I’ve been to Atlantis four times in the last two years. Its special and their casino is fantastic. We’re not ‘whales’ by any means but we drop 2k-5k in the casino per trip. We always stay at Atlantis. You’ll probably pay more on airfare to get there but Nassau is such a hot spot getting a flight is no problem. In my opinion I get more bang for my gambling buck at Atlantis than I do in Vegas. Partially due to the fact that Vegas doesn’t really have to work to hard to attract willing guests/gamblers and when every resort on the strip has 3,000+ rooms its easy to comp a room for someone who you know has dropped lots of cash in the casino. The first time we went to Atlantis we booked an airfare and Atlantis (Royal Towers) package, and got a great deal. This is probably the best way to go, but only the first time because you’ll want to return as a casino guest to take full advantage of the doors that can potentially open up for you. We go every year late October; for two reason tail end of Hurricane season so there are a lot less people at the resort, so you have this sprawling oceanic wonder sort of to yourself, air fare is also lower then too. After our first trip 4-6 weeks after we got home the first casino offer came in for generous free slot play during certain dates. And more and more free play postcards came in the mail, almost monthly. The free room offer came pretty fast two after we got home, it was in the “Coral Towers” which didn’t really interest us as we really love the “water view” rooms in the “Royal Towers”. You have really great room options at Atlantis as it’s comprised of six separate hotel towers, as follows: “Beach Tower”, “Coral Towers”, “Royal Towers” (iconic towers used in all their advertising), “The Cove”, “The Reef” and “Harbourside”, the last two are condos. and timeshare condos. respectively.

The thing about Vegas is there are so many resorts, casinos and warm bodies both guests and staff that unless you work with a dedicated Casino Host so you truly have a relationship I think it would be hard to beat what Atlantis will ultimately reward you with for gaming with them.

Also, they have a nice feature you’re assigned a casino account number upon checking in and that number is now yours, so when you play in the casino you insert your room key into the machine or hand it to the dealer at the table so they can track all of your play.

Atlantis is also a huge resort but we quickly figured out that for every dollar we spend in the casino I can probably receive even more in the form of our hotel bill being reduced. I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS they’ve been consistently generous and taken a lot off of our hotel bill, it can vary if you’re in a comp hotel room as you start off, “working off the comps” you begin with, room, perhaps show tickets. I assume nothing and I’m always very pleasant with I chat with Casino Services (right on the casino floor) and they look up our account and if they can do anything they tell you what they can do, and twice it’s happened that after I walked away they kept at it and took another big chunk of the hotel bill away.

So, try Atlantis on a package but I personally would stay away from the older hotel towers, Beach and Coral. If you want to have a nice room and be closer to the casino book the “Royal Towers”. If you don’t mind the walk and want something more exclusive with an “adults only” swimming pool club with poolside gaming then book into “The Cove” which is their really nice, all suites hotel, this is also where Bobby Flay’s MESA Grill is, which is a must when you go to Atlantis.

I know this was long winded but both places of course have their unique qualities but The Bahamas are beautiful and in spite of being a huge resort Atlantis did it right and its a beautiful setting. The Bahamian people we’ve met are just wonderful, we meet interesting people every time we go, and we just love it.

Give it a shot (but don’t go in summer the risk of hurricanes is TOO high. January through May I believe is their high season.

Oh, after our second trip the comp room offer was upgraded to the “Royal Towers”. for example, I have a 3 nights comp

high season which on this offer was good Jan. through end of June, for a room that goes for over $600 a night (not in this economy). They’ve also comp’d me into slot tournaments, BJ tournament, free live concert tickets, and one of the best was the “shallow water dolphin experience” at their Dolphin Cay which was amazing.

sorry for the long winded response I hope it helps and for more info. check out experience-atlantis.com where I blog about our travels to this magical, beautiful place.

Temple of the Sun, Atlantis Casino, Paradise Island, Bahamas

We just returned from our 4th visit in two years, the 1st time we went on an airfare, terrace (promo) room rate in the Royal Towers. We played slots only and within a month of returning Atlantis started peppering me with various dollar amounts of free slot play. And a few weeks later they extended a 3-day comp room in the Coral Towers which I wasn’t all that interested in as we really like the Royal Towers. However, when I phoned VIP Casino Marketing we were booked into the Royal Towers for our return trip on “preferred casino rate” which is a huge savings versus the Atlantis rack rate. Oct. 2006 (1st trip on a package) we gambled an ALWAYS put our room key into the slot machine EVERY TIME WE PLAYED A MACHINE, that’s the key Atlantis must be able to see everything you’re doing in the casino. So, our second trip we were extended casino guest room rates. On our 3rd trip April 2008 we took them up on the comp room in the Coral Towers (adequate room but I kept yearning for the larger, nicer room and killer direct water view you have in the Royal Towers. We also took them up on an invitation to play in a slot tournament in April 2008 (fun but we won’t play in a slot tournament again). Now, fast forward to July / August 2008 and I receive a 3-day comp room in the Royal Towers; I was thrilled for two reasons; my favorite tower so far (I haven’t stayed in The Cove yet but we will on a return trip). In fact, I had us booked into The Cove for our October 2008 trip but in light of a 3-night comp in the Royal Towers I phoned back to the VIP Casino Marketing office and switched to their comp. offer.

Now, what I’ve learned is this; you must let Atlantis track every single time you gamble whether a slot machine or table games. Insert your room key or your Player’s card into the slot machine or hand it to the dealer at the table. We’re not whales by any means, but we can say we’ve increased our gaming budget each time we’ve returned.

This latest trip we also received another comp. offer which was for two people to Dolphin Cay for the “Shallow Water Interaction with the Dolphins” so we had 3 nights comp hotel and the comp value of 2 adults for Dolphin Cay.

When you’re staying in a comp. room you stop and talk to the person working in the “casino services” island right on the casino floor. You hand the man or woman working your room key or Player’s card and very politely ask if you “qualify for any additional complimentaries”? The person will call up your account and evaluate whether your ‘gaming picture’ warrants additional complimentaries. Below is how it worked our for us one our 4 visits.

1 – no comps. as it was our first trip to Atlantis, and thus the casino (October 2006)

2. – stayed at “preferred casino rate” and received lots of complimentaries and our room rates ended up being comp’d. and almost all of our food and beverage overages, I say overage because we always prebuy the Gourmet Meal Plan. (October 2007)

3. – no additional comps. beyond the free room in Coral Towers (April 2008)

4. – started off with 3 nights comp’d. and 2 Dolphin Cay “shallow water interactions” so we figured in April we didn’t get additional comps but much to our surprise the nice young woman said she’d knock $120.00 off our room.

Well, when we reviewed our account the morning we were heading back home we noticed she’d taken even more off the bill. Our 4th night we were booked at a “preferred casino rate” of which she reduced to $60.00 (+ taxes, fees, tips which you must pay even for ‘free’ nights). She also reduced and comp’d. food charges so we received hundreds more in additional comps.

We’re back 4 days now and I just received a Thank You email from the resort at 1AM in my email; a nice quick response from our magical place, Atlantis.

With the economy (globally) in the toilet Atlantis is definitely extending comps. to people who are in their database as before we left for our October 2008 trip I received an offer for an ADDITIONAL 3-night comp stay in the Royal Towers.  Can’t take them up on the offer but I did use the Dolphin Cay Dolphin experiences.

It will be interesting to see what they offer me next and how long it takes before I receive it. It seems about a month after we’re back I receive another offer. We’ll see.

Oh, Atlantis automatically assigns you a casino account (used to track your game play) upon checking into any of the towers that comprise Atlantis.

So, yes comps. are available from Atlantis. Once you’re in their system you call directly into VIP Casino Marketing because you can always book at “preferred casino rate” which is a huge value, for example our room would have easily been $400.00+ per night and our “preferred casino rate” was a lot lower than, less than half rack rate, and when you’re a casino guest you get booked into the best of the best, if you’re pleasant when you check in.  So, it’s a huge savings on the room, some of which we redirect into our entertainment budget.

Atlantis is a magical place and the casino is GREAT. We’ve won money, they’ve taken great care of us, excellent fine dinning options, beautiful pools and beaches — it’s truly a magical place.

Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas

Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas is really six different hotels, all at different prices and comfort levels, decor, etc.  They are the Beach Tower, Coral Towers, Royal Towers, Harbourside, The Cove and The Reef.  The Beach and Coral Tower are old hotels that were part of the Resorts International acquisition by the company the owns Atlantis.  Anyway, I’ve stayed in the Royal Towers twice and the Coral Towers once; my preference is the Royal Towers, nice, large room with nice decor and amenities.  Our first stay we had a French balcony and our second we were casino guests so we were on the ocean side on the 12th floor with a full balcony which was great for sitting and enjoying our view of the Atlantis lagoon and the Atlantic ocean beyond.  It’s fun to sit on your balcony and watch them feed the marine life in the marine habitat which wraps around the base of the Royal Towers so we could literally sit on our balcony and watch the incredible Manta ray.  Back to the hotels, I’ve heard a rumor that the plan is to eventually tear down both the Beach Tower and Coral Towers and replace them with new hotels that I’m sure will reflect the Atlantean theme in their architecture, also it’s my understanding that these hotels would be designed to appeal to large groups and conventions and I’m sure they’ll add more meeting space.  This makes sense in the mid-to-long term now that The Cove and The Reef are open and generating room revenue.  I also was told last October that they’ve bought another parcel next door (Hurricane Hole, home to the original Green Parrot) and will be expanding Harbourside which is their timeshare condominium resort which is also part of Atlantis.  There is also the One & Only Ocean Club which is also

on Paradise Island, it’s an older, very posh Colonial style resort farther up

Cabbage beach and as it’s also owned by Kerzner International you have full access to all of Atlantis.

Here are photographs of each of the six, distinct hotel of Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas:

Beach Tower, Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas

The Beach tower is one of the original hotels that Kerzner purchased from Resorts International.  It’s considered the ‘entry-level’ hotel within the family of six hotels that actually comprise Atlantis.  I haven’t stayed there myself; you read reviews just like with any hotel some love it and some hate and others are ambivalent.  I’ll just stick to placing in the hotel food chain that is Atlantis and leave the reviews to those who’ve stayed in the Beach tower.

Coral Towers, Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas

Hopefully the rumor we’ve heard is true and the Beach and Coral towers will come under the wrecking ball to make way for updated, Atlantean themed architecture more like the Royal Towers, The Cove or The Reef all of which are more visually consistent in maintaining the Atlantis theme.  We’ve heard from a lady who works in the sales department at the Harbourside Atlantis timeshare condos. and she said they’ll tear them down and replace them with hotels designed to appeal to conventions and large groups, which makes sense because that’s where the meeting space is tucked in behind the casino and those two hotels.  I’m still calling this a rumor but its from a pretty reliable resource.  She’s the same person who told us they’d purchased more land to put in another phase of Harbourside timeshare condos., and that has turned out to be true so there you have it.  It only makes sense that it would be part of the overall goals and development plans for the Atlantis resort.

FYI, in case you don’t know this Atlantis assigns a casino account to you the first time you check in whether you gamble or not.  This casino account number is programmed right into the mag stripe on all of your rooms keys upon check-in.  Your key is your resort ID, player card for tracking purposes in the casino and is used for charging anything to your room while staying in any of the six Atlantis hotels.  This is one of those times where its in your best interest to let them track your gambling (no matter how little you think it is, it helps in the grand scheme of things).  Think of it as frequent flyer miles but it’s gambling at and staying at Atlantis instead of flying.  I’m learning a lot about how to best take advantage of my ‘gaming’ relationship with Atlantis so I get the most bang for my buck.  I love to travel and I love to stay in higher-end hotels because I luxuriate in my room, for me it’s never just been a place to sleep I use my hotel room especially in the morning but throughout the day and it’s nice to have a glass of wine of cocktails and sit on the balcony and enjoy the view while ‘refueling privately in our room’ for whatever we’re doing next.

Royal Towers, Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas

The Cove Atlantis - Paradise Island, The Bahamas

Harbourside, Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas

The Reef, Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas