We just returned from the Harborside resort and had a fabulous vacation. We have 2 children (ages 16 and 11) and this was a great family vacation. A few pointers from our stay:
– We stayed in a Deluxe 1 Bedroom unit in Harborside
– After reading other reviews we packed non-perishable items (peanut butter, crackers, snack foods, cereal, granola bars, coffee). Glad we did as we noticed the prices on groceries was +$$ at the Super Market (ex. $6.38 for a box of crackers).
– We pre-booked our taxi service through Cheryl’s taxi – www.cherylbahamastaxiandtours.com. Her service is second to none… we booked the taxi for 1:30 and had an hour delay through their customs and our taxi was happily waiting for us when we exited the airport (1.5 hours later). They gave us a brief history of the island/bit of a tour enroute to Atlantis. We also had arranged to stop on the Supermarket (picked up bread, eggs, jam, milk, juice, cheese, salami, water and fruit) on the way which saved us a lot of time! They arrived 15 minutes early for our departure and Cheryl even called our driver to thank us and hoped to see us a again next year ++ customer service.
– we ate our breakfasts in the room and ate dinner out each night. Packed light snacks in our cooler for the beach/waterpark each day (ex. cheese/crackers/fruit and beverages). If we were to go again I would pack one or two simple dinner meals (ex. pasta dish) just because we were tired of eating out each night
– we ate at the marina pizzeria (great meal- ~$70 for family of 4) and Carmine’s. We took a taxi 2 nights to town and ate at Senor Frogs (food was ok – the atmosphere was fun and entertaining) and the second evening we went to the Fish Fry (YUM – authentic Caribbean food… we had their Conch Fritters (6) and Conch Salad (1 serving – reminded us of a salsa and we would’ve preferred to eat it with tortilla chips) and ate the Broiled Snapper (in a foil with Caribbean spices and plantain) and Broiled Grouper and our 11 year old had the Grouper ‘fingers’. The snapper had a fishier flavor and ++ bones, but the Grouper was a lighter fish which my family preferred. We ate at Twin Brothers (there are about 6 places in the fish fry (note restrooms aren’t in any of the buildings they are located in a building in the middles across the street). All in a small area and walking distance.
– went to the Atlantis Theater and watched a movie together one night (movie was free but pop & popcorn was ~$30)
– our 16 year old went to the CRUSH club 4 nights and had a great time and met some great friends. He walked home alone each night at 1 and felt totally safe and never had any issues
– we took the ferry one day to the main market ($8/person return trip – last ferry departs at 6 p.m)
– we took the shuttle every day to the Aquaventure park (we found a great spot at the COVE poolside or beachside area) – we loved this location as it wasn’t as busy as the Twin Towers and it was easy access to the cove pool and the BEST River Ride Ever. We spent at least 2 hours each day in the Rapid River ride (our family loved it) and we always sat in chairs at the back of the pool so we could easily walk across the path to the beautiful beach! This spot is a little further walk to the rest of the watersides, but we didn’t mind the walk as we preferred smaller crowds.
Our Favorite slides (Rapid River #1; The Serpent #2; The Challenger #3 and the Abyss. Our 16 year old did the Leap of Faith and the Abyss once and although loved the thrill that was enough for him…. although we saw people of all ages entering those slides over and over again.
– We loved Harborside – the rooms were spacious, it was great to have a kitchen and the pool was quieter and a great spot for early mornings (while the kids slept) or later afternoons/evenings… ending the day in an amazing hot tub!
– Absolutely a great trip for families and would recommend this to anyone… it’s like being on an large island ‘cruise ship’!…Suzanna – Alberta, Canada
