When OK isn’t Good Enough

If you’re not one to try new things, especially any other type of food besides American, I advise you to go to the nearest grocery store as soon as you get to Paris and load up on all the snacks you can find. French food is nothing like American food, and it’s about 1/4 the serving size. You’ll be hungry the majority of your trip, but the sites to see in Paris will distract you from your stomach growling. I’m not a big dessert eater when I go to a restaurant, but in Paris, that was by far the best course of every meal. I strongly urge you and your party to share at least a couple of desserts at every restaurant you visit.

The three restaurants that I enjoyed the most were:

• Flam’s - famous for their pizza. The pizza is not like American pizza by any means, but it’s just as tasty. If you don’t like veggies, just get the plain cheese pizza because they like to load up their pizzas with every vegetable you can imagine!
• Altitude 95 - this restaurant is located on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.
• Hard Rock Cafe - besides McDonald’s, this is one of the most Americanized places to dine. It is two stories and has a huge bar on the bottom floor. At night it turns into a nightclub with a massive dance floor right in the middle.

Las Vegas is a wonderful vacation place with lots of entertainment that everyone in the family can enjoy. Unfortunately, it has its downfalls like every other place in the world. This first thing I want to warn you about is the large amount of advertisements for “adult” entertainment. There are billboards, signs, posters, fliers, etc. covering the city. If you plan on bringing children with you to Las Vegas, I suggest you don’t walk around the city and get a cab instead. The streets are flooded with “adult” fliers on the ground.

Also, if you’re a female and plan to go out to the clubs at night, make sure you have at least one other person with you at all times. I went out to Pure with just one other female friend and it was not enjoyable at all. We were constantly hounded by men (definitely not the type any woman would want to be hounded by) forcing us to make it an early night.

The last threat the city of Vegas brings is the addiction to gambling! Don’t spend more than a few hours a day at the gaming tables. If that’s the only reason why you went to Vegas and that’s all you plan on doing, keep track of your betting. Don’t forget you have to have some way of getting back home!

Las Vegas offers hundreds of different restaurants in which to dine while visiting the city of sin. The two that are my favorite and that I had the most fun at were Margaritaville and Kahunaville.

Margaritaville is located on Las Vegas Boulevard in the Flamingo Casino. It’s a great location and a great time. It is known for its margaritas hence the name Margaritaville. There are 12 different types to choose from, and offer you the chance to build your own. I’m a big fan of strawberry and banana smoothies, so I asked for a strawberry banana margarita, which was by far the most amazing margarita ever!

Kahunaville is located in Treasure Island. This restaurant is known for its drinks as well, but what makes the experience memorable are the shows put on by the bartenders. Every hour on the hour, the bartenders have a competition between each other. They do everything from balancing bottles on their head, juggling four bottles, and even lighting the bar on fire. Warning! If you don’t like embarrassment, don’t go to this restaurant on your birthday. The bartenders will make you dance on the bar!

One thing I can guarantee that you will be satisfied with in Atlantis are the restaurants. Each one has its own theme and personality. The staff acts very professional and makes sure that each meal is prepared and served with the greatest care.

Here are the nine different restaurants to choose from:

• Bahamian Club - fine dinning for a romantic night with you and your significant other.
• Cafe at the Great Halls of Waters - casual cafe surrounded by windows offering views of the underwater ruins of Atlantis.
• Cafe Martinique - candlelit restaurant with a massive selection of different wines. Hint: only allows children over the age of 12 to enter.
• Carmine’s - offers classic Italian recipes for the family.
• Casa D’Angelo - South Florida Italian eatery.
• Fathoms - seafood restaurant with panoramic window views of the underwater Atlantis.
• Mama Loo’s - traditional Chinese recipes.
• Nobu -Japanese Cuisine.
• Seafire Steakhouse - every type of steak offered and cooked however you desire. This restaurant also is known for its selection of alcoholic drinks at the bar.

I suggest you try every restaurant but if you only have time for a few meals while in Atlantis, you should go to Fathoms. They have belly dancers and fire breathers that walk around the restaurant doing a few tricks for the guests every couple of hours.

If you decide that Atlantis is the vacation spot for you, I strongly urge you to go to Dolphin Cay. This is where you get to swim with the dolphins. This is an amazing experience that I will definitely remember for a lifetime and I know you will too. The one obstacle that might cause a problem is the price. It’s not a cheap experience, but I would definitely say that is worth every penny.

There are two different groups that you can be apart of to see the dolphins. In the first group, you get in a small pool with the dolphins and get to pet them while the instructor does a few tricks with them and tells you some interesting dolphin facts (this group is about half the price of the other). The other group that you can participate in is the one where you put on a wet suit and actually get to swim with the dolphins. During this, the instructor does unbelievable tricks with the dolphins while you’re right there in the mix.  In some tricks you get to be part of the show!  A trick every person in the group gets to do is the one when the dolphin comes up behind you and lifts you up out of the water by your feet with his nose. It’s such a rush and you go so fast. It makes you feel like you are flying across the water. This entire experience lasts 90-120 minutes but it feels like five seconds, so make sure you take a waterproof camera and capture the adventure as much as possible!

Dolphin Cay is located on a small island of the Bahamas outside the city of Atlantis. This is where they train the dolphins since birth and where some natives from the island live. There on the beach are a few natives that offer to braid you hair. This is a fun little thing to do on the island while you wait to go back to Atlantis.