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There's a Place called Paradise |
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There's a Place called Paradise |
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Paradise Island, formally known as Hog Island, is located in The Bahamas, about 160 air miles southeast of Miami. It is situated along the northern shore of New Providence Island, just a 5-minute jump across the bridge from Nassau, which is the Bahamas' capital. Travel time to Paradise Island Airport via regularly scheduled direct flights from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or West Palm Beach airports, is about an hour. Nassau International Airport is a 30-minute drive from Paradise Island. Nassau is only two and a half hours nonstop from New York. The Atlantis Legend: First mentioned by the Greek philosopher Plato, Atlantis was a vast island empire that stretched, some say, from the Straights of Gibraltar at the mouth of the Mediterranean, all the way to the Americas. A fabulous fortress of concentric rings of water and land where Poseidon, the God of the oceans, ruled with five sets of male twins, Atlantis was a flourishing utopian society of harmony and abundance as far back as 10 centuries BC According to legend, around 1500 B.C., the mighty civilization was destroyed by a massive earthquake and disappeared beneath the ocean named for it, the Atlantic. THE RESORT ATLANTIS The resort, Atlantis, is an $850-million dollar mega resort, or shall we say city, which stretches more than 70% of the islands' 826 acres, complete with an 11-million gallon aquarium -- the largest marine exhibit in the world. There are 50,000 individual species of marine life, some of which I have never seen before, and each exhibit offers guided tours, which teach you about the marine life and the myth of Atlantis. There are three sets of towers. The beach towers are on one end. They are the least expensive of all the towers, yet they boast views of Nassau and Atlantis pristine beaches. Clear across the resort (a 30-minute walk) are the Coral Towers, a 4-star accommodation. In between, and the signature of Atlantis, are the $600-million dollar Royal Towers, which opened in 1998, complete with suites that will blow your mind. Oprah, Michael Jordon, and Michael Jackson all stayed at the infamous $25,000-dollar a night suite. With more than 38 restaurants, the following are those that I enjoyed most. The Marketplace... don't miss it! Seagrapes for breakfast. Water's Edge is a family style restaurant, in which you are surrounded by lagoons and waterfalls. Shark Bites for lunch; a casual place to hang out and have some fun. Fathoms is absolutely top class and gorgeous. You eat in an underwater cave, surrounded by aquariums. The Mandara Spa for a coconut scrub, which leaves your skin feeling like a baby's bottom. The casino, where you can win and or lose all of your moolah. Shop and spend your winnings at such places like Bvlgari, Gucci and more. The Dig -- take a magical journey through time with guided tours, which take you through history and teach you about marine life in the aquariums as you walk through them. My personal favorite is The Mayan Temple Slides -- they even call one the "Leap of Faith", which drops you some 60-feet almost vertically from the top of the Mayan Temple, through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark infested lagoon. Head to Dragon 's for a crazy night of dancing. For all the golfers out there, check out the 18-hole par 3-course that's available. And tennis, volleyball and basketball courts can all be reserved. We piled down to the harbor, where we boarded a boat with several other passengers, and headed off to Blue Lagoon Island -- the island where the TV show pilot for Gilligan's Island was filmed. Still standing, are the famous shacks that Gilligan and the Skipper popped themselves in and out of for the show! That was fun in itself, seeing a part of television history. Then we pulled into Dolphin Encounters, which is a very important part of these amazing creatures' future and have helped teach thousands of people about respecting their environment. We learned important information about their natural behaviors, from mating and personalities, to never feeding them in the wild. Everyone got a picture with the dolphin Dot. Now I get to hang next to celebs like Cindy Crawford, Sly Stallone, and Sharon Stone, all of whom have come and had their own dolphin encounters. What we took home from Dolphin Encounters is a memory that will last us a lifetime. It is a must do for anyone visiting The Bahamas. Another must, is the shark feeds provided by Stuart's Coves. Stuart's Cove employees have been in these waters for decades, and have quite a handle on sharks and their behaviors. Once you learn about them, they aren't quite as scary as you would think. So we sent some of the crew down 20 feet below the surface to witness the frenzy of about 30 sharks, being fed by Graham, our guide. I was safe on the boat, up on top, with my face and mask in the water, making sure all was going as planned. After the whole adventure was over and they had come back up onto the boat, one of the girls produced a shark's tooth from one of the sharks that had been left behind on the ocean floor. Sharks go through about 2000 teeth in their 30-year life span. How amazing is that! Nassau's town is fun, vibrant, and there are a whole lot of tourist souvenirs to pick up on the boardwalks and throughout bazaars around town. Also, don't miss the Pirates' Museum, it provides a fascinating look into pirates and the history of the Bahamas Islands... I highly suggest visiting town by day; although we ventured out only on one occasion at night for dinner, it tends to be a bit dangerous. Sticking around your resort/hotel in the evenings would be a much better idea. Many of the resorts have clubs, bars and plenty of nightlife -- just check in with the concierge for a nightclub near you. From
Stefanie Michaels
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