TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

The reef offered plenty of space in the two bedroom suites for the parents and the kids to have their own rooms. Also gave the kids an opportunity to stay with Mimi and Papa. The rooms were clean and had a full kitchen for the baby and a few in room meals.

I recently visited The Reef at Atlantis with high hopes, but unfortunately, my experience fell short of expectations. I’ve encountered various situations, but this trip left me feeling disappointed. Pros: - The oceanfront views were breathtaking. The resort’s location on Paradise Beach provided easy access to the water and stunning sunsets. - The staff is friendly and professional from the front desk to the lifeguards. - The resort is clean and immaculately kept. It’s almost a brochure come to line Cons: - Poor Customer Service: The front desk appears to be chronically understaffed, leading to frustratingly long wait times for service. When we were able to get their attention, the staff was very polite and courteous. - Overpriced Dining: The price of dining is VERY expensive. Average costs for each meal for a party of four is well over $150 for any place that allows you to sit down. Even a sandwich and a drink can get you over $100. Even with a prepaid dining plan, it doesn’t go very far. - Overpriced Amenities. Babysitting charges can easily get into triple digits just for 2 hours. - Aquaadventure water park is very nice, but useless. We spent most of our afternoon waiting in line for the rides. - Coffee: Starbucks is available. This is a great amenity except in the morning at prime time. The line extends outside the door into the lobby. The Reef offers coffee as an alternative, but charges extra for this. This seems rather excessive since "The Reef" charges a $70 daily “resort fee” which does not include the coffee or breakfast, for that matter. Towel service is a $12 charge. Pretty soon it felt like anytime you needed them, a charge was added to your bill. - Inefficiencies in Personal Assistance: Many tasks still require personal attention, such as fixing hotel keys that frequently malfunction or even just checking your dining plan balance. Once you understand how fast the meter is ticking for the privilege of staying here, it really takes away from your enjoyment. I understand that Atlantis is in debt, but this is ridiculous. Harassment and Bullying: Shockingly, my family and I were subjected to harassment and bullying by two teenagers staying at the resort. Their behavior was unacceptable, and it ruined our trip. At one point, the two were banging into our door and terrifying my wife and two small children. To my dismay, the hotel staff were of no help. Lack of Response to Complaints: Despite multiple complaints and reports, our requests for a room change or extra security were not heeded. We were told a room was simply not available to switch to. Security Concerns Ignored: Shockingly, our bullies lived on the same floor and their parents/ guardians were never around. Our security concerns were NOT addressed, despite numerous calls, complaints and reports. Security personnel later confided that these two were known problems (yet nothing was ever done, of course). Because security was not present and our rooms were not switched, I ended up taking matters into my own hands when the harassment got too far and getting arrested while protecting my family. I spent the first night of our family vacation in Bahamian jail. This could have been avoided had the management either switched our room as requested or provided extra security on our floor. Arranging for babysitting services is needlessly complicated and time-consuming. Due to the additional legal proceedings, two babysitting sessions were required at great expense. A room service charge was also required as my family was confined to their room for safety on the second day. $80 for a light breakfast for a mother and 2 kids is ridiculous, especially since it was required. My family was relocated for a night after I was arrested, of course (it seems there was a room available after all). Over $3000 in legal fees were incurred as a result. Conclusion: In summary, my trip to The Reef at Atlantis left me feeling frustrated and disillusioned. This was my first vacation in 6 years and I was disappointed that the Reef, while pretty is simply not able to provide a very basic function of security of its guests so they may relax and enjoy their stay. Management was made aware of our plight and still refused to lend assistance. Do yourself a favor, and stay very far away.

So here is the short review - Great amenities, pricey, food is average. Now for some more depth of our trip and what you should consider when going. We flew into Nassau and stayed 4 nights. The Reef was a great place to stay, accommodations were first rate, and the staff were welcoming and friendly. The Reef unit we stayed in had a Full Kitchen (refrigerator, freezer - with ice maker, cook top, oven, and a dishwasher). Great view of the harbor, and beach and elevators are plentiful and fast. There is a Starbucks in the lobby and the other restaurants on property are within close walking distance. The trams between the different buildings run constantly, so there is a minimum wait and the drivers are great. Definitely check out the Royal Towers and the incredible aquariums and The Dig! Kids will love the water park areas and you have to ride the rapid river tubes - several times! So what is the downside? Really it is just the food. It is average - no matter where you go. We ate at Chop Stix, Poseidon's Table, Cafe Martinique, Burger Shack, and Shark Bites, but we also stopped at the Super Value grocery store on our way in (you want to do this, as 1 liter of water at the hotel mini store is $10 USD (I'm not exaggerating). The prices we paid for food on property were high, and we expected as much, but the value, in terms of quality and taste just fell short of what you'd expect for $300.00 for two people. Poseidon's Table was better ($62.00 per adult) but it is an all-can-eat buffet, and a pretty good one, so better value there. Of course, everything is imported so it's going to be higher, just be prepared for sticker shock regardless of where you go. I would recommend having lunch off property at "The Fish Fry". This is an area of multiple small restaurants where many locals eat, and all serve some great Bahamian cuisine (conch fritters, cracked conch, snapper, etc.) and we ate at Oh Andres, which all the locals told us was the best of the bunch. Would I stay at The Reef again? Yes, as well as anywhere within the Atlantis compound. One thing to be aware of is while all guests have use of the amenities on property we discovered that the adult pool and beach at The Cove is for use only by residents of The Cove. They don't tell you that when you book, and security is everywhere checking wristbands. Overall, for $1k a night, the Atlantis is an awesome resort. I just wish the food could be notched up a bit higher, prices for almost everything is high - you just have to quit comparing to US things and go with it. Cab fare is expensive, but they gotta pay high prices too so don't forget to tip, these dudes earn it, and they take care of you. Oh, and more thing. Take it easy on the Bahama Mamas, if you are a casual drinker and unseasoned like us professionals - you will get hammered and wonder how you lost $1,500 at the casino.....

We are currently at The Reef and having a great time!! Clean, up to date and comfortable! We rented the 2 bedroom topaz suite! It is just as pictured! 1) One bedroom with a king and a sectional sofa, small kitchenette with en-suite (separate shower and tub). 2) living area, dining area, kitchen (equipped with everything to cook a meal). The living area has another full bath! That’s right - 3 full bathrooms! 3) 2nd bedroom with a king bed and a lounge chair with en-suite (huge with separate shower and tub). The larger bedroom has a wall of glass looking out to the ocean. The smaller bedroom has a pool view with the beach just past the pool! Property has been great! No wait for elevators, there are beach chairs and pool chairs available, plenty of towels! Plenty of water pressure! Shuttle to dinner at the marina village was super easy! Unit has a huge wrap around balcony with lounge chairs and a table and 4 chairs.

Sadly, the consensus of the criticisms hold true. The lines are intolerable. And there are lines for EVERYTHING; towels, breakfast, Starbucks, buffet, you name it. The food is pretty bad, the bathrooms at the pools are disgusting (on par with the truck stop bathroom). The rooms are fine and the Dolphin Cay experiences are cool but very pricey. The known restaurants like Fish and Nobu and Shake Shack are all good and so that’s where we focused our meals. But you can’t get a table at ANY restaurant unless you made a rez well in advance. I find that very frustrating, there are over a dozen dinner restaurants on property and you can’t get a table at any of them unless you made a rez weeks ago. My biggest complaint is that you have to wait in long lines to get less than food and the dinner restaurants are always fully booked.