All for YOU
Luxury, culture, entertainment, food and drink… an all-inclusive trip to the Caribbean might actually be everything you never knew you wanted
Until recently, I had fallen victim to some of the misconceptions associated with all-inclusive resorts. I had thought, like many others, that the whole concept was a little downmarket… until I stayed at a Sandals resort.
I couldn’t have asked for more during my time at two of the 15 Sandals resorts throughout the Caribbean. After being picked up from the airport in Nassau and taken to the elegant Sandals Royal Bahamian in a white Rolls-royce, we were welcomed with Champagne and introduced to our butler, who was on hand to help with anything from dinner reservations to snorkelling trips during our visit – all of which, of course, was included.
Bedrooms at both the Royal Bahamian and Emerald Bay on Great Exuma were spacious, clean and luxurious. Towels and spa products were supplied and replaced in abundance, as was, very importantly, the mini bar. There was a huge choice of restaurants at the resorts, everything from the delicacies of escargots at La Parisienne to the theatre of teppanyaki at Kimonos. The idea of simply upping and leaving these lovely restaurants without paying, having consumed far too much food and drink, still baffles me now!
Sandals Emerald Bay is home to a scenic 18-hole ocean-side golf course and sits within 500 acres of tropical grounds, which invite a slow, calm and relaxed pace of life.
I was keen to explore both Nassau and Exuma and, for an additional cost, the resorts use adventure tour operator Island Routes, through which you can book tours and experiences. We went along on a trip organised by the resort’s charitable arm, the Sandals Foundation, to a local primary school to meet and read stories to the children. I’d recommend experiencing life ‘off-resort’. The locals are so proud of their colourful, creative and musical heritage, it was a pleasure to see and learn about some of that.
One of the highlights of my visit to the Bahamas was a trip organised by Triple A Adventures. We spent a day on a speedboat exploring some of the 365 Exumas islands and cays, many of which are owned and inhabited by the rich and famous. We went snorkelling in the world-renowned Thunderball Grotto (as swum in by James Bond), we visited Iguana Island, petted nurse sharks and fed the famed swimming pigs. Every element of the day was such an incredible experience that the whole trip was up there as one of my most memorable. A swimming hairy pig called Big Momma living her best life in paradise among her herd… that’s surely worth a visit to the Bahamas on its own!
• Five nights in a Balmoral Premium room at Sandals Royal Bahamian and five nights at Sandals Emerald Bay in a Beach House Honeymoon Oceanview Grande Luxe Club Level Room costs from £3,909pp, inclusive of meals, premium drinks, selected land and water sports, transfers and BA international and inter-island flights; sandals.co.uk.
To find out more about the Bahamas, visit bahamas.com/uk.