I have always considered myself a full-fledged “beach person.” Give me the sand and the saltwater over a pool any day. But then, I spent the weekend at The Cove, at Atlantis, Paradise Island, and all that changed.

The all-suite, 600-room Bahamas resort opened last year as part of the property's $1 billion, Phase III expansion that concluded in April 2007. It includes ocean views from all rooms and that breathtaking, adult-only pool area where DJs spin music as guests sit at the bar, play craps in the outdoor gaming area, or lounge on the red daybeds in the water.

All existing guest rooms received an upgrade, and the casino (already the largest in the Bahamas) got an 8,000-square-foot expansion. Atlantis also added a new 50,000-square-foot ballroom (the largest in the Caribbean) and a new banquet kitchen capable of accommodating up to 4,000 guests. The expansion brings the total amount of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space to over 500,000 square feet. Also new: a 30,000-square-foot Mandara Spa with 34 treatment rooms; Aura nightclub; Nobu restaurant; and Dolphin Cay, an interactive, 11-acre lagoon.