Sorry, I’m busy at work… checking out a 5-star hotel in the Bahamas. That’s Stuart for you – an expert agent for the Caribbean at Kenwood Travel who has a really demanding job, as you can see.
But the thing is, someone has to go all the way over there, experience an authentic Bahamas holiday and learn everything about the hotels we work with. That’s one of the secrets of Kenwood Travel customer service. We have first-hand information, so you get the best advice.
Anyway, as the good chap that he is, off he went to Bahamas on a British Airways flight.
Next thing, Stuart is in Nassau. Because he is not flashy at all, he has to get a limo transfer to the hotel. “I recommend it. It doesn’t cost much more and it makes a difference. It’s a nice way to start your holiday and arrive to the property. It takes about 25 minutes.”
In that half an hour ride through Nassau you might get a grasp of the Bahamas, a place that Stuart describes as “Las Vegas on the beach.”
“It’s a tax-free island, tax-free shopping is available, gambling is available, all the hotels have a onsite casino or an associated one,” he explains.
As we’ll find out later on, Bahamas is not only a party capital, but let’s stick to the gambling, clubbing, epicurean side of things for a while. After all, we have the right person to tell us all about it.
His resort is the Atlantis Bahamas, “a destination in itself,” as he puts it. This mega resort is divided into several properties, including the family orientated Atlantis The Reef; Atlantis The Cove, for the young and hip; and Royal Towers, the main centre of the resort with the biggest casino in the Bahamas.
First things first, let’s see which part of the Atlantis Bahamas resorts really caught Stuart’s eye: “The Cove is not an adult-only hotel, just its pool area. The pool has a daily event called Cain at the Cove, which is basically an all-day pool party. You have DJs, chill out areas, people chilling on the daybeds and drinking champagne.” Exactly the place you’d love to go to with your friends.
But, do you think that’s good enough? Stuart apparently doesn’t, so he has to go a step further and rent a private cabana by the pool. “You can hire your own cabana for about 1,000 dollars a day. You’ve got your own TV in there, you can plug your own iPod in, you’ve got butler service; they come and serve you drinks. Very nice, very lavish.”
“You can hire your own cabana for about $1,000 a day”
The Cove gets even better during the weekend. They set blackjack tables by the pool, so people can go on gaming during the day in their swimming costumes.
So far so good for partying but, does the Atlantis cater for family holidays too? “The Reef is definitely more suitable for families. It’s a high-end product. They have a lot of one and two-bedroom suites with lots of extra space. The have facilities like laundry. They have kitchenettes with cooking facilities, microwave and a fridge you can re-store.”
This is great for a family, no doubt. However, a teenager won’t be very impressed about having, say, a “kitchenette” in the suite. They have a great place to hang out, though: “A big selling thing is the Atlantis’ teenage club, called Crush. A multimillion pound club exclusively for teenagers with things like tables that are actually massive iPads, gaming chairs with screens all around and a nightclub opened until 2am that sells mocktails.”
Crush features a card service to check in and out, so the parents can know whether their children are in the club.
For the youngest ones there is a well-equipped kids’ club with the latest technology in video games that also offers cooking classes. At the Atlantis families have dolphin interaction in their impressive aquarium and there is a water park as well.
Family fun with dolphins
Bahamas and scuba diving go hand in hand, that’s why the Atlantis has a diving club too. “You can either do diving in the [hotel’s] tanks or outside of the resort, around the Bahamas. There are a lot of indigenous shark species and wreck-diving is also available. You don’t have to go far to see quite a lot.”
So at the Atlantis Bahamas you can party like there is no tomorrow, have an amazing family holiday or make the most of this paradise island through water sports. Does he need to leave the hotel at all, I wonder? “You don’t need to leave the hotel, unless you want to go out and explore Nassau. Maybe a bit of tax-free shopping, although you’ve got a shopping arcade within the hotel anyway.”
Basically this is a hotel where you can find it all and it is “for people who want a beach-beach resort but also much more.” So this is a fantastic place to eat and drink, hit the casinos and clubs, but also the property is a place where “you can be lazy during the day and get over your hangover.”
The Atlantis Bahamas, in Stuart’s words is a place where you can do “as little or as much as you like.”
Fancy a holiday to the Bahamas? In that case, we have good news for you. We have some superb travel deals for the following Atlantis hotels in Bahamas:
Atlantis Paradise Island
Book by 31 Oct 2013 and SAVE 40%… Discount applicable for travel 02 Jan-17 Aug 2013.
Atlantis The Cove
Book by 31 Oct 2013 and SAVE 40%… Discount applicable for travel 02 Jan-17 Aug 2013.
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