Since 2001, couples have enjoyed the opportunity to have an easy wedding anniversary date to remember with dates like 01/01/01, 02/02/02 and 03/03/03 and destination wedding venues for those special dates have sold out 6-9 months ahead. In 2012 we have one last opportunity and it’s a great time of year for a tropical beach wedding in the Caribbean.  So if you’re thinking about 12/12/12 we are advising couples to plan ahead! Way ahead! In fact, now is good!

At each of the 13 Sandals Resorts the Beautiful Beginnings Weddings, by Martha Stewart  are free for guests staying at least 6 nights, in a qualifying room category. This wedding package includes the wedding license, flowers for the bride and groom, a wedding cake, music, and a special dinner the evening of your wedding. Of course, a licensed officiant is included too and there are special extras for wedding groups starting with as a few as 5 rooms !!

If you prefer something a bit more lavish, many different Martha Stewart wedding themes are available: the Flutter of Romance, which is charming and sweet; or the Chic and Natural theme with clean lines and organic elements that set a modern, romantic tone. When in the Caribbean…….perhaps a sun, sand, and sea theme is more to your taste. The Seaside Serenade theme with vows being exchanged under a bamboo arch and the bride’s bouquet embellished with seashells, really bring the feel islands to your wedding.

Any of the wedding themes can be personalized by adding your own music, or inter changing portions of the wedding themes.

With 2012 fast approaching, confirming your 12/12/12 wedding date early is imperative. Sandals policy allows for price adjustments should the room category reserved becomes less expensive after deposit has been applied. So you have nothing to lose by booking early, and everything to gain! Totem Travel is a Preferred Sandals and Beaches Agency and we have visited all 13 of the resorts many times.  You can contact one of our three Sandals Specialists by phone or email with any questions or you can book on line.  There is no extra charge for our expert services so the price will be exactly the same either way!

Click here for Slideshow of Sandals Grand Ocho

By the end of this summer, Sandals Grande Riviera Beach & Villa Golf Resort will be enriched with new restaurants, a chic new Beach Club, enhanced amenities at the beach and the pool areas. The Red Lane Spa has been refurbished, along with guest rooms and the Riviera Villa Suites!

Sandals Grande Riviera has always been a good choice for a Destination Wedding,  honeymoon, anniversary celebration, vow renewal, (my husband and I renewed our vows on our 35th on the beach at Grande Riviera) or just a great couples get-away. Now it’s a great choice!! Sandals Grande Riviera has added several restaurants, which brings the total number 14! I think a longer vacation is in order! Among the culinary options are Sushi, brick-oven pizza, Asian fusion cuisine and a Mediterranean restaurant right on the beach! Sandals Grande Riviera has also added a fine-dining restaurant on the pier! Dinner at this restaurant, Kelly’s Dockside, will be the perfect romantic end to the evening.

The Riviera Seaside pool area has increased deck space and a new Jacuzzi! New cabanas have been added to the Riviera Great House pool, which features serene music and draperies for privacy. Sandals Grande Riviera’s new Riviera Beach Club will feature a brand-new boardwalk lounge with stylish outdoor furniture. The boardwalk area features romantic fire pits and an observation deck to take in the beautiful sunsets! The Beach Club also has many more cabanas and full service butlers for guests in select suites providing fresh fruits and drinks! How decadent is that?

My favorite accommodations at Sandals Grande Riviera are the Riviera Villas which are tucked into the mountainside. Most of these units are fourplexes (some are duplexes) with semi-private plunge pools. These are great for couples traveling together. Think Destination Wedding! You would all have a private suite, but a great common area around your own pool! Not only that, but all of the Riviera Villas will now have 24 hour room service.

Once the reinvigorating in completed, all of the rooms and suites within both the Riviera Villas and the Riviera Seaside sides of the resort will have new linens, mahogany furniture, upgraded bathroom fixtures, iPod docking stations, and plasma TVs.

Sandals Grande Riviera Beach and Villa Golf Resort is going to be your new favorite destination! With 14 restaurants, beautiful pools, newly refurbished rooms, and suites with pools, how could it be anything else? Oh and don’t forget golf! Greens fees are complimentary, as is the transportation from Sandals Grande Riviera!  As Certified Sandals Specialists, the staff Totem Travel has visited all of the Sandals Resorts, and would love to help you make the right choice for your holiday at Sandals!

Please email: sandi@totemtravel.com; call 425-821-4100, or book on line!

Click here for slideshow of Sandals Carlyle Inn

The best deal for an all inclusive Sandals vacation may be Sandals Carlyle Inn which is the most affordable of 13 Sandals Resorts located on five beautiful Caribbean islands.  Carlyle Inn offers the lowest price for a Sandals Resort and you get full access and resort hopping privileges to the other two Sandals Resorts in Montego Bay included in your stay.  So you’re getting three resorts for the price of one!

Sandals Carlyle Inn is perfect for you if you are looking for an affordable all inclusive vacation and you want a smaller resort with a comfortable “bed and breakfast” feel yet you still want to have access to a large amount of nice dining options.  These features make Sandals Carlyle Inn the perfect choice.   The resort has been recently renovated and the rooms while simple are quite nice and comfortable.  Economically, you really get a lot of resort for your dollar as you still have all your scuba diving, snorkeling and even water skiing and tubing at Sandals Montego Bay at your disposal – all included!!

You have full access to the other two Sandals Resorts giving you a total of 17 restaurants for your meals via a complimentary shuttle which runs between the resorts every half hour.  Perhaps you want to dine at the Thai Restaurant on the private offshore island at Sandals Royal Caribbean, simply shuttle over and without any wristbands or hassle you will be enjoying scrumptious Thai food on a tiny island with the resort lights of Sandals Royal Caribbean twinkling in the distance.  Or perhaps you want to go snorkeling and have lunch, simply shuttle over to Sandals Montego Bay and you can snorkel and participate in a wide variety of water activities, then grab a bite to eat – all included!  Sandals Resorts are known to have the most inclusions and there is no easier way to take advantage of everything Sandals has to offer without the extra cost then to stay at Sandals Carlyle Inn.

If you are interested in a Sandals Resort, just give us a call at 1-800-321-7907 or email us at linda@totemtravel.com We are a Preferred Sandals Agency and have been to them all.  We will make sure you get the best vacation experience at the lowest possible price!

Click for slideshow of the Bora Bora Pearl in Tahiti

Many couples get married in the summertime and get all excited to honeymoon in the Caribbean, only to learn that June through October is hurricane season.  So I am often asked by couples, where can we honeymoon and still be safe from hurricanes?

There are some fabulous destinations where the best weather is during our summer months here in the U.S.    One of the more popular choices is a South Pacific honeymoon.  May through October is the best time to travel to the South Pacific and avoid their cyclone season which is primarily in January, February and March.  Tahiti has the visual “wow factor” and is one of the more popular honeymoon destinations if your budget allows.  From the beautiful island of Bora Bora to the island of Moorea, overwater bungalows are everywhere creating that exotic and romantic ambiance that the South Pacific is known for.

Another fantastic choice and one of our favorites in the South Pacific would be a Fiji honeymoon.  The Fijian islands are home to the friendliest people in the world and some say when you return from Fiji, you are a nicer person than before you left!  There are so many wonderful outer island resorts at various price points in Fiji, so even with a modest budget, you can experience an exotic Fijian honeymoon.  These outer island resorts are sprinkled with individual bures and are pure paradise for those seeking to get away from it all. We have two Fiji Matai Specialists in our office, as well as one Tahiti Tiare Specialist. So if you are looking for someone who really knows the South Pacific, we have you covered.

For those who want a more active and adventurous honeymoon, the climate in most of Australia and New Zealand is perfect during this time of year.  An Australia honeymoon during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months would allow you to experience Australia in their winter. The weather is more temperate allowing you to enjoy the exotic animals, places like Ayers Rock and sophisticated cities without baking in the sun down under.  Our agency owner, Linda has travelled to Australia & New Zealand often and can share with you some of her favorite “must see” spots in Australia and New Zealand.

Romance without the hurricane threat also can be found with a European honeymoon where you can take in the sites of Paris or enjoy a gelato in Rome or Venice.  Some of our clients prefer to incorporate a few countries and major sites and test out romance in more than one country.  We have a Europe specialist who can help put together the European honeymoon of your dreams.

But if your heart is set on the Caribbean, some safer spots are in the southern or eastern Caribbean where hurricanes are less likely to strike.  Some islands that make great choices in this region are St. Lucia or Antigua where you can find four Sandals “Couples Only” all inclusive resorts.  A Sandals honeymoon really takes the stress out of honeymoon and allows you to enjoy great beaches, water activities like scuba diving and snorkeling, great food and drinks,  ALL INCLUDED!  We have three Sandals Specialists in the office and we have been to all of the resorts.   So if you are interested in a Sandals All Inclusive Honeymoon, just give us a call at 1-800-321-7907.  We are happy to help you find shelter from hurricanes and the romantic honeymoon of your dreams.

Click here for a slideshow of Sandals Emerald Bay

Can’t decide if Sandals Royal Bahamian or Sandals Emerald Bay is the best resort for you?  Not a problem.

Sandals all inclusive resorts has the perfect solution:  Island Hop, at their expense!  That’s right, you can fly into Nassau, about 15 minutes from Sandals Royal Bahamian, spend 4 nights, then fly to Sandals Emerald Bay, a short 40 minute flight, and spend 4 more nights, and the inter-island airfare is free for the 2 of you!!

Sound too good to be true?  It’s true!  And, Companions Fly Free from your gateway city to the Bahamas is also available!  Just book your flights with Sandals, and your companion flies for free!  How much better can it get?  Well, just let me give you some of the high points of each resort.  You’ll be glad that you don’t have to choose between the resorts.

Sandals Royal Bahamian is a beautiful resort with its own private island.  It is one of the larger resorts with 403 rooms, but at Sandals, that means a total with full occupancy of only 806 guests.  At Sandals, guests are all adult couples looking to have lots of quality time together, whether that be lying by the pool or the beach by themselves, or participating in group activities with other couples.  There are 2 main pools at Sandals Royal Bahamian, one of which is unofficially the quieter pool, and one where all the pool games take place.  The Private Island is just a short boat ride away, and gives you access to another pool, a barefoot café called Café Goombay, and a more private beach, with beach beds.  There are 10 restaurants at Sandals Royal Bahamian, and 9 Bars, including swim-up bars at the pools.

Because Sandals Royal Bahamian is near the city of Nassau, it’s easy to take the bus into the straw market, or enjoy the upscale shopping in town.  A water taxi will take you over to Paradise Island to the Atlantis Casino!     Or if you prefer to do your gambling a little closer to the resort, Crystal Palace is a very short bus ride away.

Of course, water sports are all included at Sandals Royal Bahamian, and those who choose to participate in snorkeling and SCUBA will enjoy all of the underwater sights.  Off the resort are many excursions, which are available at an extra cost.  Are you adventuresome?  How about diving with the sharks? A little less adventuresome?  Swimming with dolphins or deep sea fishing are very popular options.

Sandals Emerald Bay is the newest resort in the Sandals family.  Opening just last year, it has quickly become the showpiece of Sandals Resorts.  This is the perfect destination to relax after your busy time at Sandals Royal Bahamian.  Sandals Emerald Bay is on one of the most beautiful beaches you can imagine.  I have included additional pictures, so be sure to check them out.

Sandals Emerald Bay is smaller than Sandals Royal Bahamian, with only 183 rooms.  All of the rooms at Sandals Emerald Bay are suites with either concierge or butler service.   Even though the resort is smaller, there are plenty of restaurant and bar options:  5 of each!  The Drunken Duck, an English Pub, is one of the most popular. There are 3 swimming pools with whirlpools, and a beautiful Red Lane Spa.   The Greg Norman designed, 18 hole, Oceanside golf-course, has been featured on the Golf Channel’s Big Break program

Being able to combine Sandals Royal Caribbean with Sandals Emerald Bay creates the perfect opportunity for a wedding and honeymoon.  You could get married at Sandals Royal Caribbean with friends and family, and then fly away to your honeymoon at Sandals Emerald Bay.  Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it?

Sandals offer for free inter-island flights is a limited time offer, so please don’t hesitate if this sounds like the ideal vacation for you and your significant other!

Please contact Sandi, Linda, or Patty at Totem Travel to get the ball rolling!  We are all Sandals Certified Agents, with extensive training and we have visited all of the resorts!  Get personalized help from a travel expert at no extra cost!

Call Totem Travel @ 425-821-4100 or 1 800-321-7907

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