Sandals 2.0 is here – and this is what your clients can expect

SANDALS 2.0

Sandals Dunn’s River is dubbed a “next generation” resort as the company looks to double its properties, and it’s not only design that impress. We’re staying in a Tufa Terrace One Bedroom Skypool Butler Suite, a Jamaica first, which has a clear-fronted pool the length of the balcony with a free-standing bath alongside. I also love the flatteringly lit mirrors and circular tub in the bathroom.

The Skypool proves long enough for three or four swim strokes. From here, level with the treetops, we watch huge frigate birds circling and Sandals catamarans manoeuvring in the turquoise sea.

Meanwhile, situated away from the beach, Coyaba Sky Villas are a Sandals first, with secluded roof terraces where guests can receive guided stargazing sessions using personal telescopes. “What you’re doing is creating a

memory,” explains resort general manager Deryk Meany. “In the hospitality world, if you stand still, you crumble and disappear.”

Of the Caribbean-wide “Sandals 2.0” improvements he adds: “[We have] 40 years’ worth now of information from people that visit, from airlines and travel advisors. We understand, for instance, that for 260 rooms you need more than five restaurants – we have 12 here so you get a more intimate experience.”

Eight of these are evening restaurants with charming staff. For a sense of occasion, guests can book new French-themed La Amande, which has chandeliers but remains informal enough for football chat with our waiter. New Greek restaurant Edessa also opens for a la carte breakfasts, like eggs Benedict and avocado toast.

Unsurprisingly, the best eateries are not attempting European or Asian cuisine but showcasing local classics. I have delicious foil-wrapped fish at the beach Jerk Shack, which also serves up jerk chicken, curried goat and whole snapper. It opens for lunch and, by reservation, dinner, when we enjoy the shabby-chic vibe and the sound of the waves.

Dunn’s Rum Club, another Sandals first, has over 30 versions of the spirit and is the best bar for strong, well-mixed cocktails. An equal highlight is its tapas. The pepper shrimp is eye-rollingly good, and meat lovers praise the oxtail slider. Following its introduction at Sandals Royal Curacao, a dine-around programme featuring off-site restaurants is coming soon.

CHANGING DEMOGRAPHIC

Influencers have been wowed by the resort’s design and innovations like barista-led coffee shop Blum, which also serves early risers from a beach bicycle. They’ve helped lower Sandals’ age demographic from 40+ to monied couples in their 20s and 30s.

I notice a mood shift, since I was last at a Sandals. Piped soft rock tunes are replaced by a poolside DJ. An American couple mark their anniversary with corresponding “Soul” and “Mate” T-shirts, but there’s generally less cheese and more double-date dining. Fun-loving friends congregate around the swim-up bar, and it’s worth noting the Skypool suites overlook this, though the Bluetooth speaker proves handy when I prefer to chill.

Not that Sandals has lost its romance. We spot five weddings and vow renewals over the week. Couples concluding their beach ceremonies are cheered by nearby swimmers. 

Our shady balcony pool is our refuge from afternoon heat before cheeky sundowners at the swim-up bar. We also make daily visits to air-conditioned Blum, working through various hot and iced versions of Jamaica’s renowned Blue Mountain coffee.

With guests spread over several bars, or perhaps sleeping off earlier indulgence, evenings feel low-key. After the main nightly entertainment, there’s a pianist-led sing-along in the lobby. In the morning, a solo saxophonist sets the mood at breakfast.

THE ’BAT PHONE’

Our butler checks in with us daily via a mobile we call “the bat phone”. He books the reservation-only restaurants and bags us a poolside cabana with stocked cool box. On our late arrival at the resort, discovering the bath he’d run us nearly made me weep.