With my husband being so busy with work, I decided on a visit to Beaches Negril in Jamaica and this time bring a friend.
While Sandals Resorts are designed for Couples, Beaches Resorts are meant for everyone, I especially adored the sesame street shows.  
As always, the food, drinks, water sports, the entire staff were simply amazing.
We also took a day trip over to Sandals Negril, spent time on the beach, did the included glass bottom boat ride and had the chance to view some of the updated rooms.  Another awesome get away to one of my favorite islands. 
Stay tuned, in a few months is another friends trip to Beaches Turks & Caicos.

​More Photos and video HERE:

Another vacation to one of our favorite islands,  Jamaica!   We stayed at newly updated Sandals Montego Bay in the new swim-out suites (Seagrapes Building)   We adored the swim out experience, from hanging out on the patio with the tranquility soaking tub, then just stepping into the lagoon and floating away with cocktails in hand....it does not get any better than that!

A huge plus about staying at Sandals Montego Bay, it's about a 5 minute transfer from the airport, you get to use their two other resorts, (transportation included) Sandals Inn and Sandals Royal Caribbean, which leaves you around 17 dining options.

As always, the food is fantastic, the alcohol unlimited, land and watersports included and wallet locked in the safe (tipping is never allowed on property)  As many times as we have visited Sandals Montego Bay, we never dined at Tokyo Joe's, we finally gave it a try and enjoyed the food so much we went a second time.  Cafe de Paris is nothing but pure trouble because it's just that good!, with their boozy (or not) cappuccinos, latte's, scoops of ice cream and unlimited fresh baked treats, truly irresistible.  All of the restaurants were just wonderful.

The grounds at every Sandals and Beaches that I have been to is so so perfectly manicured, the palms, shrubbery, flowers and lawns.  Is just simply beautiful!  The staff is always so happy and friendly which makes for a very pleasant stay and the reason why we always return.

With this resort being so close to the airport, there is plane noise and you can see the planes coming in for a landing and leaving as well.....the noise is quick and lasts for less than 5 seconds, not an issue at all for us and all the other loyal guests that return year after year. 

Looking forward to my next Sandals/Beaches experience.......stay tuned.

​More Photos Here:  latte 

We decided on a short getaway and a first time visiting Savannah, GA.  We spent 2 nights at the River Street Inn, and opted for a room with a balcony and river view.....well worth the bit extra in pricing.  Then add in free daily happy hour, with free wine and appetizers, it's a win. win situation!
We valeted the rental car and never used it again until it was time to leave for Hilton Head.

The first day arrival in Savannah, we stopped at the highly recommended Betty Bombers for lunch... a must stop to take you back in time to the 40's, food was very good.

Everything in this area of Savannah is walkable and with so many interesting historic sites. The cemeteries and graveyards, while a bit erie IMO, were pretty amazing!
B Matthews Breakfast was awesome and one cannot visit Savannah without a stop at Leopold's Ice Cream . OMG, some of the best ice cream ever!

Dinner for the first night was a restaurant that friends recommended we visit called Corleone’s Italian Restaurant, and we did.  It was so good that we went back for the second night.

​The next day we headed out to spend a few days in Hilton Head....while very nice for some, we decided that we should have stayed in Savannah instead of driving from one place to another. (day in and out)  We were not impressed and talked about taking a day early flight home.  Hilton Head could be considered a golfers dream to some, but not being golfers....it was far from a dream.  In Our Opinion

We look so forward to another trip back to beautiful Savannah!

Here are a few photos below and a whole bunch more at this link here.  
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We decided on another trip to Sandals Regency La Toc, in beautiful St Lucia.  We traveled with 2 other couples, and had so much fun. 
I was very happy that weI had the chance to view the new over the water bungalows at Sandals Grande St Lucian, just beautiful and they include a 24 hour butler.  Win!

(Under construction...update soon) 


​More Photos Here.

With the beautiful Caribbean being our default vacation destination, we decided to try something new.....The Canadian Rockies. We flew into Calgary and rented a car for our drive up to Banff National Park, being the 150th Anniversary of Canada all access to the park was free, bonus! 

We spent two nights in Banff at the Rimrock Resort Hotel , Two Nights at The Crimson in Jasper and two nights in a lake front suite at The Chateau Fairmont Lake Louise .    Oh, those awesome views of Lake Louise from our suite!

While there was some smoke from the wildfires to the south, it didn't detract from the natural beauty of the Canadian Wilderness.  The drive through the Ice Fields Parkway is just simply amazing.  There are Glaciers at every turn, Ice melt creating waterfalls hundreds of feet up in the mountains.  Every sight we saw is something that will be forever etched in our minds.

We took the Maligne Lake Cruise to Spirit Island (the most photographed island in North America) , while it was a bit rainy and overcast, the views were so pretty in a eerie kind of way.

A booking was made with Sunshine Meadows in Banff for the Alpine Shuttle Bus Ride from Gondola Base to Village & Scenic Chairlift.  However had to be cancelled because of the wild fires.

We drove back to Calgary for our flight out the next day and stayed at the very modern and Chic Hotel Clique .

This is a trip that I recommend not taking the train (even though they are a supplier of mine)  Rent a car and do the drive.....I promise, you will never forget the beauty.

Tons of photos and video here: 

This is our 3rd stay at the All Inclusive Sandals Barbados.....Yes, we love it that much!  The non stop flights also make it a no brainer.  ​Each time we visit, it seems to get better and better, from the service, the food and the friendliness of the entire staff. 

This time we stayed in the Crystal Lagoon One Bedroom Butler Honeymoon Suite w/ Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub.  This area of the resort is very relaxing and quiet, with sounds of waterfalls and the beauty at night with the lights in the lagoon.  A few times a week at the start of dusk, a sax player walks through the lagoon walkways, just pure awesomeness.

​We spend hours in the active ocean, as I've mentioned in my other blogs, we love those waves.  While they're quite large in certain areas, there's hardly an undertow.  Between the ocean, chatting with other couples and friends at the swim-up bars and the hot tubs, as well as activities, the day goes by pretty fast.  Then it's time to get ready for a night out at the never ending dining choices....the food here is second to none. 

​There's construction going on at the adjacent property and it was not at all a noise issue for us.  It's actually pretty exciting as they're working on the new Sandals Royal Barbados property due to open late December, 2017.
​That property will be double the size of Sandals Barbados and will have 222 suites, they all will be either club or butler suites and features include: Sky Pool Suites, Swim-Up Suites, Rondovals and their signature Love Nest Suites.
​The best part of booking at either Sandals Barbados or Royal Barbados Resort is that you can stay at one and play at both.  We're already booked for next year!

​Pricing at the new resort for 2018 and 2019 as of right now is fantastic and I have a feeling it won't last long, a small deposit will hold your booking.  You can check pricing here, and then send me an email, or give me a call....I can assure you that it cost no extra to use a Certified Sandals Specialist

​2 additional pages of photos, menus and video can be seen here:


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This was another getaway for my husband and I but this time it combined with a friends and family vacation.......Three couples stayed at the beautiful Boutique style resort, Sandals Royal Plantation, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Four couples stayed at Sandals Ochi which is right next door.  There are exchange privileges for those staying at the Plantation.  However, with Ochi being a much larger resort, there are no exchanges to the Royal Plantation.

Sandals Royal Plantation is an All-Butler, All-Beachfront property.  It's small, peaceful, and very relaxing.  If you crave a bit more activity with an awesome night life, head over to Sandals Ochi...so many options.  The newer Speakeasy Bar, The Rabbit Hole is a must visit.

As usual at all Sandals Resorts, the food, the service, the management and the staff are just wonderful.  Beach Butlers always have a smile as they delivered your cocktails (do keep in mind that the Beach Butlers can receive tips)

Seeing how everyone vacations differently, It was one of those vacations where no one looked at their clocks, no one felt obligated to each other, each couple paced their time around the way they wanted to spend it and everyone went home as great of friends as when they arrived.  It doesn't get better than that!

More Photos Here

The new over the water bungalows at Sandal's Royal Caribbean were one of the main reasons that I took the 5 day trip to Jamaica this December.......I could not wait to view these beautiful villas.....and they didn't fail me.  Just simply amazing.

These are the first 5 over the water bungalows ever in Jamaica as well as the caribbean.  They're located on the private island, and a short 3 to 5 minute boat ride will get you there,
They come complete with a private infinity pool, over the water hammock, outdoor shower, glass floors in bedroom and on the outdoor deck.....Oh and did I mention that they also come with your own private Butlers.  Pure Luxury

12 more smaller bungalows are being built with a completion date of around late February 2017

More Photos Here:

Spent 2 nights here in early December, So many fantastic updates to this resort.  I stayed in the newly renovated Palms Building in an Oceanfront Butler Suite, The room was just beautiful. 

During my visit, they were upgrading parts of the resort, including the Almond Building...should be completed in a few days.  They also added some swim out suites and the lobby was updated.

Nine dining options as well as the stay at one, play at three which expands dining options to an additional 11 restaurants.  The food and drink was fantastic as usual... 

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to spend 5 days in Jamaica to visit various Sandal's Resort properties.  One being the new and updated Sandal's South Coast....formally known as Sandal's Whitehouse with a brand new theme of "Water"  ..... The beauty of this property is just stunning.  It's set upon a 500 acre nature preserve, has two miles of beach and awesome sunset as well as sunrise views.

The resort has been so nicely updated with new restaurants, beautifully renovated rooms in the Italian Village.  A new over-the-water bar called Latitude's and a new  over the water wedding chaple with a glass floor isle.

3 new restaurants will be added, including a Jerk Shack, Sushi On The Sand, a Schooner's, bringing their total restaurants to nine.

Coming soon will be 12 over-the-water bungalows accessible via a heart-shaped pier.  This resort sure has come a long way since my husband and I last stayed there last, and we're both looking for a return visit in April/May of 2017.
All Inclusive, All unlimited, All the time!

More Photos Here:

So we decided that we needed a stress free week...what a better place to unwind than a second trip to the  All-inclusive Sandal's Resort in Barbados.   Yes, unwind and de-stress we did.

Last years vacation at this resort, we toured almost the entire island, we shopped downtown at the gap and we took the awesome Island Routes Swim with the Turtles Catamaran Tour.  However, this year we parked ourselves on resort and just chilled.  It was one of the most relaxing trips we've had in quite sometime....so much so that as we were walking through the resort, we passed the nurses station and my husband nudged me as he stated: "Honey, maybe we should stop by and have our blood pressure taken...just to see how much it's dropped since we've been here".  LOL

We stayed in the Beachfront Club Level Suite with a view of the pool and the beautiful ocean in the distance.  The ocean here is pretty active (just how we love it) but while the waves seem to be fierce, the undertow is gentle and we spent hours each day just hanging out in the ocean

The food and restaurants are outstanding,  Soy was a nightly stop for some apps and sushi before dining.  The Merry Monkey Bar also had some great apps as well as dining options.  Portofino's a la carte breakfast was outstanding and doubled as Italian dining in the evening.  Bombay Indian cuisine amazing (hint...ask for a bit of everything to try)  Then of course Butch's Chop House...Heaven!  We dined at Schooner's twice just because it was so awesome.  Dino's for lunch......this Pizzeria has to be one of the best at any Sandal's Resort that we've stayed at

While there is construction on their adjacent property, noise was never a problem for us.....we we too busy enjoying our time together.  They're in the process of expanding and adding an additional 222 rooms and more restaurants.  Completion time is due around fall/Winter of 2017 and I cannot wait to return.

More Photos Here:

I can easily start this blog by saying that I'm in love with this resort...it has become one of my favorites,
We flew non-stop via Jet Blue out of Boston and spent 7 nights at the Piton's Waters Edge Two Story Butler Suite at Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa in Saint Lucia. 
The suite was simply amazing with a beautiful view of the ocean from both the upper and lower balcony. In the distance we could see the mountains of Martinique. The sound of the crashing waves were so relaxing and peaceful....Heaven!  A few days a week the cruise ships would pass through to their port, loved watching them arrive and leave from our balcony.
We had friends that were on a 12 day cruise and we picked them up a day pass....what a great time we had!  They enjoyed their first taste of a couples only 4 and 5 star all-inclusive land resort.  Hopefully in the future, they'll be enjoying more land than sea resorts.  :)

The ocean at La Toc can be quite rough.  However, this is one of the reasons that we booked our vacation at La Toc in lieu of the Halcyon or the Grande, my husband and I love big, active waves and we spent a lot of our time playing in them.  When we tired of that, we hung out in the swimming pools sipping on cocktails or on our balcony enjoying the awesome views.

The staff was super outgoing and friendly, our butlers Kayson and Clayma knew how low key we are and they were just fantastic. The food, restaurants, cocktails were wonderful and as always, we end up returning home with a few added pounds.

With the Sandal's Resorts, stay at one, play at three, we visited both Sandals Grande St. Lucian, and Sandals Halcyon and enjoyed spending time at both.  I found Sandals Halcyon very low key, relaxing and quiet.  While I'm not one to spend time on a lounger, I could have spent the entire day on that lounger, love the quietness of the gentle waves along with the view of the ocean.

Nearing the end of our stay, we booked the Island Routes, Piton Sunset Catamaran Cruise.  Wow!  The beauty of the island as we sailed to the Piton's was breathtaking.  The beautiful, lush mountains, the homes built into the mountains, the Piton's, and finally the beautiful sunset were sights that soon will not be forgotten

While I adore every Sandal's Resort, this was easily one of my favorites, those waves played a big part. :)  We will return in the near future.

More photos and video can be seen here:

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A short stay in Greensboro and then ended at the awesome Hyatt of North Hills in Raleigh, NC

(under construction)

More Photos Here:

With me and my husband being loyal Sandals Resort fans,  We just returned from yet another wonderful vacation, this time  at Sandals Resort in Barbados.  We stayed in the Crystal Lagoon One Bedroom Butler Suite....and it was an instant "Wow", We love this place!   The flowers, trees, greenery on this resort was just stunning.
We had three butlers and with each of them knowing how low key we were, they were very professional and understood when at times we purposely left the Butler Phone in the room. They did so many special things for us, bubble baths, champagne, candle light and Jazz music waiting for us after spending the day at the beach, they were really amazing.

Food at each of the restaurants was outstanding, we were looking forward to trying out the two new restaurants, Butch's Chophouse and the Indian Restaurant, Bombay, they sure didn't disappoint....actually, not a single one of Beaches or Sandals Resorts ever disappoints in the food, beverage and dessert department.  Everything was perfect as always.

We were so happy to find that the Sargassum Seaweed problem that has plagued many parts of Caribbean (Including the beach at Sandals Barbados) had cleared and the ocean was beautiful.  Keep in mind that ocean is a bit active.....and I love it that way.  However, the seawall that was recently built has helped calm the active waves.

Being new to Barbados, we took a full day to tour the island and what a beautiful island it was...we made stops at Saint James Parish Church...one of the oldest in Barbados. We made a stop at the Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, a quick stop for lunch at Sand Dunes Bar & Restaurant, then onto the beautiful Bathsheba Beach where we got to watch the surfers in the rough and beautiful ocean....this was my favorite stop and I could have spent hours there, but we had limited time as we were also hoping to see many green monkeys for their 2:00 feeding at the Barbados Wildlife Preserve .   We got to see just one LOL.  But seeing one is much better than seeing none.

Finally, we took a Sun, Sand and Snorkel Tour with Island Routes, so much fun seeing the homes and resorts along the coast and swimming with the sea turtles...I highly recommend it.  Great food served and the cocktails were flowing.  Their Catamaran Cruises have always been a favorite of mine.

There is construction going on next to the property and it was never a bother.....Just Sandals Resorts creating more jobs for those in need and constantly improving their resorts so that us loyal fans continue to return.  I look forward to visiting again to see the finished product.  Awesome Vacation!!!

More Photos and Video Here:

Celebrating our 30th anniversary on Labor Day Weekend and having Southwest tickets that needed to be used before their deadline...we decided on a 4 day trip to the Country Music Capital of Nashville, TN.  We stayed at 12 South Inn Suites , which is located in the 12 South Commercial District of Nashville.  Breakfast coupons for the Frothy Monkey were included in the stay which was a nice plus. 

The Broadway Street "Honky Tonk Row" was quite lively with the bars and music starting at around 10:30 am, we made our stops at Tootsies and more bars on Broadway than we can recall.  Many seemed to cater to different age groups and we hunted them out,  all were unique in their own way and the musicians were all pretty awesome.  All of the people we met from Nashville were so friendly and outgoing which made it quite the memorable experience. 

Each restaurant we dined at was wonderful, from Merchants, 12 South Taproom (awesome Cuban and Mac & Cheese)  Edley's BBQ quickly became our favorite...I cannot stop thinking about those Hot Chicken sandwiches that Nashville is well known for.  We really wanted to try the recommended Haddie B's, but there was no way that we were going to stand in that very long line, nope, was not going to happen. 
My husband being a craft beer lover, we really enjoyed the Filling Station and Beer Craft Brewed.  However, being Labor Day, we could not enjoy Beer Craft Brewed the fullest with Nashville ABV laws. High gravity brews and small craft spirits were not being served.....

Having rented a car, we took a trip to the Centennial Park,  then to the Grand Ole Opry and finally to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

While we had an awesome time, the down side was that we went during Labor Day...with major football games going on and with it being a huge college town, the place was pretty busy.  if we were to go back, it would be at off season and with a group of friends.  

More Photos and some Video here: 

Two words can only describe Sandals LaSource Grenada on my recent visit....Simply Stunning!  This is Sandals newest All-Inclusive Resort & Spa that is less than a 2 minute transfer from the airport.  There are 69 suites in three different villages.  Each Village and the rooms have their own unique charm...one cannot go wrong no matter which level they were to book at.  There are 10 restaurants on property, from Sushi, French, Italian, Japanese, to Butch's Chophouse....the choices are endless and all included.
I fell in love with the modern/traditional design of not only the rooms, but the views and the beauty of the entire resort.  After speaking with quite a few of the guests who were vacationing there, they all had nothing but positive reports....by their enthusiasm to speak so highly of this Resort and Spa, I would have no hesitation to recommend this resort to anyone looking for an amazing vacation.

More Pictures Here