Sandals Resorts Buys Four Seasons in Great Exuma, Bahamas

Sandals Resorts International (SRI), parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, the Royal Plantation Collection and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, said it has purchased the recently shuttered Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma at Emerald Bay for an undisclosed sum. According to Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Sandals Resorts founder and chairman, the 500-acre property, which features a championship Greg Norman golf course and world-class marina, will become a Sandals Resort called Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Following certain enhancements, including an expansive new pool complex and additional dining establishments, the resort will open Jan. 22, 2010. “This is a remarkable moment in the history of Sandals Resorts,” Stewart said. “We are acquiring one of the most spectacular pieces of real estate in the Caribbean, which was operated by one of the world’s most highly regarded hotel companies.”

The new Sandals Emerald Bay is set along a one-mile stretch of white sand beach on Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas. According to Stewart, the all-suite resort will offer a selection of 190 luxury accommodations with styles that range from beachfront villas to charming bay house settings -- all oceanfront and all serviced by butlers trained by Sandals Resorts through the company’s exclusive partnership with the Guild of Professional English Butlers.

Other amenities will include a fully-equipped tennis center featuring six Har-tru courts lit for night play with professional stadium seating fit for competition; a full-service Red Lane Spa with 22 indoor treatment areas and six exotic outdoor sanctuaries; plus six gourmet restaurants including four new concepts introduced by Sandals Resorts, a fine-dining seafood restaurant, an authentic Italian brick-oven pizzeria, a French-style café and a traditional British pub complete with a pool and snooker room. The property will also have three pools, including a new freshwater pool. Encompassing over half an acre, this pool will feature a Jacuzzi, swim-up pool bar and unique fire-pit seating area in the center. Flanking the pool will be misting columns and luxurious cabanas equipped with wireless Internet access.

In addition, the resort will cater to business and meetings customers, offering 13,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space. This includes three large ballrooms with separate event entrance that can be converted into smaller rooms, all with access to a dedicated conference facility kitchen and two meetings rooms, which are all supported by round-the-clock conference and technology services.

The property also has an 18-hole Greg Norman-designed championship golf course, reputed to be among the best in the Caribbean, as well as a 17-acre, stand-alone Emerald Bay Marina by Sandals, the first-ever marina for any Sandals Resort. This fully-protected, deepwater marina offers 133 slips and is equipped to accommodate and service yachts up to 300 feet in length. Open to the public, the marina also features a welcoming clubhouse with a full-service restaurant including al fresco dining on a spectacular wraparound terrace, pool, a world-class Red Lane Spa and facilities to accommodate families with children.

Sandals Emerald Bay is the 14th Sandals Resort in the Jamaican-based company’s portfolio and the third investment the company has made in the Bahamas, already home to Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island in Nassau and Royal Plantation Island at Fowl Cay in the Exumas. “We have deep roots in the Bahamas,” said Stewart. “We know the people and these islands well and it is our distinct pleasure and honor to further our partnership in tourism here.” For more information, call 877.530.5699

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