You don’t have to overpay to have an unforgettable family trip to Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas. After visiting multiple times and planning countless trips there, I’ve put together the ultimate Atlantis Bahamas guide packed with everything I wish I knew before my first stay—from timing the deals to bypassing airport chaos and saving money on food to scoring free VIP perks and upgrades. Keep reading to find out how to make the most of your vacation.
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How to Book a Reliable Airport Transfer to Atlantis
My first two visits to Atlantis Paradise Island we took the Atlantis hotel shuttle (we didn’t know any better!). That was the worst part of the trip. You get off the plane after a long flight and then have to wait on a hot shuttle bus for the rest of the guests. I can’t tell you how long it really took, but with a toddler in tow, it felt like hours.
Now I know better – pre-book DayTrip for safe, reliable private transfers, including car seats. You’ll be able to directly message the driver if anything changes, and you can cancel for free up to 24 hours prior to the pick-up time. Great customer service and super easy.
Book with me for insider tips on saving time at the airport, coming and going.
Save Money on Food: Grocery Shopping Tips for Atlantis
I wish we’d done this. Lol.
I can laugh now, but seriously, this would have saved us a lot of money.
There are a couple grocery stores in town, and drivers are more than happy to stop for you.
Arrange for a driver ahead of time and tell them in advance, if possible, that you’d like to stop at the Super Value grocery store on the way in (a 30-minute stop add-on for a family of 4 would be about $24 additional dollars).
If you don’t do this option, then the hotel towers (like the Reef) have little hotel convenience stores with frozen foods, bread, peanut butter and jelly, pastas, and more simple things you could cook up in the room. Those items were more expensive than what you’d find in a grocery store, but still much cheaper than most of the poolside and restaurant food.
Book a room (like the ones at the Reef) that has a fully stocked kitchen with appliances, plates, etc.
Or have your groceries delivered by my vetted delivery service! Minimum order is $60. I’d be more than happy to arrange this for you as a client courtesy.
Pack Smart: Snacks and Essentials to Bring From Home
We brought snacks, mac and cheese bowls, and a few adult beverages in our luggage.
The kitchen in the Reef suite was clutch for prepping mac and cheese or reheating leftovers.
After a few $20 margaritas at Silan (now Nobu), I was wishing we had brought more from home (because of the cost, not the taste)! Even the little store in the Reef was a bit pricey – but they did have some pastas and basics you could get.
Those jalapeno cucumber margaritas were totally worth it though…still cravin’ em.
How to Get Free Daily Breakfast and Hotel Credits at Atlantis
When you book through a Virtuoso travel advisor (me!), you’ll get daily free breakfast valued at $50 per person (full and hot, not some lousy continental crap), a resort credits to spend onsite, a free room upgrade if available and other VIP perks. You get all this at no extra cost to you, sometimes for even cheaper than booking on the Atlantis website.
We received a free room upgrade, free breakfast, and $400 in hotel credits to use for meals and activities! This was just by booking through my FORA travel agency (at no extra cost!) for Virtuoso perks. I also help arrange activities and transportation for my clients who book with me.
Contact me if you want more info or a free quote.
Just charge your food, drinks (and some activities) to the room to use the hotel credits. This literally made our trip! Breakfast alone was worth nearly $100 a day plus the other credits.
Our $100 value daily breakfast was a sweet deal. Full hot breakfast, not some cold cereal and fruit continental crap.
Enjoying it as room service was even sweeter. Who doesn’t want room service on vacation?!
The kids’ favorite was the French toast. My husband’s was the delicious omelette. Mine was, well, both!
Atlantis Bahamas Guide to Dining: Best Restaurants & Ways to Save
Download their app to see all the restaurant menus and pricing, as well as to make reservations in advance.
The kids’ meals were so big they easily could have split:
Or just order one meal for each child and save your leftovers in your room kitchen, even if you think no one will eat a day-old burger. Swimming and waterslides will work up an appetite like you can’t believe. Leftovers stored in our Reef fridge absolutely saved our kids when they’d wake up starving after their naps.
Shake Shack is an easy and frugal go-to, especially with kids. Our kids loved the aquarium views while eating.
Get the lobster quesadilla and a margarita at Sip Sip, not to be missed.
FISH comes highly recommended – my parents absolutely loved it. I personally thought the tables were too close together and the salmon was nothing special. Some of these restaurants can be inconsistent here.
If you want to try the offsite Fish Fry – Curly’s is my clients’ favorite!
If you want help deciding where to eat (and where not to eat), I’d be happy to help plan your trip (see my travel advisor profile more info).
If you take advantage of their kids eat free promo, check their site to see which restaurants are included, and make sure you charge to the room, then have the front desk remove the charges later.
What to Pack for Atlantis Bahamas: Family Beach Essentials
You DON’T need to bring your own swim vest unless your toddler is under 30 pounds. They have them available for free.
For more travel beach “essentials” like rash guards and sand removers, check out my Amazon storefront before your trip.
See my Packing List for Your Next Family Beach Vacation for more tips.
How to Choose the Best Tower at Atlantis Bahamas
The Royal Towers are the iconic pink towers in the center of all the action.
The Cove is more exclusive luxury, at a higher price point.
The Reef is great for families who want access to a kitchen and the quieter beach and pool.
The Coral – great for budget travelers who don’t care much about the room or being slightly further.
If you still can’t decide which tower to stay in, read my blog post here – Atlantis Bahamas Towers Compared: The Royal vs. The Cove vs. The Reef vs. The Coral.
Atlantis Bahamas Guide to Resort Amenities: Using the Free Water Fill Stations
The Reef provided complimentary reusable water bottles in the room and refill stations throughout the park. The refill water is not cold, so you may want to load up with ice before venturing out all day in the heat.
My Atlantis Bahamas Guide to Booking Discounted Activities
Save money on your vacation by booking activities at a discount! These are the top-rated and vetted tours for swimming with pigs, dolphins or sea turtles, visiting private islands, and other fun adventures like ATV’ing and fishing catamarans.
Check out my list of the most fun experiences in Nassau!
If you’re looking for an adventurous excursion off the resort, like snorkeling in Exuma or everyone’s favorite – swimming with pigs – then use my exclusive travel advisor discount before it expires.
I have 10% off on Viator experiences using the promo code FORA4 before checkout.
Free Things to Do at Atlantis Bahamas with Kids
In addition to the water park, Atlantis Bahamas offers plenty of free activities like arts and crafts, pool volleyball, ping pong and other poolside games.
Of course, there’s always the beautiful beach to keep you occupied. Bring a packable “dessert” sand castle toy and make some memories.
When you check into your room, they will hand you the weekly schedule. It’s also on your TV, so no excuses for missing arts and crafts time:
For snorkeling go to Cove beach (to the left, and as early as possible) for the best fish, turtles, seashells and more. My client saw a barracuda!
Our kids loved exploring the grounds the most (a close second to the beach and waterslides). Although there weren’t as many marine animals as their used to be, the kids got to see fish, sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, giant lobsters, and more. Warning: neither of our kids liked the aquarium near the Royal towers, as we went near dusk and our 3-year-old was so scared.
Every night after dinner they wanted to find all the sea animals and walk to the suspension bridge with waterfalls.
I guess you can’t take the adventure out of the McFadden’s! These walks are some of my favorite memories of our trip.
How to Get a FREE Room Upgrade at Atlantis Bahamas
Instead of paying more outright for a better room, you can gamble a bit and hope for a free upgrade. When you book a basic room with me as your travel advisor (at no extra cost), then a free upgrade is a perk (subject to availability). I still book directly with Atlantis, but Atlantis and my travel agency FORA are preferred partners, therefore Atlantis spoils our clients, so we keep coming back.
My client recently was upgraded from a discounted room at the Coral to a beautifully renovated room at the Royal, and spoiled with champagne and charcuterie!
Contact me if you want more info – I’d love to help.
How to Book Atlantis Bahamas for the Best Deals
If you have flexibility on when you’re heading to Nassau, then sign up for special offers through the Atlantis website and wait for the right deal. Then contact me to book directly and add on perks. Even if you’ve already booked you can contact me to try to add them after booking.
Also, when booking with me, I have automatic price alerts set up, so if the price drops and we booked a fully refundable rate, we can rebook for less and cancel the original booking! It’s saved my clients a ton.
Another tip: avoid paying more in the high season or when special events are going on (like the basketball tournament in early spring).
You can also stay in the cheaper tower – Coral. I personally like the Reef tower the best because it’s quiet and less busy, with fairly nice rooms, but it is a bit further from the action as you can see:
But the Coral tower is one of the cheapest, and I hear they recently renovated!
My Ultimate Atlantis Bahamas Guide to the Best Vacation Ever
Sticker shocked or not, you just can’t beat vacationing in paradise!
I hope you found my Atlantis Bahamas Guide useful, so you can truly enjoy the island better known as “paradise”.
If you’re looking for something still tropical but maybe a bit more rainforest-y or adventurous, be sure to check out my Costa Rica itinerary and my vetted top 3 luxury resorts in Costa Rica.
If Bahamas it is, then I’d love to help plan your next Bahamas vacation (or elsewhere if you decide).
I plan trips all over the world, with access to discounted rates and VIP perks like free breakfast and room upgrades. Check out my travel page for more info and to get in touch! I love travel and I’d love to help. 🙂
