Sandals Emerald Bay Review

Well, I’m back home from my trip to Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas and I’ve been able to upload all my photos and videos. Sandald Emerald Bay is located on Great Exuma in the Bahamas (airport code GGT) and is only about a 13min ride from the airport! The airport is very small so going through the airport and getting to the resort is so easy and quick and the Sandals staff is right outside ready to great you and whisk you away to paradise. Once you are there you are going to be in awe of the beauty and you’ll feel the stress of your everyday life just melt away as soon as you walk in. Here is my full review of what I experienced at Sandals Emerald Bay.

Rooms
There are so many different room types at Sandals Emerald Bay so you can find the perfect one for you. All of them are concierge level and some of them come with butler service. I stayed in building 3 (3309) in a category called “1-bedroom Ocean-view Luxury Suite” which came with butler service. It was more than enough space (I think bigger than my first apartment). From the other rooms I saw, I think you would be very happy in all of them and they are all very clean! Check out the video below of my room:

Beach
The beach here was beautiful! It is a crescent shape that spans about 1 mile with beautiful, powder sugar sand. There were no rocks to be seen on the beach or in the water. The water here is the most blue I have ever seen anywhere else and there were so many different shades of blue. I kept wanting to take pictures of the water because I was for sure that it was getting more blue as the days went on…after I looked at the pictures, they were all the same but it was so beautiful! While I was there the temperature of the ocean was perfect. It was a little chilly at first but once you got in it was ideal and so much fun to swim around. Also, on the beach is a water sports shop where you can kayak, take a catamaran and do other water sports through the resort. There are plenty of chairs for you to choose from and since the beach is so spread out I never felt crowded and at times I felt like I was the only one on the beach…heavenly!

Pools
There are 3 different types of pools at Sandals Emerald Bay; the main pool, quiet pool and spa pools. The main pool is a HUGE half-acre, zero entry pool (Caribbean’s largest zero entry pool)! In this pool you will find 2 hot tubs, swim-up bar, fire pit, a volleyball net and a basketball hoop. Plus, the cabanas surrounding the pool are equipped with wi-fi so if you want to take a picture and email it to your friends to make them jealous you can do that…not that I did that ! There is also a “quiet pool” which is much less active and you guessed it…quiet. It is a great spot to sit back relax and read a book with no distractions, but of course there is a pool bar there as well. The third type of pool are the plunge pools outside of the spa. These are open for you to use anytime but most people use them before or after their spa service. These pools are all kept at a very comfortable temperature which makes for a refreshing dip on a hot day. One other thing that I LOVED about the main pool, was that they had couches sitting in the ankle deep water on the side of the pool, so cool!

Service
I thought the service at Sandals Emerald Bay was phenomenal! Every staff member was friendly and made sure to stop and say “hi” when they saw you. What makes this resort unique is that every single room is a concierge level room so you have access to a concierge to help you out. Plus, there are room categories that offer a butler service! I was able to have a butler during my stay and loved it! To read more about my experience with my butler and the staff see my blog about Sandals Emerald Bay Butler Service. The service at the restaurants was on the slower end but that is to be expected because you are on “island time”. I didn’t mind it at all because I really enjoyed talking to my servers and soaking up the experience because I was on vacation but I just wanted to give you a heads up on that. But the personalized, friendly and fun service is what will keep me going back to Sandals Emerald Bay!

Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club
Probably my favorite part of this resort was that the golf course was right on property and right on the Caribbean! Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club is a Greg Norman designed championship golf course (site of Golf Channel’s show “Big Break – Sandals Resort”). Holes 11-16 site on a peninsula in the Caribbean and has some of the prettiest views I have ever seen on a golf course. For more info check out my Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club Review.

Restaurants/Food
There are 7 restaurants on property and I was able to eat at 5 of them during my stay. I thought the food was excellent at all of the a la carte restaurants. The food at the buffet (Bahama Bay) I thought was good but the restaurants had better food and the selection was a little small at the buffet. But believe me, I never left hungry! There are times when certain restaurants are open and others are not so make sure you check that when you first get there so you can plan your meals accordingly. But between the room service, Dino’s(pizza) and the Drunken Duck (British Pub, which is open until 2am), you can pretty much get food at anytime. Overall, the food was very good and the atmosphere of the restaurants was wonderful. I really loved eating at Barefoot by the Sea since it is located right on the sand. There is a dress code for some of the resorts so make sure you bring nice clothes for dinner (men: pants, collared shirt and closed toe shoes women: proper evening attire)

Who is this resort for?
Since this is a Sandals Resort it is for couples only. But whether you are looking for a honeymoon, destination wedding, or just a romantic getaway this is a PERFECT spot. Sandals Emerald Bay has such a intimate and romantic feel that you will feel like the resort was created just for you. I would recommend for any couple to go if you like to just hang out at the resort and relax. Since Great Exuma is such a small island there isn’t much to do outside the resort but once you get to the resort you aren’t going to want to leave.

It is with no hesitation that I would recommend that you visit and I hope that you get to go down to Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas to experience the bliss and beauty of this resort. If you have been there please share your comments with us.

- Sean from Delta Vacations
*I was hosted by Sandals Emerald Bay to review their resort but all opinions are honest and my own.