Atlantis Paradise Island is a Bahamas classic. With a slew of resorts to suit different tastes and budgets, a prime location on Paradise Island, and an over-the-top water park, it’s among the most recognizable properties in the Caribbean. Recently, Atlantis has spruced up and added to some of its offerings.
A New Look -- and Flavor -- at Coral Towers
This family-focused hotel has a reimagined lobby and newly redesigned rooms that offer a sophisticated take on island style. (A new pool area will open this fall.) You’ll see pretty pastels, plus wood, wicker, and rope furniture throughout, and spaces that are meant to encourage socializing and relaxing. In the lobby, we like the wide tables where guests can charge devices, email loved ones, or just relax for a few minutes before heading up to their rooms. And a new kids concierge can handle tasks big and small, from planning a full day of activities to helping with stroller rentals. Our favorite new element at Coral Towers, though, is the addition of Sun & Ice, an ice cream parlor that focuses on local ingredients. Chef Wayne Moncur combines traditional ice cream flavors with elements like soursop, sapodilla, and sea grape, and even the cones are house-made.
The Price: In fall, when kids go back to school, rooms at Coral Towers can easily be found for less than $200 per night. Come January, you’ll see prices rise to around $250 per night, and in summer, when kids are out of school, they’ll rise again to about $300 per night. Additionally, Atlantis is currently running an offer that gives guests resort credit if they stay for three or more nights and book by October 31. Three nights at Coral Towers earns you $65, while four nights earns you $90. Longer stays earn even more credit.
A Refreshed Pool at The Cove
This adults-focused alcove at otherwise kid-friendly Atlantis comes, as you can imagine, at a premium price, and guests are happy to pay it. Elegantly designed, and with a no-kids-allowed pool space that’s the resort’s social center, the vibe here is entirely different and more grown-up than at, say, the water slides, just a few hundred feet away. In November, The Cove will roll out a new look at the pool, and a new restaurant, Sip Sip, which uses locally sourced ingredients. This will be the second location for Sip Sip, which has its original home on Harbor Island. If that wasn’t enough, in 2018, The Cove will unveil a new incarnation of the popular Jose Andres restaurant Fish, and will begin seaplane service so guests can enjoy neighboring islands.
The Price: While the pricing at other Atlantis hotels fluctuates according to when kids are (and aren’t) in school, that’s less common at The Cove. Here, you’ll find much more consistent pricing throughout the year. Look for rates around $380 through the end of 2017, and about $400 in early 2018, with some slightly higher pricing on weekends. As with Coral Towers, Atlantis is currently offering resort credit if you stay longer than three nights. Earn $150-$450, depending on how long you stay.
New Ways to Interact With Dolphins
As concerned travelers move away from traditional, SeaWorld-like performances, Atlantis is looking for new ways for its guests to enjoy its resident sea life. Though it has never offered performances, it’s home to dolphins, sea lions, and enormous tanks of colorful fish and stingrays. Typical dolphin snorkel and shallow-water interactions are available here at Dolphin Cay, but its new programs bring guests close to the sea life while minimizing direct contact. Now, you can kayak and paddle board in the resort’s dolphin pools while the animals follow alongside you, but you can’t touch. Another program lets the resort’s littlest guests see the dolphins up close early in the morning without a lot of direct contact. This not only works out for parents who are used to rising early with their kids -- it’s also a bonus for the dolphins; they’re naturally more active in the morning. This is in keeping with a new style of animal program where the animal's natural behaviors inform the interactions.
The Price: Pricing varies for encounters at Dolphin Cay. Kayaking with dolphins costs $55 per person, while dolphin swims cost from $85-$199, depending on the kind of program. The Rise and Shine program costs $35 for kids and $55 for adults.