A new sight alongside the beauty of palms and water, visitors at the Curacao location will also find … [+] a group of food trucks with local fare.
Sandals Resort
Everyone seems to be right in the middle of the many stressors that come with wrapping up the year, from putting together data reports and going to meetings or hustling to finish up holiday shopping. Or, if lucky and less stressed, then—apropos of the season—are reveling in the falling snow outside amidst fuzzy socks and a roaring fire. Either way, the idea of just getting away to the farthest place from where you are right now tends to creep into the daily matters of winter and December hullabaloo.
Places like Sandals Resorts count on those whims and whispers, especially now since the season to enjoy all they offer has begun. Not only can travelers there check off things like tropical scenery, spa time, water activities, and a myriad of dining options, Sandals has re-imagined what luxury getaway means altogether.
The infinity pool at Sandals Resort, Curacao definitely conveys one portrayal of luxury.
Sandals Resort
Where do you stand on inclusive resorts? Are you the sort? Sometimes having every detail taken care or the option for a little bit of both is admittedly kind of nice, at least for a few days. Add a dash of blue sky, culinary variety, great cocktails, activities, and access to local culture, and guests just might have a win, win, win. That’s what Sandals Resorts is trying out, especially at its latest operation in Curaçao.
As the resort completes its second year in operation, Luke Mathot, the Vice President of Food & Beverage Product Innovation, says they are in a great place to take the best of its popular locations—17 in total—and curate an experience in Curaçao that brings its extensive resort portfolio to the distinct signatures of the Caribbean island.
Food, a great unifier, seems to be a wise place to start. But that wasn’t always the case in hotel hospitality. “Up until about 20 years ago F & B was treated as an amenity,” Mathot said in an interview. “Now, with food television and social media, it’s not only a serious focus, everyone is an expert,” he continued.
Iconic pastel, colonial buildings of Willemstad, the capital city of Curaçao, along the St. Anna Bay … [+] and the Queen Emma Bridge
Richard Ness Photography
For Mathot, who has worked at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago when it was Travel & Leisure’s number one hotel in North America, he’s seen the idea of luxury change dramatically. “Then, if it wasn’t considered a 5-star experience, it’s not luxury.” That’s of course when luxury meant high-end decor and furnishings, or fine dining, for example. “Since then, however, luxury is now about having choice.”
Some guests are happy to remain within the confines of the resort—-which is over 3,000 acres—and lap from one drink to the next in one of many pools and from one of the endlessly flowing bars, or take a few steps to one of its eight on-site restaurants and fuel up their vacation appetites. For others, however, trying something new and fresh and immersing themselves into a local culture is the epitome of vacation, especially within the realm of food. Therefore, Mathot says finding that balance for all guests is a regular objective.
C for Culture in Curaçao
Once visitors arrive at the C of the A, B, C, Islands, it doesn’t take long to notice the vibrant, colorful culture of Curaçao. From the literal colorful array of its Dutch architecture and food to that of Venezuela, its nearby southern neighbor. Mathot said they wanted to make sure that the Sandals resort reflected the local culture. In every step taken across the resort, Curaçao can be seen in the troupials that fly above, the flocks of flamingos near the bay, the scrambling iguanas sunning on the green, and in the resort’s dedicated food truck park that pays homage to island’s prevalent street food truck culture.
Zuka restaurant in Curaçao has a menu filled with dishes representing nearby Latin influences.
Sandals Resort
Strolling up to the food truck park today, visitors could stop by Toteki, and order popular island snacks like fish kebabs or kroketten, which are beef croquettes with a mustard sauce; they could pick up Spanish tapas like gazpacho, patatas bravas or gambas al ajillo at La Palma; or grab bao buns, bowls, and curries at Kishi. And because it is set up like a park, there’s space, like and outdoor lounge of sorts and a “container” bar at which to hang with snacks in between the many activities the resort curates.
Of course, the OG meaning of luxury still applies—from spa treatments and private bungalows to butler services and champagne— but, as Mathot illustrates, the landscape of hospitality has caught up to the time. “Today, you can do a food truck or a little bamboo shack on the beach with fresh fruit and a machete and that’s luxury,” he said. “It’s authentic. It’s having a choice,” Mathot continued.
Food trucks not only offer accessibility but approachability, and in the case with the dedicated park at the Sandals Curaçao location, it is an authentic link to the local culture found in town. And even if guests aren’t drawn to the food from the food trucks, Mathot says that there’s a concerted effort to represent the island in some way on every menu of their eight restaurants. Whether its in the fruit or vegetables or fish found at the markets in Willemstad, or popular drinks and sweets, Curaçao can be detected at every turn.
The resort has also added to its dining options with excursions in town. With nearly ten other options outside of the resort, Sandals Curaçao has $250 vouchers for guests interested in the variety the island offers.
Sandals has opened up four new resorts in just three years—St. Vincent; Dunn’s River, Jamaica; Curaçao; and the Bahamas—and they’re not stopping there. Without uncovering everything right now, Mathot says there’s definitely a continued, big focus on F & B.
While on and off the island guests may hear whispers about Yuana Stoba or Iguana Soup, which is considered a local delicacy with healing properties, and apparently an aphrodisiac. The folks at Sandals Resort Curaçao will certainly be quick to welcome you with a blue Curaçao drink, that is literally the color of the Caribbean sea, don’t expect Yuana Stoba to follow suit any time soon.
Open air market in Willemstad, the capital city of Curaçao.
Richard Ness Photography
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Publish date : 2024-12-16 10:24:00
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