In less than 24 hours the villas would welcome their very first (very lucky) guests, but inside there were still things to be done. Beds to be made up. Fixtures to be put together. Furniture to be arranged. Aside from the small last minute tidying up, the villas were finally ready after years of dreaming about them the Caribbean’s very first overwater bungalows, exclusive to Sandals Resorts.

These suites were originally called “bungalows” but are not bungalows by any means. They are exquisite suites.. or "villas" as Sandals has officially named them. They are the epitome of luxury and during our twenty minute tour all we could say was "wow". In fact, I don't think I've said that word so many times in my life, but as our guide continued to point out all the fine details Sandals put into these suites, we were completely wowed and couldn't help but verbalize that.

Your experience staying in one of these suites won’t start when you arrive at the resort, like with all the other guests. No. The luxury all-included experience begins at the airport, where a personal driver will meet you and escort you by private transfer to Sandals Royal Caribbean, a short 15 minute drive away.

Once at the resort you’ll bypass the check-in desk. You’ll also by-pass the Club Lounge that all the Club and Butler level guests generally check-in at. Instead you’ll follow your butler to the private shuttle boat and take the short ride across the water to the private island. 

There, you’ll pull up to the private dock reserved only for villa guests staying on the island. This area is not accessible to any other resort guests, only guests staying in the overwater suites.

A walk up the stairs on the pier will bring you to the small welcome lounge where concierge and security will be available for villa guests 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. But check-in won’t happen there. Instead, you’ll be whisked away to your suite. Why waste time, right? 

Now this is where it gets even more exciting. There are currently five overwater villas, and while the general look and accommodations are all the same, each villa has it’s own unique theme which is subtly noticeable when you take note of small things like light fixtures, wall decorations, and bathroom tiles. 

The themes? 

Wood.

Water.

Earth.

Fire.

Metal.

A small icon on the door above the room number will symbolize which theme belongs to that villa. For example, a circle represented Earth and a triangle represented fire.

As soon as you step inside the villa you’ll understand why I chose the word incredible. The first room you’ll walk into what is referred to as the kitchen, though it’s not a full kitchen since that would be useless. No guests would need to cook at this resort since all your food and drinks are included already. The kitchen is really a sitting area with a wet bar - sink, cabinets, mini fridge fully stocked with juices, soda, water, sparkling and white wine. On the counter a variety of liquor, included in your room package. Of course, if you have any special requests for any specific liquor or soft beverages your butler can stock that in the room for you as well. All you have to do is ask…

Beyond the kitchen you’ll see the gorgeous view of the ocean through the glass door and window. An oversized lounge bed hangs from the ceiling above a glass section of the patio floor. Beyond that is a hammock hanging over the water below. As far as first impressions go, this view makes it a great one.

If you can break yourself away from wanting to stop everything and rush outside to the patio, there is plenty more to see inside. A slight turn to your right and you’re in the main living area. To your left is the living area which has two chairs face the glass patio doors, a small desk, and a 65’’ Smart TV unit with a Marley sound bar. On the right you’ll see the sleeping area fit with a king sized bed and one of my (many) favorite features is the iPod docking station which fits the iPhone 6’s and 7’s. Most rooms at Sandals still use the older docking stations which make them useless for users without the adaptor for the newer iPhone plugs. There are also USB ports in the wall sockets by the bed so you can plug your cord right into the outlet for charging.

The best feature in this room is the isle of glass between the living room area and the bedroom area. I can imagine just laying in bed looking over the side of it and seeing fish swimming by at night. Of course, there are controls on the wall by the bed that allow you to not only turn on/off lights in the suite but also turn on/off the pool lights and even the lights under your villa too.

Passed the main area you’ll see an open concept bathroom. When you walk in you’ll see the soaking tub for two with glass doors allowing you a view of the patio and ocean beyond. Those doors also open up should you wish to soak in your tub and enjoy the sounds of the water below you. Next to the tub is a stand up shower big enough for two- complete with an overhead rain shower as well as a shower head on the wall too. And the shower also has a door with glass windows that leads out to the patio area. 

There are also his and her’s vanities and while both have light up mirrors, the "her's" vanity includes a smaller magnifying mirror for makeup application. As for the "his" vanity, the guys definitely get the cooler mirror as their’s as a small TV inside of it. Yet another incredible detail Sandals made sure not to leave out. Beyond the vanities is a water closet with a toilet and bidet and next to that is a walk-in closet with shelving and a wall safe.

You have your choice of several doors that you can walk out to get onto the patio, but let’s just say you decide to get there through the shower, upon walking out of the shower and onto the patio you’ll find yourself standing under yet another shower. Two showers actually. Two outdoor showers. This is great for couples who’ve been snorkeling or down in the sand and want to wash off at the same time before hopping into their private pool. Yep, this suite even comes with it’s own private plunge pool with an infinity edge. That means while you’re lounging in your private pool, it will look like the ocean water is right at the edge of the pool. 

There is also a  smaller seating area, a larger main seating area, and then steps down to a deck with two lounger chairs, a table and more steps that lead right into the water. Underneath your villa will be a sand bar that at high tide will only be knee deep. You can walk the sand bar to the reef area to swim and snorkel, or just lay in the sand and relax. 

Once back up on the main deck you’ll see the hanging lounger bed from earlier, and the overwater hammock. You’ll also notice a box behind the lounge bed which is used for storing scuba and snorkel gear so you don’t have to leave it sitting not the patio taking up space or being an eye sore. Sandals really has thought of everything for you.

So as you can imagine, after touring your suite the last thing you’re going to want to do is leave it. Well, lucky for you, your butler has you covered. One quick phone call on your designated butler phone (the phone they give you to communicate with them during your stay) and your butler can bring you whatever you need. Want a drink? Want breakfast in bed? Just let your butler know. 

If your plan is to stay holed up in your villa the whole tim —no judgement from me, that’s exactly what I’d do!— then everything you need can come to you. Food. Drinks. Even spa treatments. Want a massage over the glass floor or on your patio? Dinner IN the water? These are all things Sandals is working on making available to their villa guests and I have to say it all sounds… incredible.

But if you do decide to venture out of your villa and see what else is going on, you won’t be disappointed either. In fact, you don't even need to leave the private offshore island if you don't want to. 

There is a brand new pool with a swim up bar on the island:

There are three beach areas on the island. The first is the main beach that overlooks the main property across the water. This is located closest to the pool. 

On the beach there are cabanas with soft beds and privacy curtains right next to the water that are available to rent by day or half day. On the main land they are right over the water at high tide.

There is also a small beach area behind the pier to the villas. Beyond that is the third beach on the back side of the island, which is a clothing option beach.

If you're hungry and don't want the butler to bring food to your room, there is the option to dine at both the Jerk Shack on the island as well as the Royal Thai Restaurant.

If you do want to venture off the island there are several restaurants to dine at on property which are all included in the room price, as well as lots of tour options off property. 

Snorkeling off of the island is also an option so if you plan to stay in one of these suites bring your own snorkel gear so you can check it out. 

There are also two other Sandals Resorts near by that offer complimentary exchange privileges so you can hop on the shuttle bus that goes between the three resorts and check either or both of those properties out at any time.