Are We There Yet?

The water is always bluer on the other side.

This notion was confirmed on March 2009, during Spring Break in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Officially opened in 1988, the resort consists of three sub-hotels: The Beach Tower, The Coral Towers, and The Royal Towers.

We chose an All-Inclusive stay for our 3night/4day retreat, and prices heavily vary depending on time of the year. For Spring Break 2009, our price came to 1,000 dollars per person. I highly suggest speaking with a representative rather than booking online; they generally tend to throw in more deals.

Step One: Chose a hotel. If you are on a budget and will only be inside the hotel room to sleep, then I would go with the Beach Resort. It is the farthest hotel from the resort's water park, but all of the hotels are conjoined and you can enjoy a scenic view into all of the different hotels.
Step Two: Dining Options. Chose a dining plan that suites your needs. Andres and I chose a basic plan which included breakfast and a three-course dinner. Restaurant choices are more limited, but there were still a large amount of options considering our 3 night stay. The upgraded dinner plan is usually double the price, but includes more restaurants than you can even chose from in such a short amount of time span.
Step Three: Customize your experience. You can chose to include any activities during your stay. I had managed to bargain the phone representative to throw in a dolphin interaction package, which allowed us to wade with the dolphins.
(Depending on the time period, free companion airfare will not be available.)

All-Inclusive Atlantis

I am personally a member of Jet-Blue, and never fly anything other. 

Cheap Flights

(Apologizing in advance for any dark or blurry images. I had to retrieve most of the photographs from my hand-held video camera.)

Here are Andres and I on the infamous Atlantis throne. You cannot visit the island without taking a picture sitting on it.


We arrived at our hotel at approximately 11:50. I remember not being able to unpack the camera fast enough to take these breath-taking photographs from our hotel room. (This is the view from the Beach Resort.) The water was crystal clear and the sand was white and did not even stick to your feet. The hotel room was a very comfortable size and it even included a flat screen television.


Here is me standing in front of the beach outside of our hotel room. The water was absolutely freezing, so if you are planning to enjoy warm waters, wait until Summer.


Directly on the beach, some of the natives were selling alcoholic beverages served inside real coconuts. They would cut open the coconut, and right in front of you, pour an extremely generous amount of alcohol inside the coconut, followed by the mixture of your choice. 10 dollars got you unlimited drinks for the entire day. Suggestion: Try the Pina Coladas.


Here are Andres and I laying out by the beach, enjoying our cocktails. Hint: Alcohol+ Caribbean heat+ banana boat rides= ...I will let you fill in the rest.


The water park "Aquaventure", located on the Atlantis Beach Resort, is a one-of-a-kind adventure. If you are a guest at the resort, the water park is included with your stay, however, if you are visiting for the day or coming off of a cruise, the water park entrance fee witll range you approximately 100 dollars per person, and 80 for minors. Consisting of 200 million gallons of water, the 141 acre park features a mile-long lazy river, water slides, and shark encounters. Featured above, is the Mayan Temple water-slide, shooting you down into a clear tube and inside a pit of sharks swimming above your head.


Here is Andres coming down the Mayan Temple slide and into the shark pit.


Say C
       H
       E
       E
       S
       E
       !


If you did not catch a glimpse at a shark while plunging down the fast-speed Mayan Temple, try a more relaxing ride through a clear, glass tube into the shark pit. Here, are two people floating through the glass tube, while on display for the public to view through a clear tank.


Here is another shot of a shark passing the people on the tube.



Here is another view of the inside of the hotel. The structure of the buildings, water paintings, murals, and fountains fill the resort and complete the lost underworld theme.


Hand-blown glass sculptures fill the resort, furnishing areas such as the lobby and casino. The vibrant display makes a great photo opt.


This is a photograph of the outside of club Aura. When you purchase your All-Inclusive stay, free entrance to this club is available. Make sure to inquire about it. Other fun nighttime activities may consist of the walking the Harborside and checking out nice restaurants and kiosks selling little trinkets. Prices are extremely high in all of the boutiques, so window-shopping is likely. An assortment of different yachts line up the harbor and it is interesting to view the different sizes and features of the mini-ships. The casino is always a fun way to pass the night, featuring tables, slots, tournaments, and race and sports book.

If you are looking for a cheap shopping, downtown Nassau Bahamas is just over the bridge. A taxi cab can take you into the city and there, you can bargain prices. The cruise ship port is located directly in front of the Senor Frogs. If you are looking to have a good time, there is always a wild crowd at Senor Frogs at nighttime.


25,000 dollars will get you a one-night stay in this awe-inspiring arch. According to Forbes, the bridge suite ranks 2 out of 15 of the top most expensive hotels in world. You are paying for a view of the entire resort, water park, and marina, your own personal butler, bar lounge, and entertainment center. You can either spend 25 grand to sleep in red, black, and gold colored sheets, to shower on marble floors, and to surround yourself with dolphin fixtures, or head over to Bed Bath and Beyond, replicate the room, and spend a lifetime living in the comfort of your own home!

If I ever got one good thing out of living in Florida, it was that I was a 15 minute flight to heaven.