Where Gumbo Was #466
A few years ago, I was a lucky grand prize winner in a contest drawing and received complimentary flights and room reservations to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Besides my lovely wife, Diane, I took my daughter Jennifer, her husband Mark and our grand-daughter Debi.
I had been to Paradise Island back in the 1980’s, and it looked completely changed as the Atlantis Resort has taken over and revamped most all of the island. We resided in two rooms of the massive 1,200 room Royal Towers where we had a gorgeous ocean view and of the grounds. I believe the number of rooms in the Royal Towers have been expanded. There are also other smaller Atlantis perimeter hotels on the grounds. This resort is very costly in my opinion, but there are all inclusive deals and lower prices for the perimeter hotels without ocean views.
Atlantis is a fun filled adventure for younger adults, teens, and pre-teens in my opinion. There are also various meal options and separate hotel restaurants, but my wife and I chose to mostly dine off the hotel grounds and try some local seafood cuisine.
Along with many swimming pools and lagoons, there is a two mile sand beach some with chaise lounges and others deserted and quiet.
Within the Royal Towers is the largest casino in the Caribbean with artwork that is highlighted by the Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Sun glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. I tried my hand at some of the slot machines, barely breaking even, then watched the action at the crowed craps table, where a female dice thrower started winning and wouldn’t let me walk away saying I was her lucky charm.
Well, I finally broke away and took a walk outside down to the resort’s $15 million dollar marina and viewed the beautiful international yachts anchored there. From the marina you get a beautiful view of the colorful buildings of the Harborside Resort and a Royals Tower reflection.
Atlantis was built as a theme based resort and grounds to resemble the mythical Atlantis. Amongst the grounds are water activities, sports, lagoons and pools, some with waterfalls. My grand daughter enjoyed all of the activities, especially the Mayan Temple Water Slide that on one side you shoot out into a clear tube that goes under the shark tank and out the other side. Another is the Power Tower tube slide with big descents. Besides the casino, adults also can enjoy the mammoth Mandara Spa.
Atlantis also boasts the world’s largest open-air marine habitat, home to 50,000 sea creatures representing 200 species and then there is the 14-acre dolphin habitat and education center. From inside the Royal Towers lobby there are large glass panels to view the beautiful aquarium.
Very short ferry rides will take you from docks just outside the resort to Nassau town center, or you can take a taxi from the resort entrance. I unwisely decided to walk to downtown Nassau town via the harbor bridge and it was a strain for me, but if you are a hiker, you can probably do this easily.
In Nassau are many museums, craft shopping, and historic structures. Also, you can rent a car to explore the island of Nassau or charter fishing boats. Since it was Mark’s birthday, I treated him and myself to some deep sea fishing where we both bagged some barracuda.
Getting there. Most all international flights land at the Nassau International Airport which is an approximate 20 minute ride to Atlantis. If you rent a car, there is a daily parking fee at the hotel. If you enjoy Atlantis Bahamas, I believe they have other properties located around the globe. My advice before you go is to research the total pricing for fees, meals, and alcoholic drinks.
Also, there are many activities at this resort that are too many to mention, so view their website and FAQ’s.
Congratulations to this week’s solvers, ProfessorAbe and PortMoresby!
EDITORIAL APOLOGY!
The names of the two readers who solved last week’s puzzle were omitted from the Reveal, and have now been inserted. Congratulations again to ProfessorAbe and PortMoresby!