TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I recently stayed at the Cove for a week and since I just stayed at Baha Mar in February for a work trip, I think I have a good perspective. Pros: - The Cove has 600 suites so it’s a smaller, more intimate setting that feels more exclusive. -The overall property is well maintained. People are constantly cleaning, picking up litter and the landscaping is beautiful. -I did a deluxe ocean view suite. It was a nice size, had a spacious bathroom with a separate shower, a decent sized walk in closet and a beautiful view of the ocean. We also had comforters (which have been eliminated at the Royal). -The customer service was good-the staff was generally very pleasant. -The beach area is private so the pool/beach at the cove is a lot better than the Royal. -There are convenient shuttles that run to the other hotels and the marina. -The Blue adventures desk is convenient and actually has reasonably priced off property snorkeling and other excursions. -Atlantis in general has something for everyone so my 14 year old daughter was just as happy as my parents, who are senior citizens. Security-generally there was security at the elevators and I felt very safe. Cons: -Check in - There were only two people working the check in desk when I arrived in the afternoon. If the Cove is supposed to be the cream of the crop, there should be more people working, especially during peak hours. In addition, I was charged $65 for checking in 2 hours early; at most hotels that would be free. Finally, at check in, I was just given a key. I wasn’t told anything about the property; I wasn’t told to download the app; I wasn’t given a map. I wasn’t even told where the elevators were. I think this lack of orientation is why I was finding and learning about areas and amenities on the last day. -Room service - There are really two restaurants and a lounge at the Cove and pool grills. So room service is important. But every room service order was an hour and a half to two hour wait. That’s ridiculous to me. You pay an exorbitant amount for everything; it shouldn’t take two hours when really most of the food options are in Marina village. -Elevators- 1 or 2 elevators were always out of service which resulted in long lines at 5:30 when people head back to their suites. -Wristbands-At Bahamar, guests have rubber wristbands that serve as room keys and entry to pool areas/identification. At Atlantis, I had to go down to a towel hut and stand in line every day to get a paper wristband for pool/beach access. Expenses—Everything has a VAT and 15% gratuity added and they charge for EVERYTHING. I paid $250 for my daughter to do the dolphin activity. And they charged $18 for me to sit and watch. Ridiculous. Updating-the rooms could use a little updating in comparison to Baha Mar specifically. Tips: Make dinner reservations in advance of your trip. You can always cancel but at least you’ll have options.

First time to Atlantis, offering an honest review of our experience both good and bad...we are a family of 4, kids are 14f and 11f. PROS: LOTS of activities! There is no shortage of stuff to do! Between all the beaches, pools, waterpark, animal activities, casino etc...everyone should have something. Rooms were nicely appointed and clean, no issues there. I've read other reviews of the resort being outdated/unmaintained, we did not see that here. Everything was appropriately modern and clean. Beaches are amazing, some of the clearest water and white sands we've encountered (this being at the Cove Beach as that is where we stayed). Plenty of food options, and overall the dining experience was positive (save for some hiccups I'll describe below). CONS: UNDERSTAFFED...I cannot reiterate this enough...many of the waterslides were closed due to not enough lifeguards on duty (only one was open the entire duration of our stay, 5 days). Having one server for the entire COVE pool is ridiculous, especially for the amount of people (from what I've heard, it was the busiest people have seen it ever). Same can be said for the casual dining options, get ready to wait in lines for any food option during peak dining times. And forget it if you don't make a reservation at least weeks in advance for the notable restaurants, nothing available. Lines for towels, bracelets, activities, etc...it was worse than Disney during peak season. For the premium you are paying, the service is SERIOUSLY lacking for sheer volume...the staff is great, always friendly and trying their best, BUT they need help! We stayed at the COVE which is their "luxury" resort option...not even close to any of the traditional luxury brands (Ritz/4seasons etc..), even though the price point is comparable. Speaking of which, get ready to spend, everything is priced at the high end of luxury resort rates (food, activities), but you are getting run of the mill quality. Excellent dining experience at FISH (a must try if you can get a reservation), NOBU was meh, food at Bimini Road was very good, but service was SLOW. 30+ minute lines at Starbucks is standard, longer at some of the casual dining places during peak times. Overall the overcrowding plus the understaffing created the perfect storm of frustration. I could recommend Atlantis to families with young children but definitely during OFF-PEAK times...Spring Break was just something they were ill-prepared to handle.

I cannot in good conscious recommend this hotel to anyone - at least not The Cove. We even decided to leave the resort for my girlfriend's birthday given how miserable our experience was here, and for the first time in our travels, looked to change our flight to leave our vacation earlier due to this terrible experience. Our arrival at The Cove was met with frustration as we found ourselves waiting well past the designated check-in time. Despite arriving around 1:15 pm, our room wasn't ready until 5:30 pm - an hour and a half after the check-in time. This significant delay tainted our initial impression of the hotel and set a disappointing tone for the rest of our stay. The room was mediocre, failing to impress or provide any special touches expected from a high-end resort. The staff's lack of assistance was glaringly evident throughout our stay. Despite our repeated attempts to seek guidance, no one could direct us to something as basic as water sources. Even individuals specifically designated for water assistance failed to provide any help or guidance. This glaring lack of basic assistance left us feeling utterly neglected and frustrated. Additionally, at the Cove adult's only pool, we waited at the bar for 20 minutes without receiving any service. When we finally managed to flag down the staff, we were ignored for another 25 minutes and decided to leave. The utter disregard for our presence and needs was both disrespectful and unacceptable, as only cruise ship guests were receiving service. Additionally, we were told by bar staff at Breakwaters that they're closing since the cruise ship guests are gone, which was before 6pm. The dining experience at The Cove was a complete disaster. Our room service pizza resembled cardboard while our burgers were frozen, and the overall quality of the food was abysmal. In addition to the subpar cuisine, the service was equally disappointing. I received a scolding when attempting to walk across the pool by the Mayan temple at 9:20 am, despite the presence of a lifeguard. This occurred despite the pool being scheduled to open at 9 am. Surprisingly, the lifeguard informed us that the pool wasn't set to open until 10 am, contradicting the advertised schedule.

Usually we wait to write a review. The service has been horrendous that it’s prompted me to write this while we are still on vacation. Let me preface by saying that this is not our first visit to the COVE. We actually talked our family into joining us for this quick weekend trip. For the past month, we have been emailing the hotel about reserving the COVE cabana with no response. Got here yesterday and was told by the front desk that we needed to go to the pool. Got to the pool and was told to go to the transit desk which closed at 6 pm. Was then told to be there at 930 am in person as they would not pick up the phone. Got there at 930 am only to be told that the COVE cabanas are reserved for the casino guests and the casino hosts would provide the list in the morning. That I would need to stop by each morning to check if there are availability. WHAT? This is not 5-star resort service!!! If you want to be rated as a 5 star and charge 5 star pricing then act like one! I asked to speak to the manager on duty when this woman said she is the MOD yet have to provide my feedback to the higher ups as she doesn’t make decisions. Surprisingly I have been in the hospitality industry and the MOD would NEVER say that to any guest.

Noisy and disturbing due to construction- I have videos to prove this. Rooms not super clean. Dinner reservations are a disaster- we waited an hour to be seated on reservation and then another hour to get food. Beach is terrible with outdated dangerous beach loungers- my husband cut his leg deeply on one of the shabby repaired chairs. Front desk took all our problems with a grain of salt- not okay when you spend that much per night! Will not be visiting the Cove again.