How to Save Money at Atlantis Resort

Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas near Nassau is equally known for being both beautiful and expensive. Here are some ideas on how to save money at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

The first step in saving money at Atlantis Resort is to book a room in the older and worse for the wear Beach Towers. These rooms have old decor that is pretty worn out and you will get the feel of an 1970's Holiday Inn. The mattresses are probably from a 1970's Holiday Inn also. These are the least expensive rooms Atlantis has to offer.

The view is quite likely not going to be what you dreamed of when in the Beach Towers. But do not despair yet. It is very common for guests at Atlantis to complain about their room and get a complimentary upgrade. Naturally this will work better when the resort is not filled to capacity, but even then you might be surprised what you get with the proper argument. It may be possible to get a complimentary upgrade to the slightly less worn-out Coral Towers.  The rooms in the Coral Towers have some spectacular balcony views looking out over the lagoon area to the Caribbean beyond.

If you require internet service you will have to pay $10 per day for access. By timing it right you may be able to buy access every other day and save half of the cost provided you can go 24 hours without getting online. With so much else to do and see on Paradise Island it is a guarantee that you can forget about email and the rest of the world for 24 hours!

Food is the major expense at Atlantis and one that you will hear everyone but the richest guests commenting about. Food costs on Paradise Island or neighboring Nassau can be vacation killers, especially for a family. Here are some tips to save money on food during your Atlantis stay.

Your mother probably told you that every day should start with a good breakfast. Breakfast for a family at one of the Atlantis Resort restaurants with a buffet will set you back about $25 per person, and they consider a 12 year old to be an adult. Make a note that all food prices anywhere on Paradise Island include a 15% gratuity already, so I cannot see why additional tipping would be required - especially for a buffet. The key here is that if you are going to buy a buffet meal to load up on food, breakfast is half the cost of dinner. That's right, dinner is almost $50 per person.

Upon leaving the buffet, grab an apple or banana from the fruit bowl to eat later. Big pockets in cargo shorts or a purse can even store one of those little boxes of cereal if you don't mind eating it dry. If you bring snacks from home that are air travel approved, you can get by without lunch on most occasions. There are a few breakfast deals around also; there is a sign for a breakfast deal at the Blue Lagoon outside the resort which you will see as you’re walking towards the bridge; here you can eat for under $10 a piece. It certainly will not fill you up like the buffet, but it certainly costs less.

One of the best deals on Paradise Island for food can be found right outside the Coral Towers entrance on the way down to the marina. Marina Pizzeria probably does not have the variety of pizza that your favorite pizza place at home does, but there is probably something for each pizza lover in the family. A family of five can eat pizza and a cold drink each for about $50 total. For Paradise Island and Atlantis in particular, that is a real deal.

As for non-alcoholic drinks, you will find the mini bar in the room to be the same price as everywhere else on the resort. Just make sure to check the minibar when you get to your room and report any deficiencies immediately, otherwise you will be charged. It is advisable to keep daily track of what you consume from the minibar to compare to your final room bill.

There is not really any extra room to store your own beverages in the mini bar refrigerator and the resort tells you not to. But if you want to save money on drinks and are content with just icing them when you need them, you can make one of your late afternoon strolls (before 8pm for sure) over to the BahamaCraft Centre. The store next to Anthony's Grill has a number of drinks in a refrigerator case and some jumbo bottles of water at the best prices on Paradise Island.

Taxi fares are all preset, but if the driver wants you to pay the $1 toll coming onto Paradise Island either tell him none of the other drivers make you pay or be sure and short him on his tip. The vast majority will just add it to the fare; asking you is oh, so tacky. If you do other traveling in Nassau, there are buses that will take you around for $1 per person. The only drawback is you have to wait until the bus is about full before they take off. This especially works well traveling to and from Cable Beach to downtown Nassau.

If you do travel from Paradise Island to downtown Nassau, the taxi ride is $4 per person each way. That really ads up with a family of 4 or 5, so plan those trips accordingly. You actually can walk across the bridge if you want to, but you are still quite far from the downtown area.

While it is true that if you are on a tight budget Atlantis is not the place for you, it still helps if you learn how to save money at Atlantis or anywhere in the Bahamas.