Why We Recommend It:
Sandals Emerald Bay is an adults-only 5 Star resort on Great Exuma, one of two Sandals’ resorts in The Bahamas. It’s a 245-room property with a lovely, mile-long stretch of beach and 500 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds.
It’s a friendly, sociable place but with more than enough space for couples to find as much alone time as they wish.
Amongst other things, it has seven restaurants, a good social scene, numerous pools, tennis courts, spa facilities, and a scenic, 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed golf course with green fees all-inclusive.
Rooms & Suites:
Their 245 rooms are divided into various categories and price points, from solidly good entry-level choices to their most expensive option: the very impressive, two-story detached, beachfront One Bedroom Butler Villa Suites.
Mini mansions you could say, they offer loads of space indoors and out, private plunge pools, and broad, unobstructed views over the sand and sea.
Entry-level rooms are very good value at this resort though, with their most basic choice lacking very little except large amounts of space maybe.
They all have a nice old colonial feel with impressive mahogany furniture including poster beds. All have some degree of outside space – balcony or patio – and some kind of sea view.
There are two levels of service to choose from at Sandals Emerald Bay: Club Level, their entry-level offering, and Butler Level.
The Butler Level has, of course, a personal butler service, but also perks such as premium liquor in the mini bar, pillow menus and separate bedrooms and living rooms.
All bathrooms are plush and spacious with marble vanity units, bathtubs, luxury bathrobes, and the usual opulent Red Lane Spa toiletries.
Take a look at your room options now at the Sandals’ own website here.
Food, Facilities & Things to Do:
The large, two-level Bahama Bay is the resort’s main restaurant and serves international buffet spreads for breakfast and lunch, and a la carte, mainly Caribbean dishes, for dinner.
Cafe de Paris is the main coffee shop and also serves up pastries, snacks, desserts, and smoothies all day.
Barefoot by the Sea is a casual, seafood-focused beachfront eatery. Similarly casual is Dino’s which offers a variety of great Neapolitan pizza including made-to-order creations.
La Parisienne (classic French) and Il Cielo (classic Italian) are the resort’s more formal fine dining restaurants, with reservations being required for both.
The resort also has a jerk chicken shack, an Indian restaurant, and sushi and teppanyaki Japanese venues.
The Drunken Duck Pub is a lively British-style pub that does pub-grub (burgers, fish and chips, etc.) throughout the day and can get very lively after night falls. Daytime drinking and partying tend to focus on the main pool bar.
The grounds are large at Sandals’ Emerald Bay and facilities are numerous including three pools, three tennis courts, beach volleyball, a Sandals’ Red Lane Spa (not all-inclusive), a modern fitness center, and their 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed golf course with green fees all included.
Kayaking, windsurfing, snorkeling, sailboating, and paddle boarding are some of the water sports all-inclusive at Sandals as is scuba at nearby sites for PADI-certified divers.
Non-certified guests can take the three-hour-long certification program at this or any other Sandals and be diving the next day.
Resort Location:
This Sandals is on Emerald Bay Beach on Great Exuma Island. It’s an isolated, peaceful spot a 20-minute drive from George Town, Exuma’s largest city.
Exuma Airport is around ten minutes away with Sandals offering free shuttles to and from there for all guests.