Staying at the Marina Village Hotel would be out of reach for most New Zealanders.
We had to be satisfied with a brief visit during our stay in the Bahamas.
The luxurious hotel pampers the wealthy and the 2349 rooms on 24 floors cost between $US270 to $US25,000 a night.
The first stage of the majestic hotel was completed 14 years ago when the two towers were built.
The rest of the complex was completed in 2007.
The cost was US$3 billion.
Basketball super star Michael Jordan has his own room at the hotel.
The hotel is owned by South African Solon Kerzner and it is a major tourist attraction for visitors to the capital, Nassau, on New Providence Island.
The Atlantis playground is on Paradise Island and is linked to the main island by two road bridges.
Visitors can spend a day at Atlantis and watch dolphins in action in their 4.5ha home.
There is also aquaventure with slides and water rides from the six-storey Mayan Temple and a protected water drop through a shark-filled lagoon.
Less vigorous pursuits includes walking through underwater tunnels to look at stingrays, moon jellies, a mantra ray and piranhas.
It is also possible to have a more leisurely day at the nearby beach, walking around the Marina Village or testing your skills at the Atlantis Casino.
There is a marina attached to the Atlantis complex where luxury yachts are moored.
The Government allows people with a marina berth to catch fish.
We stayed at the more mundane Blue Water Resort on Cable Beach.
We had a late flight and arrived at the resort at 11pm.
The office was closed and we had to hunt around to find the security guard to get a key to our room.
It was a large complex and we had our own flat with three bedrooms and seven beds, an electric stove, blender and washing machine.
There was complimentary internet at the resort but it was not working during our stay and we had to reach two more countries before hearing news from home.
The effects of Hurricane Earl were still being felt in the Caribbean with strong coastal winds sending powerful waves to the shore.
It was safer swimming at the nearby pool where I was joined by three Italian and two American couples.
There was also a African-American woman from New York who has a regular two- to three-week holiday in the Bahamas each year.
It is only 2hr 30min flying time from New York.
We hired tour guide John Gaitor to show us around the island.
He has been a guide for the past 25 years, and before that was in the police force for 10 years.
"There is too much nepotism and corruption in police administration," he said.
"There is also political interference.
"It was a stressful job. I didn't like arresting people and having them go to jail. I would warn them first."
Mr Gaitor was critical of judges who let people out too early for murder.
Sometimes witnesses were murdered before they could give evidence, he said.
Mr Gaitor is an assistant minister at a Baptist church and always has a bible in his car.
"There is a lot of waiting time in this job and I can prepare sermons while waiting for customers," he said.
He has three children and sent them to the Roman Catholic Aquinas College to get a better education.
"They are more disciplined and don't tolerate bad behaviour," he said.
"The state schools are overcrowded."
The Bahamas gained full independence from Britain in 1973.
It has an 85% black population and only 15% white (10% are very rich).
"There was a peaceful transition to independence and no reprisals when the blacks voted the white government out of power," Mr Gaitor said.
"The blacks have political power but the whites have money. We need both."
When the decision was made to give independence to the Bahamas in 1967, the nearby Turks and Caicos Islands broke from the union and stayed with the United Kingdom.
There are 700 islands in the Bahamas but only 30 are inhabited.
The population is 330,000, and 205,000 live on the island of New Providence.
The main industries are tourism, banking and fishing.
Fifteen cruise ships visit the Bahamas each week and four million tourists come each year.
Tourism is worth $US8 billion a year and provides 75% of the country's income.
A popular attraction for tourists is Fort Fincastle, built in the form of a ship by the fourth Earl of Dunmare, John Murray, governor of Nassau 1787-96.
It was built in the form of a ship to make potential enemies wary of attacking.
Tourists who own property can live in the Bahamas for six months and then leave for a day and return for another six months.
If the value of the property is more than US$600,000, they can become permanent citizens.
There is no income or sales tax in the Bahamas.
Owners of property valued at more that $US250,000 pay 1% of the value in tax.
Mr Gaitor said that 75% of the population was considered poor.
But when he showed us some of their houses, I did not think they were badly off at all.
They pay no taxes, have free health care and the warm climate makes it easy to grow fruit and vegetables.
At the eastern end of the island, some houses were valued at $US4 million.
Because of the shallow water in the region, they rarely get severe hurricanes in the Bahamas.
Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was the last one.
The mangrove swamps neutralise the effect of flooding.
"They grow in soft sandy soil that soaks up millions of gallons of water like a sponge," Mr Gaitor said. "Mangroves stop damage from tsunamis."
President John F. Kennedy owned a house in the Bahamas and John F. Kennedy Drive is named after him.
Actor Sean Connery and Prince Charles own property in the Bahamas.
I added 13 new countries to my list this year.
The others were Tahiti, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda and Balearic Islands.
Footnote: Alistair McMurran travelled in the Caribbean with retired Dunedin school principal David Horne, who has been to 244 of the 320 countries and territories on the Travellers Century Club list. Mr Horne gives about 30 travel talks each year.
