SANDALS, BAHAMAS
All-inclusive resorts are all overcrowded beaches and watered-down drinks, right? Not so, as a trip to two Sandals resorts in the Bahamas shows me. First signs of luxury: the white Rolls-royce that collects me from the airport in Nassau and takes me to the elegant Sandals Royal Bahamian resort; the welcome glass of Champagne in the Club Sandals lounge; the introduction to my butler, who is on hand to help with anything from dinner reservations to snorkelling trips during my stay (all of which, of course, are included).
The bedrooms at both the Sandals Royal Bahamian and Sandals Emerald Bay on Great Exuma are luxurious, too: smart and spacious with dark wooden four-poster beds and private balconies. Giant tiled bathrooms are full of Sandals own-brand toiletries and deep fluffy towels – and, marvellously, the minibars are anything but mini. As to be expected, the food and drink is equally abundant and high quality, with everything from escargots at Emerald Bay’s La Parisienne to Teppanyaki-style dining at Kimonos, Royal Bahamian. Plus, there’s a different ‘house’ cocktail on offer to match the cuisine every night of the week.
Sandals may have two resorts perched on Bahamian islands (and 13 more around the Caribbean), but each offers a different sort of vibe (though they share attention to detail and, of course, those strikingly clear turquoise waters and white-sand beaches). Royal Bahamian is more compact, which in turn makes it feel busier and more energised than its sister resort on Great Exuma. Emerald Bay is home to a scenic 18-hole oceanside golf course and sits within 500 acres of tropical grounds, so the pace of life here feels slow and calming.
The resorts also share a thoughtful reflection of their respective Bahamian island’s culture. For an additional cost, you can book a range of tours and experiences through Sandals’ in-house adventure tour operator Island Routes. We take a Bites of Nassau Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour, which gives an insight into local life in the buzzing Bahamian capital. We also visit a local primary school on a trip organised by the resort’s charitable arm, the Sandals Foundation, to read stories to the children. It’s a challenge to drag ourselves away from the beachfront sunloungers, frozen cocktails and swim-up bars, but experiencing life ‘off-resort’ and seeing the colourful, creative and musical heritage that Bahamians are so proud of makes the trip feel extra special.
At first, the sea, sand and great service seem like the highlights of this holiday, but then I go on a day trip organised by Triple A Adventures. We explore some of the Exumas’ 365 islands and cays by speedboat, many of which are owned and inhabited by the rich and famous. We snorkel in Thunderball Grotto (as swum in by Bond, James Bond in Thunderball), visit Iguana Island (inhabited only by the beautiful northern Bahamian rock iguanas), pet nurse sharks and feed the famed swimming pigs of the Bahamas. Each moment seems more unique and incredible than the last, and the day is one of the best (and most bizarre) of my life. A swimming hairy pig called Big Momma living her best life in actual paradise among her herd is worth a trip to the Bahamas to see, if nothing else. LAUREN HUBBARD
‘THE PACE OF LIFE HERE IS SLOW AND CALMING’