Montego Bay, Negril, & Whitehouse

Our Sandals and Beaches training classes always tell us that each resort is unique, but it's one thing to actually get to see the resorts in person. They really have their own personality! There is a resort style for everyone!

We left Ocho Rios and rode the hour and a half to Montego Bay. We toured Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island. I already liked this resort before I saw it because it is 25 minutes from the airport so it is close, but not too close. Once I saw the resort...I fell in love!  Royal Caribbean is quiet with several pools and small beaches scattered throughout the property. 

My favorite rooms were the crystal lagoon swim up rooms that have a gorgeous pool and gardens connecting 8 first floor rooms. 

The views from the beach were breathtaking! We went to the private island and saw the Thai restaurant, the Red Lane Spa, and most importantly...the future location of 5 overwater bungalows! They are scheduled to begin construction on August 1. These 5 bungalows will have a glass floor and a private butler! 

Back on the bus for another hour ride to Negril! I visited Negril last year and it is truly a beach lovers paradise! Sandals Negril is located on the northern most stretch of 7 mile beach so while it is a public beach there are not many people walking by. The resort was built back before building codes restricted properties to be set back off the beach so many of the rooms and buildings are mere steps from the sand. 

Sandals Negril has slowly been renovating all of their buildings and we got to see their highest level category room, a Millionaire Suite with private plunge pool...and private butler. 

Who wouldn't love to wake up to your own peaceful paradise!? We got to see their crystal lagoon swim up rooms that have an oceanview too. I really can't decide which room I would prefer! 

The resort property is simply beautiful and there is an oceanview from almost every angle! Negril is the "Capital of Casual" and this Sandals property definitely fits the laid back beach bum vibe. 

Just down the stretch of 7 Mile Beach is Beaches Negril...the family resort. Beaches Negril is a low rise property on a wider stretch of beach with enough activities to keep the entire family happy. I stayed at this resort last year and I will absolutely return and bring my family some day. The beach is amazing, there is a large pool with swim up bar and the Pirates Waterpark has slides and a lazy river! 

The kids activities are incredible. Beaches is partnered with Sesame Street so Camp Sesame is home to the kids activities. Young kids have their own splash pool and playground while the older kids have a game room, scheduled watersport lessons and activities, theme parties, an XBox game lounge, and even a Scratch DJ Academy where kids (and adults) can take DJ lessons! 

I even met Bert from Sesame Street!

Thankfully our driver has his PhD...pot hole dodger...because the ride from Negril to Whitehouse was a bit bumpy! It wa so worth it though! Sandals Whitehouse is set on 50 acres and 2 miles of white sand beach. It is a large property and it was at 93% occupancy when we arrived, but I asked Mike where were all the people! Since the resort is spread out people are scattered everywhere. There are 3 villages each with their own pool. The restaurants and shops are all centrally located and easily accessible from any village. Each room has an oceanview so it's impossible to have a bad room or location! 

We checked in to our concierge, Club Sandals, rooms - no butler for us this time! - and met for dinner at Neptunes, the seafood restaurant, for dinner. We survived the work hard days...the next day we will play hard!

Exploring Ocho Rios

I've heard Sandals trainers say "once you go butler, you can never go back" and they aren't joking! It's not so bad waking up early when you know your breakfast will be delivered at a certain time and your golf cart will be outside to take you to the lobby. We started our day with a 4 1/2 hour group development and product training - I told you this was a work trip! Groups can be created from anything from golf buddies, scuba diving, yoga, girl friend getaways, couples retreats, family reunions, and destination weddings. We also discussed all of the Sandals and Beaches resorts and what makes each one unique. Wendy and Mike were exactly right when they said that the closer you look at Sandals & Beaches, the better they look and the more you love them! 

After lunch we toured Sandals Grande Riviera with the hotel manager, Sandra. The resort is large with 3 sections that are connected by shuttle buses. We were staying in the All Butler Village by the Great House. The Great House has it's own large pool with swim up pool bar and poolside grill and Dino's Pizzeria. There is a beautiful fitness center with seperate rooms for cardio, weight training, and aerobics. The Red Lane Spa is next door and smells of heavenly lemongrass.

The biggest beach area is over at the Ochi Beach Club. There is a smaller pool with swim up bar, 2 restaurants, and a lot of lounge chairs on the beach. We witnessed a wedding take place on the beach and saw where the couples reception for 2 was set up on the bluff overlooking the beach club. 

 

The Riviera Seaside is the original building and has it's own spa and fitness area with several more restaurants. There are a total of 15 restaurants onsite and and guests can dine at any of them. Kelly's Dockside is the only restaurant that is reserved for butler guests only. 

We rode next door to Sandals Royal Plantation. Even though it is next door to the Grande it is a completely different style resort. Royal Plantation is an all butler suite boutique resort with only 74 suites. The resort is quiet and serene with an upscale feel. Royal Plantation boasts the C Bar which is the only caviar and champagne fine dining restaurant. There are only 3 restaurants, but there is full in room dining available. 

 

 

Last tour of the day was at Beaches Ocho Rios. Beaches are the family resorts and I actually stayed at this resort last year. The property has undergone major renovations in the last 3 years. It now boasts the largest waterpark in Jamaica and 3 villages of accommodations. You can see views of the ocean from anywhere on property. The beach is private and the resort is shaped like a U around it which makes it stress free for parents. The kids camp has tons of activities around the resort that kids can participate in for free. Each room even has its own XBox for the kids...and Dad.

There are 8 restaurants onsite and even a couple of adults only bars. We sampled Crepes and smoothies at the new French  cafe. Beaches Ocho Rios has beautiful views of the sea from every angle and we got to see the beginnings of a beautiful sunset!

Back at Sandals Grande Riviera, Jessica, the other AAA agent from Pennsylvania, and I went to dinner at Kelly's Dockside. We figured this may be one of few times in our life we have a butler so we were going to take advantage of every opportunity. The restaurant is located on the pier overlooking the sea and the Riviera Seaside building. They had great seafood and grill items. After dinner we caught the end of the Beach Party at Ochi Beach Club. Once we got back to our side of the resort I called for a ride back to my room. I walked in my suite to this... 

And this...

Yes...I could absolutely get used to being pampered by a butler on vacation! 

Return to Jamaica

I love the Sandals and Beaches resorts and I love working with destination wedding groups so when the opportunity came to participate in a groups/destination wedding training at Sandals in Jamaica I jumped at the chance! I hopped on a plane early Sunday morning (sorry Roy, Happy Fathers Day!) and landed in Jamaica around lunch time. Now it's kind of awkward to be going to a couples report...alone. I was grateful that Wendy, one of the Sandals trainers was at the airport waiting for me. We arrived in Ocho Rios about 2pm and we were both shocked when we were told to go to the Butler Lounge. Excuse me...I have a butler?! Sandals Grande Riviera has a lot of butler rooms and they are all reasonably priced so they wanted us to experience butler service so we can sell it easier. I really was surprised and even asked Nardia, my butler, what I was supposed to do! 

Nardia took me to my room by golf cart.   The suite is beautiful! It is in a quadplex with a private pool! The butler village area is set on a hill with gardens so it is very peaceful and quiet.

 

I had the afternoon free and it was overcast weather so I asked Nardia about the spa. Wendy told me on the bus to the resort that travel agents get a discount so I thought I night check it out. Nardia made me an appointment for 4pm for a massage. I grabbed some lunch at Dino's Pizzeria by the pool then went to the Red Lane Spa. 

I love the spa and Sandals Red Lane Spa is top notch! I was taken to the steam room and a cold water plunge pool before beginning the massage. Claudette has to be one of the best masseuses I've ever had. I asked if she could move to Wilmington! I was so relaxed when I finished! I called Nardia and went back to my room to get ready for dinner with the group. 

I expected atleast 20-30 people on this trip so I was surprised and excited to learn there were only 10! There are 3 travel agents, 3 people who work for Sandals, and 4 people from Travel Impressions (the company I book Sandals and Beaches through). I love the size of this group! We will be able to interact a lot and learn so much with a small group. Mike and Wendy who each work for Sandals made us a deal that if we could work hard Monday and Tuesday in our training session and resort tours then we would play hard Wednesday. Deal! 

Let's Make a Deal

Brilliance strikes at the most unexpected moments...and I had one of those moments this weekend. I am an only child, but I have been blessed with several cousins that I have a very close relationship with. I was the only kid in the family for 11 years until Matthew was born. I sure wasn't happy about it at the time and I was extra glad when I found out my Aunt was having a boy - princess syndrome could continue! Mia came along at a stage of my life where I was finally excited to have another girl to do girly things with and teach the art of being high maintenance. My weekends are spent with Mia and Chase or with Matthew and to be honest I would rather spend time with them than almost anyone else. It may sound weird to people who aren't accustomed to having a close knit family, but I wouldn't trade it for the world...I have 3 cousins who have turned in to 3 friends that are stuck with me forever!

Matthew turns 16 in October and he loves sports cars. He thinks it's perfectly acceptable to expect a Lamborghini for his birthday and he might settle for a Mercedes if he has to. Being the cousin and friend I try to be, I spent Saturday evening during our early Father's Day dinner with him and talked to him about what was a reasonable car expectation for his first vehicle even though he has wisely saved his money for most of his life so he could buy whatever car he wants. I got the glazed over look from him until my strike of brilliance. I told Matthew that if he spends his money wisely and gets a reasonable vehicle such as a family car that's been offered to him or something else less expensive then he could use the rest of his money he has saved and I would use my travel agent perks to take him anywhere in the world he would like to go. I got his attention! Matthew gave me a wide eyed look as I explained to him that we could go anywhere he would like to go - just the two of us, no Mom & Dad. He's a big LA Lakers fan so I suggested we could go to California for a game on his birthday and combine in with a couple of days at Disneyland. He smiled at me and nodded his head at that idea, but then his wheels started turning. If he could go anywhere in the world... 

Matthew countered my California offer by asking where they make Lamborghinis. We went to good ol' Google and found out they make the super sports cars in the Tuscany region of Italy and the Ferrari factory is nearby. I told him the BMW factory is near Munich Germany and we looked at the Bugatti factory in France and the McLaren factory in England. He narrowed it down to Lamborghini and Ferrari since they do tours of the factory and there is a museum so we looked at the cost of plane tickets and talked about what a trip like that would cost versus California. I explained to Matthew that a trip to Italy is certainly doable but it would have to wait until he had a longer school break such as Spring Break or as soon as he gets out of school next year whereas if he wanted to go to California we could actually make a long weekend out of it and go on his birthday in October.

He's a smart kid and has learned at an early age how to get the most bang for his buck so currently he's inclined to continue saving his money and hold me to my word about "any where in the world" because when I talked to him Monday night I asked him if he was still considering my offer and he said yes, but he was looking at Dubai now since they have super sports cars as police cars there.

I spent Sunday afternoon with Chase and Mia and told them about my offer to Matthew and that I would make that same offer to them when they turn 16. All they have to do is save their money, continue to get good grades in school, and continue to be the well behaved kids they are. This could be a dangerous thought since they are only 13 and have more time to plan! Chase loves baseball so I mentioned the idea of going to Chicago or Boston or NYC for baseball games and he told me that was boring...how about Costa Rica! Mia didn't even start on the small scale ideas as her first destination of choice was Australia! Or maybe Nairobi to see the giraffes! I did the math and figured out that Mia and Chase each turn 16 the year I turn 30 so we could have big birthday celebration trips that year!

While these 3 dear cousins of mine may break the bank with their ideas, I would love nothing more than to be able to travel with them and help them to fulfill their dream. My Mom always told me that friends will come and go, but family is forever. I am so grateful to have these cousins and be able to be a part of their lives as they grow in to incredible friends and adults.