I’ve been to Atlantis Bahamas enough times to confidently tell you how to save a ton of money and get the most out of your vacation there. On our most recent trip in May 2024, our two energetic kids, ages 3 and 6, were hungry for more than just beaches and waterslides. Those big appetites came with a hefty bill after six days and nights of eating out. With a high tax and gratuity automatically included in every bill (yes, even at the poolside food stand), that Bahamian sun started burning a hole in our credit card quickly. Here are my tips for staying at Atlantis Bahamas, (mostly how to make your money go further) so you can just enjoy the island better known as “paradise”.
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Table of Contents
- Pre-Arrange a Private Airport Transfer
- Stock Up at the Grocery Store
- Bring Your Own Goodies
- Book with Virtuoso Perks (for free!)
- Love this hotel?
Pre-Arrange a Private Airport Transfer
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.
I use DayTrip all over the world actually!
Stock Up at the Grocery Store
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 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.
Bring Your Own Goodies
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.
Book with Virtuoso Perks (for free!)
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.
Award Winning Agency
Love this hotel?
Book with me to unlock exclusive perks like free breakfast, room upgrades, $100+ resort credit and expert itinerary planning, at no extra cost to you.
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.
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.
Book through a travel advisor (me) and you can get either free VIP Virtuoso perks and a personal travel concierge to help you with every step of the trip.
Take Advantage of Free Breakfast
Again, book with a travel advisor who has access to perks like free daily breakfast, complimentary room upgrades, late check-out / early check-in and more.
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!
Know Where to Eat
Download their app to see all the restaurant menus and pricing, as well as to make reservations in advance. This restaurant Silan is unfortunately now closed!
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 saved our kids when they’d wake up starving after their naps.
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.
If you want help deciding where to eat (and where not to eat), I’d be happy to help plan your trip (see my 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.
Know What to Pack
You DON’T need to bring your own swim vest unless your toddler is under 30 pounds. They have them available for free.
See my Packing List for Your Next Family Beach Vacation for more tips.
Use Their 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.
Take Advantage of Discounts
If you want to do experiences at the resort, like swim with the dolphins, then take advantage of booking with a travel advisor (like myself) who can try to score discounted rates for those experiences. I’ve been able to do that at Atlantis Dubai.
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 currently have 10% off on Viator experiences!
Have Fun with Free Activities
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.
For more travel beach “essentials” like rash guards and sand removers, check out my Amazon storefront before your trip.
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 for the best fish, turtles, and seashells.
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.
Get a FREE Room Upgrade
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 a travel advisor (at no extra cost) who has a connection with this resort, then a free upgrade is a perk (subject to availability). Contact me if you want more info.
Wait for the Right Deal
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.
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!
Book Discounted Activities
Save money on your vacation by booking activities at a discount! Throughout the year I get discount codes for 10% off Viator experiences like this one. Contact me if you want to check if I have a current code.
Check out my list of the most fun experiences in Nassau!
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Sticker shocked or not, you just can’t beat vacationing in 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.
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. 🙂
