Dive in to awesome adventure at Atlantis

You’ve heard about the popular Caribbean vacation destination Atlantis, but it’s hard to gauge the size of this mega-resort until you arrive. Nearly 3,000 rooms are spread around the property, from the more affordable Beach Tower lodgings to the newest arrival, Cove, and its slew of suites. New attractions seem to debut every time I visit.

You’ll find yourself in awe of the world’s largest open-air marine habitat and home to over 50,000 sea animals. Then there’s the water park, which is not your average Bahamas vacation water park. At Predator Tunnel, you stroll through awalkway gaping at sharks above and below you. Kids arrive at Aquaventure, never to be seen again until darkness descends on the island. Simply grab a water tube and ride to your merry delight on the countless slides, tunnels and rapids.

Like the name implies, Leap of Faith is a 60-foot drop from a make-believe Mayan Temple through a glass enclosed pool of sharks (don’t worry; they’re on one side, your kids on the other). The Dig is an underwater maze that leads to an equally big aquarium. For the little tykes who don’t yet like to go eyeball-to-eyeball with Jaws, there are those old-fashioned things called pools. Atlantis has also recently added the Dolphin Cay, where folks can pet and feed Flipper for an additional price.

Want more on your Bahamas vacation? Add the largest casino on the Bahamas; dining at sister restaurants to their New York namesakes, Nobu and Mesa Grill; comedy clubs; and yes, a beach, and it’s hard to wonder how Atlantis can possibly improve. But it does.

Kids will love Atlantis Kids Adventures (AKA), which opened last winter. This new kids’ club features a performance room with its own sound booth, construction area with Legos, game room with twelve video game stations, computer room with 13 iMac stations, arts and crafts room, Victorian kitchen for tea parties and piano playing, and an outdoor space for relay races and Frisbee golf. And if you take your Caribbean vacation in the summer, you’ll be in time for the launch of Atlantis summer fantasy camps. This past summer, kids had the chance to learn the latest cheers and dance routines from Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, create elaborate LEGO structures with LEGO master builders, take cooking classes from chefs working at the resort and learn how to research sealife with marine biologists.

No matter the season, I doubt Junior will get bored here.

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Related resources

• Atlantis vacation tips

Steve Jermanok has explored more than 75 countries and written over 1,000 articles on subjects ranging from art to adventure. He has worked as a columnist for National Geographic Adventure, contributing editor for Budget Travel, guest editor for The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and writes regularly for Away.com, Health, Men’s Journal, Outside, and Yankee.