We stay at the Reef Atlantist from Saturday to Saturday in June 2012. Atlantis is composed of five main buildings, The Royal, The Cove, The Towers(beach and coral) and The Reef. Each building is built with luxury in mind. The Towers were the first to be built, therefore its less expensive. Inside the Royal you will find most of the Atlantis aquarium. In the Cove you will find the area to swim with dolphin. The Reef and Cove are next to each other. The Cove is more for couples, the reef is more for families. The most beautiful beach is located along the area of the towers(beach and coral) but the serenity and silence is at the reef and cove. Only guests of the reef and cove are able to walk in an out and use the services of the other buildings, guest from the royal and the towers are not permitted at the reef or cove. Each day you must get a bracelet at the beach house which identify each guest of where they are staying. Without the bracelet you will not be allow in the buildings. As the reef guest we had unlimited access to the water park, the aquarium, the shuttle(which takes you to all the Atlatis location), and all the beaches along paradise island. Food and Drinks were not included in our package, of course you can purchase a meal and beverage package separate,but we though it was very expensive since we were traveling with our three young children. Bahamas is very expensive, what we did and that save us a lot money was that we we went to the main city and we purchase our own drinks, (coke,water, milk and snacks). We also booked a ocean view studio room which had a microwave, two burner stove, fridge, dish washer, sink. With this in mind I was able to prepare quick breakfast(oatmeal). (12 pack water Cost $12 at the supermarket). We dine outside of the hotel, specially the Marina. Atlantis has a Marina where you will find fine stores and fast food restaurant, such as Johny Rockets, Quiznos, Pizzeria, Ben and Jerrys, and other stores. For two adult and three children we spent $65 at Johny Rockets, which I though it was decent compare two other restaurants, we also spent $30 at the pizzeria for a whole pie and wings, Ben&Jerry $20 for two shakes and ice cream. Eating inside the hotel can get expensive specially if you have children. So consider your options. Of course outside of paradise island is less expensive for food, but of course you must cross a bridge to get over. You can catch a taxi or the water ferry. Taxi for us five was $20 and ferry $18 one way. I strongly recommend eating at the two cousins restaurant. Authentic bahamian food and you can find the best daiquiris here. We spent $45 for the five of us. Even though Atlantis stay was a bit pricy, It was worth it, because most of the tours at Bahamas is to come to Atlantis (to the water park, aquarium) which cost $120 per person. If you have children it will paid to stay at Atlantis. People are very helpful and coursteous. We really enjoy our quality time we had as a family.

Our family of 4 (with kids age 4 and 11) stayed at the Reef during the week of Dec 14, 2012. We have booked a Harborview Studio via the Atlantis website, but at check-in, the staff did not mind letting us take a look at the one-bedroom and another Oceanview room, and we decided to upgrade to a Harborview one-bedroom. Despite about 30% more expensive, I think this is a good choice for us, because with a 4-year old, we did return to the room quite frequently for breaks. We also did not have to sit on our beds to have breakfast.

Adjustment to the resort pricing needed some time, for us it was two days. We did pop our eyes when the first Nobu bill came out to be ~$280 for four, but after that, it was not as bad when we dined at the Dune and Mesa Grill. Afterall, we are also paying for the convenience of having dolphins, great beaches, fine dining, one-of-a-kind aquariums and awesome waterpark all within the same resort. It's also a plus that the Reef/Cove portion of the resort feels very safe. Compared to other sun destinations such as Mexico, the locals all speak fluent English.

Within the resort, my 4-year old had fun in three different zero entry pools, while my 11-year old could not get enough of the water slides. Typically we first got our wrist bands at the Reef (less lineup), then dropped off our bag with snacks and drinks at the Cove pool, and then got onto the Current to assess the water park or other pools or beaches. In our opinion this is neat and way more interesting than taking the rundown shuttles between towers.

Other than water activities, my 11-year old tried the $30 kids manicure and I tried the $70 25-minute massage at the upscale Mandara Spa, which was a good experience. We also ventured to the One and Only Ocean Club via the hotel shuttle, where Casino Royale was filmed. One afternoon, we had delicious grilled conch and grilled grouper at Twin Brothers in Potters Cay.

Note that equipment rental for tennis is $20 (add court rental of about $20) and for golf is $70. Try to bring your own snorkeling equipment as the beach waters are very clear. We could see fishes at the Reef beach.

Overall, we were pleased with the quality of our room and the friendliness of the staff.

This is the best family vacation we ever had! The room is new, big and clean. The Waterpark is absolutely amazing! We love the rapids and the slides! In the afternoon, we enjoyed playing bingo and watching a movie. The food by the pool is theme park prices, but the restaurants are expensive but we had a kids eat free package so it wasn't so bad after all. The best part that I loved about this place is that the staff at the Reef is very courteous. They are also attentive to the guest needs. There were several instances that the shuttle took longer to arrive. Without even complaining they will call the shuttle for you and ask how much longer the wait is and let you know. Overall, We will definitely go back again!

My family and I stayed here for our Vacation this year WONDERFUL! Friendly helpful staff, there was something for every one to do! Loved it will be back next year, the resort was beautiful and the view from our room was amazing.However I do feel that things wore on the high side.