Bookings open for Sandals' first resort on Curacao

Bookings are now open for Sandals Royal Curacao, the company’s 16th resort, which opens April 14 with 351 rooms and suites in 24 room categories.

The resort, formerly the Santa Barbara Beach and Golf Resort and before that a Hyatt Regency, is situated on 44 acres within the 3,000-acre, protected preserve in the Santa Barbara Estate along Spanish Water, a natural lagoon and bay located 15 minutes from the airport.

When Sandals announced its plans for Curacao in December, then-deputy chairman Adam Stewart said that he and his father, Sandals founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart, had had their eye on the destination for several years. “From the moment we saw the site and the hotel, we loved it,” Adam Stewart said. Butch Stewart died in January.

The resort’s west-facing position will offer spectacular Caribbean sunsets for Sandals’ guests.

Adam Stewart called from a
restaurant overlooking a marina on a certain Caribbean destination. “We’re on a new island,” he said.

Luxury options will include two new signature suite categories, the Awa Seaside butler bungalows and the Kurason Island poolside butler bungalow, complete with soaking tubs, private pools and use of a convertible Mini Cooper to drive while exploring Curacao.

Related: Visitor entry procedures for Curacao and other Caribbean islands

“At Sandals Royal Curacao, guests will be able to hike, bike and pick up a picnic basket to fuel days of discovery and exploration,” Adam Stewart, now executive chairman, said. “They can continue this adventure beyond our gates, where they will find a world-class destination of great restaurants, fascinating locals and fine art.

“We have invested an additional $72 million in enhancements and improvements to complete the ‘Sandalization’ process of this stunning property,” he said.

The resort will feature the brand’s first Dos Awa infinity pool and The Duchess, Sandals’ first floating restaurant and bar, constructed from a 92-foot, authentic Dutch ship.

Eight of the nine onsite restaurants will be new to Sandals and exclusive to the resort, including a wine and Dutch cheese bar. Couples will be able to dine on-the-go at three beachside gourmet food trucks, which will offer traditional Curacao fare, Spanish tapas and Asian fusion. And they can grab a drink at any of the 10 bars.

Also on site are three oceanfront wedding venues; a Red Lane Spa with six outdoor spa cabanas and treatment rooms; expansive pools; access to the neighboring 18-hole Pete Dye golf course; two on-site marinas and 70 dive sites; and the largest meeting and event space on the island.

Introductory rates start at $341 per person, per night, double; butler category rates start at $538 per person, per night, double for a seven-night stay.

Guests who book a stay through Nov. 2 will receive a grand opening offer with savings of up to $1,000. 

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