I have a feeling that I'm going to be writing up this trip from multiple angles. I know that I'll review it on Digital Dads more formally and I've already been asked to write it up for at least one travel publication so we shall see how many ways I can slice and dice four days in the Bahamas at The Atlantis Resort.
I've never been a beach person. I love hanging out at the ocean and feeling the sand between my toes, but hanging out poolside for any amount of time has never been that appealing. I guess that is why when it comes time to think about vacations I never think about the tropics, cruises or anything like that. I like to be active on vacation and do lots of different things. But, I've got to say that I was surprised by how much fun I had on this trip.
As I've already disclosed in a previous post, this trip was a press junket sponsored by JetBlue, Atlantis and Lego to showcase their new Atlantis Kids Adventure (AKA) addition to the resort. A variety of travel writers, parenting bloggers and other press were on hand for this weekend of fun.
I of course took a ton of photos and after the first day my 50D never left the room because I was so happy with how well my S90 did at taking photos. I'm officially in love with that little guy. Since I knew I was going to be writing up this trip in several different styles, you can see I took a variety of photos.
The whole family had a blast. I had always thought of Atlantis as an adult only resort and maybe that is the way it use to be, but it certainly isn't any more. The variety of pools, water slides, restaurants and things to do makes it so that every member of the family can have a good time.
The new AKA addition is a kid's dream. With different areas dedicated to computers, video games, cooking, dress up and all around play there is something for everyone. Even the bathrooms are unique (and yes I did go in the girls room after a mom insisted I go in and see it). I had a chance to talk to the designer of it all and she stressed how she really wanted a place where a kid could completely unwind and have a great time. She succeeded!
With such a great place for the kids to spend time away from parents, I was disappointed that we didn't get a chance to leave them there and have a bit of parent only time at one of the restaurants that is not a buffet at the resort. The Mesa Grill was calling to me, but there was no chance to try it out.
Emily & Dylan both loved it there and didn't want to leave. Everyone agreed that their favorite part was getting to swim with the Dolphins. I did it a couple of years ago at Discovery Cove and this was just as good.
Since the kids are both part fish, they loved all the different pools, river rapids and slides that they went on multiple times. I liked that they had these in every size so that kids of all sizes (and levels of bravery) could enjoy. I personally liked the tube ride through the shark tank the best just for the shear awesomeness of slowly going through a clear tube with sharks an other fish inches away from you.
We had a chance to try food from all three hotels, took part in a culinary adventure where we built underwater sculptures out of chocolate and even got to build and race our own race cars. So many activities were crammed in our four days that almost was a blur. Maybe that is why I took so many photos so that I can remember it all.
It was great to meet so many new people from a variety of publications and I can't wait till our paths cross again. This was a very needed and appreciated vacation for the entire family and any time we can spend together away from the world and enjoying each other's company is time well spent!
