Every New Beginning: Bahamas 2012

Every six months (August and February) Glenn has a business meeting for a pest control group he belongs to. This time the February meeting was in the Bahamas at Atlantis. We were super excited about this (Glenn has been to the Bahamas a dozen times; this was my first) and ready to get there. And, we had a great time, but I can say that I will probably never go back. Everything was very expensive and the service was not very good. So, overall I was not impressed with the Bahamas.

Here is a rundown of our week:

Tuesday - We arrived around lunchtime and checked in, unpacked and headed out in search of food. We4 explored the Atlantis aquariums, took in the beauty of the property and beach and had our first meal.....CONCH FRITTERS! :) Later in the evening we joined two other couples for dinner at The Bahamian Club. The food was mediocre, but the company was great.

Wednesday - Glenn's conference began at 1 p.m. so we got ready and headed off property for lunch with friends from PA. I had made reservations for 11 a.m. at The Poop Deck several weeks ahead of time. WHen we got there, they informed us they didn't open until 11:30 but we could sit at a table. They literally left us there until 11:31. Not a good start. Luckily the view was gorgeous along the water and the food was very good (grouper, island spiced shrimp and cracked conch with Bahamian specialty rice and blackeyed peas). After lunch the guys headed to their meetings while Gina and I went to downtown Nassau. We perused the shops and tried to avoid the hawkers. I did buy a great dress! After returning to Atlantis we took some time in the lazy river before a rainstorm drove us inside. The first night is always the banquet so it gave me time to rest and get ready!

Thursday - Exciting morning in the Bahamas! The Today show was filming their Friday "Kathie Lee and Hoda" segment. Gina and I had tickets so we waited for a long time in the staging area and then sat in the hot, bright audience for the taping. It was fun to see how a show is put on although I had never watched the show and seriously couldn't imagine watching it every day! Following the show we met the guys for lunch by the Blu pool and then headed to the water park. While Glenn and Adam did the slides, we sat poolside. Thursday night was a group dinner cruise. It was cool, but not what I expected....It was on a Catamaran, not a cruise boat. So, we were stuck in one area all night and couldn't mingle. The food was not very "lap friendly" (no tables) with bone in chicken and bbq ribs. Unfortunately it was a sunset cruise that started at sunset so about fifteen minutes in it was dark and we couldn't see the view. But, we enjoyed time with new and old friends!

Friday - On Friday morning we watched the show and unfortunately we weren't shown. Then Glenn and I headed to Nassau with a new friend from VA, Karyn. We took a water taxi over and it was a fun ride (despite the long wait) where the guide showed us Nicholas Cage's house, Mick Jagger's house and the hospital where Anna Nicole gave birth to her daughter. We spent several hours at the market, in the shops, enjoying a fabulous lunch at Cafe Matisse, and just having a great time. I ended up buying a Larimar (sort of like turquoise, but with a white streak and native to Dominican Republic) ring, ladybug earrings, a charm for my Pandora bracelet and Glenn helped me buy a beautiful, huge Mystic Topaz ring.

Friday night we had made reservations for Graycliff. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was fabulous!! The food was wonderful, the staff was terrific and afterwards they took us on a tour of their piece de resistance...an underground wine cellar that is worth $20 million and built in a former prison that is 500 years old. So very cool!!

Saturday - Our last day was very anticlimatic. By the end we were tired and ready to go home. We spent most of the day resting before going to the One and Only Ocean Club for dinner at the Terrace Garden. It was an outdoor romantic setting with great food and service. After returning to Atlantis we did walk around some more and say our goodbyes.