Winter Paradise pt 2

By Skeeter
We had a nice warm snap in my Georgia Garden to start the month of January but then back to the cold stuff for the week we had the Saints parents visit. They left Virginia as it was sleeting and arrived to our wonderful 70 plus degrees. Unfortunately, they brought the rain and cold with them to GA. They have since returned to VA and taken that nasty stuff back. Today the weatherman is calling for sunny skies and back into the 60's but come tomorrow, it is back to rain and cold. Gee, this Deep South living is such strange weather but a break is nice during the winter. I just hope it is not too confusing for the flowers this year...

So lets leave the cold today for part two of our Winter Paradise get-away... After Key West, we headed to Nassau, Bahamas. As you can see the blue of the waters were breath taking upon our arrival. We docked then boarded a Glass Bottom Boat ride to a Coral Reef. Along the way, the Captain of the vessel told us of the many famous people and their homes along this stretch. There was the once home of Elvis, the home of Nicholas Cage and other famous people as well. All these homes are surrounded with beautiful plants.
Lush Green is the color of choice on this island.
Yes, I could wake up to this view each morning!
The boat took us by the Atlantis Resort. See the bridge connecting the two structures? Ah, a close up view is so much better. This is the Bridge Penthouse. Michael Jackson was the first to stay in this room. I believe the Captain informed us of a $25,000 a night cost with a one week minimum stay! I could buy a lot of plants for my garden with that!
The High Rollers of the Atlantis Casino (850 slots, 90 tables, race & sports bar, etc) can stay here at the Harbor-side Resort. More on Atlantis later...
Now we finally get to the Coral Reef. This is not an aquarium in the picture but a picture I snapped right though the glass bottom of the boat! Yes, the water is that blue and crystal clear! It was amazing to see life underwater from the coral to the fish!
The cruise took us along the wharf to see the fisherman dockside. They get up early in the morning and catch fish and what ever else is in season and sell it right on the dock. Talk about fresh catch of the day!
As we returned back to our starting point, we had a clear view of our ship and its small size compared to the others docked beside our Carnival Fascination! And we thought we were on a big ship! Ha, the Royal Caribbean to the far right was incredible to say the least.
The Saint wanted to go to the Atlantis Resort so we hailed a cab and off we went. We were reminded of our days spent in England with the driver on the left side of the street. The drive up to the resort from the main street was lined with tall palms trees.
The flying bronze horses in the fountain caught our attention.
The lobby of the resort was as if I had stepped into a massive hotel in Las Vegas! That is where I have seen hotels of this magnitude. I bet the price we paid for 4 nights in Vegas does not even come close to one night here! They have 6 different type buildings to chose from for your stay. 8 Fine dining, 11 Casual dining and 8 Cafes and Quick eats within the Resort! You can swim with the dolphins, snorkel, scuba, golf, tennis, spa, private beach, pool, water park and much more. We were saying it would take us a few days to do all we would want to do!
They have an aquarium in the lobby that tells the story of the City of Atlantis.
Here you can see two of the many aquarium windows in the background. The lobby was full of plants and even palm trees!
We did not spend too much time inside this marble palace as we wanted to be outside and see the grounds.
Water is the theme as with any island resort but this one truly took water to a new level for me! Do you see the fish?
We walked the grounds for quite some time while taking in the beautiful sights.
I like the way the vine was growing on the stone wall.
Down the stairs to the beach area was an inviting walk.
Blooming beauties my eyes have never seen in the wild before.
Interesting plants with every blink of the eye.
Ah, the hibiscus is a must on a Tropical Island.
I can only wonder if these are edible as I have no idea what they could be...
Beauty around every corner of this awesome place.
Fish, sharks, starfish, etc were swimming in the water all around us.
Have you noticed there is no human forms in the pictures? I am so glad we went during the low season as we seem to have the gardens all to our self! Where are all the people? I did see 4 large cruise ships in port right?
Nothing soothes my soul more then the sound of a waterfall.
At this point I was asking the Saint if I could have a water fall.
Yes, that look on his face tells me "it ain't gonna happen". Can't blame a girl for asking. I would so love to have a piece of this WINTER PARADISE, In the Garden...

**Once home, we searched for a Map of Atlantis grounds to find we had only touched the surface of this huge place. There are 14 exhibit lagoons on 140 acres and we only saw a few of them! I just saw on the Internet that it is 75 degrees there today and I so wish I were there. Maybe some day we will go back so I can swim with the dolphins...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden