Earlier this month, the team at Blue Sky Luxury, in collaboration with the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., invited a group of journalists to trade the editorial room for a beachside “office” with a view! The group of six, who hailed form the United Kingdom, and the United States represented some of the chicest luxury magazines on the market, namely Boat International, Mayfair Times, Portfolio by The Week, and Women’s Health, and FS.
For four days, they called the beautiful beachfront villa Crystal Springs home, where the exceptional staff created an indulgent retreat that would prove to be an unforgettable experience. The flagship residence also offered them the chance to take part in an array of watersports, as well as several spoils including a warming welcome on their first evening complete with a saxophonist, cocktails and dinner on the seaside terrace, sumptuous meals that capitalized on all the beautiful dining spaces within the villa, and even Prosecco ice lollies on their return from an energizing day out!
As they got down to business, they were afforded the opportunity to visit several breathtaking villas first hand, including Still Fathoms where they were treated to canapes by top local chef Scott Ames paired with wines from Wine World; the stunning Greensleeves and its beautiful villa Blue Point where they enjoyed sampling local lion fish and meeting Alex Davis, Barbados’ national record holder in freediving and Freediving and Spearfishing instructor, who brought a fresh lion fish along to showcase; Eden at Sugar Hill, where they were joined by the Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association Roseann Myers; High Spirits, where a casual lunch and a bit of tennis was the order of the day; a quick stop at the beautiful beachfront villa Westhaven; and, High Breeze, located on the Polo Ridge where they met with a villa Sommelier from Trident Wines and then enjoyed a late night cocktails at The Cliff Restaurant and Fusion Roftop.
Zoe and Simom taste sugar cane for the first time!
In between the ‘rigors’ of their work during their stay on the sun-drenched island, there was also time for the Blue Sky Luxury team to introduce them to a bit of fun and relaxation! Their Barbados bucket-list is now a few items short, as they enjoyed paddle board lessons, swimming with turtles and a soothing cruise on the Seaduced luxury catamaran, visits to St. Nicholas Abbey and a stop at the picturesque Cherry Tree Hill where they were treated to sno-cones – a refreshing local sweet treat.
They also got first hand lessons in Barbadian culture and heritage through talks with experts such as Carla Daniel from the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, as well as artists Kristen Dear, Guni Johnson, Romel Yearwood and historian Karl Watson, who gave them a lesson imbued with everything Oliver Messel and his love for Barbados and his architectural contributions to the island’s luxury homes. Other spoils of the trip included early morning seaside yoga sessions and mini-massages at their host villa as well as a tour of the Apes Hill Golf course and its newly opened Clubhouse followed by fun filled and action packed polo lessons.
Our marketing manager, Betty Cathrow, confirmed that there was really positive feedback on the recent trip, while personally thanking the team at Crystal Springs for making such an impression on the top-rated journalists during their visit. But, don’t just take our word for it – the journalist themselves have reached out and given the trip two thumbs up!
Nathalie Biedron from Indagare described the trip as a ‘rejuvenating long weekend’ and confirmed that the island surpassed her expectations because it ‘has so much more to offer than I had originally anticipated and I am fully confident that leaving any of our clients in the Blue Sky Luxury team hands will ensure a fantastic experience.’
Simon Rayner of Essence Communications concluded: “Rest assured, I will be telling everyone about you guys. The whole trip was so well organised and gave us the perfect balance between seeing the properties and also what the island has to offer too.”
See more reviews of the trip in the videos below!
We’re thrilled by these glowing reviews from our guests, as we knew this well-traveled group would be a tough customer to appease!
