How This Resort Is Redefining Dining in the Caribbean

Some of the most memorable travel experiences happen around the table. You lean back in your chair, laughing at a story while breathing in the smoky scent of meat grilling nearby. A single bite of perfectly seared fish pulled from nearby waters, or a sip of caramel-rich, slightly smoky rum from a local distillery can tell you more about a place than any guidebook.

Sandals—which has been introducing new included dining concepts for more than 40 years—sees food as a vital way to connect with the Caribbean it calls home. The resorts’ vice president of food & beverage product innovation, Luke Mathot, says the combination of Sandals’ “talent, passion for local cuisine, and our innate Caribbean influences are really bringing forward a locally charged experience that we are so proud of.”

Courtesy of Sandals Resorts

From the moment you arrive, you can feel it. At Sandals, food is a daily invitation to go deeper in your exploration of the Caribbean. Imagine inhaling the deep and earthy fragrance of a cup of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee on your first morning there. Down by the water in the afternoon, the warm breeze carries the enticing aroma of allspice. When you tear into a piece of jerk chicken, the charred skin gives way to tender meat, and you savor every spice-rubbed bite.

Fresh produce and local ingredients bring farm-to-table flavor, supported by the Sandals Foundation’s efforts to help farmers grow organic produce across the Caribbean. Plus, the innovative Island Inclusive Dining program, available at select properties including Sandals Royal Curaçao and Sandals Royal Bahamian, takes guests beyond the resort to independent, locally owned restaurants—at no extra cost.

Dine at local restaurants in the Bahamas and Curaçao

Courtesy of Sandals Resorts

Once you’ve fully exhaled and your shoulders have fully relaxed after settling into the rhythm of lounging by the pool or taking slow walks on the sand, you might feel inspired to venture out and see what else the island has in store. Those staying seven nights or more in Butler Suites at select Sandals resorts receive a $250 credit to dine at independent, handpicked restaurants that highlight traditional flavors and culinary creativity. With round-trip transfers included and no extra planning required, it’s an effortless way to enjoy a casual meal at a laid-back neighborhood favorite or a multicourse experience at an acclaimed restaurant. Mathot and his team spend months vetting local spots to ensure the food is delicious and represents the island.

At Sandals Royal Bahamian, when guests aren’t at the resort enjoying conch—long a staple of Bahamian celebrations and everyday meals—prepared the way the best Bahamian chefs prepare it, they can step off the resort and into Nassau’s restaurant scene that showcases Bahamian flavors.

You might find yourself at Sapodilla Estate just as the evening breeze picks up, warm and salty from the nearby sea. Strings of lights flicker overhead, and the low murmur of conversation drifts across the garden. You settle beneath the stars as a plate of crispy conch fritters arrives, the delicate crunch giving way to briny osetra caviar. Then comes buttery lobster bathed in hollandaise, rich and silky against the snap of golden potatoes and tender broccolini. For dessert, a Bahamian pavlova arrives light as air, the crisp shell giving way to soft white chocolate mousse and a tumble of tropical fruit for a fresh, island-inspired take on a classic dessert.

Or, if you’re in the mood for cocktails and light bites in Nassau, Bon Vivants makes it easy to lose track of time. Picture sinking into a low rattan chair as the hum of conversation rises and the clink of ice carries from the bar. A drink arrives, heavy with the scent of passion fruit, and then a warm jerk chicken bao bun follows, soft in your hands. The space feels playful but intentional, with tropical wallpaper and furnishings that carefully balance vintage and polished.

While staying at Sandals Royal Curaçao, dinner at Mosa/Caña is one of the best ways to experience the layered food culture of the island. The menu leans into Latin American and Caribbean influences, with bright flavors and bold seasoning. On the patio, string lights glow against mural-covered walls as grilled branzino hits the table, the skin crisped just enough to crackle under your fork. A spoonful of ginger ponzu brings sharpness and heat, softened by the cool snap of green papaya salad. You take a slow sip of a mango caipirinha, and the sweetness and lime curl together in the glass.

Another choice in Curaçao is Sal the Kitchen, where even the building tells a story. The walls are made of coral, and over time, the sea salt inside them rises to the surface and leaves pale marks that catch the light. Outside, seafood sizzles on the grill, making the air thick with the scent of garlic and citrus. The signature paella socarrat arrives in a wide, shallow pan, the bottom layer of rice crisped and caramelized. Shrimp are sweet and tender, and the chorizo is intensely smoky. A drizzle of zesty aioli pulls everything together. It’s an unfussy meal that feels unmistakably Curaçao. “It’s an experience you’ll never forget,” says Mathot.

Try authentic Jamaican cuisine at the Jerk Shack

Courtesy of Sandals

But you don’t have to leave the resort to taste the real thing. At select Sandals properties across the islands, the Jerk Shack brings genuine Caribbean fire and flavor to the beach. The casual beachside spots serve smoky, spice-rubbed meats and seafood grilled over open flames. Their open-air settings are reminiscent of classic roadside stands but just steps from the water.

The origins of jerk cooking go back to the Indigenous Arawak people of Jamaica. The Maroons, enslaved Africans who escaped into the island’s Blue Mountains, later refined that method by wrapping the heavily seasoned meat in leaves and slow cooking it over hot stones and wood. The smoke then sealed in the flavor, shaping the jerk we know today.

At Sandals’ Jerk Shacks, chefs stay true to that tradition by marinating chicken, pork, and fish in a fiery mix of Scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, and allspice, then grilling it over pimento wood. With a side of rice and peas or festival (sweet fried dough), it’s the kind of beachside meal best eaten with your hands while sitting just steps from the sand as traces of spice drift through the air and waves gently lap the shore.

Eat family-style at Buccan in Saint Vincent

Courtesy of Sandals

While some meals in the Caribbean, like jerk, are best enjoyed with your hands and a view of the ocean, others lean slower and more soulful with platters passed around the table. Buccan at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines captures that feeling. In this setting in a secluded cove near the edge of the rainforest, the family-style dishes are meant to be shared with good company.

Named after an Arawak cooking technique of slow-roasting meat over an open flame, the restaurant reimagines Caribbean home cooking and traditional Vincy fare. The kitchen team, many of whom grew up in Saint Vincent, send out platters of seafood and vegetables pulled straight from the grill. Bowls of coconut-scented rice and fresh fruit salsas are for sharing. With the soft lighting and perhaps a few pours of local rum, dinner here feels more like a gathering of old friends than a restaurant meal.

Sip rare rums at Dunn’s Rum Club in Jamaica

Courtesy of Sandals Resorts

Every trip deserves a good toast, and at Sandals Dunn’s River, the Rum Club knows precisely how to pour it. The roots of rum run deep in Caribbean culture, especially in Jamaica, and this bar was built around that legacy. You could start with a rare single-barrel pour or try a cocktail made with sorrel-smoked rum and a hint of citrus. However it’s poured, the flavors are unmistakably Jamaican and steeped in tradition.

The signature smoked old fashioned, made with aged Jamaican rum and charred orange, delivers a bold, complex finish. Guests can join guided tastings to learn more about the craftsmanship behind each bottle. Pair that with a few small plates, like savory braised oxtail sliders or smoked marlin escovitch (a traditional preparation made using a spicy, vinegared marinade), to connect your drinks even more to the history and culture of the island.

That dedication to flavor and a sense of place is what you’ll experience at every meal at Sandals. One night, it could be jerk chicken by the beach, and the next, a plate of freshly caught seafood at a neighborhood restaurant. The food always brings you closer to the culture behind it. “We’re literally using food to tell the stories of each destination,” says Mathot.