Bahamas Holidays | Comfort Suites Paradise Island – a fabulous affordable alternative to The Atlantis right next door
Bahamas holidays | Hands down, this is the best value-for-money family-friendly hotel I have EVER had the pleasure of staying in.
Exceptional value for money
I really don’t know where to start with this hotel; right to the very end of our seven night stay my husband and I were still questioning how the heck Comfort Suites Paradise Island is able to provide such incredible value. Bahamas holidays with kids don’t have to cost the earth.
Let’s jump in at the deep end with the cost - we shelled out $300 Canadian Dollars a night (we live in Canada). It works out at just over £200 GBP a night for a family of four - two adults and two kids under 12. This includes a junior-suite room, breakfast, a $200 USA credit for the hotel’s restaurant, and, wait for it…. FREE access into The Atlantis Resort - free use of eight of the 11 swimming pools, free sunbeds and as many beach towels as you need, access to the resort’s breathtaking beach and of course, free access to the water park. As Bahamas holidays go, this hotel is an absolute bargain with very few compromises.
To put this into perspective, when we visited in March, a family day pass for The Atlantis Resort was just shy of $700 US Dollars (over £500 GBP!).
You do the maths - Bahamas holidays for families don’t need to break the bank
Yes, that’s right, it would have cost more to get a family day pass into The Atlantis Resort to use the waterpark, than it did to stay right next door at Comfort Suites Paradise Island, with breakfast included, and to spend $200 USD in the hotel’s restaurant, AND unlimited access to The Atlantis.
(Apparently, after a bit of digging, it seems there is some water-tight historic contract in place between the two properties that continues to allow guests at Comfort Suites access to The Atlantis).
So, if Bahamas holidays are on your bucket list for a family holiday and you are looking for a cost-effective and far less flamboyant alternative to The Atlantis Resort then you’ve found it. Or rather, I’ve found it for you.
Now, you’re probably wondering ‘what’s the catch?’
And you’ll most likely jump onto TripAdvisor and read for yourself, the very broad spectrum of reviews of Comfort Suites Paradise Island from people from across the globe, all with varying standards and very different definitions of luxury when it comes to Bahamas holidays and they are going to freak you out (that’s what TripAdvisor does - don’t believe all you read).
The Comfort Suites Paradise Island is officially rated a three-star hotel, and a three-star hotel it is - largely down to the bedrooms in my opinion. As Bahamas holidays goes it’s not a luxury hotel by any stretch, but value wise, it’s a winner.
Let’s start with the bedrooms at The Comfort Suites Paradise Island
The Comfort Suites Paradise Island is an all-junior suite hotel, meaning all rooms are bigger than a standard double with two queen beds and a sofa bed, with a screen separating the sleeping area from the living area. The beds are small queens - we made use of the sofa bed - the kids slept on it, and we had a bed each to ourselves, which was, well, quite lovely.
The décor is somewhat dated - look up and you’re starring at a slightly discoloured Aertex ceiling with a dated ceiling fan taking centre stage - don’t worry, the rooms come with air-conditioning, although the unit was a little on the noisy side - something we all got used to quite quickly.
The bathroom was basic and a little rough around the edges. However, the sink, which features a decent sized mirror and good lighting was positioned outside of the bathroom itself, which is very useful when four of you are trying to get ready and want to use the facilities at the same time. You practically enter the room and you’re in the sink.
Equipped with a low-level bathtub and a slightly lacking in power, power shower, plus the toilet, of course, the main bathroom was a decent size with plenty of hanging space for towels, which are supplied daily but are showing signs of old age. The bathtub and shower are surrounded by plastic moulding rather than tiles, and this is most definitely a saving grace for a bathroom that is evidently decades old. However, it was super clean. As someone who has an eversion to the tiniest bit of grime, I found it absolutely acceptable.
The rooms boast a flat-screen TV, tea and coffee-making facilities, and a fridge to store cut-price beer and wine from the supermarket. A Bahamas holidays top tip to save even more money.
The beds, the pillows and the bedding were obviously pretty new, and very comfortable. We slept very well.
There’s a selection of rather dated teak furniture pieces, not a lot of hanging space, and we didn’t have a balcony - but aside from sleeping, we were in the room for no more than an an hour a day.
Breakfast included!
It’s nothing flash, but it’s included, and taking into consideration that breakfast next door at The buffet Atlantis is a whopping $39 dollars per person (that’s around one hundred quid a day for a family of four), breakfast at Comfort Suites Paradise Island was absolutely acceptable considering it was free.
Nothing fancy - just bacon, eggs, waffles, toast, fruit and plenty of coffee and juice. We helped ourselves and sat outside in the beautiful bougainvillaea-filled dining area.
Coffee was served in plastic cups - as I said, it’s nothing fancy, but it did the trick and the kids were more than satisfied.
Beyond the bedrooms at Comfort Suites Paradise Island
A tranquil poolside experience, a million miles away from the craziness of The Atlantis - right next door
Don’t get me wrong, The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas is spectacular. If the idea of Bahamas holidays mean all the bells and whistles for you and yours, then this is the resort to book into.
You could easily spend a couple of days exploring the extraordinary collection of marine habitats and exhibits—lagoons, caves, coral formations and breath-taking underwater ruins full of exotic marine life ranging from sharks to rays, barracuda, piranha and more.
Atlantis is home to the largest open-air marine habitat in the world, and in my humble opinion, certainly for families, The Atlantis in the Bahamas is a much better option when you compare it to The Atlantis in Dubai. The layout combines the hotel’s numerous swimming pools, beach and the waterpark, which is not the case in Dubai.
Back at Comfort Suites Paradise Island the pool area is a very different environment, certainly during the day. Most people head to The Atlantis for the day, leaving the well kept and really pretty pool area at Comfort Suites relatively empty. So if you’re travelling with grandparents, or just fancy a quiet day, then you have the option to stay put. It’s a beautiful space with swim up bar, free towels and plenty of available sunbeds.
Wining at dining in and around Comfort Suites Paradise Island.
In the hotel's restaurant - Crusoe's - lunch is served from 12.00 pm to 4.00 pm, and dinner - from 5.30 pm to 9.00 pm, and whilst it was a real treat (and ridiculously expensive) to be able to wander over to The Atlantis and eat in one of their many restaurants, we took full advantage of the $200 credit we’d been given, and dined in Crusoe’s on three occasions. The kids actually asked to eat there.
For dinner, white table cloths were placed on the mostly outdoor tables next to a large outdoor bar creating a wonderfully inviting atmosphere. Sit at the bar and enjoy pre and post dinner cocktails - the wonderful Krystal who was regularly behind the bar shakes up the most incredible piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris and the vibe is completely chilled.
The food was well worth the lengthy wait, even when the restaurant was pretty empty on an eve. We all ate a lot of seafood and fish whilst in The Bahamas - shrimp and cracked conch was the catch of the day, pretty much every day, and at Crusoe’s restaurant it was cooked to absolute perfection - so fresh. The menu was very extensive with lots of options, and even better value for money.
There’s a ton of dining options within a five-minute walk of Comfort Suites Paradise Island. There are a whopping 21 restaurants and 19 bars and lounges next door at the Atlantis resort - everything from high-end gourmet Japanese cusine at Nobu to pool-side pizzas.
Marina Village is literally a few steps from the back door of Comfort Suites Paradise Island - the most picturesque setting next to a marina full of multi-million dollar yachts. It’s a lovely place for a wander at sundown, and there’s a dozen or so places to wine and dine, plus a Starbucks. Outdoor vendors sell souvenirs off of pretty wooden carts and musicians play along for the crowds. It’s all very civilised.
Head out of the hotel through the main entrance and there is a courtyard with a decent, good value steak restaurant, and a five minute walk down to the ferry terminal you’ll find a Margheritaville which serves the usual America fare and a blinding Margherita.
In short, there’s no shortage of places to dine for every budget.
The Comfort Suites Paradise Island is exceptional value for money for any family, and a much more intimate affair. As Bahamas holidays go, you won’t get anywhere near the value anywhere else.
We’ll be back next year, for sure!
THE DETAILS
Thank you to the Bahamas Tourism Board
I paid, in full, for our stay at Comfort Suites Paradise Island, but I would like to thank Maria at The Bahamas Tourism Board for her invaluable advice.
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