Back From Harborside - Thanksgiving Week

[mscarboroughusa]

Just returned from Harborside where we stayed during Thanksgiving week - it had been about 4 years since my last visit and I thought I would share some observations/opinions about my recent stay - we had Sat-Sat reservation but arrived early Sunday - check in was quick and efficient - we stayed in building 7 which is attached to the lobby - originally thought this would NOT be good, but our room was on the 3rd floor and had a nice view of the marina - Personally, I liked it b/c it was so close to the lobby/shuttles - room was in decent shape and equipped as it should be - no bugs/ants - changed our midweek cleaning to Wed without a problem - walls are THIN here so had to deal with early AM baby next door - oh well
-shuttles were much more prevalent than last time I was there - rarely had to wait more than a couple minutes for shuttle to any part of Atlantis - this was nice
-took cab to grocery store across bridge b/c I did not want to deal with harborside bus schedule - cab was $20 - had issue with getting return cab, even though though grocery called for me - was not as easy as I thought and ended up getting a gypsy cab back - good selection at grocery store - spent just over $100 which was enough for breakfast and lite lunches every day for a family of 2 adults and kids ages 9 & 6 - the $100 did not include any booze or beer - case of Kalik at small grocery cost me $65 which was a killer, but I was desperate - live and learn
-overall the resort (Atlantis) seems to be getting a bit more trashy, IMO - thumping music, some seedy looking folks, drunken idiots in the early afternoon - not entirely unexpected, but clientele seems to have gone downhill since my last time there (and I'm not a snob by any means) - I told my wife that we just have to embrace the madness and go all-in -
-for some sanity, we found the Cove beach, lagoon beach, and the Harborside pool area to be nice and welcome havens from the madness
-snorkeled in the lagoon and at Cove beach - not a lot to see - sadly, I saw more plastic cups than fish - they should at least send some divers to clean up the bottom of the lagoon
-ate out every night and here are my humble opinions
- Mesa Grill @ Cove was just OK for me - decent tuna steak and cool ambience, but service was not great -
Seafire Steakhouse I found to be very good and service excellent (filet for me and fish for my wife) -
Carmine's was good service, food just OK but I will say we had TONS of leftovers for next day and ordered only (1) salad and (2) entrees for the entire family -
had Thanksgiving dinner @ Mosaic buffet at the Cove - got there early (thank God) b/c line got HUGE, people started getting pissed, etc - buffet was pretty incredible, actually, very nice setting and they had both traditional t-giving fare (turkey and pork carving stations), as well as pasta, sushi, Indian, lamb chops, steaks, salads, desserts......dinner for 2 adults + 2 kids w/ a bottle of red wine was $240 and I did not feel cheated -

private taxis to/from airport were prevalent and easy - I did not feel pressured at airport as some say they have - pretty straightforward rates and our drivers were both nice - $50 including tip for our family each way

overall, we certainly had fun, but this is definitely one of those places (for me) that I only need to come to once every 3-5 years - if you are going soon, expect more of the same with some degrading of the clientele...IMO
Cheers !

 

[tomandrobin]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review of Harborside.

We are heading back in May after skipping last year. I guess all that heavy discounting is pulling from the wrong crowd?

I 100% agree with your dining reviews. The one thing I will say about the Mesa Grill, I love their tequila bar.

 

[pointsjunkie]

appreciate all the info. can't wait to go in may.

 

[C30NY]

I was there over Labor day in 2010 and there was some of the riffraff that you describe, but I find that wealth (being able to afford to go to Atlantis) doesnt determine how someone acts. It doesnt really surprise me that you have some unpleasant folks around. I've stayed at some pretty pricey hotels in NYC and other places and the clientele isn't always the greatest there either.

Was the atmosphere at Harborside the same, or confined to Atlantis itself?

walls are THIN here so had to deal with early AM baby next door - oh well

We will also be there in May for 9 nights with an infant, so we will be the annoying neighbors you describe!

 

[mscarboroughusa]

don't get me wrong, we still had a blast and consider ourselves fortunate that we have the opportunity to travel as much as we do (and to the places we do) - the vibe at the Harborside pool is decidedly more laid back and mellow so it was a nice thing to come "home" to after spending the day @ Atlantis proper - we would go there late afternoon and there would only be a handful of people at the pool, so a great place to decompress, take a swim, and listen to the Ipod or play a leisurely game of shuffleboard - did not notice any questionable elements at Harborside - more of a "regular" crowd.