Harborside Resort at Atlantis, Paradise Island

I love visiting Harborside Resort every year. Atlantis is amazing and the beaches are great. The only downside is that food can be very expensive! This year we ordered groceries through their FoodStore2Go website and saved about $1000 in restaurant meals. The rooms could also use some renovations, but we spend most of our time outside at the pools or the beach, so not a huge priority. Can't wait to return next year.

My wife and I have been going to HarbourSide for 3 years now, and every time we go it gets better. Yes, it is expensive, but you must realize where you are and why things are priced the way they are. We have never ever experienced any of the last reviewers observations. They are presently in the final phases of complete room renovations. The rooms just scream, "Welcome to the vacation of your life!" A friendly, courteous staff is always available. Previous reviewers have been accurate about the costs of food and souvenirs. Tucked away behind the shops across the street from HarbourSide is the Bahamas Crafts Center. Seek it out and you will find locals who are happy to sell you all the goodies you can carry home at really great prices. Everything is imported and prices for some items are more costly than your hometown corner store. However, local items are reasonable and you must sharpen your bargaining skills. The new Straw Market will be completed shortly and will add greatly to the downtown Nassau experience. The Power Boat Experience is an absolute must and the off shore Dolphin Cove is an adventure you must not miss. Snorkeling with the Stewart Cove people is what the Bahamas are all about. The Bahamas are dependent on the tourist trade and understand if you are not happy you will not return. The friendliness is sincere and legitimate. They want you to have a good time. HarbourSide is very family friendly and offers its own pools and The Point restaurant that is open for breakfast , lunch and dinner. Eating at the Atlantis Marina can be pricey but the food is outstanding. Our favorite is Bimini Road. We have experienced the Market Place inside the Royal Towers and found it a very pricey buffet with less than what we expected as far as food quality is concerned. Downtown Nassau has great native food and is only a short ride away on the Water Taxi, a great deal at $6 a person round trip. The convenience of HarbourSide, the ability to use the Atlantis facilities the ability to stay where you sleep and use their pools, make this an outstanding value at a 5 Star world class resort. Don't miss it!

Do not go to this hotel if you are allergic to mold. The place needs to be totally renovated, as there is mold, mildew and rust everywhere. We were told that the higher level rooms had been redone, but that is not true. Although the staff is nice and helpful, they do tell you what you want to hear. During our stay, only 1 or 2 of the 4 elevators worked. A good place for college kids looking for value.

We purchased a one week vacation package for the Harborside Atlantis through Starwood Resorts. When you go to the website for Harborside, that is where it takes you.... The package cost us $3640 for one week for a one bedroom premium unit. When we checked out, we were charged an additional $18/day for 'maid gratuity' and $60/day for 'Utilities'. It added up to an additional $546 over the course of our stay, that was totally undisclosed prior to our check out. We loved the hotel and we had a great time, but we felt totally ripped off being charged for things that were not in our contract. Once they had your charge card number, (and since your room key needs to tie back to a charge card, that is the minute you check in) you are at their mercy. So my advice is enjoy the resort, it is beautiful, but don't book your room through Starwood resorts. They have extremely deceptive practices!

Taken as a whole this place lives up to the billing - It IS paradise! The downside is that restaurants are pricey and you have to go to town to get souveniers for less than a months salary; but as everything here has to be imported its understandable. The ambience of the place is amazing, ultra-relaxing and exciting by turns, depending on whether you're riding the lazy river in the attached waterpark (included) or splashing out in the Casino. (we left with more than we went with though!) All the restaurants are truly first-class and having eaten in places from Milan to New York, I found them comparable. At Carmines, my family of five (with two teenage boys and a 12yo) found two dishes too much to cope with! Johnny Rockets next door gave us a feast and change from £50 and a warm hello as well as a sparkling song and dance routine from the waiting staff. There are Jet Ski rides, paragliding and Banana Boat rides available from the beach adjoining the hotel but we most loved the Jet Boat ride, with its private island visits, feeding the iguanas and the snorkelling with Sharks that accompanied it. We got a DVD of this day, professionally made and with a thundering soundtrack for £30. A further set of highlights came in the snorkelling trip when we got to swim with Barracuda, magically coloured tropical fish and ended the day with another shark encounter, swimming amongst them - exhilirating! Finally the best til last experience, - swimming with Dolphins. A never to be forgotten day with the reminders of a souvenier picture, but the best of those are the ones in my head. We loved it so much we're making plans to purchase a Condo there so we can visit time after time without the vagaries of hotel booking. If you're looking for a once in a lifetime experience - GO! Go now!

family just love atlantis, just returned after 2 wk vacation there, this was our 2nd visit, as we travel from scotland we thought it cheaper to buy at harbouside, so we did this year, cant wait to take my grand child when it arrives into the world at the end of aug 2008, staff all over resort are lovely, shuttle bus service great, water rides fun for all the family,we had a whale of a time, restaurants really good, however we did travel over the bridge several times italian and chinese food fab, we stayed at thecove this year fantastic, cain at the cove "adult only" really lovely so relaxing when kids are away on the slides etc, my daughter and her cousin are 16 never seen them until we went for evening meal, then they off again never worried about them safe enviroment, really cant wait to return in april 2009" fab fab" holiday......

We came here just for a day and it was horrific. First of all, the shops were nice despite the prices. The aquariums were nice as well, but they did not live up to what everybody says they are. Now, we went here just for the pools. On the "lazy river" type thing, one of the conveyor belts was broken so the staff members just shoved people onto one. There were so many innertubes backed up in that area that people were getting flipped over and stuck under the crowd. Not only that, but it took us an hour just to find an innertube because none of the staff knew where to find any. The worst thing was that two of my family members got heat stroke because there is absolutely no relief from the sun by the pools. Location was also bad. We were lucky to have gotten in early, but towards the middle of the day, it would probably take over half an hour to get across the bridge because of all the buses that were backed up in traffic. I would definitely not recommend this place to a friend, and I do not suggest you go either.

The hotel is very nice, great food and drinks. The staff (The one young lady, and the young gentleman who was working on Sundaay June 8th)at the front desk when we checked in, the staff at all the restaurant's and the other service was very good and friendly.....The food was good and lots to choose from,the kids had a lot of fun at the pool, had real at home feeling, and very safe, would recommend your hotel anytime.

If it were up to my kids we would be here every year! Great Location, staff, access to Atlantis (shuttle throughout day or you can walk), amazing restaurants at Atlantis, spa, slides, beach, casino, cinemas, shopping etc...what more could you want for a family vacation?!

we bought at harbourside when it was sand. we have been going every year since it was built. we now owen 3/2bedroom lockoff units. we bring 3 families every yr. our friends and children love it so much they want to go back every summer, it is expensive but you can buy food at stores love atlantis, has things for everyone