The past few days I was able to join a group of travel agents and advisors to tour three Sandals & Beaches resorts on three different Caribbean islands. I know you're thinking, "huh she's working hard....not!" AND......... didn't she just spend a week at Sandals Emerald Bay and swim with a pig or something? Yes I was, and Yes I did!
Funny thing, one of the resorts on the tour was in fact, Sandal's Emerald Bay and their were still guests and of course staff there who I met last week, they hugged me, we laughed. Joyon, my favorite playmaker from the pool said, "You look so different with your clothes on"
Back to work.......Sandal's flew us down and they made sure we saw everything, we walked every inch of each resort, toured all the outdoor pools and beach areas of the resorts, and wow there were a lot! I am currently on information overload. They brought us to at least 30 different rooms, met the many staff, and well of course we sampled the food and drinks from 19+ of their different on property restaurants. I lost count, I think that had to do with the frozen daiquiris....... work, work, work, research, research, research.
I promise I will do a post with a bazillion pictures of each of the resorts we visited, in the near future. But today I wanted to share with you a list of tips I put together to help you when you visit their resorts.
Manager's Cocktail Party
GO TO IT!! Go to the managers welcome cocktail party! The resort general manager and the management staff host these get togethers. You will receive an invitation in your room or from your concierge, or butler. Typically they are scheduled on your first or second night. Here's the thing not a lot of people attend and they hold lottery drawings for free prizes, you do the math..... We won a $350.00, half day land tour (remember the pigs). Four other couples won spa gift certificates and two other couples won gift certificates to the gift shop.
Bring Your Own Insulated Cup
Let me state that again bring your own insulated cup! You know, the kind with the straw that you can get at the dollar store. A few reasons, but the most importantly the bartenders will fill them to the top no matter the size. With the cup being insulated it will keep the ice in it from melting in the sun, while you lounge in the pool. The pools at the resorts are rather big, there may have been an incident where I had to drink Michael's drink prior to delivering it back him due to the distance of the trip. Many of the groups we met on their Weddingmoons (soon to post on that too!) had custom ones made up for each person in their group as a memory of their trip.
Sandals Select Rewards Dinner
If you are a returning guest to any of the resorts, go to the special dinner for the Sandals Select Reward Club Members they serve food that is not on the regular menus at the resort and they recoconize returning guests who have hit certain amount of nights stayed and earned and they give you a gift to take home with you. At our last dinner it was Appleton Special rum, and a rum cake. The rum cake didn't make it home.
The 3 Musketeers
Bring the three musketeers, as I like to call them. Zantac, Pepto and GasX. Being in a foreign country, with different waters, food and spices, and yes all.... the drinking you may need them. Enough said. They help, trust me, you will thank me.
Kindles
All Sandals resorts now lend kindles for the guests use during their stay. You can get them when you arrive, usually at the concierge office and return them before check out. They hold a deposit on your room charge for the device, but will remove the charge before you check out when you return the device. You can hook up to your amazon account and rent or buy a book to read for the week. Hey its one less thing to pack!
Make a Plan
When you get there don't be so quick to jump in the pool or go to the beach, take a few minutes check out the activity book and make your restaurant reservations, and schedule any spa treatments or excursions. Especially if you dive, or want to learn to. Go to the dive desk, make your dive reservations for the week. During high seasons things fill up quickly. If you are on a Butler level take the time to go over it with him or her, or even better, when you fill out your butler preferences before arrival note things there so they know what you want to do and see, and can help you plan it. Yo don't know what you want to do or see? ASK ME (email me) for advice so you can get your butler working for you before you get there.
Excursions
Excursions are fun and you get to see more of the island your are on. You can book them when you get there, BUT now they can be booked online before you arrive to ensure the day and excursion you want is available. Remember during busy weeks like school vacations, things fill up fast. Many of the excursions are available to guests from other resorts, so book in advance! To view the excursions available on the different islands click here: Island Routes Excursions
Many of the tours run longer than advertised, and some don't provide food. If you have butler have him or her pack a snack and water in a cooler to take with you, if not grab some snacks from one of the many on the go restaurants and take it with you.
Butler Service
Talk to your travel advisor decide if you want butler service. There are many of pros and cons, of having a butler. During busy weeks, they can hold cabanas if you want, they can make you dinner reservations before you arrive, and if you have special requests they can stock you fridge with special requests. We asked for milk and cut limes to be in our fridge and when we arrived they were there. Butlers can set up breakfast in your suite, or even iron an outfit. (FYI, two items ironed is included in your stay, after that you have to pay)
TSA Be Damned!
Leave the soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion at home! Sandals has a great new line of bath products in room through their Red Lane Spa from Absolutely Natural, and they provide you good size bottles in your bathroom AND replace them if you run out during your visit. And ever notice that when you change shampoo or conditioner your hair looks great? Win-Win.
Stay Connected
There is Wi-Fi throughout the resorts, you receive a code to log in for up to three devices. But, finding a good wi-fi signal sometimes can be difficult at the resorts. With a majority of the buildings being built from concrete block, your best connections may be from your balcony. The best Wi-Fi connections will be close to these bird house/bat house looking structures. You will find them all over the resort, these small structures are similar to "hot spots". When I stood close to them, my apps and email loaded super fast.
DATA OFF!!!
Turn off your cellular data and roaming when you turn airplane mode on when you board your flight to the island. Unless you set up an international calling plan, then have at it! Everytime someone calls you or you call someone, cha-ching! Before you leave home, download the Magic Jack app on your phone. This app allows you to make calls over wi-fi, and since there is wi-fi on property you can call home for free, but you may want to stand near a "birdhouse" :)
Beginning June 20, 2013 you will be able to make free long distance calls from any of the seven Sandals Resorts in Jamaica to all U.S. and Canada lines and to UK landlines, as well as local calls to Jamaican landlines. These complimentary calls can be made exclusively through an easy to us Sandals Resort online app for both apple and android, which can be downloaded for free once you are ON PROPERTY.
Pack a Small Carry On Bag
Many people travel today with just a carry on bag, this advice may not apply to you. In a small tote bag or back pack, what ever bag you are taking on the plane with you.......put in a bathing suit, a cover up or T-shirt and a 3.4 ounce bottle of sunblock, maybe even a hat. If you can't find sunscreen that small pour some into an approved airline travel carry on bottle. Many flights to the Caribbean arrive before 2pm, some arrive before noon, and check in time at Sandals is 3pm. Sandals need to clean and inspect rooms in between guests. There are bathrooms near every pool and near the beaches. Put on your bathing suit, swim up to the bar and have a drink!
Use a Travel Agent
Preferable me! Because I am now a Certified Sandals Specialist. And I'm working with Susan Peavey Travel who has more than 20 years in the industry, if I don't know the answer SHE DOES!!
Travel agents do not (should not) charge you fees or commissions. It is the Sandals company policy is that all their prices are leveled. What that means... Any rates found online for any room category are the same as rates as an agent will give you.
If the prices are different, a few things can be happening. First and foremost, the airfare is different, the airfare found online, packaged with the room, may have three legs to the journey, maybe you have to fly through Chicago, and your flight home leaves at 5:45am. The airfare your agent quoted with the trip is a direct flight from the airport closest to your residence, your returning flight from Sandals departs at 1pm so you can enjoy a lovely last day breakfast. If you find great airfare online write down, your travel agent can match it, or most probably do better. Why? well thats a subject for another post.
Also, that room you booked on the internet, well that room is in building 6 far far away from the main pool, or your favorite breakfast buffet restaurant, trust me the resorts are big. Your agent is going to talk directly with their Sandal inside sales contact and say "I want the Smith couple in building 2 at Emerald Bay" Its next to gym building and Jim likes to workout every morning, and its close enough to the party pool so they can see whats going on, but the noise won't bother Susie's afternoon nap.
The most important part, the your travel agent should communicate with you, to understand your needs, wants and budget.
If you have another suggestion, post it in the comment section!
If you have questions about Sandals or Beaches resort email me.
Funny thing, one of the resorts on the tour was in fact, Sandal's Emerald Bay and their were still guests and of course staff there who I met last week, they hugged me, we laughed. Joyon, my favorite playmaker from the pool said, "You look so different with your clothes on"
Back to work.......Sandal's flew us down and they made sure we saw everything, we walked every inch of each resort, toured all the outdoor pools and beach areas of the resorts, and wow there were a lot! I am currently on information overload. They brought us to at least 30 different rooms, met the many staff, and well of course we sampled the food and drinks from 19+ of their different on property restaurants. I lost count, I think that had to do with the frozen daiquiris....... work, work, work, research, research, research.
I promise I will do a post with a bazillion pictures of each of the resorts we visited, in the near future. But today I wanted to share with you a list of tips I put together to help you when you visit their resorts.
Manager's Cocktail Party
GO TO IT!! Go to the managers welcome cocktail party! The resort general manager and the management staff host these get togethers. You will receive an invitation in your room or from your concierge, or butler. Typically they are scheduled on your first or second night. Here's the thing not a lot of people attend and they hold lottery drawings for free prizes, you do the math..... We won a $350.00, half day land tour (remember the pigs). Four other couples won spa gift certificates and two other couples won gift certificates to the gift shop.
Bring Your Own Insulated Cup
Let me state that again bring your own insulated cup! You know, the kind with the straw that you can get at the dollar store. A few reasons, but the most importantly the bartenders will fill them to the top no matter the size. With the cup being insulated it will keep the ice in it from melting in the sun, while you lounge in the pool. The pools at the resorts are rather big, there may have been an incident where I had to drink Michael's drink prior to delivering it back him due to the distance of the trip. Many of the groups we met on their Weddingmoons (soon to post on that too!) had custom ones made up for each person in their group as a memory of their trip.
Sandals Select Rewards Dinner
If you are a returning guest to any of the resorts, go to the special dinner for the Sandals Select Reward Club Members they serve food that is not on the regular menus at the resort and they recoconize returning guests who have hit certain amount of nights stayed and earned and they give you a gift to take home with you. At our last dinner it was Appleton Special rum, and a rum cake. The rum cake didn't make it home.
The 3 Musketeers
Bring the three musketeers, as I like to call them. Zantac, Pepto and GasX. Being in a foreign country, with different waters, food and spices, and yes all.... the drinking you may need them. Enough said. They help, trust me, you will thank me.
All Sandals resorts now lend kindles for the guests use during their stay. You can get them when you arrive, usually at the concierge office and return them before check out. They hold a deposit on your room charge for the device, but will remove the charge before you check out when you return the device. You can hook up to your amazon account and rent or buy a book to read for the week. Hey its one less thing to pack!
Make a Plan
When you get there don't be so quick to jump in the pool or go to the beach, take a few minutes check out the activity book and make your restaurant reservations, and schedule any spa treatments or excursions. Especially if you dive, or want to learn to. Go to the dive desk, make your dive reservations for the week. During high seasons things fill up quickly. If you are on a Butler level take the time to go over it with him or her, or even better, when you fill out your butler preferences before arrival note things there so they know what you want to do and see, and can help you plan it. Yo don't know what you want to do or see? ASK ME (email me) for advice so you can get your butler working for you before you get there.
Excursions
Excursions are fun and you get to see more of the island your are on. You can book them when you get there, BUT now they can be booked online before you arrive to ensure the day and excursion you want is available. Remember during busy weeks like school vacations, things fill up fast. Many of the excursions are available to guests from other resorts, so book in advance! To view the excursions available on the different islands click here: Island Routes Excursions
Many of the tours run longer than advertised, and some don't provide food. If you have butler have him or her pack a snack and water in a cooler to take with you, if not grab some snacks from one of the many on the go restaurants and take it with you.
Butler Service
Talk to your travel advisor decide if you want butler service. There are many of pros and cons, of having a butler. During busy weeks, they can hold cabanas if you want, they can make you dinner reservations before you arrive, and if you have special requests they can stock you fridge with special requests. We asked for milk and cut limes to be in our fridge and when we arrived they were there. Butlers can set up breakfast in your suite, or even iron an outfit. (FYI, two items ironed is included in your stay, after that you have to pay)
TSA Be Damned!
Leave the soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion at home! Sandals has a great new line of bath products in room through their Red Lane Spa from Absolutely Natural, and they provide you good size bottles in your bathroom AND replace them if you run out during your visit. And ever notice that when you change shampoo or conditioner your hair looks great? Win-Win.
Stay Connected
There is Wi-Fi throughout the resorts, you receive a code to log in for up to three devices. But, finding a good wi-fi signal sometimes can be difficult at the resorts. With a majority of the buildings being built from concrete block, your best connections may be from your balcony. The best Wi-Fi connections will be close to these bird house/bat house looking structures. You will find them all over the resort, these small structures are similar to "hot spots". When I stood close to them, my apps and email loaded super fast.
DATA OFF!!!
Turn off your cellular data and roaming when you turn airplane mode on when you board your flight to the island. Unless you set up an international calling plan, then have at it! Everytime someone calls you or you call someone, cha-ching! Before you leave home, download the Magic Jack app on your phone. This app allows you to make calls over wi-fi, and since there is wi-fi on property you can call home for free, but you may want to stand near a "birdhouse" :)
Beginning June 20, 2013 you will be able to make free long distance calls from any of the seven Sandals Resorts in Jamaica to all U.S. and Canada lines and to UK landlines, as well as local calls to Jamaican landlines. These complimentary calls can be made exclusively through an easy to us Sandals Resort online app for both apple and android, which can be downloaded for free once you are ON PROPERTY.
Pack a Small Carry On Bag
Many people travel today with just a carry on bag, this advice may not apply to you. In a small tote bag or back pack, what ever bag you are taking on the plane with you.......put in a bathing suit, a cover up or T-shirt and a 3.4 ounce bottle of sunblock, maybe even a hat. If you can't find sunscreen that small pour some into an approved airline travel carry on bottle. Many flights to the Caribbean arrive before 2pm, some arrive before noon, and check in time at Sandals is 3pm. Sandals need to clean and inspect rooms in between guests. There are bathrooms near every pool and near the beaches. Put on your bathing suit, swim up to the bar and have a drink!
Use a Travel Agent
Preferable me! Because I am now a Certified Sandals Specialist. And I'm working with Susan Peavey Travel who has more than 20 years in the industry, if I don't know the answer SHE DOES!!
Travel agents do not (should not) charge you fees or commissions. It is the Sandals company policy is that all their prices are leveled. What that means... Any rates found online for any room category are the same as rates as an agent will give you.
If the prices are different, a few things can be happening. First and foremost, the airfare is different, the airfare found online, packaged with the room, may have three legs to the journey, maybe you have to fly through Chicago, and your flight home leaves at 5:45am. The airfare your agent quoted with the trip is a direct flight from the airport closest to your residence, your returning flight from Sandals departs at 1pm so you can enjoy a lovely last day breakfast. If you find great airfare online write down, your travel agent can match it, or most probably do better. Why? well thats a subject for another post.
Also, that room you booked on the internet, well that room is in building 6 far far away from the main pool, or your favorite breakfast buffet restaurant, trust me the resorts are big. Your agent is going to talk directly with their Sandal inside sales contact and say "I want the Smith couple in building 2 at Emerald Bay" Its next to gym building and Jim likes to workout every morning, and its close enough to the party pool so they can see whats going on, but the noise won't bother Susie's afternoon nap.
The most important part, the your travel agent should communicate with you, to understand your needs, wants and budget.
If you have another suggestion, post it in the comment section!
If you have questions about Sandals or Beaches resort email me.
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