Atlantis Paradise Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Atlantis is a large resort and casino located on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas. The resort dominates the island's real estate and is a major contributor to the island's economy, employing some 6,000 residents. Atlantis was built by South African hotel and gambling magnate Sol Kerzner.
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[edit] The Atlantis Resort
[edit] The Beach Tower
The Beach Tower is the oldest and the original building of Atlantis. The Beach Tower used to go under a different name, the Paradise Beach Hotel, a couple of decades ago. Club Rush, a teenage club that contains a dance floor, widescreen TV with seating for movies, and Internet access is located in the middle of the Beach Tower, steps from the lobby. The Lazy River, a tranquil tube ride where guests gradually float around the Tower, is also located outside the Beach Tower. Seagrapes, a popular buffet for younger guests, can be found in the Beach Tower.
The Beach Towers are the least expensive at Atlantis. Many guests think that the two Coral Towers and the Beach Tower are an actual part of the photographed Royal Towers, but they are all separate facilities. The beach towers does not offer suites or upgraded rooms. All rooms are standard rooms and roughly 300 square feet. The check-in for the beach towers is at the coral towers.
[edit] The Coral Towers
The Coral Towers used to be known as the Britannia Beach Hotel. The Atlantis Theatre, the Joker's Wild comedy club, and many ballrooms can all be found between the Beach Tower and the Coral Towers. In the Discovery Kids Adventure camp, below the lobby, young people can learn about the native aquatic environment.
[edit] The Royal Towers
The newest towers at the Atlantis are called the Royal Towers. The Royal Towers of Atlantis are the tallest buildings in the Bahamas, according to some sources.
The "Bridge Suite" is the most expensive hotel room in the world at $25,000 USD. It is located in the striking span that connects the two Royal Towers. This is the hotel's presidential suite. The suite has ten rooms with more than 5,000 square feet of living space. The Bridge Suite comes with its own butler. The kitchen has its own entrance so the butler or cook never bothers you.
The amenities of this red, black and gold suite includes gold chandeliers, a baby grand piano, and balconies on both sides of the Bridge. Past guests include Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, and Michael Jackson.
At the Royal Towers is the Mayan Temple entertainment attraction including water slides. There are the Leap of Faith, the Serpent Slide, the Challenger Slides, and the Jungle Slide. The Leap of Faith gives an exciting ride with a 60-foot vertical drop followed by a trip through a clear underwater tunnel that passes thru a shark-filled lagoon. [1]
[edit] The Dig
The Dig is a series of aquariums located beneath the lobby of the Royal Towers and is the world's largest open air marine habitat. Hundreds of different aquatic species can be spotted in the Dig's various tanks such as angelfish, sharks, manta rays, and various types of jellyfish.
The goal of The Dig is to provide guests with a taste of life in the legendary destroyed city of Atlantis. Interestingly, if one observes the bottom of the floors in the different aquariums, wreckage and debris will be scattered about representing the "Lost City of Atlantis."
[edit] The Marina and Marina Village
The Marina at Atlantis is where yachts and other boats can be docked. This Marina is located near the Royal Towers. The Marina provides direct boat access to the Atlantis facilities from Nassau Channel and Nassau Harbour.
The new Marina Village is an upscale shopping center (Kerzner Corporation compares it to a Rodeo Drive experience) containing boutiques, an ice cream shop and five excellent restaurants including the reincarnation of the Café Martinique of movie fame.
[edit] Movies & TV Featuring the Atlantis and Paradise Island
- The Atlantis resort, with many inside and outside shots, was heavily featured during two episodes of Damon Wayans' situation comedy My Wife and Kids. On location episodes were broadcast February 15 and 22, 2005.
- Into the Blue, 2005, a film featuring Paul Walker and Jessica Alba, features the resort's waterpark and sealife show.
- After the Sunset, 2004, a film featuring Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek, features the Royal Tower's Bridge Suite in numerous scenes.
- The old Café Martinique was featured in the on-location filming of the James Bond movie Thunderball, 1965, adapted from the Ian Fleming novel of the same name.
- Casino Royale, another James Bond movie released in 2006, was filmed at the Ocean Club on Paradise Island.
- In Help, the 1965 Beatles' film, film was shot of the lads on a yacht, just off the island and also on a beach. [2]
[edit] The Island
The small Paradise Island (5 miles long and 1 mile wide) is located next to the island of New Providence (Nassau). The island is best known for its sprawling beach resorts, with The Atlantis Resort being the largest.
The island has a blend of old world and colonial architecture. A tropical climate and natural beauty of the Bahamas has made the area a popular tourist destination, with a reputation for relaxing days and an exciting nightlife.
Weather is relatively balmy during the summer with few days of temperatures above 90 Fahrenheit (33 Celsius). Winter daytime temperatures fall mostly between 70 and 80 Fahrenheit (20 and 26 Celsius), and nighttime temperatures seldom fall below 50 Fahrenheit (10 Celsius).
The island's short distance from Miami, Florida (approximately 180 miles to the east-southeast) has enhanced its popularity as a vacation destination.
[edit] Paradise Island's Early Resort Development
Paradise Island was formerly known as Hog Island. Huntington Hartford, the A&P supermarket heir, arrived on Hog Island in 1959 because his sister Josephine Hartford Bryce lived in Xanadu near Lyford Cay. Josephine was married to Ivar Bryce, Ian Fleming's best friend from Eton and Janet Milford Haven's uncle.
Hartford bought Hog Island from Axel Wenner Gren and changed the name to Paradise Island. When Hartford applied for a gambling license for Paradise Island, the Minister of Tourism, Sir Stafford Sands told Huntington he needed a partner. Hartford ended up choosing Jim Crosby of Mary Carter Paint Company. He hired the Palm Beach architect John Volk and built the Ocean Club, Cafe Martinique, Hurricane Hole, the Golf Course, among other island landmarks. He hired Gary Player to be the Golf Pro and Pancho Gonzales to be the Tennis Pro.
Hartford also acquired and installed the Cloisters, a French 14th-century Augustinian monastery, originally purchased and dismantled in the 1920s by William Randolph Hearst.
His opening of Paradise Island in 1962 was covered in Newsweek and Time magazines. He hired the staff from Eden Roc at Hotel Du Cap to work off season at the Ocean Club. He had the fireworks for the opening party flown in from the South of France. He had a flag and Paradise Beach was featured on a Bahamian three-dollar bill in 1966 (introduced as a close equivalent to the Bahamian Pound, which was replaced at the rate of $1=7/-, so $3=21/-).
Hartford sold off most of his Paradise Island properties over the next few years to Crosby. Jim Crosby renamed his company Resorts International Hotel and Casino. Hartford sold his house on Paradise Island to the Irish actor Richard Harris and left the Bahamas.
Paradise Island was purchased in the 1980s by Donald Trump for $79 million, then sold to Merv Griffin for $400 million. It was last sold for $125 million to the current owner, Sol Kerzner. The current estimated value of the island is about $2 billion USD.
[edit] The Future of Atlantis and Paradise Island
Currently, many extensive development projects are underway at both ends of Paradise Island. There will be a dolphin encounter centre located towards the end of the island that will be geared to audiences of all ages.
Paradise Island, however, is a fairly small piece of land in comparison to Nassau. The potential for further development is extremely limited.
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Categories: Bahamas | Casinos in the Bahamas | Tourism in the Bahamas | Bahamian people | Bahamian culture | History of the Bahamas | Geography of the Bahamas | Economy of the Bahamas | Hurricanes in the Bahamas | Caribbean countries | Island countries | Members of the Commonwealth of Nations | Resorts | Casinos
