Sandals Resorts will be closing Sandals Dunn’s River on July 30, 2010.
This news came as a bit of a shock this weekend, but according to the Jamaica Observer, SRI will be closing Sandals Dunns River this coming year.
SANDALS Resorts International (SRI) has advised Sagicor Pooled Investment Fund Limited, the owners of the property at which Sandals Dunn’s River Villaggio Golf Resort and Spa is operated, that it will not renew the lease which expires on May 31 next year.
The Luxury Included Resort chain has operated a Sandals resort at that Mammee Bay, St Ann location for the past 15 years and has enjoyed “an excellent partnership and fantastic relationship with the owner which has worked to each party’s benefit”, a statement from SRI said yesterday.
The article goes on to state that the marketplace for the product (Sandals Dunn’s River) had changed significantly and as a result it no longer fitted in the Sandals luxury product range.
This will truly be a disappointment to the many fans of Sandals Dunn’s River. My wife and I have stayed there several times and have a good friendship with many of the staff. It was one of our favorite Sandals resorts.
Tax Season is approaching, but for many of us, it also means a big refund check in 2010. What better use for the homebuyer tax credit, then investing in a relaxing, stress-free, Caribbean Vacation.
For first time homebuyers the $8000 Tax Credit can mean a fun filled vacation the whole family will enjoy. With the recent extension of the tax credit even more buyers will qualify.
Think of the possibilities.
Rekindle the old flame with a Romantic Escape for two to a couples only beach resort. Or how about giving the family the ultimate gift this Christmas. Quality time together, and memories to last a lifetime.
Best of all Most Caribbean Resort packages can be held for as little as $400 deposit per room, with remainder due 60 Days prior to date of travel.
Prices have never been better than right now! Reserve Today hold your room while you wait for the big refund check to arrive.
For a limited time, guests can enjoy a Free “Beautiful Beginnings” Wedding by Martha Stewart, with a stay of 6 nights or longer in a Concierge category room at Sandals Resorts.
Packages Start at $3,351.60. Plus Air
This is a beautiful room at one of my favorite resorts. We have actually stayed in this room twice, including our Honeymoon. I would highly recommend it for budget conscious travelers.
Details:
Price quoted is for a Honeymoon Waters Edge Concierge Room at Sandals Montego Bay.
Total Room Price Only For 2 Passengers For 7 Nights: $3,351.60.
Rates include the following promotion(s):
$250 RED LANE SPA CREDIT IN SELECT ROOMS AT SANDALS MONTEGO BAY!
SAVE 65% IN SELECT ROOMS AT SELECT SANDALS RESORTS!
Limited Time Offer, may be withdrawn without notice. Offer good at other Sandals Resorts as well in select rooms and suites.
A few months ago I started the daunting task of looking for a new camera to replace my trusty old Cannon PowerShot, which after many years, and several hard drops, was finally showing it’s age. I really like the Cannon line and wanted to stay with something familiar if possible. Overall the Cannon cameras are top quality, hold up well and feature packed.
Another reason for upgrading to a new camera was that I wanted something that was capable of taking quality underwater pictures. Being an avid scuba diver, this was very important to me. For years now we have used those cheap disposable, and even some more expensive reusable, underwater cameras for snorkeling, water sports and diving while on vacations and at home. Well if you are considering this, let me save you some money, they are not worth the cost, time or disappointment you get when you finally see the results.
Now I’m not a big fan of shopping as it is, but after spending almost 2 days driving around, and searching the internet for the perfect camera, I was pretty frustrated. The problem is I knew what I wanted and how much I didn’t want to spend! Well at the end of the day I ended up spending more than I should have and got less than I wanted. Had I known at the time, that I could get everything I needed, at a better price, all in one place at Amazon, I could have saved a considerable amount of time and frustration.
For those of you considering a new camera the Cannon SD990 IS is a perfect mix of professional features, high quality, with a sleek & slim design. Those looking for value, will like the fact that at 14.7 Mega Pixels it is top of the line in its class.
My goal here is to provide you with a complete camera package, that would be appropriate for vacation, honeymoon or home use. I can say that after using the Canon SD990 IS for several months, I would highly recommend it. On our last trip, to Turks and Caicos I shot over 600 pictures and several hours of video. I was very impressed with the performance of the camera under a number of conditions. For a complete list of product features please click the link below.
As I mentioned earlier, the camera I chose had to be capable of underwater use. I was lucky enough to have seen one of these plastic camera housings in use on a prior trip. The best part is, they are made by Cannon, specifically for the camera. This means you have full functional use of the camera at depths to 130 feet (40 meters). The Cannon WP-DC27 comes with a removable flash diffuser that insures optimal flash dispersal underwater, making it possible to use the camera’s built in flash during underwater shots.
The underwater case is also great for taking pictures on the beach, in the ocean or pool. It protects the camera from water and sand while the bigger case actually makes it easier to hold.
Canon makes these underwater housings for many of their cameras. The problem I found was that nobody had both the camera and housing, and it was difficult finding the right one to match the camera. I ended up buying all the equipment from several different sources. Amazon has all everything in one place. But even on Amazon I had a difficult time finding everything I wanted, that’s why I put it all here.
The Cannon PowerShot SD990 IS has some nice features that you won’t get on some of the lesser priced models. Various picture settings including an underwater mode, eliminate most of the need for manual programming, while improving picture quality. The camera is simple enough for the novice, but powerful enough for experienced photographers. One thing I found particularly useful is the ISO 3200 mode, which enables great night shots without the use of a flash or even a tripod in most instances. It captures true to life color in low light conditions perfectly.
Diving?
For the serious underwater photographer, there are several kits available, which give you everything you need to take great underwater pictures.
Be sure to upgrade the memory card before your trip. The camera only comes with a 32 M card, which is a bit of a rip off considering you can only take like 10 pictures, unfortunately this is true of any camera you buy. I filled one and a half, 4 gig cards, in four days. I would highly recommend that you consider an 8+ Gig for longer trips if you plan to take a lot of pictures. Remember the camera is taking very high quality pictures, and needs a lot of memory storage space.
One thing I would absolutely recommend you do, especially if you plan to take a lot of pictures or video, is purchase an additional battery. Average life is about 250 photos, but don’t forget about the all the time you will spend previewing and deleting pictures in between.
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is the perfect match to the Cannon SD990 Is. The picture editing software is easy to use, yet delivers professional quality results at a very reasonable price. I use the software almost daily to create images for SunSandandSeas.com. Most of the images on this page including the screen captures were done with the software.
Additionally, we use the Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 for all our website video editing. The Cannon SD990 IS takes great video, and when combined with VideoStudio Pro, you can easily create and edit professional quality videos on your home computer. It’s perfect for making slide shows as well. Multiple audio and Video tracks, and special effects make great videos.
Both products retail individually for $99.99, but the Amazon price is only $54.99 each. Better yet, for only $74.99 you can get the bundled package below which contains both the products.
