Previous
Move over Las Vegas
WHAT-TO-DO - NASSAU, CABLE BEACH & PARADISE ISLAND - JAN 2005
Move over Las Vegas
Here comes Atlantis!
When it's completed in 2006, Kerzner International's $2-billion-plus Atlantis complex on Paradise Island will be more than just another mega-resort.
"We are turning the outdoor attractions at Atlantis? into a world-class theme park that will cater to day visitors in addition to the property?s guests,? says Kerzner International CEO Butch Kerzner.
This means that millions of cruise ship passengers will be able to spend their Nassau layover sluicing down spectacular water slides or taking in themed river rides through the huge, mythic property, along with other visitors and residents of Nassau and Paradise Island.
What attracted Butch Kerzner's father, Sol, to The Bahamas back in 1994 was the clarity and beauty of the surrounding water. It was Sol?s idea to bring the water into the hotel, in part by creating the huge aquarium and marine habitat. Featured there today are most of the denizens of Bahamian waters, including a large graceful manta ray, sharks, turtles, reef fish and crawfish.
It?s all about water
As for Phase 3, ?We?re using cutting-edge technology to create some truly first-of-a-kind water rides. People from all around the United States will be talking about it,? boasts Butch. ?(W)e will be creating the largest single resort outside of Las Vegas.?
One of the most spectacular rides will be from the ?ruin? of a Yucatan temple, spilling the slider into a large sunken pool festooned with cascading waterfalls. It?s inspired, says a Kerzner press release, by ?the underground rivers from deep inside the jungles of the Yucatan??
The complex now taking shape marries two themes, the original ?Lost Atlantis? idea based on the civilization that supposedly sank into the Atlantic aeons ago, and the real but equally lost Mayan civilization, which flourished in Mexico?s Yucatan Peninsula between AD 250 and AD 900, dying out centuries before the Spanish conquistadores arrived.
The new 1,500-room hotel that will be built adjacent to the existing Royal Towers (bringing the total number of rooms and suites at Atlantis to about 3,800) also has the look of a huge Mayan temple.
A new Marina Village, however, will have a decidedly Bahamian look with pastel-coloured colonial era buildings displaying quoins ? reinforced corners ? open balconies and jalousied windows.
The village will feature plenty of opportunities for entertainment, shopping and dining with indoor and outdoor restaurants, including a recreation of the famous Cafe Martinique that was featured in the James Bond film Thunderball.
Also included in the Phase 3 development of Atlantis will be a second golf course, to be built on Athol Island off the eastern tip of Paradise Island, new luxury villas added to the One&Only Ocean Club, and 120 new timeshare units added to the Harborside development along the harbour.
Phase 3 of Atlantis is expected to have a big impact on The Bahamas, providing up to 3,000 full-time jobs when the project is completed and adding up to five per cent per year to the size of the nation?s economy.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-Mail: Click here
Internet: https://
Disclaimer:
Information in editorial and listings is subject to change at any time.