Paradise Island
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Paradise Iceland is an island that belongs to the Bahamas. It covers an area of about 277 ha or 2.77 square kilometers. The island lies 440 meters off the north coast of the main Bahamian island of New Providence and is located in the municipality ( electoral district, supervisory district ) Montagu expected the state capital of Nassau. Paradise Iceland is known for the large hotel Atlantis Paradise Iceland and its numerous water parks, swimming pools, beaches, restaurants, casinos and aquariums.
Since 1966, Paradise Iceland is connected via a pedestrian and traffic bridge to the island of New Providence, in the late 1990s a second bridge was built, since then for both directions of one bridge available. For road transport, will be charged a fee when leaving the bridge to drive on the island, most of whom about 1 U.S. $ (converted about 0.75 € ) equivalent.
History
Before the Second World War, the island was known as Hog Iceland and was privately owned by the Swedish industrialist Axel Lennart Wenner -Gren. 1959 traveled Huntington Hartford, a legacy of the A & P empire, after Hog Iceland, to acquire the island of Wenner -Gren. He changed the name to Paradise Iceland and hired the architect John Folk, who constructed various buildings and areas, so among other things, the Ocean Club and Café Martinique. In addition, Hartford bought a monastery from Montréjeau from the 14th century, which was dismantled in the 1920 's by William Randolph Hearst, and left it on his island eventually rebuild. He campaigned golf star at Gary Player and the successful professional tennis player Pancho Gonzales for the sport on the island. The opening on the resort, was discussed in high-circulation newspapers such as Newsweek and Time magazine. The fireworks for the opening ceremony was Hartford fly from southern France. The Paradise Beach was printed on the Bahamian dollar bills from 1966.
In the 1970s, Hartford finally met with Jim Crosby, won that as an investor and got the gambling License for Paradise Iceland. Jim Crosby and Jack Davis founded the Resorts International to accelerate the development of the island and the resort. About the company they built the bridge between the island of New Providence and Paradise Iceland and built large hotels. Shortly after, the first casino was built and brought the company in the first year a profit of over 300 million U.S. dollars. The share of resorts increased from an average of one to three dollars to over $ 200.
In the 1980s, Paradise Iceland was sold for 79 million U.S. dollars, after the entertainer Merv Griffin bought it already for 400 million U.S. dollars. Recently it was sold for 125 million U.S. dollars at the current owner Sol Kerzner. The current value of the resort is estimated at $ 2 billion.
Presence
Nowadays, especially the northwest and north of the island is dominated by large hotels, there is also the belonging to the same hotel complex Atlantis Lagoon. To the west of the island there is an approximately 2 km long and less than 100 m wide foothills, on the next to sprawl and private villas with private moorings are located. Approximately in the center of the island, between the Atlantis complex and the Lake View Drive, a small nature reserve with artificial lake, south of which is two retail areas were built. South of the Atlantis hotel is the artificially created Paradise Lake, which serves primarily as a marina, has a waterway to the bay in front of Nassau and is located near the upscale retail Passage Marina Village. In the south of the island is located on a private, secure residential complex with striking colorful painted houses, on the other hand a stop on the passenger ferry to the Bahamas Fast Ferries that connect the island with the main island. The east of the island and the area south of Iceland Paradise Drive are dominated by private residences, here there is also a large golf course. In the southeast of the island there is a second marina.
Officially, there are nine beaches on the island, partly private, partly public. From southwest to east: Casuarina Beach, Colonial Beach, Paradise Beach, Cove Beach, Sunrise Beach, Cabbage Beach, Arawak Beach, Smugglers Beach, Victoria Beach. Most of these beaches are among the hotel or residential facilities, public access, however, the Casuarina Beach in the south and to the Sunrise Beach and Cabbage Beach in the north.
Gallery
The Royal Towers of the Atlantis hotel
Pool area of the Atlantis hotel
Aquarium at the Atlantis hotel
Paradise Beach with western foothills in the background
Private residential complex in the south of the island, in the background of the Atlantis complex