Recommend August 2016 - 17

Caribbean All-Inclusive Resorts for Rekindling Romance Ed Wetschler Sandals Emerald Bay offers a romantic setting. Come on, Baby, light my fire. Great song, but after childbirth, child rearing, or just years of coupledom, the ember often dims. That's when couples need an escape from routine so they can rediscover their love, and all-inclusives help by eliminating extraneous concerns over how to get back to the hotel after dinner or whether to pony up for nightcaps. Of course, the challenge is to book a resort that encourages romance, not just contests at the pool bar. These three are just the ticket. of Us moments. A second pool serves Preferred Club guests. This 465-suite all-inclusive has six bars and lounges, and five restaurants, four of them a la carte. No reservations required. Moreover, a Sip, Savor & See Dining service allows guests to have dinner at nearby AMResorts property, too, and guests enjoy 24-hour room service in their suites, the sexiest option. Spark-kindling options that cost extra include an outdoor candlight dinner, couples treatments (e.g. aquatherapy) at Secrets Spa by Pevonia, and the Balinese beds at the Caribbean Oasis, replete with a butler who'll bring breakfast, Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana lunch, snacks, drinks, bubbly-anything. If a hotel company has six brands of allReserve in advance. inclusives, it had better give them clear Royal Beach Punta Cana's Unlimited-Luxury identities, and AMResorts has done exactly rates start at about $350 a night for a 570-sq.that. Among its adults-only hotels, the Zoëtry brand focuses on wellness; Breathless ft. Junior Suite Tropical View, but surely this vacation is important enough to merit a Junior specializes in socializing; and Secrets fosters intimacy, attracting both honeymooners and Suite Swim-Up (from about $460) or a Preferred Club Junior Suite Partial Ocean View (from couples eager to relight the flame. Secrets is $565). A partial list of Preferred Club privileges so dedicated to romance that it offers a free includes personalized concierge check-in and anniversary package featuring a bottle of bubbly, special turndown service, breakfast in check-out; a private and well-stocked lounge, beach area, and pool (with butler service); Clubbed, spa discounts, and other goodies. only access to the Seaside Grill for breakfast and Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana hugs lunch; and other perks designed to coddle guests 700 ft. of Bavaro beachfront-white sand, and give them multiple choices. gentle surf, and palm trees. The main pool Speaking of choices, a second Secrets will offers activities and even a weekly foam party; there's nightly entertainment, too. However, open in November in Cap Cana. at this hotel activity leaders never badger guests into participating, and the Sandals Emerald Bay, Exuma pool meanders through lush gardens, It's hard to top Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma providing many quiet spots for Just the Two for romantic settings. The resort enjoys a mile- long beach, and not just any mile-long beach, but a soft, pristine Out Islands beach. As secluded as it feels, though, Sandals Emerald Bay offers much to do, from watersports, tennis and scuba to golf. Like the beach, the golf course is not just any course, but an oceanside, Greg Norman-designed, 7,200-yard par 72 with six signature holes. The three pools include a half-acre, zeroentry beauty with a fire pit in the middle, and the six bars include a pool bar, swanky lounge, and British pub. Of course, there's also daytime and evening entertainment. For some people, evening entertainment means a good meal, so Emerald Bay delivers that at seven restaurants. That Sandals Resorts LLC chose the Robert Mondavi line for its house wines speaks volumes about its F&B service. Emerald Bay has 249 mostly oceanview and oceanfront accommodations, all with marble in the baths, terraces or balconies, and plenty of electronics. This being a Sandals, there are 21 categories of rooms, but Emerald Bay goes even further than that, because every unit is Club (Concierge) or Butler Level. That means concierge check-in and guidance throughout the stay, help with restaurant and tour reservations, a lounge with snacks, drinks and iPads, unlimited WiFi, a manager's cocktail party, a snorkeling trip, and more. Thus, even the most basic accommodations-a Beach House Luxury Club Level (HL) that, at press time, started at $525 a night-feels special. The Butler Suites are lavish affairs that ➤ august 2016 17

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend August 2016