We just returned from Atlantis on 3/29/08. We rented the timeshare at Atlantis directly from the owner. There are web sites you can do this on and save quite a bit of money. I'm in my 30s and my husband is in his early 40s. We take a vacation with our kids, ages 7 and 9 every year. We also take several other vacations throughout the year. First, let me say that my kids LOVED Atlantis. Now, I will comment on some specifics.

ACCOMODATIONS: We were in a new building in a 2 bedroom unit. It looked clean enough - but our socks and feet were dirty. They need to thoroughly clean the floors. Our shower leaked so the bath mat would be soaked after a shower. Not a big deal - I threw it in the dryer. It was well stocked with things we needed and we had no complaints. There is a TV and DVD player in the living room and both bedrooms. There is a Bose sound system.

LOCATION: The Harborside units are kind of away from the action. That is somewhat nice - you can get a break from things. The shuttles run regularly and it is no problem getting around. We found it was just as fast to walk.

WATER PARK: This is awesome. The kids loved it. I felt they were very safe. There are a lot of life guards around and you cannot get in there without a wrist band. We went every day but one. My husband went down and put towels on chairs at about 7:00 each morning. No biggie - he picked up Starbucks on the way back. It is VERY difficult to get a chair if you aren't there early. Just go down and put your towel and a magazine on a chair. We brought beach towels from home to distinguish ours from the hotel towels they give you. $5.00 to the pool boy will probably get you a chair if you're hard up.

FOOD: We ate breakfast in our unit each morning but two. We had breakfast at The Point which is right by the Harborside pool that last day. That was good. Another day, we got muffins and juice. Food is expensive. Tropical drinks are expensive - about $10 each. But - you're on vacation. We packed snacks in our suitcase - that helped with having stuff around for the kids when we went back to shower before dinner. You will easily spend $200 per day for a family of 4 for 2 meals. We spent much more than this.

RESERVATIONS: Everything said to reserve tables before I got there. I didn't. Most of our dinner reservations were at 8:00 or after. I encourage you to do this. If you don't, call at 4:00 - there seems to be openings at that time. Also - I showed up early for all reservations (one time an hour early) and was immediatley seated.

GOLF: We put the kids in the kids club one day to golf. They loved the kids club and wanted to go back. The golf was the best! Most incredible views. So much fun. Very expensive - but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Dolphin Encounter. We did the one that isn't through the result. Was a blast. I booked ahead of time. Don't do that. You'll get better deals there.

Jet skis: Rented these and went out on the ocean. Very fun!

STAFF: I read reviews that the staff was rude and slow. Yes, they are a little slow compared to what I am used to. Many times, I wanted to jump behind the counter and count out my own change because it was taking them forever. However, every one was very nice and friendly.

AIRPORT: The line was long when we went to fly home. Flipped a luggage guy a $50 - and he walked us through customs. Cut right through all the lines - which kind of made everyone else angry. Others on our flight were in line for 3 hours. It would've been a nightmare to stand in line with a 7 and 9 year old for 3 hours - so I was happy. Best $50 we spent - and I hesitate to say anything about it here because now everyone will do it and I hope it doesn't put a stop to it.

CAB DRIVERS: The rates are posted at the hotel - look at them and enforce them. They attempted to overcharge us.

We will definitely go back. Was a great family vacation!

We recently returned from a week at Harborside. We have stayed here twice before. Unfortunately, after two other wonderful trips, we were sincerely disapointed this time. Harborside is starting to show its age. The rooms and bathrooms are becoming worn and nothing has been updated since it was built. Additionally, while it looks clean, the carpets are filthy. Our feet were literally black from walking around the room.

The staff at the Harborside is still very pleasant but I cannot say the same for the rest of Atlantis. I found most of the wait staff at the restaurants curt and very unhappy to be there, from inexpensive to expensive (Jonny Rockets to Carmines (yes, Carmines is expensive there!)) Additionally, there are long long lines everywhere, to eat, to get ice cream, to go on the slides.

And the slides, well that was the worst part of the trip. My husband and daughter had an accident on one of the newer tube rides. Long story short, the accident caused the ride to be shut down. My daughter was hysterical and my husband badly brused. This accident was not in anyway their fault, the slide misfuntioned, they slid backwards at one point, we don't know why? (not enough water pressure to push the tube?? )Regardless, the next tube slammed into them. They filed an accident report and that was the end. We never heard from anyone at the resort. Not even a call to make sure they were ok.

Needless to say, after three trips, we will not be returning.

We own a timeshare here and just got back from staying here. We have a phase 2 2 bedroom lock off. Our request for corner building 5 unit was granted upon check-in. The unit itself was nice. We had granite counters, marble bathrooms and the nice glass enclosed shower with separate jacuzzi was very nice. The best part about harborside is the space. They are very nice suites with kitchens or kitchennetes. We did not use the kitchen at all. The fridge came in handy though. We had units 1756 and 1757. The only problem was housekeeping did not thoroughly clean the room prior to arrival. we kept finding other peoples garbage under the beds and cabinets and in the couch. The furniture was slightly faded and it also looked like it had taken a beating. I have no idea what happened to it but some of the furniture was pretty roughed up. the door fell off the tv armoire. The walking distance isnt too bad either...we took the bus twice. Some of the major pros of staying at harborside is that there is no lines at the towel huts so you can get your bands and towels at harborside without standing in line at the main part of the resort. The restaurant is not crowded and there is a nice pool there too. we had an excellent stay and we will definitely be back soon!

Spent a week at Harborside with my husband for the first time. Definitely had a good time but there are pluses and minuses to Harborside and the Atlantis Resort. I will start with the negatives and get those out of the way. Then state the positives and make a few suggestions.

Minuses:
EXPENSIVE! I know everyone talks about it but it is true and even when you are prepared for the cost of food and everything else you still feel a bit angry about paying $25 for some locally caught fish grilled for a few minutes.

Resort and Harborside employees aren't always the nicest. I would say 50/50 is the ratio to absolutely GREAT staff to some pretty darn mean and unhelpful ones. This is both at Harborside and at Atlantis. In addition, my husband and I went to eat at the Fish Fry, a local restaurant area and were treated very badly. We ordered 3 menu items and only received 2 after waiting over an hour and asking the waiter ten times about our food. When we finally got our bill we were still charged for all 3 items. This was at a place called Seafood Haven. We spoke to other people (nonlocals) and got the same kind of story. One thing to keep in mind is that on the resort a 15% gratuity is automatically added to your bill so at times I feel the staff KNOWS they are definitely getting 15% so why try hard.

Erros in marketing brochures. We found several resort related magazines/brochures in our room that had incorrect information. For example, the Aura club in the casino had a sign that stated it was open Tues-Saturday but in reality it wasn't open until Wednesday evening. Also, they were advertising a sunset bands at Cain at The Cove but not only did that not exist but Non-Cove guests weren't allowed to go there anyway. So, why put an ad about it in Harborside? Also, good idea to check out the straw market downtown but beware..we were told by several people it stayed open until 6:30-7 so we went at 5:30ish and they were closed up.

Cabs/Taxis are said to have a set rate but they do not. The ones called by the resort tend to be more accurate but if you grab a cab in town or somewhere else, just make sure you discuss cost BEFORE you get drive there. I had cab rates change on me constantly.

Pluses:
Beautiful!!! One can not deny the beauty of the islands. It's absolutely beautiful with wonderful waters, a gorgeous resort and tons of fun things to do. We were told to get off the resort and try some of the other restaurants and had some great food and experiences!

The shuttles at Harborside are fast and great! I highly recommend taking the shuttle to the Cove and walking to the beach from there. Much easier to do then go through Royal Towers.

Suggestions:
Here are a few places to eat which I highly recommend:
The Poopdeck. There are two locations and we tried the one closest to Paradise Island. The best local food we had. I had the Mama's Special grouper and it was DELICOUS! Still pricey but better than the resort prices.

Anthony's. Walking distance from Harborside and it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Decent prices and good food.

Zio Gigi's I think this is an unknown gem. A lovely, wonderful Italian place in the Hurricane Hole Plaza..walking distance from Harborside. GREAT Italian food and wonderful service. Also, there is a breakfast spot next door called News Cafe to get a nice breakfast at.

Mesa Grill - this was the ONLY restaurant that my husband and I ate at on the resort which we thought was actually worth the prize. It's a Bobby Flay restaurant and boy is it GREAT! Had the pork tenderloin with a side of spinach and thought it was some of the best tasting food I have eaten in a very long time.

Few other suggestions: You can take drinks with you anywhere. Just put them in a plastic container and take them..on the shuttle bus..in the casino..on the beach. Anywhere. Also, drinks are FREE at the casino IF you are playing and order something like a beer or a basic mixed well drink. I even had the guys at Zio Gigi's give me a glass of Prosecco to go cause it was real good for the price.

I felt completely safe walking anywhere near or around the resort. I've been to Jamaica and didn't feel the same way but atleast on Paradise Island I felt very, very safe.

All in all we had an absolutely wonderful time! Would go back again.