DHANI JONES

Dhani Jones has lived quite a life—he’s a retired professional football player, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a TV star, a world-traveler and a family man. He’s also a Chappaquiddick regular and someone we bump into now and then on our favorite island.

The man has an energy that’s palpable as soon as you get near him—Dhani is always on the go. One day he might be at a meeting in NYC, or in Detroit at the investment fund he’s the chairman of. He could be shooting an episode of CNBC’s Adventure Capitalists, on which he’s an investor, or doing work with BowTie Cause, his charity that creates custom bow ties for non-profits and other philanthropic organizations.

Dhani has also been basically everywhere (over 100 countries and counting) and done almost everything (Muay Thai fighting in Thailand, hurling in Ireland, dragon boat racing in Singapore and playing cricket in Jamaica, just to name a few). “Travel has always been in my DNA,” he told us. “My parents were both in the military, and I grew up all over the world. My entire family are a bunch of travelers. They’re curious people who have always seen the world for the wonderful place that it is. I caught the travel bug early on, and it’s stuck with me forever.”

So, when we asked him what was on his bucket list, his answer made sense to us—to share his favorite island, Turks & Caicos, with his family and friends. “Turks & Caicos is a place where my Mom and I started going when we were younger, and it’s just become our spot,” Dhani told us. “I’ve been coming down here for 27 years, but I’ve never really brought other people. I have a family now though, so my bucket list is to share Turks with them.” As folks who appreciate spending time with family and friends, we can relate.

When Dhani finally gets to unplug, it’s a special occasion. “It’s all about the lost art of really spending time together,” Dhani says. “You have to enjoy the moments where you can really be together with the ones you love. And to spend that time in a place that is near and dear to my heart, it’s just that much better. Being able to see my kids 27 years after I started coming here, running on the beach that I’ve been running on for almost my entire life, that’s really important. That’s what I really like about vineyard vines—it’s a family brand. It’s about people having experiences with one another and building these stories that will last a lifetime.”

That’s the truth, Dhani. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.