Hotels

In the off-season (mid-Apr to mid-Dec), prices are slashed by at least 20% -- and perhaps a lot more, though the weather isn't as ideal. But because Paradise Island's summer business has increased dramatically, you'll never see some of the 60% reductions that you might find at a cheaper property in the Greater Nassau area. Paradise Island doesn't have to lower its rates to attract summer business. Paradise Island isn't cheap!

An Offshore Yoga Retreat -- Ex-Beatle George Harrison and a host of other yoga devotees over the years have checked into Sivananda Ashramyoga Retreat, which is reached only by boat from Paradise Island. For some 40 years, it's been completely removed from the rest of Paradise Island's frantic gambling, heady lifestyle, and high prices. Today, the retreat teaches the healing arts and spiritual practices.

Guest lecturers from all over the world come here to give seminars and practice meditation. When not devoting their time to yoga, guests rest on a lovely sandy beach, all part of a compound that reaches from Nassau Harbour to the Atlantic. It's mandatory for guests to attend two 2-hour meditation sessions, the first starting at 5am. Two 2-hour yoga classes are also required. But you're free daily from 10am to 4pm. A boat shuttles guests into Nassau so they can see its sights.

Participants are housed in the simple main house or in small one-room bungalows. Vegetarian meals are included in the rate of US$89 (£45) for a single, US$79 to US$89 (£40-£45) in a double, or US$69 (£35) in a three- or four-bed dormitory. Tent space is available for US$59 (£30) per night. For air-conditioned rooms, an extra daily charge of US$10 (£5) applies. The most desirable units, a dozen of them, front the beach. There are also 35 private single rooms, plus seven dormlike spaces. American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are accepted.

Proudly Remaining Adult at Atlantis

Faced with increasing numbers of families with children, and with the perception that its acres of water slides and canals are a glorified summer camp for the children of parents who can afford it, there's an awareness that Atlantis needs quiet corners where grown-ups can be grown-ups.

If you fall into that category we advise that you check into either The Cove, The Reef, the One&Only Ocean Club, or one of the more upscale rooms within the Royal Towers. None of those venues officially restricts children, but the Beach and Coral towers tend to house the greatest numbers of foursomes -- usually a nuclear family with their offspring or festive 20-somethings on reprieve from their lives in the frigid north.

If you've opted for lodgings within The Cove, spend time at the adult-only swimming pool; its staffers are hip, and 20 cabanas await you and your significant other.

On your first night at Atlantis, go for drinks and dinner at Nobu. We find the Asian food here delicious and fascinating -- enough so that most well-adjusted North American kids will find it bizarre. The pre-dinner scene at the bar, where women look foxier than in the glaring sun of a Bahamian noon, is definitely not for children.

Awaken, too, to the nocturnal charms of Aura, the appealingly permissive nightclub where celeb-gazing is something of an art form.

Finally, book a long session at Mandara Spa. If you see anyone inside who's under 18, it's likely they're in line to inherit a very substantial fortune. Otherwise, even though adults adore it, it's not the sort of place teeny-boppers necessarily crave.