. There is liquor store in the mall opposite Comfort Suites that sells alcohol for about the about the same price as the duty free. They also have soft drinks and cold beers!! Quiznos does excellent subs and a breakfast one and a coffee will set you back about $6.00. The Pizza place on the Marina does a slice of Spicy Bahamian pizza for about $7.50 and is pretty good value considering where it is. They also have wonderful hot flaming heaters along the marina on cold evenings.
The entertainment is really centered around the slides and the aquariums by day and the casino by night. It is definitely not for those on a budget- the rooms are great value and most have a fridge but it is difficult to enjoy if you cannot afford to eat or drink. Having said that the boat trip to Nassau is fun and there are plenty of places to eat and drink there. The Straw Market is not the best place to shop - I am a great fan of Banana Bay, the Bob Marley shop and the jewellery shops in the same alley /arcade. Lorene's down in old Nassau has some great stuff too. The walk across the bridge is very pleasant as are the little rum shops selling conch!! They serve conch salad, conch cakes, frizzled conch, fried conch and conch every way possible. And don't forget Arawak Key on a Friday night for local food!!
The best musical entertainment has to be at the Wyndham nightly - you must hear Wilfred Mullings and the band playing in the disco overlooking the Casino!!
All in all The Atlantis is a great hotel!!