A T L A N T I S
07/24/18 - 07/29/18
DAY 1
Day 1 - In late July 2018, we headed to the beautiful beach front resort of Atlantis located on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Atlantis is a great location for groups (with so much to do) which is why my family picked it to celebrate our parents' 50th anniversary. It was crazy, there was 17 of us! Most of the group lives in Connecticut and left from New York, where we traveled from Boston to Nassau. Once through customs, it was fairly easy to grab a taxi and head to Atlantis! Of course, once at Atlantis we headed to the pool for a refreshing swim and some kick off cocktails! Atlantis is a large resort with multiple pools, waterslides, bars and restaurants. Since everyone had come in at different times, we had planned a casual dinner at their pizza place at their marina. The boats (or should I say yachts) are stunning!
DAY 2
Day 2 - After breakfast, we all met at a central location by one of the main pools. We spent the morning in the different pools, enjoying the water slides and kids splash area. The slides range from a large lazy river, where you relax in a tube float to more intense slides with steep drops. One even lands in a tunnel inside a shark tank! Get through quick! After lunch, we spent some time wave hopping at their beautiful beach and all met up at our favorite pool bar for an afternoon beverage! Wow and some of those amazing drinks can be pretty strong after a day in the sun! Be careful! After a small break in the room, we took some group photos in the lobby and had a delicious dinner at Olives. Then a few of us hit the exciting casino for a few slot machines and hands of Black Jack!
DAY 3
Day 3 - Time for the official celebration! Today was my parent's 50th anniversary! A major accomplishment! After breakfast, we headed out for another fabulous sunny day by the pool and beach. We set up another area where most of us could meet and hang out and generally know where everyone is, while we swam and enjoyed all of what Atlantis has to offer. After a beautiful day at the pool and a happy hour round of delicious daiquiris, we headed in a little earlier for a special dinner at Carmines. Once everyone was freshened up, we all met in our hotel lobby for a champagne toast and a nice little speech from my parents! Then, it was off to Carmines, for a delicious family style Italian dinner. We capped off the night, with a beautiful anniversary cake for dessert and a group walk around the harbor. What a great day! Atlantis brings families together!
DAY 4
Day 4 - Today started with a nicer breakfast within their hotel lobby restaurant. After breakfast we staked out our traditional pool spot and enjoyed the morning swimming throughout the property. Towards the afternoon, the group headed over to the Dolphin Cay section of the Atlantis. The kids along with a few brave adults participated in the "Swim with the Dolphins" adventure. The adventure included a quick training exercise, an introduction to the Dolphins with a few tricks including dolphin jumps and dances! and then concluded with a small little ride on the back of a dolphin! Michael even got a little Dolphin kiss! After the dolphins we headed over to Virgil's for some delicious BBQ for dinner! Before dinner, Grandma and all the kids replayed a photograph from 5 years ago!
DAY 5
Day 5 - The final day in paradise has arrived! Luckily, most of us had late afternoon flights from Nassau, so we could enjoy a big chunk of the day at the resort. After breakfast and a little room organization, we headed down to the pool for a final good bye swim! The weather was gorgeous all week and everyone was very happy with the trip. After a few hours swimming, we grabbed lunch and a final drink by the pool, took a few family photos and started our journey home. The hotel was nice enough to give us an extended check-out, so we grabbed our bags from our room and headed by taxi to the airport. We unfortunately did not have a direct flight, but with a quick layover in Philadelphia, we were back home in Boston, exhausted and dreaming of white sand beaches and Pina Coladas!
WHAT WE THOUGHT OF IT
MICHAEL
KAREN
MICHAEL S
