It's unfair to write about the Bahamas and not mention Atlantis, however keep in mind this is not a travel promotion, or anything of the sort, it's just important to describe the effect that the construction of Atlantis has had, not just on Nassau, the Bahamian Capital, but also on the entire country. Atlantis is the pride of Bahamas.
I can testify that prior to the construction of Atlantis the Merv Griffon resort on Paradise Island was run to the ground, the mini-fridges had rust, the beds were sagging, the carpets were showing threads and these were just the casual observations of a guest, I can't imagine seeing things behind the scenes ie. the kitchen. Also, I stayed in the British Colonial Hotel on another occasion and learned that the owners there had lost pride of ownership and the former glorious hotel was beyond being beat but that's another story and it's been corrected as well.
On another visit to Nassau the Atlantis construction was underway and the buzz was palpable everywhere, especially from downtown where the towers could been seen on the rise upward. The grand opening of Atlantis was perhaps the biggest event in the Islands History, the list of diplomats and celebrities was as long as your arm, the lavish party costs tens of millions of dollars and officially lasted 3 days and was broadcast all over the world. The $1.2B resort was beyond everyone's imagination, even those jaded by the marvels of Las Vegas had to admit that having the "Ocean run through it" (hotel slogan) was a touch unequalled in Nevada.
I visited the Atlantis within a month of it's opening and was blown away, also noticed how much the entire town and New Providence Island itself had been so inspired by the new crown jewel that they decided to follow suit and upgrade or at least throw a coat of paint on older buildings the revival was close to miraculous, even crime diminished somewhat, perhaps because the problem had been out of hand and the local constabulary brought in a team from Scotland Yard to assist them in fixing the problem. Nassau is now relatively safe, even in the evening.
Casino aficionados well be encouraged to know that the gaming facilities of the Atlantis are unparalleled in the Caribbean, actually the management Sun International have a great reputation having created Sun City in South Africa and several other world-class gaming resorts. They know what Gamblers want and they understand the need to surpass Atlantic City and Las Vegas to win regular customers, so they bring it on for high-rollers.
A couple of years ago I took my wife to the Atlantis and watching her reaction was interesting, just shock and awe, again and again, almost at every turn. Plus the way your treated as a guest is fabulous, you truly feel like you're somewhere totally unique and extremely special - because you are. On the list of places that I recommend all people go to see, I place Atlantis in the top 5.
Visit their excellent website by clicking here.
