getting to paradise
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. I thought of the Bahamas as "Caribbean," but it's located amid the Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean Sea.
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 and a three-hour flight from Toronto.
atlantis found
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 B.C.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.
check out the view
My crew and I were meeting the next two winners from the AdventureGirl.com contest for our next adventure in the Bahamas -- Paradise Island, to be exact! I was also shooting my 2002 cyber calendar around the resort, and when I say this place is beautiful, that is an understatement! We arrived a couple of days beforehand to set up shop and investigate our options. And boy, were there options.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.
full of celebs
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 Jordan, and Michael Jackson all stayed at the infamous $25,000-dollar a night suite, and my crew and I actually got to visit and film some interviews in there.It was rumored that just hours before we were able to enter the suite, Tom Cruise was there; if you think I headed for the bedroom, jumped on to the bed and imagined... you're right! My crew, watching of course, cracked up and filmed the whole thing!
dining at atlantis
With more than 38 restaurants, the following are those that I enjoyed most.don't miss...
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.
There is so much to do, and part of winning the adventure and coming along for all of the fun, is the fact that my crew and I grant wishes... some are for the winners, which we call "travel partners," and some of course are for us! Luckily for all of us, our winner, Melanie Hall from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, chose her wish to be swimming with dolphins. That had been my wish, too!
there's so much more
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, 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.
swimming with sharks
We then decided to feed the sharks at Stuart Coves. This is another must-do while visiting the islands. Stuart Coves' 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!
little tidbits
Stuart Coves became the home to the feature film Flipper . Through the magic of Hollywood, a quaint dive operation was transformed into a Bahamian fishing village, complete with school, general store, fish market, and restaurant.Stuart Coves also treated us to a completely cool way to experience sea life, for those who weren't so comfortable with the idea of scuba diving. We used these motorized diving bells, which look like a cross between an underwater jet ski and diving bell.
My fantasy and wish was always to get behind anything that is powerful and goes fast. We all boarded a really great ride! Thriller Power Boats is a 4-engine speedboat that I was able to max out around 80 once at sea. Can you believe that they actually let me drive it? This is another must-do! Music blaring, cruising around some of the outer islands off the coast of Nassau, Atlantis looming in the distance.... Amazing!
shopping & nightlife
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.
I'll furnish you with all the essential information needed for your stay in Paradise, in Part 2.
Resources:
Bahamas Travel Guide
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