The Cove at Atlantis

We probably went at the worst time of year, spring break, and our trip was in the first week of April. The hotel was incredibly crowded. If you didn't get online to get dinner reservations weeks in advance, you were stuck at some of the nicer restaurants eating at 9:00 at night. Usually that was only for my wife and myself. Staying at The Cove was a mixed bag. The private adult-only pool was great, nice, clean, and the water was warm. The Cove Hotel, unfortunately, needs lots of updating. The carpeting is old. There were lots of dings on the furnishings in the hotel room, and we had a couple of things not work in the bathroom that were never addressed despite stopping at the front desk and telling them about the issues. Overall, I would probably try Baha Mar next time, as I've heard many of the issues, as far as crowdedness, cleanliness, and newness, are better there.

If a Carnival cruise ship and the city of Las Vegas had a baby, Atlantis would be the result. We stayed at The Cove using Marriott Bonvoy points. We knew going in that this was not going to be a boutique hotel experience. It was spring break with our 8yr old daughter so the waterparks and variety of activities and dining, held appeal. We chose the so called "premium" tower (The Cove) thinking it would deliver a quieter, more elevated stay. It did not. Staff was slow, lacked pride or joy in service, and appeared irritated by most requests. Food was the only highlight, and it should have been given the offensive pricing. Husband ordered a meat special at Paranza, the best restaurant on property, and the waiter failed to disclaim what it cost beforehand: 4oz filet, 2 lamb chops, Italian sausage and small chicken breast = $220. Utterly scandalous. Everything is a haul at this resort so bring your walking shoes. If you are hoping to clock relaxation, think again. There is no reliable poolside food or bar service other than cafeteria-style standing in line walk ups; the breakfast buffet was an exercise in utter stress as each morning the line stretched clear out of the dining room and down the lobby hallway; food was so poor we only ate there once. Not a single body of pool water is heated which is a bizarre cost cutting endeavor for a Vegas style, palatial property that surely must burn through money in the rest of its overhead. Unheated pools in peak summer when it is near 100deg is one thing, but in April when temps barely break 80, unheated pools feel like a shock cold plunge. You may need to take a Xanax to walk through any communal spaces because they are so crowded and loud it's sheer stimulation overload. Rooms have no minibars so if you want drinks snacks or anything for in room you are left to hike a country mile to one of the few general stores on property. My knees ached from all the constant walking. The spa was one of the biggest surprises in a sea of them: It looks and feels like they retrofitted a wing of unused hotel rooms into treatment rooms. The salon is carpeted so it feels like you are getting nail and hair services administered in someone's hotel room with the bed removed. Curtains are jumbled, furniture is beat up, cigarette butts were visible on the walk out patio. We got 2 basic pedicures ($250) and our daughter received 5 braids in her hair; they charged $11/braid. The spa check-in is right off the sliding door entrance to the West tower; a tiny depressing counter that resembles the check in for an urgent care clinic. If you've visited any premium hotel salon / spa, brace yourself. Better still, abort. Lastly, out of 10 or so waterslides, only 3 were open the week we were there. If you are an extensive traveller, have stayed in premium hotels, are a foodie, delight in the "little details", are accustomed to using a concierge in search of customized service or attention, and if you are looking for a stay that is special / relaxing / worth what you have paid, I doubt you will find it at Atlantis. This is not a hotel for discerning travelers and yet it is priced like one.

Let's start with the good: We stayed at the Cove in Atlantis, and the archicture and design of that hotel is lovely. It's like japanese gardens meets modern hotel with its huge soaring roofs, koi ponds and trickling streams, and meandering path to get you to your hotel. Nicely done. Also, if you have kids say between 8-12, this could be a lot of fun, there's a ton for the kids to do and you can just let them run. Younger than 8 (maybe 6?) I think it might be stressful, you'd have to keep an eye on them the whole time because the place is MASSIVE and they could easily get lost, and I wouldn't trust the lifeguards because it was soooo crowded. Older than 12, well they could run around together, but I think they'd think it was too "young" for them. Oh, the staff is super friendly too. The bad: - We got into an argument with the front desk staff upon check-in, debating the number of people on our reservation, despite me showing them the email exchange with the reservations desk at Atlantis. They wanted us to pay more, even though we showed them our reservation included 3 people. Then when our 3rd person showed up, they STILL didn't have her name, despite the 10-minute argument over it - so she couldn't check in until someone reached us - which is tricky b/c we were on the beach and the wifi doesn't reach that far, and we didn't turn on our international cell plans. - When we got to our room upon arrival, there was a maintenance crew hanging in there for 30+ min trying to fix a TV. Dude, get out of my room so I can relax! - The wrist bands - why don't they just give these to you when you check in??? Good luck waiting in long lines just to get a wristband. - No hot water for showers. For a $1K/night hotel room. Yeah, good luck with that. - Room service didn't deliver requested items. Ever. WTF? - Make a reservation for dinner, or you won't eat dinner. Or rather, you can eat dinner at the buffet - which is exactly what vibe we were trying to avoid. The best way to think about Atlantis is like a cruise ship. If you are the type of person who loves cruises, you'll love Atlantis. Lots of options for things to do and maybe good for a large group of people with varying interests and physical abilities. (but unlike a cruise, the food is not included, and when you do the math on food + lodging, it's quite a good deal). But Atlantis wasn't my speed at all. Our hotel was super spendy, maybe the most expensive room I've ever rented. Huge crowds crammed into small spaces, they work hard to keep you on property so you spend all your $ there, very little interaction with the local culture, everything required additional logistics (wristbands, reservations at dinner, etc), mediocre food, no available beach or pool chairs when you wanted them. There is nothing Bahamas about Atlantis, you could literally be anywhere. Next time, I'll find something that more captures the spirit of the Bahamas.

Stayed at cove with its elevated style. The rooms are breathtaking every room has a beautiful view. The staff is amazing! So helpful and ALWAYS smiling. All the restaurants are amazing no matter what level of dining you desire they have it.

We recently stayed at The Cove at Atlantis for four nights, booking three rooms for my family. Unfortunately, our experience fell well below expectations, particularly given the reputation and price point of this property. The most concerning issue was the condition of the rooms. In my room, there was visible mold on the walls and in the shower. In addition, the carpet was soaked due to water leaking from the air conditioning unit in the room next door. This created an uncomfortable and unsafe environment. The water made the wood steps very slippery. One of my daughter’s rooms had a strong mold odor throughout the stay, which raises further concerns about air quality and overall maintenance standards. Service also fell short. On the first night, my other daughter requested an extra blanket and was told to check the closet, but none was available. She was then placed on a “waitlist” for a blanket, which is not what you would expect at a resort of this caliber. The blanket was never delivered during our entire stay. There are many positive aspects to Atlantis as a destination, but the condition of the rooms and the lack of follow-through on basic service requests are serious issues that need to be addressed. At this price point, guests should expect clean, well-maintained accommodations and responsive service. Unfortunately, that was not our experience.