The Bahamas.........Paradise Found!
Luckily I didn’t need to win as I was totally spoilt to this trip of a lifetime. Our direct flight to Nassau from Heathrow was with BA and they depart 5 days a week. The inflight entertainment just happened to be showing the film ‘The Other Woman’, which has scenes shot from both properties that we were about to stay in, this got us all in the mood for a fun trip ahead.
The first three nights we stayed at The Cove (primarily aimed at Adults only) at The Atlantis resort. The magnificent entrance check in area set the scene for a five star experience at this resort and all the rooms have plenty of space with a luxury contemporary feel. The big advantage of The Cove within The Atlantis is access to their very hip and cool ‘Cain’ pool area. This is a great people spotting area, where the DJ plays and everyone drinks cocktails, champagne and dances in and around the pool area. While enjoying the Cain we were right beside Michael Jordan who was in the outdoor casino area right beside the pool!
The Atlantis is a large resort and is made up of the Beach Towers, Coral Towers, Royal Towers, The Reef and The Cove. Linked by a free shuttle between the hotels it is easy and quick to get around the resort and experience all it has to offer. There is something for everyone at this resort of all budgets and big variety of restaurants, bars, casinos and top class facilities. The food throughout our stay was of a high standard and we experienced breakfast at a variety of the hotels within the resort and a variety of the restaurants including Mesa Grill, Virgil’s BBQ and my favourite Seafire restaurant located at the Marina Village, I highly recommend the lobster tail. The Marina Village has a variety of shops and restaurants and in the evening the Carnival parade was great fun through the street. We also danced the night away at Aura Nightclub located in Atlantis and one of the top nightclubs in the Bahamas. We were fortunate to not only explore the behind the scenes tour of Dolphin Cay but also have a dance and kiss from ‘Toni’ one of the Atlantis dolphins. Atlantis also hosts concerts throughout the year and we enjoyed seeing the outdoor concert of Rascal Flatts while at the resort. The kids club and separate teen’s club ‘Rush’ are some of the best I have ever seen. To top it all off you also have the incredible waterpark, with its lazy river and heart racing waterslides to enjoy making this an excellent and fun trip for families or adults alike! It really is both a kids and adults playground!
I am a huge fan of great beaches and love to swim in the sea so I was especially impressed by the gorgeous white sand beach and clear blue sea that was perfect for beach swimming!
The Bahamas however with over 700 islands has more to offer than just Nassau /Paradise Island and we got to experience ‘Sandy Toes’ on Rose Island for a lovely day trip. A quick speed boat journey and you feel you have really got away from it all to my idea of heaven. Rose Island is like going to your own private island complete with hammocks, snorkelling and beach bar! Great day out and highly recommended.
The Bahamas really is an all year destination, I travelled during September considered to be their off peak time due to technically being ‘hurricane season’. The weather at this time was gorgeous and the small bit of ‘liquid sunshine’ we did get was very quick and did not take anything away from a fabulous beach experience. I would have no hesitation at travelling at this time of year again and enjoy the off peak rates. From Dublin a trip combining New York or Miami or both with the Bahamas would be just a fabulous combination.
Finally we lived it up on the last night at the One & Only Ocean Club. As my butler arrived that evening with my complimentary champagne and strawberries I knew I was in one of my favourite resorts of all time. The resort is pure luxury and sophistication set on one of the best beaches I have ever experienced.
One & Only also has complimentary shuttle and access to The Atlantis resort so if you want the luxury and a quieter place to relax with still the option to enjoy the fun and excitement of The Atlantis then look no further this is the resort for you!
My perfect day at One & Only included an amazing breakfast at the Dune restaurant, one hour Balinese massage, tennis lesson from resident ex Davis Cup Pro, swimming at the pool, afternoon tea at the clubhouse, dinner at a private villa used for the James Bond film ‘Casino Royale’ and finished off with a martini at the beach bar. So when my lucky numbers finally come up…. to all my family & friends, two weeks at the One & Only Ocean Club, it’s on me!