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| The Royal Towers, Famous Bridge Suite |
By: Cynthia Litman
Pearl: Ride the Waves
Consensus of this winter was that "It wasn't too bad". Uh huh. While I appreciate the depths of winter's beauty and understand and am grateful for its purpose in the seasonal cycle, I'm snow over it.
March was a great tease with temperatures ranging 50 degrees on any given day. The first slight feel of warmth sprung my entire system forward only to be slammed back with a 30 degree cold front.
Tired of being batted around I prayed for an escape.
While still processing the incredible response from my prior Mommas Pearls about Madoff I dove into March with a fervent pace in planning and hosting three local events. I hadn't realized just how badly my winter worn body needed some MomTime.
My angels are particularly insightful and acquiesced to my request.
I live for my kids and our family adventures together but it was really impressive just how excited I was to ditch my kids. I never packed so fast and really didn't care what I threw into my bag. I was just so happy and excited to go. The day of, I practically tossed my kids out by the backpack.
We arrived in the Bahamas and took the one time carriage only road from the airport through the cruise ship crowd, over the bridge to Paradise Island and into Atlantis.
Atlantis is a bit of a beast. It's a hint of Vegas, a dash of Disney with a cruise ship twist.
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| Window View |
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| The Cove's Entrance |
Each day brought a different crowd and vibe to the Cove Pool which made for some amazing TMZ style people watching. It was incredibly entertaining, especially the topless dancing gals. Yes, toplessness is permitted. I was oh so tempted to let the girls fly. They haven't seen the sun in forever. While very amusing it runs contrary to the overall family friendly vibe of the Atlantis.
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| Pool Scene Day 3: Cougar Unleashed |
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| Calm at Dusk: My Happy Hour |
You don't ever have to leave the Atlantis property to explore the rest of the Island, which is exactly the point. They want you and your wallet on site!!
The Atlantis is an active destination vacation. You can easily fill your day with more than poolside margaritas. I didn't but you most certainly can.
You can spend a half hour online at the nearest Starbucks, hunt down the Ben and Jerry's shop, eat at multiple outdoor cafes and get your feet wet on the water slides, enjoy the not so lazy river, go jet skiing, freak out para sailing, go snorkeling or scuba diving, play with dolphins, feed the sting rays or just go for a good long walk exploring the property and beaches.
There's a long stretch of beaches around the resort. Each area has its own vibe and water intensity. My side of the Cove was quiet and the sand was soft. Just next door the waves were tumbling over the college crowd. Just beyond them, there were beach vendors set up selling goods and doing braids.
The pools and all water activities close by 5. I personally love a good twilight swim but they want you to take in a massage at their Mandara Spa and get ready for your corporate event or the plethera of evening activities.
There's the Casino and various game rooms throughout the resorts, the myriad of restaurants at every price point from Nobu to buffet style, Comedy shows or rocking it late night at Aura nightclub.
We totally went clubbing. It was hilarious. I regressed and threw down some old school moves!
Then, I watched the actual college Spring Breakers living it up way harder than this momma can dream of.
Good Lord!!
I simply don't remember being that young, wild and free. Maybe it's my prudish self talking but I don't think I'll ever let my kids go on Spring Break, like ever.
The next morning, my age caught up with me. I was desperately seeking mellow!!
I took a walk on the beach in search of their new Yoga Pavilion, which apparently no-one can locate as I never found it. So I stopped, dropped and did some warrior poses in the Palm Tree filtered sunlight. There, I found my cove of quiet.
In my quiet beach nook, I found my age spot. And surprisingly, it felt good. The waves of my life washed over and through me. I heard the noise and felt the quiet pauses of my life.
It struck me how my husband hasn't been out of the country in the 8 years since our life changing experience.
There in that sand, miles away from home and our children, my feeling of being beached finally freed up. The crisis of the past finally receding into the past. We have the wonder of the world ahead of us and no longer have to sit on the sidelines.
That's the pearl I've been so longing to find along the shore. The beauty in the belly laugh of the Atlantis beast. I let out a long exhale of gratitude for our hilarious getaway experience.
I returned fully ready to dive back into the ocean. It took all of five minutes of being home before I was back into mom mode and shuffling the afternoon wave of activities and layers of clothing for any kind of weather. Bring it!
More photos up over on Instagram @Cynpearls #BahamaMama
(c) 2016 Cynthia Litman. All Rights Reserved