To say 2020 has been an interesting year, well, that may just be the understatement of 2020. We’ve all had to learn to take it day by day and adapt to factors outside our control. But what if you can control these next 4 months, and instead of waiting to see what happens with COVID, with the election, with school (you get the idea), you decide your own destiny? Well guess what, you can, and some of the smartest people in the room are opting for adventure. Somewhere warm. A place you can live a relatively normal existence.
To say 2020 has been an interesting year, well, that may just be the understatement of 2020. We’ve all had to learn to take it day by day and adapt to factors outside our control. But what if you can control these next 4 months, and instead of waiting to see what happens with COVID, with the election, with school (you get the idea), you decide your own destiny? Well guess what, you can, and some of the smartest people in the room are opting for adventure. Somewhere warm. A place you can live a relatively normal existence. With a good internet connection because work, vacation, sanity — you can have it all. So pack up the kids, the nanny, your dog and those inflatable toys for the pool. We’re heading to Barbados and Turks & Caicos.
Barbados
Barbados has an iron fist on immigration into the country, where they are requiring a 14 day quarantine at an approved hotel or private villa accommodation if you’re coming from the United States, to minimize COVID exposure. If you’re planning a quick vacation, this is obviously not optimal, but if you are looking to re-integrate into an as close to normal life possible and are wiling to make the investment of time at your luxury villa for 14 days, then Barbados may be for you. They are encouraging people to come a stay awhile – up to a year – to ride out the pandemic in a bubble of blue skies, days working from the beach and the laid back vibe of the islands. We like Barbados because they have good infrastructure and it’s a place you can live, and not just vacation. Good grocery stores, your morning coffee shop, local restaurants, culture, community and a chance for your family to start up those play dates again and get back on a normal schedule. They also have compelling villas, whether you’re looking to drop some major coin at $100k+/month, to a stunning villa in the exclusive Sandy Lane, for around $20-$30k/monthly, depending on how long you plan to do the lease. We have been placing clients in Barbados this past few months so hit up travel@galavante.com for the research and your great adventure.
Bedroom at Footprints, an ocean front villa in Barbados
Living room at the newly renovated Sandy Lane Villa
Bedroom at the newly renovated Sandy Lane villa
Turks & Caicos
If there were only the beaches and those surreally turquoise waters, with no luxury accommodations, Turks & Caicos would still be top of our list. Turks is a place, like Barbados, where you can settle into a relatively normal every day, in a paradise environment. Turks has some of the strongest restaurant scene in the Caribbean besides St. Barths, where the food is actually even better off-hotel property than at most hotels. Everywhere from the simple beach shacks like Omar’s and Da Conch Shack, to getting takeout from an airstream trailer at Cocovan, this is an island where you can build a relatively normal life for a few months. Amanyara sees it that way too, as they’re doing a special extended villa stay program on property, where you get 30% off the nightly rack rates in the private villas for stays of 30 days or more, not including the coveted holiday season. While the rooms are plush and perfect week-long retreats, the villas have full-kitchens, dedicated concierge and staff and plenty of space to have the kids run around. If you want to have guests, the setup is optimal as rooms are in their own pavilions that are close enough to the main living areas but yet far enough to have privacy. Then you are a quick golf cart ride away from the main resort, with that perfect stretch of beach, yoga, tennis, boxing studio and all the creature comforts. After all, that’s the point of going on this great adventure, to create your own bubble as the outside world deals with the uncertainty of the election, the spikes in COVID cases and the reset that is happening. It’s your choice on how you want to manage the next few months, and if the great adventure is right for you.
