My husband Will and I were married on September 18, 1977 in Farmingdale, NJ at the Chapel at Allaire State Park long before it was air conditioned! Somewhere there are photos of sweat dripping off his chin as we said our vows. This year we celebrated our 47th anniversary as we drove our RV home after a trip through New England.
September 18, 1977
For our 45th anniversary we traveled to Sandals Royal Bahamian. This is one of Sandals smaller properties – more deep than wide. Sandals was celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2022 and they made us an offer we couldn’t refuse! If you want to celebrate your wedding anniversary at a Sandals or Beaches Resort, and they’re not offering a promotion like we got, then let’s talk about their Cheers to the Years promotion. It’s a free night on a minimum seven night stay in a Club or Butler level room that’s not already offering a free night. You will have to travel within 30 days of your actual wedding anniversary and produce a copy of your marriage license. If you want to renew your vows – just the two of you or with family and forever friends – let’s talk about their Re-Tie the Knot program.
Direct flights from EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport) to NAS (Lynden Pindling International Airport) in the Bahamas are easy to get and are a little over three hours each way. One of the best things about visiting the Bahamas is that you clear US Immigration and Customs in Nassau so that when you land back in the US you just get off the plane, collect your checked bags, and go home.
When you arrive in Nassau you go through Immigration, go to baggage claim, then Customs (nothing to declare) and through the exit looking for the signs to SANDALS. Once there you’ll be checked off a list and your luggage will be tagged. Keep a carryon with you that contains change of clothes, sunscreen, hats, flip flops, etc. In the lounge you’ll be able to use the rest room, get a cold beverage and a snack before boarding the shuttle to the resort. It’s less than a 20 minute ride. Airport shuttle drivers are NOT Sandals employees and will be expecting a cash gratuity ($5 is a good start. Go up from there if you have lots of luggage).
Once at the resort you’ll be checked off another list, given a cold towel, and handed a chilled adult beverage. You’ll watch your luggage come off the shuttle and be asked to group them together. If you’re a club or butler guest you’ll be escorted to the appropriate lounge. If you’re in a luxury room you’ll head to the front desk. Rooms are not usually available until 3:00pm. Ask where you can change before being escorted to lunch. Ask to go to Calico Cafe (sit down ala carte menu) instead of Kanoo (buffet). There’s also the Coco Queen food truck that serves conch and pulled pork sandwiches.
If you’re in a butler suite, your butler will come find you when your room is ready. If you’re in a club room, go back to the club lounge where you checked in. If you’re in a luxury room go back to the front desk. We were in a luxury room in the East Bay building. Our room was ready by 3:00pm and we had a nice view of the ocean. The balcony was narrow but roomy enough for a table and two chairs. The bathroom had two sinks, 2 closets and a tub/shower combo. NOTE: Since we were there in 2022 all the rooms in the East Bay building were renovated and reopened in April 2024.
Without a butler we found it a little challenging, but not impossible, to get loungers with shade at the two bigger pools and the main resort beach without getting up super early. We did find loungers (and peace and quiet) at the small pool in the Island Village and under a platformed gazebo on the back of the private island.
The resort has 3 pools. The quiet pool is outside the East Bay building. It’s a huge pool with swim up bar. It’s so quiet they don’t have a blender so don’t ask for a frozen drink while there. The active pool (where the games are played) is outside the West Bay building. This building is all Club & Butler level rooms. All the rooms in this building were renovated during COVID and reopened in 2022. There are club level swim up rooms in this building that are huge but they’re in the back of the building with a view of a garden wall. Nice and quiet back here with easy access to beach and water sports shack. The third pool is in the Island Village. If you didn’t know it was there you wouldn’t know it was there.
We didn’t leave the resort having been to Nassau many times before. The Baha Mar resort is a bus or cab ride away and has a casino. The straw market is still in downtown Nassau by the cruise port as is luxury shopping. You can do day trips to Paradise Island too if you’d like. There’s plenty to do (or not) while you’re on property. One afternoon we were back in our room and I heard drums. Ran down to the Coconut Grove to see/hear the Junkanoo band that dropped in for a performance!
One afternoon’s entertainment.For our anniversary we rented a beach cabana that comes with butler service. Our cooler was filled with water and beer. Our butler ran drinks for us and brought us lunch. We had our own loungers in addition to a big comfortable day bed. That night we had the candlelight dinner on the beach. Our dinner waiter worked hard to get me a full lobster tail. It was delicious!!
There is a boat that ferries guests from the main resort to the private island during the day. The resort owns 1/2 the island. The other 1/2 (separated by a wall and a guard) has a private home and is used by cruise ships as a beach excursion. The line forms early for the first crossing and the boat will come back and get guests standing in line that don’t fit on the first one. Highly recommend being on that first ferry, getting chairs upon arrival, then getting in line for lunch. The Aralia House restaurant on the island is only open for lunch and if you’re not in line before the 2nd timed ferry gets there you’ll wait for an hour or more to be seated. Food is good! Highly recommend the ribs and the jerk chicken. There’s no Jerk Shack here so this is the only place to get jerk. The island has a pool with swim up bar and there’s a bigger bar in front of Aralia’s. There’s good snorkeling off the back side of the island and they do offer snorkeling equipment if you don’t bring your own (my mask has my prescription in it). The Red Land Spa also offers massages on the island. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!. If you have a butler they’ll fill a cooler for you to bring with you but they don’t come over to the island. The Sandals side of the island closes at 4:00pm. DO NOT miss that last ferry!!
The island is available for private events such as destination weddings after 4:00pm each day. There currently is no additional charge for this. Their new Aisle to Isle Program is competitively priced with lots of inclusions and discounts available when ten or more guest rooms are booked. Former award wining professional wedding planner here! I speak Sandals and Beaches Weddings.
For meals hubby loves the buffets at Kanoo or Tesoro for breakfast. I like room service. There’s also Sweet n Tings for coffee, crepes, and other sweets and LaPlume for an ala carte breakfast. you will roast sitting at tables near the floor to ceiling glass windows on a hot sunny day. For lunch we both liked Tesoro (for pizza), Calico Cafe, Aralia House, and Coco Queen. For dinner we like Tesoro (for the antipasto buffet) Butch’s, Gordon’s on the Pier, and LePlume. There’s also Kimono’s (think Benihana), Soy (Sushi), and the Queens Pearl for dinner, and late night dining. Royal Bahamian has been very strict about the Resort Evening dress code for men. Bring a pair of long pants and closed toe shoes. Women can wear almost anything except a bathing suit. Kimono, Butch’s and LePlume require reservations. You can make one reservation on the Sandals app two weeks prior to arrival. The app is wonky. You may need to try multiple times. If it doesn’t work, or you want to make reservations at all three, you can do it when you get there.
We enjoyed our stay and keep it as a option for quick getaways. The weather in the Bahamas is a little chilly in the winter (low 70s) but still better than NJ in February but may not be great swimming weather. Having been there in April, October, and November I can tell you that it does get hot there – damn hot! Check your trusted weather app for more complete info,
We’ve also celebrated our anniversary at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, Jamaica and Sandals Grande Antigua. If you’d like more info about any of the Sandals or Beaches Resorts (I’ve been to them all), the Cheers for the Years promotion, their Aisle to Isle destination wedding program, or anything else related to their properties please let me know!