Many of us will be feeling the usual gloom of January combined with the ongoing uncertainty around the pandemic right now, but could thoughts of sipping tequila cocktails on a beach in Antigua help get you – and your clients – through it?
It cheered us up at TTG Luxury at any rate. The thought of rocking up to a beach bar in the Caribbean and drinking cocktails mixed with the tequila brand created by George Clooney and long-time friends Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman was a high spot of this week.
And it’s the general idea at Jumby Bay, which has signed a partnership with the premium tequila brand started by the trio, Casamigos.
While UK travellers cannot currently travel to the island given the national lockdown here, the Casamigos Margarita Beach Shack is likely to be in place until at least August, so there’ll still be time to get there.
The collaboration includes the launch of the Casamigos Margarita Beach Shack pop-up bar, with cocktails specially curated for the resort, as well “a margarita hotline” for those who would rather have the cocktails delivered to their suites, villas and private residences by a Casamigos bar on wheels.
Jumby Bay’s bartenders have been trained by Casamigos mixologists to serve up the cocktails – such as the Spicy Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita and the Casa Ginger Mint Paloma – from the cheery beach bar with its branded umbrellas, surfboards and glassware.
The beach shack will be hosting weekly sunset beach experiences for guests, serving up ice-cold margaritas and smooth shots of tequila as the sun goes down, while other classic Jumby Bay experiences such as the Margarita Sunset Cruise have also been given the Casamigos twist.
Meanwhile for guests who call for the “hotline” for the Casamigos bar on wheels to appear, there will be mixed margaritas, popsicles and ice-cold shots of tequila.
And anyone lucky enough to be in a villa or private residence at the resort can request a pop-up bar be set up on their property for a special occasion.
Jumby Bay has also completed 28 new suites with design firm Studio IDC, a move which returns the resort – part of Oetker Collection – to the same number of rooms as when the hotel originally opened in 1983.
This year has also seen the relaunch of the Jumby Bay Sailing Academy, designed to teach the fundamentals of sailing to guests of all ages.
Another new addition is the Delphis Private Residence, which sits on its own peninsula with a private dock, gym, games pavilion, outdoor yoga pavilion, two freshwater infinity pools and a stretch of private beach.