After hearing all the wonderful stories of the Atlantis resort & casino on Paradise Island it was a "must do" on my travel list.  When you can find luxury travel that is also kid-friendly travel, you go.  Atlantis touts a "one-of-a-kind" experience inspired by the myth of the underwater city of the same name.  The Royal Towers are considered the jewel of Atlantis. That's where you'll run in to celebrities, sports figures, and immerse in the lifestyle of the rich and famous-so of course, that's where we stayed.  We got a "deal"- $417 a night on the 12th floor. Floors 17-25 are the imperial suites that run $890 a night on special.  For a less expensive $300 a night you can stay in the coral towers or beach towers.

The rooms will take your breath away. They are gorgeous. The architecture is stunning.  You indeed feel like you are in a far off land-deep under the sea.  There are 21 restaurants and 19 bars and lounges.   The resort was very clean and the 141 acre water park was fun.

So, right about now you are saying "So what's the problem?"  I understand.

I'm not opposed to paying $400 a night for my hotel accommodations.  Beaches, Riu, The Palaces all cost a pretty penny but they are ALL-INCLUSIVE.   My problem with Atlantis is that it is set up like a wonderful all-inclusive resort but it nickels and dimes you to death during the vacation. For the money we spent at Atlantis I could have taken the kids to Europe.  I mean, at the end of the day, it's Nassau-one of the most budget friendly islands in the Caribbean.

I can only deduce that Atlantis is priced according to its beauty.  The food was marginal and not authentic. I didn't fly to the islands for chicken wraps and burgers.  I came to the Caribbean for jerk chicken and plantains. To get authentic food I was told to go back across the bridge to the Nassau main island. The rooms were beautiful but I'll take a Westin "heavenly bed" over the comfort of their beds any day.  The kids had activities but every little thing they wanted to do required me to get up from my poolside chair and pay for it because they weren't old enough to sign it to the room. 

Atlantis was an experience  for its beauty. But the constant cha-ching was irritating and unnecessary. For the money we spent at Atlantis we could have had an equally active beach vacation with authentic food and loads of fun...twice.