Take the fairytale architecture and celebrity chefs of Las Vegas, add a water park straight out of the Disney playbook, plop it down on an island in the Caribbean, and voilà, you have Atlantis. To say this Bahamian outpost is a mega-resort is no exaggeration. Close to 3,000 rooms pepper the 171-acre complex, from the affordable and nondescript Beach Tower (a holdover from the days of Merv Griffin's Resorts International) to the latest addition, the all-suites Cove, with its posh teak

Take the fairytale architecture and celebrity chefs of Las Vegas, add a water park straight out of the Disney playbook, plop it down on an island in the Caribbean, and voilà, you have Atlantis. To say this Bahamian outpost is a mega-resort is no exaggeration. Close to 3,000 rooms pepper the 171-acre complex, from the affordable and nondescript Beach Tower (a holdover from the days of Merv Griffin's Resorts International) to the latest addition, the all-suites Cove, with its posh teak and mother-of-pearl interior. Yet, as the name implies, the real attraction here is the water—whether it's a shark-infested walkway like the Predator Tunnel, or the 141-acre Aquaventure "waterscape," where you can hop on an inner tube and literally ride all day on waterslides, drops, rapids, and up escalators and through tunnels. And let's not forget about the beach, which lines the resort's edge and is a much-needed getaway from all the excitement.

Obviously, this is not a resort for everyone. But if you want to spend your days sliding through the water or chilling on the sand and your nights checking out one of the largest casinos in the Bahamas, attending comedy clubs, and eating dinner at celebrated New York restaurants, then it's hard to top Atlantis for sheer entertainment value. Especially for families who want to keep kids engaged. Aside from the multiple swimming pools and marine life, the resort offers a number of supervised kids' programs (days and evenings, tailored for different ages), which are ideal for grownups who wish to slip away for dinner and a game of roulette. Note that everything is à la carte here, so costs for food and camps can add up.

Besides Aquaventure and its mile-long river ride, "The Current," Atlantis features the Leap of Faith, a 60-foot drop from the property's faux-Mayan Temple into a shark lagoon (though, thankfully, their pearly white teeth are shimmering behind glass), and the Dig, a labyrinthine underwater world that leads to the biggest aquarium ever seen at a resort. There are also gentle pools for babies or adults who want to make their own motion by doing laps. Then there's the relatively new Dolphin Cay, where guests pay a fee to pet and feed the animals.

Once the skies grow dark, folks head to Marina Village, an open-air mall that resembles the Bahamas of yore with its colorful clapboard-sided houses. Here's where you'll find Café Martinique, a newer version of the famous restaurant with Chef Jean-George Vongerichten now at the helm. The Cove houses the Caribbean outpost of Bobby Flay's popular Mesa Grill, while star chef Nobu Matsuhisa serves yellowtail sashimi and other Japanese favorites at his restaurant.

Paradise Island Casino also houses several dining establishments and its fair share of lounges. Other nighttime entertainment options include a comedy club, cinema, and the nightclub Dragons, if you want to dance off dinner. One thing's for certain, you won't grow bored at Atlantis. So if you gets antsy after a few hours at the beach, this is the place for you.