Holidays at Sandals are all about the romance so it could hardly be more fitting that the hotel chain’s Bahamas outpost has links to one of the greatest love stories of all time.
These days Sandals Royal Bahamian, in the island capital of Nassau, is a sprawling holiday resort but in the 1940s the site was home to the exclusive Balmoral Club.
Built in the 40s by MP Oliver Simmonds, the Balmoral Club was frequented by the cream of high society, among them Edward VIII and the woman he gave up the throne for – Wallis Simpson.
During World War II and amid whispers of his Nazi sympathies, the Duke of Windsor was sent (many would say exiled) to the Bahamas by Winston Churchill to be Governor and the royal couple’s connection to the island is naturally celebrated by Sandals.
What was once the entrance to the old club is now a Piano Bar and its walls are adorned with memorabilia relating to the pair, including letters, photos and newspaper clippings.
It was in this, bar sipping on cosmopolitans and Bahama Mama cocktails and listening to the nightly singalongs around the piano, that we would end most of our evenings during our week-long stay in the former British colony.
And judging from the loved-up looks on couples’ faces, being in such close proximity to all that romantic heritage rubs off.
Situated on the beautiful Cable Beach, Sandals Royal Bahamian offers everything you would expect of a hotel group which describes its holidays not as all inclusive but as “luxury included”.
