All-inclusive honeymoons

Picture this. You’re whiling away the hours, cocooned by a hammock, in front of your beachfront suite and staring out at the uninterrupted view of the glistening turquoise ocean and the bright blue sky on the horizon. Sound like the perfect place for your honeymoon? Then head to Sandals Emerald Bay, a 5-Star Luxury Included® Resort, on Great Exuma in The Bahamas.

Great Exuma is only 37 miles long, but it’s 37 miles of white powdered sand and clear blue seas that would put any turquoise paint chart to shame. There is every blue you can think of, and then some. This adults-only, all-inclusive resort sits on a mile of Exuma’s best beach with a panoramic view of the electric-blue waters of Emerald Bay – and it couldn’t be better for sunsets if it tried.  

Sumptuous serenity

We stayed in one of the Beachfront Walkout Butler Villa Suites, a colonial-style space with a four-poster mahogany king-size bed and floor-to-ceiling windows that literally brought the outdoors in. These suites come with a personal butler – think having your suitcase unpacked for you, towels and drinks set up at the pool and returning to your room to find it decorated with rose petals, Champagne on ice and a bubble bath run for you. And the 24-hour room service is perfect for honeymooners wanting to hide away from the world.

There’s lots to lure you away from your suite too, with romance at every turn. You can enjoy a private candlelit dinner for two under the stars or how about relaxing in one of the cabanas for two that are dotted around the 500 acres of tropical gardens?

The three fresh water pools at Sandals Emerald Bay include the Caribbean’s largest zero-entry pool with a sunset tower, swim-up bar and dramatic fire pit in the centre.

The Red Lane Spa is the perfect place to indulge in some real you time post-wedding and has 17 treatment rooms, a fitness centre and a beauty salon, as well as its own outside pool area, ideal for sun-worshippers relaxing pre-treatment. The Flawless Facial was a stand-out a treatment for us but the Passionfruit Agave Massage was amazing with the therapists going above and beyond to ensure the experience was memorable. 

Adventure together

A trip to Great Exuma wouldn’t be complete without swimming with pigs – yes, you did read that correctly! And only in Exuma. We had a fabulous excursion organised by Island Routes where we boarded a 35-foot boat and cruised in and out of beautiful cays stopping to feed the infamous Swimming Pigs, visit the endangered Bahamian rock Iguana, snorkel in beautiful reefs and discover a stunning sandbar.

If you want to combine fitness on your honeymoon, wellness is at the heart of many of the activities at the resort. The 18-hole Greg Norman golf course is one of the most scenic courses in the Caribbean and you can also enjoy unlimited land and watersports such as windsurfing, kayaking and paddle boarding, play tennis or experience a sunrise yoga session followed by fresh tropical smoothies. Plus certified scuba divers get two free dives a day.

For the love of food

There are 11 restaurants at Sandals Emerald Bay so you’re never stuck for delicious choices. Enjoy fresh seafood at Barefoot by the Sea, French cuisine at La Parisienne, sample Japanese at Kimonos and Soy Sushi Bar, try some authentic Caribbean specialities at The Jerk Shack, fine dining at Italian restaurant Il Cielo, and check out the wicked cocktails and nightly entertainment at The Drunken Duck. It’s all included in the price!

Book it!

Seven nights staying in a Beach House Grande Luxe Walkout Club Level Room costs from £2,669 per person. Price includes Luxury Included® (all-inclusive) accommodation, return economy flights with British Airways from London and island transfers. Price valid between 1 May and 30 June 2020, based on two adults sharing and is subject to availability. For more details visit sandals.co.uk.

For more ideas and inspiration for a dream honeymoon in The Bahamas read more here.