Sandals Royal Bahamian’s Private Island - Sandals Barefoot Cay

Sandals ResortsSandals Royal BahamianCaribbean All Inclusive

Dec 5

We used to sit at the beach at Sandals Royal Bahamian and wonder why so many people were lining up on the dock around 10:00 am. Since the beach was always our way to start every Caribbean day, we never really thought much about the private island in full view from our covered beach chairs.. Well, now the secret is out and we understand the allure of venturing off the beach, away from the food trucks, multiple bars, and dining experiences. Once we decided to check it out, we discovered that THOSE people knew what they were doing. Come with us to discover what treasures awaited them just minutes across the bay.

Expanded view from the beach at Sandals Royal Bahamian over to the private island, Sandals Barefoot Cay.

Below is our view from umbrella-covered beach chairs at Sandals Royal Bahamian beach. Our beach chair view included the pier out toward Gordon’s Over the Bay restaurant, a boat dock, and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. Every morning, Jamaican coffee in hand, we made our way to the quiet, white sandy beach to sun and swim in the clear, turquoise waters. The chairs are never completely taken and the bathers are free to swim and snorkel without scores of other humans in the water. Note that the boat dock to the private island is just past the turquoise chairs on the dock.

**Get on that ferry!**

The Sandals private ferry leaves the dock every hour starting at 10:00 am to head over to the private island. While there you have many options for what to do and where to go. We often pick up a drink at the beach bar as soon as we walk up the beach. From there you can explore the island to decide where to spend some time.

You can choose to swim in the calm waters as soon as you get off the ferry. There is a single row of umbrella-covered beach chairs to the right and left of the dock. I’m smiling now thinking of how people got off the ferry and ran for their favorite spot on the sand. You won’t be swimming with a crowd, that’s for sure!

Grab a beverage from the pool bar!

There is a lovely quiet pool bar for intimate chats or to make some new friends. We chatted with a couple on their honeymoon from Britain. They were on the first leg of a two-week vacation hopping between two Sandals locations. Imagine starting your honeymoon in the Bahamas at Sandals Royal Bahamian and then moving on to Sandals Curacao!

This last trip found us wandering down the garden paths just to scope out different areas. We honestly felt like castaways in a tropical fantasy movie! There were so many different areas to just spend time together. In the third picture above you can Baha Mar off in the distance as we meandered along the path. Seemed so strange to be walking in the land of blissful quiet and imagine the throngs of people at that magnificent resort!

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We found beautiful covered beach beds scattered across the landscape. I think. my favorite was the last picture sitting out on the rocks on the far side of the island. How secluded would that location make you feel? All alone in harmony with the sun, water, and of course, your significant other! AND, there is no fee for any of these beach beds!

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I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about the raw beauty that we found on the far side of the island. The water this day was particularly rough as you can tell by the red flag, but it was magnificent! Needless to say, we spent the majority of our day on the beaches moving between the umbrella-covered chairs, the water, and of course, the beach bar. While we did have lunch at Aralia House, I’ll save the dining experiences for another time! For now, here is a sneak peek into Aralia House, the resident chicken, and one of our favorite waitresses.