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 known as “paradise”.
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Table of Contents
- Stock Up at the Grocery Store
- Bring Your Own Goodies
- Book with Resort Credits
- Get Free Breakfast
- Know Where to Eat
- Use Their Water Fill Stations
- Take Advantage of Discounts
- Have Fun with Free Activities
- Get a FREE Upgrade
- Wait for the Right Deal
- Are You Ready?
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 (that is, if you pay them $30 bucks or more). Arrange for a driver ahead of time on Viator (email me if you want my 10% discount code, as it’s constantly changing). Tell them in advance, if possible, that you’d like to stop at the store on the way in.
If it’s last minute, I’m sure they’d be cool with it since, well, you would pay them to do so!
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.
Bring Your Own Goodies
We brought snacks, mac and cheese, and a few adult beverages in our luggage.
After a few $20 margaritas at Silan, I was wishing we had brought more from home (because of the cost, not the taste)!
Those jalapeno cucumber margaritas were totally worth it though…still cravin’ em.
We’ve done this before on long flights and haven’t no major issue. Yet :0
We wrap each bottle in a plastic bag, then double wrap it, and then cushion it in the suitcase with clothes or something soft that we won’t be heartbroken about if it there were a break or leak. I’m only a tiny bit ashamed to say that our daughter’s swim floatie was the perfect cushion!
By the way you DON’T need a swim vest unless your toddler is under 30 pounds. They have them available for free.
Book with Resort Credits
We had $400 in credits just from booking through my travel agency (at no extra cost!). Contact me on my travel advisor page if you want more info or a quote.
Just charge your food, drinks (and some activities) to the room to use the credits.
Get Free Breakfast
Again, book with a certified travel advisor who has access to perks like free daily breakfast, room upgrades, late check-out / early check-in and more.
Our $90 value daily breakfast was a sweet deal.
Enjoying it as roooooom service was even sweeter.
Know Where to Eat
Download their app to see all the restaurant menus and pricing. Make reservations for free through Open Table. Request window seating at Silan so you can drool over the yachts docked outside at the marina. Wow.
The flatbreads at Silan were big enough to share, but the short ribs entree we shared was pretty small.
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.
Use Their Water Fill Stations
They 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 from Amazon 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:
There is also a playground on the back side of the Reef tower. It was actually right below our room! The kids wanted to go back again, but once was enough for us. Umm, we have playgrounds at home.
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 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 who has a connection with this resort, then a free upgrade is a perk (subject to availability).
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!
Are You Ready?
Now that you know how to save money and the best tips for staying at Atlantis Bahamas, are you ready for fun in the sun?
Check back soon for my full honest review of the Atlantis Bahamas resort.
Sticker shocked or not, paradise is paradise, especially when the family is happy!
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.
