ASK THE EXPERT
Get the inside track on planning your dream Caribbean getaway
■ What makes a Sandals holiday unique?
SANDALS Resorts’ properties are all Luxury Included®, and we offer more quality inclusions than any other resort company. Resort transfers, meals and snacks at our Global Gourmet restaurants, drinks including premium spirits, land and water sports including scuba diving for PADI qualified divers and golf at some resorts, and entertainment is all free of charge for guests. Sandals Resorts is exclusively for couples in love, whereas Beaches Resorts is for everyone, including families and groups. Our properties are located on stunning beaches with white sand and crystal-clear waters, but it’s our award-winning service that keeps guests coming back year after year.
■ What health and safety measures has Sandals put in place to help protect guests in resort during this pandemic?
SANDALS Resorts has been operating for almost 40 years, so we have some of the most stringent health-and-safety procedures in the business. During the pandemic, we enhanced our industryleading practices to create the Sandals Platinum Protocol of Cleanliness.
These extensive protocols cover 18 key touchpoints at each resort, including every inch of guest bedrooms and bathrooms, all public areas, facilities like swimming pools, and more. We operate resort transfers at a reduced capacity, enable social distancing with spaced-out sun loungers, and the tables at our restaurants are placed six feet apart. Staff members wear masks, and we’ve introduced an online check in process allowing guests to go straight to their room on arrival.
■ What has been your most interesting guest request?
A BRIDE who was getting married in Jamaica asked for a white horse to ride on down the aisle – on the morning of her wedding! Luckily, our team managed to get one to the resort just in time.
■ What is the first place you fell in love with?
FIJI, because I lived there when I was young. Our house backed on to a stunning beach, and I used to pick breadfruit from the tree in the garden each morning for breakfast. Not a bad place to grow up!
■ You never go on holiday without taking...
TRAVEL insurance, a good pair of sunglasses and a jar of Marmite.
■ Who do you follow on social media and why?
TRAVEL photographer @chrisburkard, because his work makes me want to travel, and @simon_devitt, an architectural photographer based in New Zealand, because my dad was an architect and I worked with him as a draftsman before I got into the travel industry.