Rising Star Trip to Sandals Royal Bahamian

OMG! Do I hate early flights.  There is something about getting up at 3:00am and racing to the airport to catch a 6:00 flight.  The upside is I was relaxing in a lounge chair with a drink by 2:00pm.  My flight to the Bahamas was smooth, I would recommend upgrading to the Delta Comfort, it gives you lots of leg room and a seat near the front of the plane.

​

I arrived at the airport and easily went through customs and was at the Sandals welcome lounge by 12:30pm.  I then boarded an air conditioned van for the 15 minute ride to Sandals Royal Bahamian.  Upon arrival I was greeted and offered a cold wet compress and a glass of champagne.  I was then escorted to the Club Sandals lounge for check-in.

​

The Club Sandals staff brought me to my room and showed me what my club level room had to offer.  Large four poster mahogany bed, balcony with an amazing view of the ocean, double sinks, double closet and a large tiled shower, and best of all a fully stocked bar.  I was given an activity schedule and a newsletter of what was offered each day of my stay.

​

I quickly unpacked and changed into my bathing suit so I could go soak up the sun.  On my way to the pool I stopped by Bella Napoli to order a brick oven pizza.  I choose a great location by the pool that also allowed me to see the ocean. I swam up to the swim up pool bar and ordered myself my first of many Bahama Mamas.

​

With 10 speciality restaurants to choose from, my decision for dinner was challenging.  Sandals has gourmet discovery dinning French, Italian, Caribbean Cuisine, Japanese, etc.   Do I go to Baccarat, the french restaurant and have escargot and beef tenderloin, or do I go to spices that serves caribbean cuisine and get lobster and conch salad. Decisions, decisions….  I decided to go to Spices and had lots of fresh seafood.

​

Since my day started very early in the morning I decided to pass on the nightly entertainment.

 

I woke up in the morning, refreshed and ready to enjoy another day in the sun.  First, I needed to go to breakfast (my favorite meal of the day).  At Sandals breakfast is amazing!  Made to order omelets, crepes, waffles, fresh fruit, Blue Mountain Coffee, fresh baked pastries, and the list goes on and on.

 

I spent my day swimming in the ocean and laying on the beach.  Since a bartender comes on the beach and takes your drink orders I didn’t have to move much all day and was able to read an entire book.  As I was walking back to my room to rest and get ready for dinner I walked through the piano bar and noticed they had tea/coffee and desserts set out to enjoy.  Something Sandals Royal Bahamian offers daily, tea/coffee and desserts at 4pm.

 

When I got back to my room I changed in to a Sandals Robe and made myself a drink at my in room bar and sat on the balcony and stared out at the ocean.

 

Tonight I had chosen Kimonos, Sandals’ Japanese tapenaki restaurant.  Something that Sandals does is they bring in chefs from around the world for their different discovery gourmet dining options.  So you are getting an authentic dining experience from different regions of the world.  We had chef Luwegi and he entertained us from start to finish.

 

After dinner I walked around the property and enjoyed the ocean breeze.  I found so many quiet secluded spots to relax.  Sandals has hammocks, hanging chairs, and fire pits throughout the property to sit and enjoy.

 

I decided to wake up early and go up to the penthouse Gym so that I can walk off this incredible food on the treadmill.  After my workout I went and had a light breakfast and then changed for my Island Routes Tour.  I had chosen to go on a Clifton Heritage Tour.  Island Routes picked me up in the lobby and drove me the 30 minute drive to the edge of the island.  We explored some of the first buildings of the Bahamas and learned about the slave trade and I was able to see the stairs that people walked up when they got off the boats.  I then went snorkeling and viewed the largest underwater statue and a plane that was sunk for a movie.

 

After my tour I was exhausted.  I found a pool floaty and fell asleep floating around the pool.  That is what I love about Sandals, you can do everything or nothing at all.

 

Tonight I had chosen to go to Baccarat, the french restaurant.  I had Robert Monday pinot grigio (Sandals house wine), escargot, beef tenderloin, and for dessert creme brûlée.

 

After dinner I decided to stop at Cricketers (an authentic Irish pub) to watch the NBA finals.  My nephew loves basketball so I decided to FaceTime him (wifi is free at Sandals) and share in the excitement of Clevelands win.

 

On my last day at Sandals it was a bit cloudy, so I decided to go to the Red Lane Spa.  I had one of the best Deep Relief Massages.  I followed the massage up in the steam room and sipped on an herbal tea.  I love Sandals Red Lane Spa.  The sauna and steam rooms are complementary so you can use them throughout the week.  The massages and treatments they offer are amazing and reasonably priced.

 

After my massage I went back to my room and packed for my trip back home the next day.  I was excited for the Caribbean Beach party that Sandals threw for my farewell dinner.  It had food from different restaurants throughout the resort.  We were able to listen to a live band, watch stilt walkers, and a local caribbean steel band.  Amazing end to my stay at Sandals Royal Bahamian.

 

After dinner I sat by the fire pit and listen to the one man band play.  I reflected on my stay at Sandals and felt very blessed to be able to take a break from life and enjoy this amazing island in the Bahamas