SANDALS DUNN’S RIVER LIVES UP TO THE FIVE-DIAMOND HYPE
Ten major airlines from twenty American cities fly into Sangster’s International in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Caribbean’s #1 rated airport. But only one has direct access to the coolest, tiniest new international airport you have never heard of in the Jamaican town of Boscobel, in St. Mary Parish.
The Sir Ian Fleming International Airport is now officially chicer than the iconic Gustaf III Airport in St. Barthelemy in the French West Indies.
Why? It’s the only one in the world named after the most dashing and debonaire British novelist in modern history—that’s why; and it’s tiny and cute and nestled in one of the most beautiful parts of the most beautiful island in all the British West Indies. Just ask James Bond.
So when the arbiter gets to be part of travel aviation history as one of the first to fly American Airlines FT #4-007 on one of their Brazilian-made Embraer 175 jets into “the Ochie Airport,” as it will come to be known, one jumps at the opportunity. This means that you can now travel from Miami to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, in a little over an hour and in another thirty minutes be sipping pina coladas in your uber-chic suite at the revamped new flagship for the Sandals Resort International brand—its stellar year-old Sandals Dunn’s River—with commanding ocean views and private butler to boot.
“Innovation and Commitment,” says the maverick visionary and Executive Chairman and CEO of the leading SRI brand—that, and sustainability, we hope—the new mantra for the Sandals of the next generation. Re-introducing the only hotel in the West Indies with original designs from the famed Morris Lapidus, which is located in GW’s most favorite of all Jamaican towns, Ocho Rios, is one experience this arbiter was not about to pass up.
Suffice it to say that Sandals Dunn’s River on Mammee Bay in St. Ann Parish is just as advertised and guarantees a worry-free and exceptional Jamaican vacation. There’s no denying that Sandals has now set a new standard and cemented its role as the regional beacon of luxury and hospitality in the Caribbean. And with brand new, buzzy Sandals resorts new to the market in exotic other locales like Curacao, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, the visionary Executive Chairman has been on a roll. Adam Stewart is now one of the world’s Top Five Hospitality Moguls. After all, he already sits on the Executive Committee of the World Travel Tourism Council.
More than ever, his properties have made significant statements about luxury and innovation in resort hospitality in the 21st century. His exceptional display of deft management skills in this space—and in such a short time—makes it all the more impressive.
Fresh, innovative and modern touches shine throughout the new wing of the Tufa Terrace One Bedroom Skypool Butler Suites, where GW stayed for seven days. Memories are made of these with stellar views of the azure Caribbean Sea. It was a setting destined to bring an unforgettable homecoming to a boy who loved nothing more as a fifteen-year-old than a reprieve from boarding school with a family weekend in Ocho Rios. Ochie has never been cooler since the revamped Arawak Hotel, a.k.a. the new Sandals Duns River. With the divine all-inclusive policy—the incredible culinary flair and all the champagne I desired to quaff included—GW was quite content, to say the very least. Exceptional dining options abound across Sandals Dunn’s River’s exquisitely landscaped flora and fauna. And there is no property anywhere in Ocho Rios as steeped in James Bond lore and intrigue as this one.
Iconic architect Morris Lapidus conceptualized the original development of the property in the golden age of early air travel, circa 1957, when the hotel opened as The Arawak Hotel (it was named after one of the island’s indigenous tribes). It was glamorous and jet-set-star-studded from day one. On arrival at the property, the first sight is of that legendary banyan tree with the adorable new yurt-like cottages with swim-up pools and a singing staff welcoming the arbiter to this thoughtfully transformed 260-room Caribbean resort. “It was an extraordinary project to undertake,” the dynamic Executive Chairman will tell you. And a poignant and significant achievement for the brand; for this is the property and region where the grand patriarch of Sandals, the late Butch Stewart, grew up with his fondest memories. He would be very proud of how his heir has already managed to drive the SRI narrative of modern sophistication and Caribbean luxury to never-before-seen heights.
Where else could one spend every noon for an entire week sitting by the on-property jerk chicken shack with the most delicious organic jerk offerings and the sea breeze wafting and thinking? “Wow! GW is just a pace away from these beaches along Mammee Bay, where two legendary James Bond films were made: Dr. No and the classic Live And Let Die. It’s just here where Sean Connery’s undeniable sexual swagger lit up the first reels of Dr. No in 1962. Right around these parts, they purred with delight when the same brisk breeze off the Caribbean Sea swept Ursula Andress’ hair as she debuted that iconic swimsuit—designed by my father’s cousin, Tessa Prendergast! Indeed. Near here, the first natural wonder of Jamaica is the graceful Dunn’s River Falls, where Honey Ryder slithered into the hirsute pectoral bosom of Sean Connery as the first incarnation of James Bond. Ocho Rios has so much exciting history dating from 1657, when it could have gone either way. Had the English not defeated the Spanish for possession of Jamaica right along this stretch of coast that year, there would have never been a James Bond movie shot here. To think, too, one could have the hotel concierge arrange a visit half an hour away to Goldeneye to see the study and very same Royal typewriter that Ian Fleming used to write Casino Royale and all the subsequent eleven Bond novels. Talk about a rich cultural connection; well, this is the thread to the fabulous Sandals Dunn’s River.
The top trend for tastemakers in luxury hospitality today is authenticity and sustainability.
The hotel here delivers that aspect with the local staff of fantastic aestheticians of the highly recommended Red Lane Spa of the Sandals Dunn’s River. If you want to meet the most glorious local souls, spend your days at the pricy spa but also make sure to participate in the Sandals Foundation organized visitor tours to the local elementary schools in the hills above the hotel. This outstanding initiative is one to nurture and cherish even more, and for GW, reading nursery rhymes to underprivileged five-year-old kids at 9 a.m. on Thursday was the highlight of his visit to Jamaica.
The well-trained staff look great in uniforms designed by yet another icon, designer Stan Herman, who is, yes, one of the founders of New York Fashion Week. Such details inform why Forbes Travel calls Sandals Dunn’s River one of their World Travel Awards’ Best Luxury Resorts of 2023. Undoubtedly, you need to find yourself on Jamaica’s north coast, from the rivers meander through lush tropical foliage to rushing waterfalls near this gleaming, revised flagship Sandals Resorts International. And, don’t forget the coolest, tiniest International Airport—Sir Ian Fleming—will get you there in style, and in no time.
#gwsays.
