Dreamy Bahamas

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NASSAU, Bahamas -- Are we still in the Bahamas?" I asked my driver as we pull up to the Cove, the newest addition to the Atlantis megaresort on Paradise Island.

I landed in Nassau about 40 minutes earlier before asking the question -- my first thought when I saw the large cream-colored porte-cochere and the line of bellmen wearing designer white linen outfits.

"Yes, you're still in the Bahamas," the driver replied, "and believe me you aren't the first one to say that. I have been bringing guests here for about two weeks and their reactions are a lot like yours. This place is really something different."

He was right. The Cove, Atlantis, is different. Not in a bad way, but different in the fact that the Cove isn't another typical Bahamas resort. It has a beach and pools, but the experience could be likened more to chic Miami Beach with its tile-covered pools and luxury cabanas as opposed to a sea of flimsy, fold-out chairs and tired beach towels.

The Cove is the latest installment in the Atlantis project on Paradise Island of Sol Kerzner, a South African developer.

The Cove also has an all-you-can-eat restaurant, but don't expect mounds of french fries and fried chicken morsels under heat lamps. Here there is sliced prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and succulent roasts.

In matters of accommodations, a typical room in the Bahamas encourages guests to get outside under the sun, but the Cove version won't leave them claustrophobic and upset on a rainy day because the smallest room is a 672-square-foot suite with a view of the ocean.

I kept thinking about the word "different" as I stepped from the car and into the dramatic, open-air entryway. Marble flooring stretched out like an infinity-edge pool and led to a view of the soft blue, Bahamas sky framed by large columns.

A series of square travertine and mahogany seating pods along the walkway served as guideposts to that incredible image. Large copper-cylinder lighting elements resembling wind chimes hang from the 35-foot-high ceiling and once again focused attention toward the ocean.

As I stopped and took in the lobby for a moment, my semitrance was broken by one of the bellmen who mentioned to me that "the view is always there," and that if I like this view I should come back down in a few hours and give it another look.