Bahamas with the Bananas
We just got back from our first trip as a family of 4 and it was so, so wonderful. To have the privilege to be able to get away and play and indulge and laugh and rest and make memories was such a gift.
We decided on the Bahamas (and Atlantis Resort) for a few reasons. We travelled with friends who had been there several times and sang the praises of the food, safety and amenities for adults and kids. I’d actually been there before 20 years ago with YTV to interview Shawn Desman and the Baha Men and I remembered how amazing the water park was. Bahamas has excellent health care and hospitals which gave us some comfort travelling during these times. Having been there before I knew how safe and friendly the island is. It’s also only a 3-hour flight, on the same time zone with only a 20 min drive from the airport to the hotel. All those are major factors for travelling with small kids.
Travel, testing and all that jazz:
Bahamas requires a travel visa and negative rapid antigen test for anyone entering. The travel visas were $40 each for Randall and I and there were no costs for the girls. We did our rapid tests at Shoppers ($40 for each) and uploaded those results to our visa applications that needed to be submitted 72 hours before arrival. The applications were approved in under an hour.
The airport was busy but manageable the morning we travelled. At check-in we were asked to show our proof of vaccination as well as our approved Bahamian travel visas before they took our bags and we got our boarding passes. Everyone wore masks and were respectful of social distancing wherever possible.
At boarding, once again we were asked for our vaccine certificates and approved travel visas. Yes, this document checking slows things down a bit but it gave me comfort seeing how thorough the staff were. Once we boarded the plane, we were handed disinfecting wipes to sanitize our seats and tray tables. We flew WestJet and there was a beverage service with pretzels on the flight. People did remove their masks to drink/snack but quickly put them back on from what I observed.
Many of you asked about how the kids were on the flight and how we kept them entertained. Short answer: iPad and snacks. I was nervous about how they’d behave because it’s a long time for a child to be seated in one spot but they did amazingly well. They were so good I got to watch a show of my own and Randall read some of his book!
Bea and Goldie were happy to sit and watch their favourite shows (I downloaded a bunch of content at home) and look out the window to see the clouds and the world below. As I mentioned it’s only a 3-hour flight from Toronto and that was the maximum amount of time I think Marigold could handle.
The customs line in Nassau was LONG but a very kind agent pulled us out of the line after seeing us trying to wrangle Marigold who just wanted to run after sitting on a plane for 3 hours. They checked our visas and away we went.
I was hell bent on not dragging car seats on our trip so we parked our car at the terminal in Toronto and I arranged an airport transfer in Nassau that provided car seats for the kids. The company was called Simons Transportation and their service was wonderful. I’d highly recommend for anyone looking for a car service in Nassau. After a quick 20 min ride, we arrived at the resort!
Hotel
Atlantis is not an all-inclusive resort and yes, food and drinks are expensive and everything is USD. It is a cashless resort so any purchases you make are charged to your room. A tab can creep up quickly but there is the option of checking your total on in the TV in your room to avoid being surprised at check-out.
We asked for a fridge in our room for milk/yogurt for the girls (and beer for Randall). He went to a local store when we got there to get breakfast supplies for the girls so they could eat in the room in the mornings while we had our coffees and got ready for the day. Our kids, like most, love snacks so we packed things like fruit pouches, goldfish and granola bars and kept them on-hand for when the inevitable “can I have a snack?” hit throughout the day.
We stayed in the “Royal West Tower.” For us, the location was perfect. Right at the waterpark, close to a large, shallow pool that was great for the kids, right next to the small kid’s water park and some great options for poolside lunches. There is also a beautiful beach just a few minute’s walk that was calm and safe for the kids to swim in. The Royal West Tower is also a short walk to the Marina, casino and all the amazing restaurants. I quickly learned that the Atlantis property is MASSIVE. And each of the buildings offer different amenities based on your needs. If we were travelling without the kids I would have stayed at The Cove. They’ve got an adults-only pool and some great restaurants and bars. But for the whole family Graham The Royal was perfect. The rooms are pretty standard with a small balcony that you can just stand on, no place for a chair or lounger. We asked for a crib and it fit perfectly in the closet (we kept the doors open!). Goldie is used to sleeping in her own room in the dark so this was the perfect little nook for her. She napped and slept like a dream in there.
Food
I have to say the food at Atlantis is really, really great. For lunches we grabbed wraps, sandwiches (I’m still thinking about the Rueben), hot dogs, salads and that kind of thing from the many spots around the property. The lines are slow and can be long but I figured out the best windows after a couple days. For dinner we ate at the Marina Pizzeria, Pirate Republic Brewery, Seafire Steakhouse, Chopsticks and Olives and each meal was a winner. We loved walking around the marina at night after dinner. I actually can’t wait to go back to eat at Olives and Chopsticks again. Reservations book up fast and it’s recommended to book your tables 2 weeks in advance. We didn’t know that but we eat early because of the kids and were able to walk-in and get tables.
Safety
At check-in we were given a hotel map and list of amenities etc. that also included a QR code to book a rapid antigen test within 48 hours of arrival. Booking was fast and easy as were the tests themselves. We got our results in a matter of hours and felt some peace of mind knowing everyone around us was tested as well. We flew home before the return PCR test was eliminated so those tests done as well at the resort for $160 USD each. Randall and Bea were the only ones tested for the return PCR. Marigold and I travelled home with proof of positive covid results from when we had it in early January. We actually all had covid but only Goldie and I were able to be PCR tested at that time to receive those results. We were also randomly selected for testing once we landed at home. In total Bea and Randall were tested 4 times in 10 days. Goldie and I 3 times in 10.
The entire resort has a mask policy. You can’t order food from an outdoor take-out spot without a mask on. Masks are required in the lobbies, elevators, hallways and the casino as well. Yes, I saw some people with their whole faces out but I would say 99% of the time people indoors were masked up.
Kid’s Club
Bea has never been to anything like a kid’s club before so I wasn’t sure if she’d be into it but when she was presented with the idea of “Mermaid For A Day” she flipped out. I was so impressed with the Atlantis Kids Adventures. It’s incredibly well organized, the instructors are warm and friendly and the activities and experiences they offer are really wonderful. Bea came running out of her mermaid experience yelling “Mama, it was a real mermaid! Not someone dressed in a mermaid costume!” Bea loved mermaid day so much she asked to go back the next day for another couple hours of games with kids her age. The kids’ adventures range from $65-$95 per session.
Waterpark & Aquarium
Randall managed to do all but one of the waterslides and loved every one of them. I did a few and had so much fun. It took me back to being a teenager again lol. Bea was too small to ride the big waterslides but she was able to go on the kiddie ones and the lazy river. Randall took her in a double tube and I rode alongside them. Seeing her little face with the biggest smile when we rode the rapids is a memory I’ll have forever. The waterslide that goes through the shark tank was a massive hit for Goldie who asked several times a day to go see “baby shark, Mommy shark.”
She also went BERZERK for “The Dig” which is the enormous aquarium that runs underneath the Royal tower. We walked (she ran) through it several evenings after dinner with Goldie yelling “fishy! Fishy” every 5 seconds.
I answered a bunch of your questions above but here are some others you had about our trip:
Does Atlantis have meal plans?
Unfortunately, they do not offer a meal plan.
As someone who is about to travel, wondering how the airports were?
We flew there and back on a Wednesday and neither day was overly busy, in my opinion. Things definitely take longer with all the documents that need to be verified but overall airports were as smooth as they can be.
Did you have a backup plan if one of you tested positive? Were you worried about that?
Because we’d already had covid in January, we were a little less worried about a positive result. Obviously, nothing is 100% but evidence shows we had a small chance of getting again quickly. Also, with the travel visa required to enter the Bahamas we were covered up to $500/day to a maximum of $7,000.
Looks so fun! Did you take a nanny with you?
It was so much fun! We didn’t take our nanny with us but we did travel with our friends who we love like family. We had the best time being all together (we even had adjoining rooms!). Having extra adults around was so helpful with the girls who loved spending time with their bonus fam. They even watched the kids one night so Randall and I could have a little date night!
Food for the kiddos? Seated dinners? Buffets? What worked?
Having breakfast supplies in our room was the best way for us to start the day without having to rush to find food for the kids. Lunches were grab-and-go from the various quick-bite spots and most days we just ate at our pool loungers. Dinners were seated and high chairs were available at some (not all). They key for dinners was going early. Tables were available and the service was fast.
How was the lazy river?
Lol I love this question. It was more like a crazy river at some spots! Rapids and speeds that I wasn’t expecting. Bea handled them better than I did.
Thanks for following along on our adventures! If you have any other questions about travel and our time away leave them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to respond.
Big Love,
Danielle