Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas

If you have been following me on Instagram, then you know that I just returned from a ten-day trip to China. With the completion of this recent visit, I realized that I am months behind on posting here at WITC! Rather than jumping ahead to China, I'm going to spend the next few weeks sharing the previous adventures, starting with our April vacation to Atlantis.

Each year, the boyfriend and I like to take a beach vacation. Generally we try to schedule this trip for February or March, right when we can't stand any more Northeastern winter weather. Due to crazy schedules at both of our jobs, this years beach vacation was pushed into April. We decided to spend half of the vacation on a quiet island (see my Eleuthera post here) and the second half of the vacation at Atlantis.

After the quiet isolation of Eleuthera, Atlantis was quite the shock. Not shocking in that I was awed by the size, beauty,etc. I've been to Atlantis twice before. It was shocking because of how many people were on the property.

Atlantis is celebrating its 20th anniversary and had quite a few vacation deals happening in April. This lead to the resort being pretty busy and all the lounge chairs filling up quickly. I would recommend visiting Atlantis during the quiet months. In the past, I've enjoyed Atlantis for New Years Eve...

And in September, days before a hurricane...

This visit to Atlantis was only three days, but it was just long enough for us. Perhaps if you have a family, you and your kids would want to stay for at least five days. You could make it a full weeks vacation if you throw in a few off-resort excursions. Yet, with the cost of a room at Atlantis, I would try to make the most of your time on site and find a different hotel for a few days on Nassau.

The boyfriend and I aren't really night owls, so we never make use of the hotel casino, bars or restaurants. You're more likely to find us up early, enjoying a coffee at the island Starbucks and settling into a prime spot at the pool.

We generally spend all day at the pool, in the waterpark or on the beach. By the time the sun goes down, we are exhausted and simply want some pizza and our bed. We managed to stay up "late" one night and took in a 9:00 movie in the theater.

I did mention that there were deals to be had on Atlantis hotel rooms, right? We snagged one of those deals and were rewarded with this amazing view...

Not such a huge letdown for the boyfriend and I, since we didn't plan on spending hours relaxing on our balcony and looking at the ocean. Just be warned that if you book a discounted room at the hotel, you will most likely wind up with a roof view balcony!

Finally, I highly recommend wearing a rash guard while enjoying the waterpark. I wore my Mara Hoffman set all week. I was rewarded with dozens of compliments and questions about where to buy it, but I also escaped without a sunburn. It's so difficult to keep up with the sunscreen when you're busy floating around in the lazy river.

Would I recommend Atlantis for a vacation? Sure. Though I would highly recommend booking your vacation with one of their holiday deals. Often times you can get free airfare or deeply discounted room rates. Everything on Paradise Island is pretty pricey, so be sure to pack some extra snacks in your luggage to cut down on incidental food costs, leaving you more money to enjoy your time in the sun!