If the new Sandals La Source Grenada resort is, in the words of Gordon "Butch" Stewart, chairman and founder of the all-inclusive brand, "the Sandals of the future," there are certainly bright days ahead for guests of the Jamaica-based resort company.
There certainly was little evidence to the contrary this past week, as I attended a gathering of Grenada government and tourism officials, Grenada construction industry and business leaders, tourism stakeholders and national figures from nearby Caribbean countries including Antigua and Barbados, and international media as the chairman along with Adam Stewart, the company's CEO and son of the venerable company chairman.
The property had a "soft" opening on Dec. 21, with the "official" opening slated for an as-yet unspecified date in April, said a company spokesperson this week. The property is already operating at near-capacity, with occupancy at around 90 percent, according to Peter Fraser, the resort's general manager.
PHOTO: The Italian Village at La Source Grenada. (all photos by Brian Major)
Set in a sunny cove that frames Pink Gin beach, the 225-room property features beautifully landscaped grounds, magnificent accommodations equipped with everything from circular stone soaking tubs to terraced balconies with infinity pools, nine restaurants including the brand's first steakhouse, and a high emphasis on service highlighted by butler service and the Club Sandals guest program.
The property extends across 17 acres of land minutes away from the Maurice Bishop International Airport. Built in an incredibly fast eight months after the property's March 2013 acquisition, Sandals announced the purchase of the former La Source Resort property, there were a handful of workers putting some finishing touches on the property's landscape details when we arrived. Otherwise the resort is remarkably complete.
PHOTO: An overview of the resort from South Seas Village.
The 100 Pink Gin Village rooms were completely renovated and include 70 oceanfront rooms, including several with direct beach access. In addition two new wings totaling 125 more rooms were added. The new Italian Village offers six stories of terraced deluxe rooms and suites set into a hillside. Eighteen of the Italian Village rooms feature infinity edge plunge pools and claw-footed balcony soaking tubs, and there are 69 butler suites in this wing.
The South Seas Village is situated on land that once held a nine-hole golf course and features Sandals' signature Rondoval suites and its Millionaire suite category. The Millionaire suites also feature infinity plunge pools and soaking tubs.
All room categories include 55-inch, interactive flat-screen televisions through which guests can view and select photos of themselves taken by the resort's photographer, make restaurant reservations, order movies, look through wedding packages or review off-property excursions available from tour provider Island Routes, which maintains an office on the property.
PHOTO: The South Seas wing at Sandals La Source Grenada.
The resort also features multiple dining options including Spices, which serves Caribbean cuisine; Le Jardinier, a French restaurant; Soy, a sushi restaurant; Kimonos, which serves Asian fare and Dino's Pizzeria. Highlighting the dining options is Butch's Steakhouse, Sandals' first steak-specialty eatery, named for the chairman. In addition room service is available in the butler suites and Club Sandals suites during specific hours.
Building a Sandals resort at this location is the culmination of a longtime dream for the company's founder. "My dad had set his eye on acquiring this property when I was still in university," said the 31 year-old Adam Stewart.
"He told me then to pack my bags because we were going there to make the purchase. But it didn't happen then," said Stewart. "Now this is the destination that hosts the Sandals of tomorrow. Everything happens in its time."
PHOTO: The Sandals La Source Grenada millionaire suite bathroom.
"We have been trying to come here for 12 or 14 years or longer," Butch Stewart confirmed. "This represents the most magnificent architecture we have ever created made possible by the cooperation and commitment of the government and people of Grenada," he added. "This resort is a model for our upcoming projects in Antigua and Barbados and sets a new standard for the luxury all-inclusive vacation experience."
In building the new resort, the Stewarts resurrected a shuttered property. The former La Source Resort closed in October 2012 after its owner, Liberty Club Ltd., a Grenada company headed by developer Leon Taylor, fell on "difficult financial times," in the words of a spokesman from Elite Island Resorts, which had provided marketing for the property.
Sandals subsequently reached an agreement with Grenada's government to re-open the resort. At the time, Grenada finance minister Nazim Burke told local media that the agreement calls for Sandals to expand the former 100-room resort to a 265-room property within the next 10 years.
"I can only say as prime minister of this country how pleased I am," said Keith Mitchell, Grenada's prime minister. "This project will expand tourism all across the country."
Based on the early returns, that goal seems well within reach.
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