Welcome to the SPA DESTINATIONS AUGUST 2005

COVER STORY AUGUST 2005

Atlantis Paradise Island a resort destination like no other in the world

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By Terry Herman

Larger than life, as dramatically fanciful as it is magnificent in scope and concept, Atlantis, Paradise Island is a glorious and wonderfully playful celebration of the legends of the lost city of Atlantis reflected in unique entertainment attractions such as The Dig, a fanciful journey into the world of the ancient Atlanteans, water attractions, original artworks and in the design and decor throughout the resort. Atlantis is a resort experience that is truly in keeping with Kerzner International's reputation for creating not just a hotel, but an entire vacation destination, in fact, the world's largest island resort destination.

The Royal Towers, which opened in December 1998, with 1,201 guest accommodations set in two majestic towers, plus the Coral and Beach Towers provide the foundation for a 2,300-room resort that is as much fun for every kind and age of traveler as it is breathtaking and bold.

First mentioned by the Greek philosopher Plato, Atlantis was a vast island empire that stretched, some say, from the Straits of Gibraltar at the mouth of the Mediterranean all the way to the Americas. A fabulous fortress of concentric rings of water and land where Poseidon, the god of the oceans, ruled with his five sets of male twins, Atlantis was a flourishing utopian society of harmony and abundance as far back as 10 centuries B.C. According to legend, around 1,500 B.C., the mighty civilization was destroyed by a massive earthquake and disappeared beneath the ocean named for it, the Atlantic.

Ever since, romanticists and even scientists have searched for its traces, some saying Atlantis was actually the island of Crete, the Canary Islands, Scandinavia, even the New World. In fact, there are those who believe that America's first inhabitants arrived on the continent by way of Atlantis.

Perhaps the watery ruined passageways and chambers located in an archaeological dig beneath the Royal Towers, now guarded by the denizens of the ocean deep, will unlock the secret. Whatever the details of its incredible story, can there be any doubt that the great figures of Greek mythology had a hand in shaping the history, and the mystery, of Atlantis? The Throne of Poseidon on Paradise Island may be empty but chances are the great Greek god of the seas still has a trick or two left for the guests at Atlantis.