NASSAU — Sandals Royal Bahamian, originally set to reopen Oct. 14, will now reopen Oct. 25, while Sandals Emerald Bay will reopen Dec. 15, according to a statement from Sandals Resorts.

Sandals Emerald Bay requires more extensive repairs than initial estimates.

The Bahamas took a hit from Hurricane Matthew, however airports have reopened and most reports indicate minimal damage on most islands. Two of the harder hit islands were Grand Bahama Island and North Abaco.

Tammy Gonzalez, CEO of Unique Vacations, Inc., said UVI is working closely with clients affected by the closure of the resorts. “We recognize the inconvenience this presents but we are committed to delivering the quality Sandals experience our guests expect and deserve. When we reopen, it will be right,” she said.

Impacted clients are advised as follows:

• Clients affected by the closure of Sandals Royal Bahamian or Sandals Emerald Bay will have one year to travel to the same resort at no additional cost for the resort stay.
• Clients wishing to revise to a different Sandals or Beaches Resort may do so at no additional cost for the resort when travel is completed by Dec. 20, 2016. For travel after that date, the guest is responsible for any difference in resort cost.
• All air penalties and fees will be covered by UVI for revisions made by Oct. 31, 2016. Fees incurred after that date, will be the responsibility of the guest.

Beyond the Bahamas, all Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts are open and fully operational including Beaches Turks & Caicos and the company’s properties in Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia.

Sandals Resorts International’s philanthropic arm, The Sandals Foundation, has made an initial US$150,000 investment to its relief efforts in Haiti and the Bahamas. Tax-deductible contributions can be made at sandalsfoundation.org.

Following is an update from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism on various resorts across the islands:

Bimini

Hilton at Resorts World Bimini has reported no major property damage. There was some damage to landscaping and to the glass pavilion banquet space. The resort is expected to open on Saturday and fully operational at normal room capacity on Oct. 14.

Long Island

On Long Island, there are reports of minor damage on the island with some downed power lines and trees.

There were no reports of major property damage to any of the resorts on the island including Cape Santa Maria, Stella Maris or any of the smaller resorts.

San Salvador

There were also reports of minor damage on San Salvador. There were no reports of debris or downed power lines or trees on the roads and the hurricane shelters have already been cleared. Additionally, Club Med reported no building damage.

Andros

Tiamo Resort in South Andros also reported no building damage. They plan to be open on their target date of Nov. 1.

Central Andros reported that Small Hope Bay does have some damage. The property is closed as it normally is during this time. It plans to open as scheduled on October 19, fully operational and offering diving, fishing and nature touring.

The Lighthouse Yacht Club is severely damaged and the roof is 80% damaged.

Eleuthera

On Eleuthera, there was minimal damage.

Villa Allamanda looks fine from an outside inspection.

French Leave is closed for renovations, but no major damage was reported.

Exuma

On Great Exuma, there were reports of minimal damage throughout the island. The roads are passable with some flooding in Rolletown. Many of the resorts of the island reported very minor damage.

February Point has no property damage.

Exuma Beach Resort has some shingle damage.

Club Peace and Plenty has some damage to its windows and dock. Grand Isle Resort reported no property damage.

Augusta Bay has no damage.

Hideaways at Palm Bay has some minor shingle and fence damage.

The airport received no major damage either.

Abaco

The Ministry of Tourism office on Abaco will continue to monitor the group but at last report they were “comfortable”. For now, it appears that the resorts in Marsh Harbour suffered no major damage.

New Providence

On New Providence, Stuart’s Cove reported that all staff are safe and their boats made it through. The dive shop and dock at South Ocean all received some damage, but nothing that prevented the company from reopening on Saturday for business as usual.

RIU Palace on Paradise Island appears to have suffered damage to its property.

There were reports of mainly landscape damage to many of the hotels on New Providence including Graycliff, Melia Nassau Beach Resort and Warwick Paradise Island hotel.

Atlantis Resort is cleaning up after the storm and is expected to be fully operational by Oct. 12.

“Our dedicated Atlantis staff has been working to get us back to normal operation as quickly as possible,” said Howard Karawan, President and Managing Director of Atlantis, Paradise Island. “We want our guests to enjoy the full Atlantis experience and we are thrilled that we will be ready to welcome over 3,000 group attendees to the resort this week. I couldn’t be more proud of the team and the passion they have shown to our property and the compassion they have shown to our guests over the past week.”