Thursday, April 14, 2011

Atlantis, I hope we meet again soon...

Thanks to Brandon's work (and GJ), we had the opportunity to get away for a few nights to ATLANTIS in Nassau, Bahamas! 

I love going on vacations, a chance to get away from the never-ending to-do lists to rest and recharge my mommy batteries. For me, vacations = no kids in tow. I think taking 3 small kids to an alternative destination is better phrased as a "business trip". You still have to be a mom, but it's much more difficult because you're not on mom-turf, where you're quasi-in-control of schedules, meals and naps.  You also don't get any time off.   On these trips kids sense the parental weakness and take full advantage.

So this was a VACATION, not a business trip, as Brandon's mom (a.k.a. GJ) flew down to man the North pirate ship while we were gone. THANK YOU GJ!!! It was a business trip for Brandon, and I am grateful to him for working so hard every year so I can tag along.

Atlantis is a HUGE property, it feels more like a Vegas Hotel than the Bahamas.  Everything about the resort was big, bold and over-the-top.  These are the Royal Towers and Casino behind us. 


There was even an apartment that goes for $25K per night.

I think Michael Jackson stayed here at one point, and part of the movie "After the Sunset" with Pierce Brosnan, Selma Hayek and Woody Harrelson was filmed in this apartment.

For those whom the accommodations are not luxurious enough, there is space for them too--and their yachts.


The aquarium spanned a great portion of the property, and was AMAZING.


Way better than the Tampa Aquarium, IMO.




The grounds were lush and gorgeous.




There were lots of brooks,

and moats...

with sting-rays in them.



The beach was fantastic, the photos of the water do not do it justice...


Being spring break it was PACKED.


There was a crazy-high water slide.


The line was really long, so B decided against waiting to go down...

I teased him about being too scared, but I wouldn't have waited either.

The lazy river was our favorite.***





***Disclaimer: I am not a waterpark person, there's something zoo-ish about the smells, floating band-aids and wet people that gag me, BUT I'm so glad I got past that because we had SO MUCH FUN.

On these trips I find I get a great deal of inspiration from landscaping, decorating, colors, etc. I LOVED the bedding, so simple and luxurious.

I adore the oversized bolster and the convenient mini-quilt at the foot of the bed. I have an actual blanket at the foot of our bed, where it takes a minute to fold and straighten each morning.  I think I see a mini-quilt in our future...

This was taken at a one of the parties we attended, it was a Bahamian themed party in the sand:


And here's a shot from the last night:


We had a fabulous time and can't wait to go back. 

The flight home was scary, I am such a baby when it comes to turbulence. We were toward the back of the plane so it was the up-and-down, side-to-side variety. I think I said about 500 Hail Mary's, was covered in sweat and nauseated by the end of it.

We were so anxious to get home that upon landing we chose to divide and conquer: Brandon would grab the bags and I the car. B proceeded to lecture me about how to use the kiosk when leaving the airport, and while I should have humored him, I pulled my famously annoying move and mocked him.

Brandon got the last laugh, because as Karma would have it, the kiosk wouldn't read my credit card and I ended up backing the car into the wall, totally crunching the back bumper. DOH!  I was so embarrassed and mortified to have to "fess" up to Brandon, after blatantly snickering at him.  I have been known to be wrong, even though it is extremely rare (wink), I prepped myself for the big "I told you so..."   Instead Brandon, just cracked up laughing. He's sweet like that...


The girls were thrilled when we got home. I think I got a month's worth of hugs and kisses in a half hour span, and then they moved onto presents. Isn't that the most important part of parents going away anyway?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh.... that looks so fun and I'm so glad that you guys got a real vacation without kiddos. You look so pretty in all of the pictures and it sure looks beautiful in the Bahamas. Don't you love those moments where we have to confess that we aren't always right.... even though we are most of the time ;)

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