Bahamas Travel Guide
Tags: Celebrity Scoop / Carrie Underwood / Hotel Concerts / Atlantis Resorts / Bahamas Hotels / → All Tags
Get Free Carrie Underwood Tickets When Booking a Room at Atlantis
Carrie Underwood fans should pack their bags for the Bahamas. If you stay at the Atlantis, Paradise Island on December 5, you'll get free tickets to see the American Idol winner rock the stage at the hotel.
The event will mark the country crooner's first concert following the release of her new album Play On. Underwood, a four-time Grammy winner and the Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, will perform outside the hotel on the gorgeous beach.
Tags: Bahamas Hotels / Winter Getaways / Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Bahamas Hotels Bribe You To Come In Winter With Special Deals
A bunch of resorts in the Bahamas have got together to offer a promotion for the winter season – not that we need too much persuasion to escape somewhere warmer at that time of year, anyway.
At a dozen different hotels across the islands – including the Treasure Cay Resort, the Cape Eleuthera Resort, Pelican Bay at Lucaya and Comfort Suites Paradise Island - there are two parts to the deal. First up, if you book three nights you'll get the fourth night free. Second, if you use the resort packages to book an air-inclusive vacation, they'll give you some discounts - $100 off if you spend between $1,000 and $1,999, a $200 discount if you spend between $2,000 and $2,499, and $300 off for those whose total is over $2,500.
Don't wait until winter really sets in to book, though – these specials are only available for bookings made by November 20, and for travel through to February 12, 2010. You need to book through the Bahamas portal and for the second part of the deal you'll need codes FALL100, FALL200 or FALL300. We're thinking very seriously about our escape plan for winter, and you should be too.
[Photo: bahamas.com]
Tags: Hotel Closings / Four Seasons Hotels / Bahamas Hotels / Hotel Woes / → All Tags
What Will Happen to the Now-Closed Four Seasons Great Exuma?
Sad: the Four Seasons Great Exuma in the Bahamas officially closed on Tuesday. As we reported earlier in the month, the property had been in "receivership" (sorta a last-ditch attempt to avoid bankruptcy), and its owner, Emerald Bay Resort Holdings Ltd., about two years ago.
The hotel was apparently going to be sold to someone else earlier in the year, but the deal fell through in March — forcing the property to close entirely this week. And now, sorta sadly, when we visit the hotel's website, all we get is:
Thank you for your interest in Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma.
We regret to inform you that the resort is now closed. We would be delighted to help you with alternate travel plans at one of our other hotels or resorts for the dates you are travelling.
Cue sad trumpet. Wonder what's going to happen to the hotel site now that FS is gone? Is it just going to sit there empty? Anything? Anyone? Bueller?
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Cozy Up to a Travel Agent for a Better Bahamas Hotel Deal
If you're feeling the pinch but are pining for a tropical Bahamas getaway, then you can probably still enjoy a Bahamas lifestyle at a cheaper resort — like the Comfort Suites Paradise Island. With fancier places closing down, it might even be a smart move that ensures your hotel is still running when you arrive.
A deal for the Comfort Suites Paradise Island crossed our desk this week that got us pretty excited: $99 a night for a double, including breakfast — but there's one biggish catch. You must either be a travel agent, be related to one, or be really good friends with one. If you are, you're in luck and can score this rate; and while you stay at Comfort Suites you get the full use of the pools, beaches and pretty much everything except the rooms at the posh Atlantis Paradise Island next door. Pay less, enjoy more.
If you don't have a travel agent pal, then it's still worth checking for reasonable rates. For "regular" travelers we found a best available rate of $176 a night in August, rising to $283 in December, with some discounts for longer stays. Although no use of the Atlantis facilities are allowed for regular folk. For that you have to cough up the Atlantis' average $370 a night room rate.
And just in case you forget to tip your housekeeper, the Comfort Suites automatically charges a $4.50 houskeeping gratuity per person per night.
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Score 65% Off at Atlantis During 48-Hour Sale This Weekend
Hot sale at the Atlantis that has nothing to do with Miley or the Jonas Brothers? Yes, please: starting this Saturday morning (May 16th) 7:00am, Atlantis resort in The Bahamas is offering what amounts to 65% off at The Reef Atlantis (the newest part of the property).
The "48-Hour Frenzy" starts in the morning and runs all weekend — until 7:00 am EST on the 18th — and during this time window, you can book 5 days and 4 nights for $399 per person. Yes. The Reef's digs are good for families: every room has a kitchen and a living room with sofa bed, and booking a room, of course, gets you access to the Aquaventure pool/waterslide facilities.
You can also opt for a dining plan while you're there, which is $99 a day for the "gourmet" plan or $69 per day for the "casual" plan.
To book, go here.
Tags: Hotel Closings / Hotel News / Four Seasons Hotels / Bahamas Hotels / → All Tags
Four Seasons Exuma in the Bahamas Will Close in Two Weeks
While the Four Seasons Aviara is still in place for now, the Four Seasons Exuma in the Bahamas will close in two weeks on May 26. It seems the property has been in "receivership" which is pretty much a last-ditch attempt to avoid bankruptcy. Yet the property was not able to find a new owner and is now forced to close up shop.
On the hotel's website, it says:
Four Seasons continues to operate the resort normally until that time, however, we are not accepting new reservations.
It is unlikely that the hotel will be a Four Seasons if it does open again.
The resort recently got a plug in the LA Times from Olympic medalist swimmer Dara Torres who stayed there when she was seven months pregnant and appreciated the island's beauty and "chill" quotient. Indeed, the hotel has/had its own quiet pool which, sadly, we will never get to try.
Tags: Hotel Concerts / Miley Cyrus / Atlantis Resorts / → All Tags
Atlantis Bahamas Positions Itself as the Ultimate Tween Hotel
You know those Disney commercials where the little kids are all, "I'm too excited to sleep!" because they have a trip to Disneyworld planned for the next morning? Yes, well: it seems that The Atlantis Bahamas is dead-set on making itself the go-to megaresort destination for tween-types the way Disneyworld is the ultimate playground for the slightly younger set. Perhaps we will soon be seeing commercials for Atlantis with Abercrombie-clad pre-teens exclaiming that an upcoming trip to Atlantis is making them too excited to sleep.
The evidence? You may recall the resort hosting the Jonas Brothers Weekend in Paradise, in addition to Fergie, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato performances in recent months. And now: Miley Cyrus is coming.
Oh yes, folks: on May 16th, 2009, the Bahamas event of the century will be going down. As part of the Atlantis Live! concert series, the singer slash "actress" will be performing. And you can reserve a three-day, two-night Miley Cyrus Weekend in Paradise package for the ultimate experience, which includes accommodations, round-trip ground transfers on the island and tickets to the Miley concert, starting at $499 per person and and $209 per child 11 and under.
And, um, we will wait patiently for Zach Efron to launch a full-blown music career and to have his debut concert here.
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A-Rod Retreats to Atlantis Bahamas
After Sports Illustrated reported that they'd confirmed Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for testosterone and anabolic steroids in 2003, A-Rod reacted to the media frenzy (and his new nickname, A-Fraud) by bouncing outta the continental U.S. For him, this was probably a good move: tons of Yankee fans and would-be A-Rod supporters are out for blood now that the baseball hero has been ratted out. But instead of sitting quietly and thinking about what he's done (and thinking of ways to apologize to disappointed fans), he's been partying it up at the Atlantis Bahamas.
New York Daily News reports that he checked into a two-bedroom suite in the Cove section of the hotel — reportedly $15,450 a night — and spent the evening getting his drank on in the VIP area at Aura nightclub in the hotel. Per NYDN:
Grey Goose vodka, A-Rod's liquor of choice, goes for $425 a bottle in the VIP areas. Hotel staff said A-Rod partied so hard Saturday night that he slept late into the day Sunday before eating and leaving.
The butler in A-Rod's suite told reporters that he had gone to a Grammy party for the evening and was not expected back at the hotel Sunday night.
Eh, he was probably knocking back those Grey Goose and Red Bull cocktails to celebrate the fact that someone would still let him into a VIP area at all.
[Photo: Sipkin/NYDN]
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Atlantis Resort Hosting Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Calendar Shoot
Times must be desperate for the Atlantis Resort in Nassau. In the past, this mega-resort relied on its beachfront location in the Bahamas, family-friendly offerings, the mega-pool/mini-water park and its resident dolphins to attract vacationers. But lately the resort's been clinging to big name concerts like the Jonas Brothers and Kelly Clarkson to entice vacationers who aren't so sure about spending four days at a "nickel-and-dime-you" type of resort.
The latest "attraction" for Atlantis is now the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The girls, who have their own reality show on The Country Music Television channel, are heading to the resort February 22 through March 1 to shoot their 2010 calendar. However, posing in bikinis on the beach is just one of the things the girls will be doing. They will also be hosting cheer clinics and beach yoga. If you want to be a Cowboy cheerleader or if you just fantasize about them, here's your chance to party with the girls as Atlantis has put together a special package to welcome them.
Tags: Hotel Renovations / James Bond Hotels / Hilton Hotels / Nassau Hotels / Bahamas Hotels / → All Tags
The James Bond Hotel in Nassau Is Now Under Renovation
The British Colonial Hilton in Nassau, where — fun fact! — James Bond movies Thunderball (1965) and Never Say Never Again (1983) were filmed, is in the process of undergoing a major makeover, ostensibly to spruce up in case a new Bond needs to roll through. The makeover kicked off at the end of '08 and is supposed to be finished by June of this year, and the hotel is dropping a hot $15 million on the upgrades.
All guestrooms will be given a contemporary new design with new bedding, HD LCD televisions, marble floors, "softer" furnishings and new lighting. Up in executive floor rooms and suites, bigger TV's than in the standard rooms (37" vs 32") and Nespresso coffee machines. 120 rooms will be all done by February, and the rest will be done by May.
The hotel is also adding a new executive lounge up on the top floor, offering killer views of Nassau harbor, computer work stations, WiFi, a self-service kitchenette with all day refreshments, big TV's. You can also expect a new bar, restaurant, and lounge concept, "due to debut before the summer."
Rates start around $179 for Deluxe Rooms.
Tags: Hotel Woes / Hotel News / Atlantis Resorts / → All Tags
The Atlantis Resort Lays Off 800 Workers
As if the 400 layoffs at the Borgata last week and the woes affecting Las Vegas weren't enough bad news, The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas has announced that it is laying off 800 employees. This is about a 10 percent cut at the resort, which is the island country's largest private employer. To blame? Low occupancy rates. (And probably, overpriced pina coladas.)
The United States typically accounts for more than 80 percent of tourist visits to the Bahamas. The decline began early this year and accelerated with the global economic crisis, said Georgina Delancy, research manager for the Bahamas Tourism Ministry. "When September hit, things went south," Delancy said.
800 is a lot of people out of work so if you feel like helping out the Bahamas, the resort is offering a some specials right now through Dec. 21st that include dolphin interaction. And omg, don't forget about The Jonas Brothers on Dec. 13th.
Related Stories:
· Bahamas' Atlantis resort lays off 800 employees [AP]
· The Atlantis Resort coverage [HotelChatter]
Tags: HotelChatter Reader Deals / Atlantis Hotels / Bahamas Hotels / Jonas Brothers / → All Tags
HotelChatter Reader Deals :: A Weekend In Paradise With the Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers Weekend In Paradise
$459 per person
Jonas Brothers fans, prepare your lungs (and hearts): the dreamy pop trio is coming to The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas December 12th-14th for a concert weekend. OMG.
You (or, er, your parents?) can score a killer deal for that weekend by booking the Jonas Brothers Weekend in Paradise Package, which includes 3-nights/2-days accommodations, round-trip ground transfers on the islands, Jonas Brothers concert tix, and access to Aquaventure (waterslides and such) and The Dig (an "archaeological view into a lost civilization").
The package starts at 459 per person for adults and 189 per child (under 11). The package must be booked by December 12th and reservations can be made here.
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