Atlantis resort, Bahamas

Anyone been there? What did you think of the place? I got an offer (through the players club of one of the semi local riverboats) for 2 comped nights there, $100 FSP and a possible $300 airfare credit (need to call to see if I qualify). i know I will need to get a passport.

A few questions I have:

1) What are the transportation options and costs from the Nassau airport to the resort? I assume it is by boat since the resort is on Paradise Island.

2) What currency do they use? Since the Bahamas is associated with the British Crown, do they use the British Pound or something else?

 

No idea about transportation but i've been to the Bahamas and you can guarantee they accept and use dollars.

 

Went to Atlantis in February. Place is fabulous. Casino offers all games plus a sportsbook. Drinks are comped.
Used U.S. dollars although I did see some Bahamian currency.
You can take a taxi to/from airport. You merely go over a bridge to get onto "Paradise Island".

 

My wife has always wanted to go. As far as the casino goes, how "tight" or "loose" is it? I would suspect it to be "tight" since there is no gaming control board (or is there?).. Also is it the only casino? What kind of games are offered?

 

Location and weather is great (given).

The built in gratuity, taxes, and fees (even on comp'd rooms) are huge.

Get as many comps upfront as possible. Since hosts aren't based in Nassau, you generally have to pull teeth to get any comps based on play.

I've always felt like service on a whole was pretty good, although the table staff are hit or miss.

You can take a cheap taxi/shuttle to Paradise island, there is a bridge (no boat thankfully). Taxi drivers in the Bahamas are great and the rates are set (something like $30 each way).

US Dollar / Bahamian dollars are interchangeable at 1:1. You won't have a problem using either.

 

Thanks for all the info.

 

Atlantis is pretty nice, it sort of reminds me of Mandalay Bay in terms of decor. They have a nice marina area, and of course there is all the water related stuff to do there.

As to the casino, if you're expecting anything remotely resembling Vegas, (or even most Indian Casinos) you'll be disappointed. They have a decent amount of slots, although many of them are older slots, and it seemed like they had maybe 50-75 newer slot machines, but many of those "newer" machines were just the same bank of 3-4 new machines over and over in the casino (for example a bank of 2 More Chili machines and 2 More Hearts, walk 40 feet and another bank of 2 & 2 etc.). I found the machines to be about on par in terms of tightness compared to Vegas, although I didn't play them much but my that was my wife's experience as well.

As far as the sportsbook goes they have a lot of very goofy rules. If you're a somewhat serious sports bettor, you'll hate it. Parlay payouts are limited to $500 IIRC. Straight bets also have a limit on payouts, which I don't remember off the top of my head. However, I do know that other than for casual betting, the sportsbook was worthless.

Cool property though, I frequently get offers to go back. I just got an offer for 5 free nights, and $500 in FP, to be used up to 5 times between now and the end of the year. I might use it once just to go back and play Ocean club again. The flights are cheap and easy to book, but I also know that I'll drop an easy 1k on food over the course of 5 days. At the end of the day if you're thinking that this will be a Vegas alternative you'll probably be disappointed. If you look at it as a chance to go relax on a beautiful beach in good weather and enjoy all the water related amenities there and still be able to sneak in a small gambling fix it will be just what you're looking for.

 

FYI if you have a premium players card for another casino you can get up to 4 free nights at Atlantis. You only need Platinum or above for CET or Gold or above for MGM. Lots of other casino cards included as well.

Full details here:

http://www.atlantis.com/casino/specials.aspx

I've never been to Atlantis but the Bahamas is fun and yes using USD is normal so no need to convert to BSD.

 

Extremely expensive, tax, tips, etc are added in if you are comped or not. Food, beverages are very pricey. Make dinner reservations before you go because they do book up. Great restaurants on-site. Stay in the cove or royal towers. My host out of Chicago sends limo to/from airport. Again, it's beautiful (one of my wife and i's favorite spots) but expensive with and without comps.