Click for Sandals La Source Grenada Photos

Earlier this month, all 3 Sandals Specialists at Totem Travel attended an annual training workshop because no matter how many times we’ve been to Sandals Resorts (and we go every year) we always learn something new! That’s because Sandals is constantly upgrading the resorts, renovating rooms and adding fresh, innovative ideas to make their signature couples only all inclusive resort experience the best in the business! So what’s new and exciting at Sandals this year?

• The top of that list would have to be the new Sandals Resort on the island of Grenada. Sandals La Source opens at the end of the year and will have 231 rooms within 3 villages: Italian, Pink Gin and Balinese, with 75 butler suites including Millionaire suites, Rondovals, and Skypool suites (photo above). The newest Sandals Resort will have nine Restaurants, 3 pools, state of the art fitness center and a Red Lane spa to create the most spectacular Sandals Resort yet!
• It’s hard to improve on Sandals Emerald Bay but Sandals has found a way to do it by adding a two-mile jogging trail around the Greg Norman designed championship golf course with 360 degree views of the Caribbean.
• Sandals Grande St. Lucian is uniquely situated on a peninsula, which affords guests the best of 2 worlds: views of the Caribbean Sea and views of the Atlantic Ocean. This year Sandals Grande St. Lucian has added a brand new Italian restaurant, “Toscanini’s” with indoor and outdoor seating.
• All Sandals Resorts in Jamaica now have room service and free WiFi in concierge and butler room categories plus free phone calls with Sandals new app for IPhone and Android cell phones!
• Sandals Grande Riviera added a beach club, fire pits and more restaurants last year and this year the villa section was converted to 100%  butler service. Also hot off the press, the always popular and downright sexy Romeo and Juliet Sanctuaries with private pool were completely redone with waterfall feature over your own private pool, heated outdoor Jacuzzi perfect for skinny dipping, enclosed courtyard with outdoor shower and over the top bathroom. It is spectacular and we stayed in the suite just days after completion so check back for Linda’s post!
• Sandals Royal Caribbean added outdoor massage cabanas and a Caribbean style jerk shack on Sandals private island plus fire pits along the beach. And planned later this year is our favorite Cafe de Paris with espresso drinks and smoothies, pastries, crepes, ice cream and decadent chocolate treats. All included…. yum!!

In addition to enhancements at the resorts, the wedding department has made some additions too. Did you know that Sandals Beautiful Beginnings Weddings are free to couples booking just 6 nights in any room category? Prefer to have different flowers? Or a different cake style? No problem…..Sandals has listened and offers a $500 credit to customize your perfect wedding!  And for a select time, Sandals is also extending a $500 Bonus Credit which can be used for room upgrades, off-resort excursions, spa services, etc.!

If you have dreamed of renewing your vows but didn’t quite know what to do….Sandals has the solution. The new ReTie the Knot program, with a dedicated staff, will arrange everything for you. The special ReTie the Knot package, at $300, includes flowers, cake, music, dinner with white glove service, breakfast in bed, and more! You will truly feel like this is your wedding day!

As a top Sandals Travel Agency we are asked every day which is your favorite or which is the best Sandals Resort and our answer is constantly changing. Every year Sandals updates the resort rooms and suites, adds restaurants, and looks for ways to enhance the guest experience. So when you’re ready to enjoy the best adult only all inclusive resort in the Caribbean check out the latest deals and specials and be prepared to be pampered! The Sandals Specialists at Totem Travel are available to answer all your questions so call, email or book on-line. We’re here to help!

Click here for more photos of Beaches Negril

Are you looking for the perfect family vacation resort, where everyone has fun?  Who isn’t, right?

Beaches Negril is a wonderful family resort, with a pristine, white sand beach, loads of water sports activities, 8 dining options, water slides and X-Box!

Beaches Negril is on the famous 7 mile beach in Negril, Jamaica, just an hour from the airport.  Having such a superb beach means great swimming, sunbathing, and lots more:  water skiing and tubing, snorkeling, SCUBA, wind surfing, Hobie Cats for sailing, kayaks, and water trikes. Any member of the water sports staff will be happy to help you become an expert at wind surfing or sailing.  They love their jobs!!  They get to play in the water all day, and still get paid for it!!

The snorkel boat departs several times a day transporting guests to different sights for an ideal experience.  If SCUBA is one of your lifelong dreams, take advantage of the “resort course”  offered at the resort, for a minimal fee.  Certifying with this course will give you the opportunity to dive at any Beaches or Sandals Resort a period of 1 year.  If you are already certified, you are in for a treat:  SCUBA, including gear, is included, and the dive boat will take divers out once or twice a day!

A kids diving program, to learn diving skills is available for kids age 8 and older.

The PADI Bubblemaker Program introduces children to the thrill of breathing underwater.  This program introduces SCUBA in a pool setting through games and activities.  There is an additional cost for this program.

The PADI Seal Program affords children the opportunity to discover a world of underwater fun and adventure built around action-packed Aqua Missions!  There is an additional cost for this program, as well.

Pirates Island Water Theme Park, with 4 water slides and, my favorite, a lazy river!  These activities are not just for kids.  Believe me; adults have just as much fun!

The Kids’ Camp, which is open from 9am to 9pm every day, features a wide variety of activities in a safe environment.  The Kids’ Camp is supervised by trained nannies, and is available for kid’s age 0-14!  Children are placed in age groups, so that they will be participating in appropriate activities.  Private Nanny sitting is also available, for an hourly rate.

For the older kids, Xbox 360 Game Garage is a big hit….no quarters required, and all the latest games are available!  The Trench Town Teen Center is a supervised area of Teens only, complete with foosball, basketball machines, and bean bags!  Liquid at Beaches Nightclub offers teens/tweens, a cool place to visit, with “no parents allowed” from 9pm-11pm!

With the kids being kept busy with all of the resort activities, Mom and Dad are free to enjoy the beach themselves, for a sail on a Hobie Cat, have drinks around the pool, or have a quiet lunch at one of the many restaurants.

Evening entertainment includes family activities such as dance lessons, karaoke, and family shows.  Adults only will enjoy the Seville Piano Bar.

Accommodations at Beaches Negril range from the Deluxe rooms, with 2 double beds or a king bed, to the 2 and 3 bedroom suites, with Butler Service!!  An in room refrigerator is included in each room, and is stocked with sodas, water and juice…..and restocked daily!

Beaches Negril is a very popular place for Destination Weddings.

Like Sandals, Beaches offers free weddings!  For those couples who want to invite their nieces and nephews, and friends with children, to share their special day, Beaches is a great choice.  If the bride and groom want to escape for a few days after the wedding, that’s easy too!  Sandals Negril is just down the beach a mile or so!!

If Beaches Negril or one of the other Beaches Resorts, Beaches Ocho Rios, and Beaches Turks and Caicos, sounds like the perfect destination for your family vacation, please contact Totem Travel, or feel free to book on line!

Totem Travel is a Preferred Sandals and Beaches Specialist Agency, with 3 Sandals and Beaches Certified Specialists.  We have visited all of the resorts, and would love to help you choose the best location for your vacation!

linda@totemtravel.com
patty@totemtravel.com
sandi@totemtravel.com

Click here for more photos of  Sandals Caye

I just got back from Sandals Royal Bahamian and had a great time.  I spent my entire last day on Sandals Caye which is the private offshore island from Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort.  You access the island via a boat the resort operates every 30 minutes.  A schedule is posted at the pier.

Café Goombay on the island is open for lunch between 11am-3pm and you can also dine in the evening a couple days a week from 6:30pm-8:30pm.  I was lucky to get to have dinner over on the island one evening and with the candles and lighting, the atmosphere was magical and very romantic.  Loved it!

The reason I chose to spend my last precious hours at Sandals Royal Bahamian out of the island is because thanks to a hurricane in 2011, the island’s back side now has an amazing white sand beach.  Another man-made improvement since the hurricane is that Sandals put in these new sexy red and brown lounge chairs around the pool.  If you think you can just sit for a second, forget about it.  These new chairs are extremely comfortable.   Sandals has also put in a large amount of beach beds so if you want to cozy up on one of those either in the gardens on island or beachside, you shouldn’t have trouble getting space on one.  You can also arrange to have a spa treatment out on the islandJ

I really like how spread out the various sun/beach spots are on the island, as it is much bigger than the private offshore island at Sandals Royal Caribbean, so you are able to enjoy some space and privacy.  If you have your own snorkel gear, make sure you bring it over to the island with you, as there is some fantastic snorkeling off the back side of the island.  I found out that you can’t just check out the equipment at the water sports desk and take it over, but hopefully this is a policy that will change.

Along with the new renovations made at the Balmoral Tower, Sandals Caye is an excellent reason to choose Sandals Royal Bahamian.  And there is even a new dolphin encounter going in on Sandals Caye so booking a dolphin encounter will easy!

I often have clients ask for my help choosing the best Sandals,  and if having a romantic offshore island is on your wish list, then Sandals Royal Bahamian just might be the best Sandals for you.  We have three Sandals Specialists in the office, so give us a call at 1-800-321-7907, and we will help you find the best one for your next special trip.  Just ask for Patty, Sandi or Linda.

I recently had the pleasure of a visit to Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, Jamaica. What a wonderful experience! The resort is beautiful.

Sandals Royal Caribbean is the only Sandals Resort in Jamaica to boast a private, off-shore island. It is about a 5 minute boat ride, provided by Sandals, of course. The Island is perfect for a little quiet time; away from the rest of the resort…the beach is very nice with beach beds, lounge chairs and umbrellas. There is a bar available, just a few steps from the beach, so you won’t get thirsty! At night, the Dragon Boat will transport you to the Royal Thai Restaurant. Ala Carte dining under the stars! The food is great, too! If you get there a little early for your reservation or want to stay a little longer, the waiting area is complete with lounge chairs and fire pits! Very romantic!

Sandals Royal Caribbean is one of only 3 Sandals Resorts with swim-up suites! Sandals Negril and Sandals Grande St. Lucian also include swim-up suites. If you dream of walking off your patio right into the water, the Crystal Lagoon Suites are for you! Not only do you have the pleasure of accessing the pool right from your suite, you will also be pampered with Butler Service!

If you prefer the Caribbean Sea to the pool, you will love the Royal Water’s Edge suites. These wonderfully situated suites are on the water’s edge, with an oversized patio or balcony. And you will have all the pampering you need with Butler Service!!

Of course, there are lots of options if you prefer to forgo the Butler Service! Many of the Concierge level and Standard level rooms have beautiful beach and ocean views. But remember this is Jamaica, and the garden views are magnificent! And you have the added perk of the sweet fragrances of the flowers.

Because Sandals Royal Caribbean has a British Theme, the resort hosts an authentic British-style tea, every afternoon. The Cricketer’s Pub also gives you a taste of Britain with Shepard’s pie, fish and chips, and bangers and mash!

In all, Sandals Royal Caribbean has 8 different dining options, from pizza to French cuisine, from Jamaican Jerk chicken to hamburgers and hot dogs. In addition to the 8 restaurants at Sandals Royal Caribbean, you will have access to 11 more dining options at Sandals Montego Bay

and Sandals Carlyle Inn.  Transportation between the 3 resorts is complimentary! Since all meals and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are included at Sandals, suffice to say: you will not go hungry or have a chance to become thirsty!

Entertainment is also included at Sandals Resorts, and Sandals Royal Caribbean has some great events lined up! From an “All White Fantasy Party”, to a “Show your Stuff Talent Show” (including guests and staff); to a Beach Party…fun is the name of the game. Then there’s the Reggae Fest, and the Chocolate buffet, and the Island Romance Night! Wine and Cheese parties!

Water sports are also included at Sandals Resorts. These include Hobie Cats, Standing Paddle Boards, Glass Bottom Boats, windsurfing, kayaking! Snorkeling enthusiasts will love the snorkeling opportunities. Each day, usually 2 or 3 times a day, guests are taken by boat to several different snorkel sites. Your equipment is included, too! If you are a certified SCUBA diver…you are really going to love this….the diving is included too. As with the snorkeling you will be transported to different sites each day, so you can explore all that the Jamaica underwater has to offer. Again, equipment is included. If you are not certified, a Discover Scuba Diving course for beginners is available, as well, at an addition cost.

As I indicated above, Sandals Royal Caribbean guests have full access to the other two Sandals Resorts in Montego Bay: Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Carlyle Inn. But there is so much to do at Sandals Royal Caribbean….who would want to leave?

If this sounds like your perfect honeymoon, anniversary, or couples getaway, destination, please contact Totem Travel. We have 3 Certified Sandals Specialists, Royal Chairman’s Club Members, on staff. We have been to all of the resorts, and have stayed at most of them! We are happy to help you narrow down your room options, based on your wish list!

Email me at sandi@totemtravel.com, or my coworkers at linda@totemtravel.com or patty@totemtravel.com. If you prefer, our phone number is 425-821-4100, or 1 800-321-7907.  For your convenience, you can also book on–line!