help! Bahamas (i think i made a mistake)

hi everyone
i need advice from anyone who has been to the bahamas ------- my dh and i booked an anniversary to paradise island - bahamas for our 1 year anniversary.

we booked at the riu all inclusive (it is next to atlantis) we got a great deal - 2500 for the week all inclusive including arifare - bought insurance ----- paid for the airfare - only owe the hotel 2100.

now - researching on tripadvisor - there seem to be alot of complaints about it - especially the food - they have three restaurants but you have to make reservations for them at 8:30 am - each day - if you dont get a reservation - you have to eat at a buffet - my husband hates buffets lol...

so now im nervous ----- that we made teh wrong choice ----- we originally wanted to go to the sandals there ------- i looked online and with our return discount (we went for our honeymoon) we can go for 2900... we can use our same airfare.

what do i do - sandals is of course soo nice - and has 8 restaurants ---- and is of course 5 star...... im afraid to tell my Dh that i think we can switch

advice please
anyone been to either.....

Re: help! Bahamas (i think i made a mistake)

I have been to the RUI and although I wouldn't go back, it wasnt' that bad at all. It's right next to Atlantis which is a BIG plus because there is so much to do there. The beach is very nice and the pool area is decent. The buffets aren't bad and we went for breakfast and lunch- we had dinner at the restaurants in Atlantis a few times.

Sandals isn't in walking distance to Atlantis but is close to a hotel with a casino.

Any other questions?

Re: help! Bahamas (i think i made a mistake)

If its any consolation Ive been to the RIU Palace in Riviera Maya Mexico and it was excellent. Its true you do have to make reservations early for the other restaurants. (non buffet) but chances are you might be up early anyway going to the beach/pool. If not we loved the buffet restaurant food. You do have to get up and get your own food obviously but its very good and the assortment is huge.

I think I saw another negative post about RIU recently on the boards so you might want to do a search.

I HTH but maybe not since its another country....DH and I personally LOVE the RIU hotels.

Re: help! Bahamas (i think i made a mistake)

I have not been to the RIU, but I did book the RIU in Cabo for our HM and changed it after reading negative reviews on Trip Advisor. Other 2005 brides went to the RIU and loved it. Other brides went to the hotel we went to and didn't like it (while we loved it). I didn't like the idea of making reservations for the restaurants or wearing bracelets for the AI and I knew my DH would hate it, so that was my reason for changing.

Anyway, my point is that Trip Advisor reviews can be misleading. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, so go with your gut instinct. I was going to book 9 Beaches in Bermuda this morning with AMEX and just read conflicting reviews on Trip Advisor and now I don't know what to do!

Re: help! Bahamas (i think i made a mistake)

This is why its always good to look at the reviews before booking.. even though everyone has there preferences.. you might think something was bad and I might find it great.. its probably pretty safe to say if something truly gets horrible reviews and the best of reviews are so-so that they are pretty acurate.
I would read through the reviews, see what ppls biggest complaints are about. I dont listen to much to " the pool is to chilly" or " drinks werent strong enough" but I wont book a place thats known to have terrible food or cleanliness issues.
What would happen if you switched your hotel?
I think you should look into it more and also go with your gut instinct.
Good luck..

Re: help! Bahamas (i think i made a mistake)

I would switch - Danielle and I absolutly loved Sandals - but we were in St Lucia
Scott

Re: help! Bahamas (i think i made a mistake)

I would try to switch it if possible. Actually I recently saw specials on travelzoo for the atlantis and in today's top twenty on travel zoo the flights are cheap with spirit...I hope this helps. I've also stayed at the Atlantis in the Royal Towers and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!