Bahama Mamas

We are super excited to share our first blog post which will recap our not so recent BUT noteworthy trip to the Bahamas! We decided to takeover the beautiful Atlantis Paradise Island Resort located in Nassau, Bahamas in August 2017, prior to us ever deciding to start Double Dose of LA. We hope you enjoy our post as much as we enjoyed this beautiful island.

Shavonti

Heyyyyyy now!!! Before any trip I like to run down a quick checklist to ensure I’ve got everything I need (I will post my travel checklist in case any of you find it helpful!). While completing my checklist I went over it with my mom (who was rolling with us) to make sure she didn't forget anything either. After we both confirmed that we weren’t forgetting anything we made our way to the airport. Once we arrived at the airport to check-in my mom realized that she brought her EXPIRED passport (who even keeps an old passport?). I wish you all could’ve seen the look on my face - utter frustration and disappointment BUT have no fear she had her current passport card which I never even knew existed. We speak briefly to the JetBlue airline staff and they assure us the passport card can be used just like the regular passport *whewwww dodged that bullet*. We get on the first flight which lands in Miami, grab drinks and then line up for the flight to Bahamas where they check our passports & boarding passes. We’re laughing and having a good time thinking in a few short hours we’ll be in the Bahamas, when BOOM! The gate agent in Miami says the passport card is unacceptable and my mom would not be boarding the flight to the Bahamas. I literally crieddddd!!! A million thoughts ran through my mind!!! This was her birthday trip so how was she not going to go? Berri was flying in the next morning so how could I leave her in the Bahamas alone? What were we going to do???

Once I finally regained composure we think of an outrageous yet suitable plan - my mom would fly back to LA from Miami, go home, get her current passport, then fly back to Miami, and lastly fly to the Bahamas the following day! Yes, she literally did ALL of this because one expired passport ain’t gon stop no show! 

Upon my arrival to the Bahamas of course, Murphy’s Law – anything that can go wrong will go wrong. My luggage is nowhere to be found. So, that leaves me stuck in the Bahamas with no luggage and alone.  After finally arriving at the resort; frustrated, disappointed, and just ready to sleep I was happy the Atlantis – Cove Resort staff were accommodating, kind, and friendly! They made my check-in as easy as possible @ approximately 2AM and even upgraded our suite due to my rough travel start! 

Our room had a beautiful view of the ocean and the pools below, two queen beds, a step down living room space (which we didn’t bother using), a large bathroom (which is a must when Berri and I travel together because we both need lots of space when getting ready) along with a separate tub and shower. The hotel offers 24hr. room service which has a variety of yummy options, perfect for a late night snack.

Once everyone and my luggage arrived the following day I must say our trip was one for the books! The majority of our time was spent at the ADULTS ONLY pool where the food (BBQ chicken flatbread) and drinks (Strawberry Daiquiri’s) were delicious!!!! The staff at the pool were so sweet and checked on us often to ensure we were satisfied and really enjoying ourselves. The adult pool gives off a Las Vegas day party vibe because the music is AMAZING, and everyone is literally walking from cabana to cabana, meeting strangers, taking shots, and finding out what’s the best club for the night! We found close seating on lounge chairs surrounding the pool and didn’t need to spend the extra money on an overpriced cabana seated literally right next to our comfortable shaded lounge chairs. One thing I wasn’t expecting is that all the pools at the resort close at 7PM which comes so fast when you are vacationers who enjoy long nights and sleeping in. So keep that in mind! On the bright side, after 7PM when the pools are empty, you can have the perfect uninterrupted photo shoots!

One of my favorite restaurants at the resort was Nobu, it’s located a quick trolley ride away at the neighboring Atlantis property. If you’ve ever been to Nobu they are all fairly similar, great ambiance, dim lights, small food portions, good drinks and EXPENSIVE! Lol. One thing I really enjoyed about the resort is that gratuity is automatically included. Although it makes the bill a tad higher it’s good to know after a few drinks I don’t have to do extra calculations. Also, if you don’t want to carry cash or your bank cards you can use your room key as a credit card and just charge food/drinks/etc. to your room. My favorite breakfast was at the Mosiac located at the Cove, they literally had anything you could think of! I’m a woman who likes options so this was perfect for me. Even Berri, who normally HATES buffets enjoyed it! From pasta, waffles, omlettes, pizza, lamb, soup, salad, cocktails, you name it the Mosaic had it! The Mosaic was a tad expensive, but so were all of the other restaurants located at the resort. I’d recommend planning for a large food/ cocktail budget, just to be on the safe side! On our last night on the island Berri dragged me off of the resort and we ventured into town for local food and entertainment which landed us at a spot they call Fish Fry. Fish Fry is a strip of local restaurants serving lots of seafood, drinks, and good music. I had a huge lobster (that I loved!!!), conch salad, conch fritters, and we found $5 Pina Coladas that were amazing! Along with the good food, Fish Fry had live music with island locals, dancing, and good vibes flowing. We really enjoyed this night!

Barenese

Nowwwww, lets get on to the activities! The Atlantis property is huge with tons of things to keep you busy without leaving the resort. Some activities are included in the price of your stay and some activities are available at an additional cost. While we were at Atlantis we experienced the Aquaventure waterpark, we spent some time in the casino, we went to the Aura Nightclub, Dragon’s (which is a lounge), and Moon Bar (which is also a lounge). Each place offered a variety of different things to do depending on your mood for the day.

Let’s start with Aquaventure. Aquaventure was actually better than I anticipated, I’m typically not a waterpark fan however, it was no way I was leaving Atlantis without going to Aquaventure! So I forced Shavonti to come with me 100% against her will! The park was perfect for Shavonti and I, someone who is super afraid of all thrill rides, Shavonti, and someone who is kinda afraid of water rides, Myself. The water park is compact and easy to maneuver and most importantly… FREE for hotel guest. We spent about an hour and a half here max and rode everything we set out to ride! Most of the rides were accessible via the lazy river that drops you off at the entrance to almost every ride making it perfect for lazy people like us. Something about walking around dripping wet with your feet burning, takes all the enjoyment out of the water park experience. Shavonti and I carried our sandals with us on the rides and I would suggest you do the same, the ground was hot AF! Aside from that, the lines were surprisingly very short or no wait at all. Money saving tip…The lockers in the waterpark were pretty expensive! I would suggest only bringing items you can keep with you and leaving the rest at the room, phones included. Unless you are dying for a photo op, like I was. Thirsty :) I needed my proof that I actually made it to the waterpark, Hahaha. But if you can be strong enough to leave your phone behind, I suggest it :) Anyways, the rides were not overly scary and super enjoyable, we survived and actually had a really good time. I strongly suggest you put Aquaventure on your to do list.

Next up, the Casino…. The Casino was very Las Vegas, It was pretty large with a lot of gaming tables and slot machines. I am too cheap to gamble so I only came to the Casino to access the clubs, lounges and Nobu. Haha! However, if you want to learn how to gamble, the hotel offers complimentary gaming lessons which is extra cool.

Aura Nightclub, Dragon’s and Moon Bar are all located in the Casino. Aura, is a very large club and was very dead the night we went. It may have been too early or just a bad night. However as a backup plan, Dragon’s plays a decent variety of music and has a good lounge atmosphere where you could dance or sit and enjoy a cocktail. So I would suggest stopping here.

Lastly, we watched the Floyd Mayweather vs Conor Mcgregor fight at Moon Bar. Moon Bar is the perfect spot to sit and chill, have a drink and converse with your significant other and/or your friends. At Moon Bar you can grab a section like (as in club sections) small table or you can sit at the bar and enjoy the super cute jellyfish filled fish tank that provides the perfect backdrop for the bar. This lounge is super cute, drop by!

In our opinion, The Cove at Atlantis Paradise Island did not disappoint, totally lives up to the hype and Double Dose of LA rates this resort a 4/5.

The Cove lobby

The view from our suite

The Atlantis Marina

Challenger Slide at Aquaventure

Our favorite drink at the resort, Strawberry Daiquiri.

Fun Vibes poolside, Shavonti's mom Turning up & Dinner entertainment at the Fish Fry.