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

Totem Travel Sandals bus

Totem Travel is one of Sandals Resorts’ top travel agencies in the U.S. and was again named  ”Best of the Best” for 2010.  Plus our travel agents were recognized for top sales of butler suites with luxury features such as private plunge pools and jacuzzis, beachfront villas with stunning oceanviews, river suites, spiral staircases and more. Totem Travel also made a huge splash with our brand new fleet of Sandals vacation buses!

Our buses are cruising between Seattle and Bellevue with a visual reminder of the Luxury included vacation concept pioneered by Sandals.  The unique design features the beautiful beach found at Sandals Whitehouse on Jamaica and a young couple enjoying the romance and luxury of an adult only all inclusive vacation. Inside the Seattle buses, Totem Travel has incorporated Microsoft  tag reader technology on interior Sandals signs and hopes the tech savvy community in Seattle will help make the new campaign a success!  Smart phone users take a photo of the sign and are taken directly to Sandals’ web site with guaranteed lowest prices and Sandals Resort specials.

Of course if you’d like a travel agent to help plan your vacation, Totem Travel has four Sandals Specialists on staff and can help you choose the best Sandals Resort for your vacation or honeymoon.  So call, click, snap a photo or email linda@totemtravel.com when it’s time for an all inclusive vacation.  The Totem Travel honeymoon specialists have been  to all 17 Sandals and Beaches Resorts and you’ll never pay a penny more for personal assistance from a Preferred Sandals Travel Agency. Guaranteed!

Click here for slideshow of the Upton Golf Course

If you are looking to incorporate golf into your family vacation or if you and your spouse want to hit the links while celebrating your anniversary or honeymoon in the Caribbean, then the Ocho Rios area in Jamaica is the spot for you.

Upton Golf Club, formerly called Sandals Golf Club, is an 18 hole golf course nestled in the hills 750 feet above sea level and offers FREE golf to adult guests at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios and Sandals Royal Plantation as well as families staying at Beaches Boscobel.

Having just returned from this beautiful spot, this area strikes me as the perfect spot in the Caribbean where you can enjoy a beautiful resort in the Caribbean and get some golf in as well.  Sandals, Beaches and Royal Plantation guests can access the links via complimentary shuttle and enjoy unlimited golfing on this beautiful course which is lined with mango, coconut, pimento and star fruit trees.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you can be shuttled from one of these three resorts for a 1 hour lesson from 8:30am-9:30am.  You can include golf quite easily in your Sandals, Royal Plantation or Beaches family vacation by using the Island Routes desk located at all of these wonderful resorts.  You’ll be golfing in the Caribbean with ease and the only extra cost will be for the club and cart rental, caddy and cocktails!  Upton Golf Club will be rolling out new club rentals by world class Taylor Made and is now offering golf attire by Addidas in their Golf Shop where purchases by Sandals, Royal Plantation or Beaches guests can be charged to their resort account.

Golfing is also available at Sandals Regency St. Lucia where guests staying at any of the three St. Lucia Sandals Resorts can enjoy the Executive nine hole course.  And for the serious golfers, Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas features the highly recognized Greg Norman designed 18 hole course.  This course is amazing and has been recognized by Travel & Leisure Golf as one of the best courses in the Caribbean.  The course was also featured on the Golf Channel’s Big Break. 

So include golf in your next Caribbean vacation the easy way, by booking a Sandals Couples Only Resort or  Beaches family vacation and you might just find yourself atop hole number ten where on a clear day you can see the shimmering Caribbean while taking a quick break at the jerk shack before taking on hole number eleven.

If you are interested in a Caribbean golf vacation, we would be happy to help.  Give us a call at 1-800-321-7907 or email me at patty@totemtravel.com.

Click here for a slideshow of Beaches Turks and Caicos

The agents at Totem Travel have traveled to all of the Sandals and Beaches Resorts and have been treated to many different cuisines.  Sandals Halcyon in St. Lucia is known for its Pier Restaurant; Sandals Royal Caribbean in Jamaica is famous for its Thai Restaurant. Guests at Sandals Whitehouse cannot stop raving about the European Patisserie with the fantastic espressos and pastries!  And the great thing is that you can eat at all of the specialty restaurants as many times during your stay as you wish.  Some resort chains limit the number of visits to specialty restaurants, but not Sandals or Beaches!

We all have our favorite restaurants and selections at each.  If you are a seafood lover, you will want to be sure and visit the new Neptune’s Restaurants at Sandals Whitehouse and Sandals Regency La Toc or the Stewfish Restaurant at Sandals Montego Bay.  The Sushi Bar at Sandals Grande Antigua and Beaches Turks and Caicos is a real treat! The three of us all love the English-style pubs at the resorts.  Most of the Sandals now have a Cricketer’s Pub, with great English offerings.  My husband loves the fish and chips served with vinegar but I love the Cottage Pie and Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding!  Shepherd’s Pie at several of the Pubs is a big hit too.  Lots of great beer, too, including Guinness.  The décor of the Pubs are very authentically English with Cricket gear, and billiards tables.  There is often live music, too.

Are you a fan of the Japanese Teppanyaki style dining?  Many of the resorts offer Kimonos, which serves Teppanyaki style with the chefs preparing your meal, and entertaining, right at your table.  You will be very amused by the Caribbean chefs, in their Japanese garb!  This dinner isn’t just tasty it is filled with lots fun!  You will find Kimonos at Sandals Regency LaToc, Sandals Grande Antigua, Sandals Royal Bahamian and Sandals Negril and Beaches Turks and Caicos.

While at Sandals Grande Antigua I must have consumed 4 or 5 personal size pizzas.  They are pizzas cooked in a wood-fired brick oven and are fantastic.  Toppings range from the usual pepperoni, and sausage, to more unusual offerings such as artichoke hearts and pineapple.  The pizzas are served either at the outdoor café or you can get them “to go” in pizza boxes.  Great for that quick snack at the pool, or on the beach.  Pizza restaurants are available at most of the Beaches and Sandals Resorts and before long all of the resorts will sport at least one pizza restaurant.

Beachfront dining is also very popular at both Sandals and Beaches Resorts. The Barefoot by the Sea Restaurant at Sandals Negril, Sandals Grande St. Lucian and Beaches Turks and Caicos are fun by day, and romantic by night.  Sandwiches and wraps are the menu during the day, but at night seafood is the fare, and you can dine with your toes in the sand, and the sound of the waves hitting the beach.

All of the resorts have wonderful Italian restaurants, with beautiful antipasto bars, and fantastic desserts (the best Tiramisu I’ve ever had was at Mario’s at Sandals Grande Antigua), along with many traditional Italian dishes, as well as seafood prepared with Italian sauces and spices.  At Beaches Turks and Caicos I was lucky enough to attend the Grand Italian Buffet with a pasta bar, fantastic sauces, amazing desserts, along with lots of shellfish, fresh fruits, and a variety of cheeses.  The presentation was a work of art!

For those of you who love those burgers and fries, they are certainly available, too!  Arizona’s at Turks and Caicos has a wonderful afternoon BBQ with a variety of options: hamburgers, hot dogs, jerk chicken and pork, as well, as a fruit smoothie bar!

As you can tell, Sandals and Beaches are not just buffets!  Although, buffets are available and are beautifully presented with loads of variety, specialty restaurants are plentiful and offer many different local and international cuisines.  The resorts all have at least 3 restaurants, but most have 7 or more!  Sandals Grande Ocho Rios presently has 11 and will have 14 very soon.  Beaches Turks and Caicos has 16 restaurants to choose from!

Please give me a call or send an email when you are ready to try the many cuisines of Sandals or Beaches!  Sandi@totemtravel.com or 425-821-4100

Click for a slideshow of Sandals Grande Ocho Rios

I just returned from Sandals Grande Ocho Rios All-Inclusive Couples Only Resort in Jamaica.  I found this resort to be one of the best resorts for couples travelling to Jamaica who want romance, fun activities, great food, yet want to stay within a reasonable budget.  The resort grounds are beautiful and add to the Caribbean ambiance that most couples are looking for in an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica.

Sandals Grande Ocho Rios All-Inclusive Resort  has a variety of accommodation and dining options.  All-Inclusive accommodations can start at around $2,100 for seven nights in a standard room category which would keep most couples under $3,500 with airfare from most destinations.  There are other options such as beautiful concierge level villas with a shared pool which are nestled into the tropical and lush hillside in the Ciboney Villa section of the resort.  These villas can sometimes be booked under great 1^st night free promotions for as little as $2500 for a seven night stay. This is an incredible value which sometimes even comes with a Spa Credit.  For those guests who would like their own personal butler, butler service rooms have never been more affordable, as you can sometimes even find butler level rooms at this “couples only” resort for around $3100 for seven nights!  The dining options are some of the best, as you have your choice of eleven restaurants which range from Italian or Asian to the wonderful flavors of the Caribbean.  Rumor has it, they plan on adding a few more dining options in the near future, including a pizzeria!

Another reason why Sandals Grande Ocho is one of the best all-inclusive resorts for couples in Jamaica is not only are the grounds nice and spread out with lots of privacy, but off resort activities are less than 30 minutes away. This allows couples to go zip lining or visit Dunn’s River Falls without taking a full day to do so.  The location of Sandals Grande Ocho is perfect for those who want to enjoy a nice beach and pool, but want to swim with the dolphins or take a jeep safari trek and see the Jamaican interior full of rivers and lush jungle.  A couple favorite excursions are the Catamaran Sail to Dunn’s River Falls or the tour to Mystic Mountain where you get to soar above the tree tops in a state-of-the-art chairlift, travel down the mountain on a stainless steel bobsled and zip line through the coastal forest.  Sandals Grande Ocho has an island routes desk at the resort where their guests can easily book excursions.

As with other Sandals Resorts, all your meals, drinks and water sports are included in your stay.  At Sandals Grande Ocho, you also have free access to their 18 hole golf course called Upton Golf Club which is only 15 minutes away (only the cocktails, caddy, cart and clubs are not included).  So whether you choose to snorkel, scuba dive, sail, kayak or golf, these activities are all included in your stay. I was able to enjoy their Jamaica Day & Beach Party that the resort hosts for their guests on Friday evenings.  The food and live local entertainment was fantastic!  So if you are looking for a “Couples Only” All-Inclusive Resort in Jamaica where you can enjoy romance, fun activities, great food and not break the bank, Sandals Grande Ocho Rios is an incredible value.  If you would like to know more about this fabulous resort or any of the other Sandals Resorts, please give us a call at 1-800-321-7907.  As a Preferred Sandals Agency www.totemtravel.com , we have been to all of them and are happy to help!