Bucket list worthy for sure, but is Atlantis Bahamas worth it?
Atlantis had been on my travel bucket list for years so I was ecstatic to finally have the opportunity to go. Spoiler alert, in case you just want me to cut to the chase, yes, Atlantis Bahamas is worth it! Read on for my full review and honest review of the Atlantis Bahamas resort and why I recommend it.
Note: if you’re only wondering about visiting for the day, check out this post to see if the Atlantis Day Pass is worth it. Now let’s get into whether or not staying at the Atlantis Bahamas resort is worth it. We’ll start with whether or not Atlantis is all-inclusive and then get into the different hotels, the rooms and, of course, the food.
Is Atlantis Bahamas all-inclusive?
No, Atlantis is not an all-inclusive resort. They call themselves a full-service resort. While staying at Atlantis, access to the Aquaventure water park is included, but food and drinks are not. All meals will cost you extra. You can charge everything to the room, but there will be a bill at check-out.
We spent A LOT of money on food and drinks. To give you an idea, we could have stayed at a Sandals 5-star luxury all-inclusive resort for a week for less than what we ended up spending on food and drinks at Atlantis in a week.
Having said this, we were not on a tight budget and we did splurge on what we wanted to eat and drink. But I will say that the higher-end, nicer restaurants like Nobu are quite expensive. $300 dinners every night would add up fast!
Atlantis Bahamas dining plans
Atlantis is not all-inclusive, but they used to offer dining plans, however, they currently do not. Their website does not state whether or not they plan on offering dining plans again in the future.
If Atlantis does offer its dining plans again, it would certainly make a difference in the amount of money spent on food. Dining plans aren’t the same as being all-inclusive, but they certainly do help with food costs on a vacation.
Check the current pricing for Atlantis Bahamas!
Which is the best hotel at Atlantis Bahamas?
Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas resort has five hotels and one resort where you can stay on Paradise Island. They are: The Royal, The Coral Towers, The Cove, The Reef, and the Harborside Resort. If you are arriving on a boat for your family vacation, you can drop anchor at the Atlantis Marina.
This decision regarding where to stay will largely be based on whether or not you are travelling with young kids and how much money you wish to spend. They all look amazing so I’m sure no matter which one you pick, you’ll be happy. In this Atlantis Bahamas Resort review, I will provide my experience staying at The Cove.
Atlantis Bahamas Review – The Cove
We decided to stay at The Cove because it was just the two of us and we wanted a luxury vacation. It was absolutely stunning. While expensive, I highly recommend staying at The Cove. The entrance, hallways, service, and our room were all excellent. When we arrived, we found a beach bag, water bottles and flip-flops waiting for us in our room. We were thrilled with our decision to spoil ourselves.
We had a suite with two queen beds and a sunken living room with a sofa and a desk. The beds were very comfortable, and so were the pillows. I don’t know about you, but cloud-like pillows make all the difference for me!
The best part of the room was our patio and its sweeping views of the ocean and resort. I made a reel that you can check out here to see our view. There is also a picture further down in this post. It’s stunning!
Since we were travelling without kids, we wanted a luxury experience as well as an adults-only pool environment where we could relax. Being able to lounge at The Cove’s exclusive pool and listen to the DJ spin without hearing children screaming was worth every penny. Our wristbands were a different colour, signifying that we were guests of The Cove and could use the adult pool.
If you are travelling with kids, I would suggest staying at The Royal. It is centrally located as it is the epicentre of the resort. We went into The Royal every day. There is a lot to see and do inside The Royal Hotel.
Many of the restaurants, bars and casinos are located inside the Royal Towers building. The interior even houses a giant aquarium. Kids could easily be entertained for hours inside this hotel. We didn’t venture into any of the other hotels, but you can compare them here.
What is there to do at Atlantis Bahamas?
You could easily spend a week at Atlantis and never have to leave. There are beautiful beaches, 11 pools, a lazy river, lots of waterslides, lagoons filled with stingrays and sharks, golf, tennis, a fitness center, a spa, and so on. Many water activities are included, but they also offer a wide variety of marine activities at additional costs.
There is so much to see and do without leaving the Atlantis resort. In fact, we only left the resort twice. Once to explore the town of Nassau, and the second time for a Swimming with the pigs excursion. It’s a thing and it was a really fun day!
During our excursion, we were out on the water all day long and we visited 5 different islands, including Pig Island. If you’re interested, check out my review and 10 pro tips for swimming The Bahamas’ pigs.
The marine adventures they offer include swimming with the dolphins, scuba diving, snuba, snorkelling and more. We found these activities to be extremely expensive so we did not do any of them. However, if I hadn’t already swam with dolphins in Mexico, I likely would have paid for that one.
Regardless of which hotel you decide to stay in, you have access to the entire resort. We ventured into The Royal every day to explore its attractions, check out the casino and dine in several of the restaurants. My Atlantis Bahamas review of the facility itself is extremely positive. You will not be bored here with all of the activities they offer.
You can easily spend a day exploring the grounds and checking out all of the Instagram-worthy spots, such as the heart swing and rope bridge. I created a Bahamas highlight for all of my Instagram stories during my stay at Atlantis. You can check it out here. It will really give you a feel for the entire resort. It even includes a room tour of our room at The Cove.
Atlantis Bahamas Review – The Food
This is the one area of the resort that was disappointing. My Atlantis Bahamas Resort review is entirely positive, except where the food is concerned. The food was very expensive, yet not very good. I will mention that due to Covid not all of the restaurants were open. In fact, many of their restaurants were closed when we visited. This was rather disappointing.
I’m not one to give negative reviews unless they are fully justified, but dinner at Carmine’s was awful. The portions are beyond ridiculous. Thankfully, we saw dinner being served at a table next to us so we decided to share a pasta dish. It was enough food for four people. I hate food waste, but with no fridge or microwave in our room, we couldn’t take it with us.
The best meal we had was at Nobu. Their sushi was so decadent that we went back a second night. Their Bahama sushi roll is a must-try! A close second was our dinner at Seafire Steakhouse. The bone-in ribeye I had was spectacular. We also enjoyed lunch on the patio at Olives overlooking the superyachts.
Reservations must be made in order to dine at the restaurants so be sure to book well in advance of your arrival. You can use the app Open Table for your bookings. It’s fast and efficient and syncs with your phone’s calendar. Our trip was last-minute but we booked many of our dinners online before we arrived. Had we not, we would have surely missed out on some of their fine dining establishments.
Is the Atlantis Day Pass worth it?
Atlantis’ Aquaventure Waterpark
If you are staying at the resort, access to the Aquaventure waterpark is included so you do not need to purchase a day pass. Aquaventure is the 141-acre water park that encompasses the Atlantis Bahamas resort. It includes numerous water slides, tube slides, river raft rides, lagoons and more.
We thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the water park has to offer. Even as adults, it is highly entertaining and a ton of fun! You could easily spend several days enjoying the Aquaventure waterpark and all of its activities.
There are lots of activities to experience at Aquaventure and guests staying at the resort have access to all of it. However, even if you decide to stay at a different hotel in the Bahamas, you can visit Aquaventure for the day. Day passes to Aquaventure can be purchased for those who are not staying at the resort.
To find out if purchasing a day pass to Atlantis is worth it, check out this detailed post.
The basic day pass starts at $95 for kids and $190 for adults and provides access to the Aquaventure park, water slides, beach etc. The Leap of Faith waterslide is pictured below where you zoom through a shark tank. And yes, I did it. It was an exhilarating ride!
Other activities are available at additional costs, including swimming with the dolphins or sea lions, paddleboarding, snorkelling and much more. The dolphins were rescued from Hurricane Katrina. We didn’t swim with them, but we did visit Dolphin Cay to watch them swim around. With access to Aquaventure, you can also visit the dolphins at no extra cost.
Is the Atlantis Bahamas resort worth it?
Honestly, in my opinion, yes it is. My Atlantis Bahamas Resort review is overall very positive and I would recommend visiting Atlantis. For me, it was a bucket list trip and it lived up to the hype. If you’ve been thinking about a trip to Atlantis, you won’t regret it!
Ready to book a trip to Atlantis? Let’s go! 🐬
Staying at The Cove at Atlantis was spectacular. The experience was absolutely worth it. I wish the food had been better, but overall we had an amazing vacation. It’s hard to have a bad day when you wake up to these views…
Do I need a visa to travel to the Bahamas?
The Bahamas’ entry requirements vary. You can check to see if you need a visa here as it depends on which country you are travelling from. Currently, all visitors to the Bahamas are required to have a health declaration. You must have this completed and available to show at customs upon arrival.
Conclusion – Honest Atlantis Bahamas Review
I hope you found this detailed and honest review of the Atlantis Bahamas Resort helpful. If you are travelling on a budget or with a family and would prefer an all-inclusive resort where your meals are included, use these tips to help you pick the best all-inclusive resort for your needs.
And finally, should you decide to enjoy a visit to the Atlantis Bahamas resort, check out these 15 epic day trips in Nassau you could enjoy during your vacation.
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