Golf Travel Review: Sandals Emerald Bay, Exuma Bahamas

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, November 3rd, 2014
Categories: GolfGolf CoursesGolf For WomenGolf LifeGolf LifestyleHOG World TourReviewsTravel
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This is going to be a tough review.  There is no way I can cover all of the fantastic features and offerings one can enjoy at the all-inclusive Bahamas resort, Sandals Emerald Bay on the island Great Exuma.  I will focus on my personal experiences and the key features of the resort, which were absolutely fantastic.

Great Exuma Island Bahamas

Great Exuma Island Bahamas

Sandals Emerald Bay Location

As the saying goes, “location, location, location!”  Sandals Emerald Bay is an all-inclusive resort on Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas.  Great Exuma Island is a very short 40 minute flight from Miami or southern Florida.  The island is southeast of the southern tip of Florida and northeast of Cuba.  See the attached imaged to the right.

Because of its proximity, the weather on Great Exuma Island is always warm.  The lowest temperatures in the winter average at a lovely 77 degrees and the highest temperatures in the summer average at 89.

The waters of Great Exuma and its surrounding islands are a brilliant coral blue color and crystal clear.  The water temperature is nice and warm.  Combined with the crystal clear water, the swimming, snorkeling, and diving in the area is as good as it gets.

Sandals Emerald Bay Resort Overview

As one might deduce from the name, the resort is located in a circular bay of water bordering the east coast of the island.  The bay wraps around several miles of shoreline.  Within the bay all sorts of great water-based activities are available from snorkeling to swimming to sailing.

The resort occupies 500 acres of sandy, palmtree laden paradise with most of its 249 suites and villas facing the ocean.  There are so many different accommodation levels ranging from suites to stand alone villas, that it could take an entire article to cover all of them.  All suites feature floor to ceiling windows, mahogany furnishings, stone floors, and fresh ocean breezes.

There are three pools, the main which is the largest pool on the island.  See the aerial photo below, which I captured with my smaller aerial photo/video multi-rotor helicopter.

Sandals Emerald Bay From Above

Sandals Emerald Bay From Above

The resort offers seven restaurants, providing a wide variance of food options, most of which are included in the resort fee.  From French to Italian to grub from an English Pub, there is culinary joy for everyone.

Six bars located throughout the resort insure that one can always have a fabulous tropical drink in hand, if so desired.

Golf

Naturally a big reason I’m reviewing this property is the golf travel angle.  Sandals Emerald Bay is the home of the very challenging and beautiful Greg Norman designed Emerald Reef Golf Club.  I had the pleasure of playing the course a few times, as well as discussing the course design with Greg Norman himself.

Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Course Aerial View

Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Course Aerial View – click to view more

Sandals Emerald Reef is a tale of two different nine-hole golf courses.  The outward nine winds through the tropical jungle, providing challenging tee shots which reward accuracy.  The inward nine travels along a sliver of land on the edge of the bay.  Most of the back nine holes featuring fantastic seaside views.

Check out the video below which I captured with my small aerial copter.  The lighting isn’t great as the weather was sketchy, but you still get an idea of some of the great holes on the back nine.

My full review of Emerald Reef Golf Club is in the works.  Stay tuned.

Beach

Naturally one of the biggest features of the resort is the beach.  There is a one mile stretch of brilliant sand overlooking Emerald Bay.  On that stretch the lovely wife and I enjoyed relaxing and a myriad of water activities.

Looking back at the beach and Sandals Emerald Bay from over the water

Looking back at the beach and Sandals Emerald Bay from over the water

Water sports which are included in this all-inclusive Bahamas resort include snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, and swimming with the pigs (see below).

The sand is perfect on this wonderful beach and the waves are light.  I could spend a lifetime in the sand and in that warm blue water.  The experience is fantastic.

Swimming with the Pigs

The HOG World Tour has done and seen some amazing and unique things, but this one may be the most bizarre.  Each day a tour is provided for guests of the resort to “swim with the pigs.”  Resort guests are shuttled to the resort’s own marina, which features 150 deep-water slips.  A short and enjoyable boat ride through the pristine blue waters ends up in an area full of tiny islands with very shallow water.  Guests get in the shallow water and are greeted by very friendly and anxious pigs who walk off a small island right into the water.

Many years ago a pig farmer moved his pigs to the island because of complaints from locals about the odor.  The island pigs eventually became a tourist attraction and are fed by passers by.

Enjoy my swimming with the pigs video below.

Suites/Villas

My accommodations at Emerald Bay were great. The bed was comfortable and the rest of the suite was roomy and relaxing.

Sandals Emerald Bay Suite

Sandals Emerald Bay Suite – click for more

The lovely wife and I enjoyed the spaciousness of the suite, especially the balcony. We enjoyed room service breakfast on the balcony on the occasional morning, and wine with cigars in the evening.

A Day In The Life

Here’s a typical day for us at the resort:

In the early morning we would walk down to Cafe de Paris, a “Parisian-style patisserie with pastries, crêpe, coffee and tea.” We would order a latte and enjoy some French pastries.

Following the latte we would make our way to the buffet at the Bahama Bay restaurant. Bahama Bay serves buffet style breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are different themes there on a daily basis.  Some mornings we opted for a room service breakfast which we would enjoy on the deck of our suite (image below).

breakfast sandals bahamas morning

Breakfast on the deck at Sandals Emerald Bay

Following breakfast the wife and I would head back up to the suite, dawn our bathing suits, and head for the beach. We would enjoy a few hours of beach time, then make our way to Bahama Bay for lunch or perhaps one of the other restaurants, depending on what mood we were in. We enjoyed eating right in the sand near the water at the Barefoot by the Sea restaurant.

tropical drins

Tropical drinks! Often I had no idea what they were, but they tasted fabulous!

More relaxing beach time after lunch, plus we would get in some snorkeling in the beautiful waters. Through the day we would visit one of the many bars at the resort and enjoy some fantastic tropical drinks and local beer. On occasion we would visit the quiet pool and hot tub, as the big pool was often quite raucous.

On different days we would enjoy various activities. I would hit the golf course and the wife would enjoy the beach. On another day we hit the spa (more below) in the afternoon after a day of snorkeling.

In the late afternoon and early evening we would drag ourselves away from the beach and get ready for the night’s activities which would be dinner in one of the restaurants and live entertainment on site.

To cap off the day, we would relax on the deck of our suite with a nightcap and a cigar. Cuban cigars are available in the gift shop by the way.

Sorry, no photos of the bride and myself getting our

Red Lane Spa – Sorry, no photos of the bride and myself getting our “treatment”

Red Lane Spa

Red Lane Spa at Sandals Emerald Bay offers “European-style massages, facials, body wraps, scrubs and more – all with Sandals’ tropical signature twists.”

The lovely bride and I enjoyed a very nice couples massage.

Critiques

In every review I write I try to point out areas of critique, in hopes that the company featured can make adjustments and improve its product. The experience at Sandals Emerald Bay is top notch, but resolving these few issues would make it even better:

Following the couples massage at Red Lane Spa the wife and I were escorted to a room together to have a sip of water, relax, and recover. The room was freezing and that compromised the experience. The poor shivering wife could not relax.

The concept of time in the Bahamas is not quite what one might be used to in the big city. One example was the room service. Even when specifying that we needed the order to arrive at 8 a.m. so we could make our other morning activities, it arrived at 9 a.m. On another occasion room service took so long we decided to cancel and get on with our day. I do understand that people on vacation at the resort are relaxing and “laid back,” so there’s an element of “no problem” there.

The two above critiques are minor but the following was my biggest issue at the resort. The wife and I love peace and quiet, and greatly enjoyed the relaxing sound of the ocean waves and the breeze on the deck of our suite. On one evening however, a stage directly below our room’s balcony was the site of a band playing. As a musician I could appreciate the skill and quality of the band members, though I was not a fan of the song selection. The music was so loud that the wife and I could not hear each other talking on the deck. “I love you honey,” I’d yell. “What?!?!?” she would yell back. Not exactly romantic. In order to hear each other talking we had to shut the windows and close off the sliding door to the deck until the band stopped.  Thankfully the band did not play too late.

Favorites

My favorite part of the resort was the beach. I’m landlocked at home. Beach time is a special thing for me and the lovely bride. Nothing better than looking out over the coral blue water, walking in the sand, and swimming in the warm waters of the Bahamas.

Second is the great golf course. Though not known primarily as a golf destination, the resort’s Emerald Reef Golf Club is a very challenging test, and the back nine scenery is stunning.

Late in the evening we would find a comfy chair near an open fire pit in one of the pool areas and stare up at the stars.

pool

Pool area at night…

Conclusion

This is the first true all-inclusive experience I’ve had. It is quite nice to order a latte in the morning with French pastries, then have a breakfast buffet, enjoy all sorts of drinks (alcoholic and non), enjoy lunch and dinner, without ever whipping out my credit card or signing a tab for the room. That even includes the water sports activities.

The weather and conditions at Sandals Emerald Bay are fantastic year-round. The water is warm and blue, and the temperature is perfect. All that combined with the activities and amenities this 500 acre resort has to offer adds up to an experience of a lifetime. I hope to get back there very soon.

Related Links

Sandals Resorts Emerald Bay Photo Gallery

Emerald Reef Golf Club Photo Gallery

Emerald Reef Golf Club review coming soon…


HOG World Tour Visits Greg Norman’s Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Course in Exuma, Bahamas

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, September 16th, 2014
Categories: GolfGolf Course ArchitectureGolf CoursesGolf For WomenHOG World Tour
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While staying at the fabulous Sandals Emerald Bay all-inclusive resort last week, I spent a couple of days on the Greg Norman designed Emerald Reef Golf Course. I’ve just uploaded a batch of photos of the course to the new HOG Emerald Reef photo gallery for you to check out.

Sandals Resorts Golf

Par-4 14th Green – click for more

I even captured a couple of photos with my small aerial photo/video multirotor quadcopter (also known as a drone) as you can see in the photo below. The lighting wasn’t great due to stormy weather, so the drone pictures aren’t as good as they could be.

Bahamas Golf Trip

Most of the back nine at Emerald Reef, Exuma, Bahamas – click to zoom

Enjoy the photos for now, and tune in later for my full Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Course review.


HOG World Tour Visits Exuma Bahamas Sandals Resorts Emerald Bay

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, September 15th, 2014
Categories: Golf LifeGolf LifestyleHOG World TourTravel
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The Hooked On Golf Blog World Tour spent most of the week last week at the fabulous Sandals Resorts Emerald Bay property on the island of Exuma in the Bahamas. I’ve now added a large batch of photos of the resort and its many offerings, even some photos from my drone (see picture below).

Sandals Emerald Bay From Above

Sandals Emerald Bay From Above – click for more

There is no way I could capture photographically everything Sandals Emerald Bay offers, but the gallery should give you a good idea if you are planning a caribbean trip, or a Bahamas trip. There are even photos of the awesome caribbean drinks!

Sandals Emerald Bay Mail Pool at Night – click for more

Enjoy the Sandals Emerald Bay photos for now, and stay tuned for my full review soon.

Related Links

Swimming with the pigs.

Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Course, a Greg Norman design.


HOG World Tour – Swimming With the Pigs in the Bahamas

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, September 11th, 2014
Categories: Golf LifeGolf LifestyleHOG World TourTravel
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Greetings from the beautiful Sandals Emerald Bay on the island of Exuma in the Bahamas.  I’m here to review the resort, the on-site Greg Norman designed golf course, and to play in a two day tournament.  Internet connectivity here is as consistent as my short game, meaning it works only about 25% of the time and even then it is sketchy.

Cue the cue the Pink Floyd

Cue the cue the Pink Floyd

Yesterday marked an activity I’ve never done before and will never forget, swimming with the pigs.  There’s an island here where pigs roam, and when traveling boats come by the pigs jump into the water hoping to get fed.  Very fun, and entertaining experience.  I’m uploading a video to YouTube now, but with the bad internet here, it could take 247 years to finish.  So enjoy the photo above and tune back into this post for the video later.

Video


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