The Reef was perfect for us. We were treated wonderfully all over the property, but spoiled at the reef. Our trip started out with an “issue” of a broken window in our Jr. Suite. 20 minutes after our arrival and 2 minutes after the Rum had hit the Coke for our long awaited (and well deserved!) refreshment there was a craaaash. A sliding window between the bathroom and the bedroom shattered when my 8 year old daughter closed it. I wasn’t there, so I’m not sure how hard she closed it, but I do know that there were no rubber stoppers, etc, just glass on glass in our room. She had some minor cuts. We called the front desk and said we needed help as there was glass everywhere. After 20 minutes no one had arrived. My husband called again and got the same answer “Someone will be right there”. We were a bit “stressed” after our long day of travel, so when another 20 minutes went by my husband decided it was time to head down to find some help. Just after he left, 3 maintenance guys arrived and this began the parade of wonderful, caring, nice, fantastic people! My kids were both very upset, as were we about breaking something in a room. The maintenance guys immediately said “It’s vacation! Accidents happen, don’t worry...”. Security arrived, another security person arrived, the hotel manager arrived and then one of the front desk ladies (Zeldarine) returned with my husband. Each person did their best to put us at ease, calm us down and make us feel welcome. They moved us to another room and even upgraded us to a one bedroom suite! Zeldarine teased my daughter that it was because all of the doors were wooden, not glass. She was truly one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I can’t say enough about how helpful she was in getting our vacation back on track and she is a shining memory that we have taken from our vacation. Sean, the hotel manager called every day for 3 days to check on our daughter and to make sure we were all enjoying ourselves. So our rough start was quickly over and our fantastic vacation began.

The whole property is beautiful. The water slides were a big hit with all the kids and even the adults (We were just one of 3 families traveling together). We spent many hours each day riding The Current in our tubes, everyone loved the waves and rapids. The kids did the Power Tower, Leap of Faith, Abyss, etc. all day long. The Leap of Faith is a blast, you drop and then slide through a tube through the shark tank. Very fun. We also did the jet skis twice (bargain with the guys and you will probably get the price down) and a bit of snorkeling offshore. The snorkeling was not the best, but fun for the kids as it is better than home. The beach was good, but it was nicer the farther away from the hotel you got with clearer water and less people along the Reef Beach.

Yes the food is expensive (think 3 Haagen Das ice cream bars poolside for $21!)! But after reading the boards we were prepared and not surprised. The food poolside is OK. Chicken sandwiches or hamburgers, fries, etc. On the 2nd to last day we did find a healthier option near the Cove pool... you will see it opposite the hamburger station, it’s the one with no lines! However, it had chicken or vegie wraps, salads, and fruit and vegie offerings. Starbucks in the Reef lobby is also a good option with sandwiches. Lines get long in the morning around 9:30, but were very small most of the rest of the day. They also offered some fresh fruit.

We ate at Mesa Grill twice and had fantastic meals the both times. We did an adult dinner for 6 one evening and had fantastic food and service. Then my husband and I had a cozy dinner for two with good, albiet slow service, but more excellent food - try the Black Bean Quesadillas and Pork Tenderloin or the Fillet!

For the most of the nights it was easier to just eat in our room as we stayed so late at the pools. We had a full kitchen that made cooking easy. We had hoped that the shop we had heard about that was in the lobby of the Reef would work for a few staples, but it really does not have enough to get by. Only things like milk, bread, bagels, cream cheese or chips, etc. All at extremely, unbelievable prices ($10 for a small bag of Tostitos!). Head to the grocery store and it will be worth the drive. We had a couple of dinners out on our balcony at sunset watching the cruise ships depart for other port. We found this easier than fighting the crowds in the Marina Village or the rest of the resort. Our last night we ate at Bimini Road in the Village. Very long lines, but a fun atmosphere and good food (Mahi Mahi was wonderful!).

The only complaint we had was the timeliness of some of our requests. It seemed if you made a call for something (like extra towels...) it was a long time if ever responded to. I agree with other posters that it is just “Bahama Time” (Something I slipped into myself just about the time we headed home...). However, if you asked someone face to face, every request was met with a smile and it seemed they would do anything to please you.

We took away some beautiful memories from this vacation. The Bahamian people are truly wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever met so many honestly nice people in any other destination!

This was our first time in the Bahamas.
After much research, my husband and I decided to stay at the Reef, Atlantis. We were very happy with our decision.
The hotel and beach were clean and gorgeous.
The staffs were very friendly, helpful, and courteous.
They made us feel safe and welcomed.

What we liked:
- The staff was top notch, everyone was very helpful and friendly
- The resort, room, ground, beaches were very clean & pretty
- The room always smelled fresh and pretty
- Guests were provided with 'redflower' bath products, the stuffs
one would find at Barneys NY or other high-end spas
- The beaches were much prettier than we had expected,
shallow, clear, warm water
- The foods were actually pretty good, contrary to some reviews
I read on Tripadvisors. There were 50 restaurants on
the premise, with prices ranging from reasonable to very
expensive. If you like fine dining, be sure to bring nice clothes
as those required semi-formal attires (i.e. slack, dress shoes)

What we disliked:
- We found the bed a bit too soft. we had a hard time falling
asleep on the first few nights

Overall, we had a great time and we'll definitely go back.
You should check it out. Promise you won't be disappointed.
Here are some pictures we took, hope you like them.

WOW! I have traveled extensively to other countries but the only other beach resort I have done was Costa Rica and this just blew it away! I honestly dont think another resort would even compare to Atlantis....and the Reef was top notch!!

We went June 6th - June 12 and the timing was perfect! The weather was great and the crowd was few and the water was perfect! The hotel itself is very modern. Not generally my personal style but we loved it! We had a corner room which overlooked the harbor, partial beach and dolphin cay. It was great!

We had a studio room with a queen pullout Sofa. The bed was comfortable with a 42 inch flat screen and the bathroom was amazing....it even had a flat screen by the tub which my son loved!

We went through all the hotels in Atlantis through the week and the only other hotel I would stay at was the COVE right next door....but would take the Reef as my first choice. The crowds at the other hotels were terrible. Over congestion of people and the staff could not accomodate the crowd as great as the Reef. Beach Towers and Coral towers were the worst. They reminded us of outdated Holiday Inns.

We brought my oldest son who is 7. We are all for kid friendly, obviously, but the over run of kids and adults at Coral and Beach Towers was way to much. It was loud, wet, damp smelling and the staff was nothing compared to the Reef. Plus the cruise ships would dock and let everyone from the cruise out at either Atlantis hotel or the Coral Towers. Even catching the shuttle at those hotels was a pain. We were so spoiled at the Reef!

We rarely saw more than a couple of other guests at the Reef so it was peaceful and quite. I cannot think of one time the staff did not go out of their way to help us or know our names.

Its not well advertised but the Reef also has an entire schedule of daily activities either poolside or on their beach for the kids which are great for some nice downtime!

Personal recomendations for Atlantis:

Food:

We had a kitchenette in our room. We had the taxi stop at the local grocery on the way from the airport. All american products and within $1.00 of what we would normally pay. We bought a ton of snacks for poolside and night time and a couple of easy dinners like spagetti. Several nights we were just tired and content to hang our in our room and catch a movie.

If you like to dine out make sure to bring the proper clothes. Many restraunts are not casual attire. You have to dress appropriate, in some cases slacks, dresses etc. We went into town and dined at the local places if we didnt order in. The Poop Deck is a local favorite right outside of Atlantis. Great views of the Harbor and good food and very reasonable!

Anthonies Restraunt in Marina Village was very affordable and the food was great. I highly recommend the Ribs. The rack was enough for my husband and I to split. There is also a Dominoes that delivers.

We ate most lunches poolside. Usually hotdogs or hamburgers. You will pay $10 for one but it is made fresh and very filling.


Activities:

Dolphin Cay was great. We did the shallow dive with our son and the deep dive later. If your children are 10 or older I would skip the shallow and do the deep. There is much more interaction with the dolphins. The shallow is nice for small kids who cannot swim and want to touch a dolphin but its pretty short once you get to the dolphin and very limited. The have a little sea lion tour for $30....skip it.

Jet skiing a MUST! The water is AMAZING! You can jet ski out to the sandbars and all around the island and the water is crystal clear. We would stop the jet skiis and just watch the fish swim below us! We thought about parasailing but it was overpriced It was $50 for 5-7 minutes.

Snorkeling

Flying Cloud can be booked at the hotel desk. Its a great catamaran ride out to a little reef and sandbar and very enjoyable. It runs $60 a person. If you go on the weekend it includes a full lunch....during the week.....two drinks and chips. You will see Blue Adventures all over the island advertising but I was told you are shuttled around in a bus quite a bit. The catamaran was much better.

There is also an all day excursion out to some islands with turtles, sting rays and iguanas. We would have loved to do it but it was booked and I will do it next time.

Our son went to Kids adventure a couple of times and had a great time! It was nice for us to get some adult time in while he played too.

KIDS:

Without a doubt this is a very family friendly place! We have four children under 7 and although there was plenty for kids to do, FOR US, I am so glad we only brought our oldest this trip. The river ride is the best by far and even leads into some rides that you just float too. But you need to be 48 inches!!! I saw so many parents who were stuck at the "Little kids" areas because their kids were too scared of the tube rides, or they couldn't swim. Older kids were mad because younger siblings were holding them back and vise versa. If you truly enjoy just hanging out at a pool or the kids area there are plenty of them.

But we were so glad that we had the freedom to truly take our 7 year old everywhere....and knowing how to swim is huge for obvious reasons.

We are looking forward to taking our other children with us when they hit 48 inches and we can enjoy it with them as well!

It was amazing and we cant wait to go back again! It was our best vacation so far!!!

I would recommend the first two weeks in June if you can swing it. the crowds are still light and we saw a huge shift in the crowds our last two days as "peak season" was hitting.

We just got back from Atlantis and loved every minute of our stay. We stayed in their newest hotel The Reef and it was beautiful and so clean! We traveled their for our 10th wedding anniversary so we went as a couple, but I would also reccommend it for families as well. The property is stunning. There is so much to see and do. The pools and beaches were fantastic. The food was excellent but a bit expensive as one would expect at a resort. Many choices for dining from casual to gourmet. The Reef was furthest away on the property from the casino and water slides, but only a short walk or shuttle bus ride if you prefer. I enjoyed the distance because it was so peaceful - the pools and beaches at this end of the resort were never crowded and you felt more relaxed. If we wanted more lively entertainment we were within walking distance of all that the resort had to offer. Can not wait to go back!