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If you have never been on a winter beach vacation, you truly do not know what you are missing. It’s nothing short of a miracle being able to go from freezing temperatures to beach weather in less than 4 hours!
On a cold bleak January evening, what can keep me going? Perhaps, knowing that in 10 days we will be leaving our snow filled Maine home to visit the sunny shores of Jamaica. Like children at Christmas, we count down the days in anticipation. Checking Accuweather every day to scope out the weather forecast in Jamaica, which by the way is sort of funny, because we already know what the forecast will be…. “Sunny all week and in the high 80’s”. This certainly beats the cold temperatures we’ve seen here lately. Just last week we got down to minus 6, yes you heard me minus 6, our coldest weather yet this year.
The thought of a week on a Jamaican Beach, where all we have to complain about, is the terracotta tiles being too hot, certainly warms the spirit! Yes, we look back on our beach vacations, and laugh about the things we complained about while we were there. Tiles being too hot, the pool being too cold, the sun not being out as much as we would have liked. All of these things and more just to name a few. Quite funny considering, we will have to go back to winter soon. I think that is part of the unwinding that takes place when you vacation. Getting away from the daily routine so that you can truly relax. After a couple days, you forget about all that and settle into the comfortable rhythm of the islands. It is a great reprieve from the frigid temperatures, and gives our bodies some much needed rest and relaxation.
On this trip we will be staying at Beaches Sandy Bay, on the famous 7 mile Negril beach. We are bringing along our two children, my mother in-law, a Friend and her daughter. Mark’s Aunt will be meeting us down there as well. In total there are 8 of us going and should be quite the trip to look forward to. We are already talking about what we would like to do while we are there: Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Rick’s Cafe, Margaritaville, and simply relaxing by the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. The bags are almost packed with our summer clothing, flip flops, and sunscreen.
Beaches Sandy Bay is a modest resort, but it offers some of the best value in all of Negril. We’ve visited the resort before so we know what to expect. Great service, beautiful beach, a warm atmosphere, and best of all access to the larger Beaches Negril resort just down the street. As usual we booked a separate room for the kids. Can’t wait!
If you have never been on a winter beach vacation let me tell you this….
It is a Must! Everyone deserves a week away from the cold. Time to relax, unwind, and spend some much needed family time together!
For more pics of our trips to Beaches Sandy Bay visit out FaceBook Fan Page
After years of waiting we have finally arrived at Beaches Turks and Caicos and I have to say the resort is much more than I expected. Even with the abundance of excellent promotional literature available. The 1 hour 40 minute flight from Miami is short and comfortable. Unlike some of the southern Caribbean Islands landing at the small Provo Airport is easy and we were quick to clear customs once we claimed our bags. Shuttle waiting time was only about 5 – 10 minutes.
Everything about Beaches Turks and Caicos is organized and efficient. Our bags were tagged with our room number prior to being placed on the shuttle. We were brought right to the concierge check in at the new Italian Village. Each Village has it’s own check-in area at the resort.
We were then whisked right to our amazing ocean view Suite. Our luxury suite at Beaches Turks and Caicos was called the Roman Penthouse Ocean view Family Suite with separate kids room was nothing short of amazing. Upon entering the suite walk through the kids bedroom which is richly appointed with bunk bed, trundle bed, separate vanity and sink, game table, Xbox 360 with a 27″ flat screen tv. Beautiful hand crafted mahogany woodworking and book shelves.
Just past the kids room is the master bathroom featuring dual granite toped vanities more fine woodworking, a whirlpool bath, separate shower and private water closet. All beautifully decorated with fine Italian and glass tile. Adjacent to the bath are 2 large closets and bar area with microwave, fridge and coffee maker. This concierge level room features a fully stocked wet bar, soda, water and snacks.
The master suite is separated from the kids room with a pocket door, and feature a carved mahogany four poster king size bed, 42″ flat screen tv and lounge sleeper chair. The 5th floor balcony offered a stunning panoramic view of the Italian Village Pool Area and Ocean beyond.
Our mid-afternoon arrival left plenty of time for Karie and I to explore the resorts sprawling 55 acres of lush tropical beauty. After getting ourselves completely lost more than once, we decided to enlist the help of a few of the very friendly resort staff. Who were more than happy to show us around. Looking at the pictures, you really do not get a feel for the sheer massive size of the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort, and although it has a lot to offer, the layout can be pretty confusing at first. We walked around for a half hour before finding the beach.
Our long travel day left us with quite an appetite and we chose Schooner’s. A fantastic seafood restaurant steps from the beach. The a la carte menu features the freshest local seafood, as well as, a great steak. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather we arrived to soon turned to evening showers and we had to eat indoors. The atmosphere was just as nice inside as out. We found the food and service here to be top notch. Fresh conch is a local specialty in Turks and Caicos and you are sure to find some variation of it at nearly all the restaurants.
The island actually boasts the only conch farm in the world. It also happens to be a popular destination on the island. Conch is served in many places in the Caribbean, but here it is the national dish. I found it interesting to see all the different ways that it can be prepared. If you have a taste for these giant snails, I would recommend the conch salad appetizer or try the conch soup both were excellently prepared. If conch isn’t on your favorite Caribbean foods list, the other local seafood and steak selections we tried were just as delectable.
The Island of Providenciales (Provo for short), in Turks and Caicos is a very dry and almost desert like most of the year, except it would seem, for today. Of course, no one wants to talk about bad weather here, when it does come, but it has to rain sometime in order for the islands lush tropical foliage to stay so beautiful.
The funny thing is that everyone you ask seems to have a different story about the weather. One entertaining chef at breakfast, told me that the rain was due to the recent earthquake in Indonesia. Perhaps I’m just a naive tourist but I could not quite figure out how an earthquake on the other side of the world would cause rain in the Caribbean where it never rains.
The rain actually worked out though as it gave us a chance to check out the resorts amenities like the Red Lane Spa. We also took the opportunity to do a resort tour, which helped us find our way around the massive hotel grounds.
Just one more note about the weather. Lots of people choose not to travel in the fall because it is rainy season in most of the Caribbean. However it only rained here for about 6 hours during our entire stay, and from speaking to other guests, this was the first time it had rained in the previous week. This time of year the resort is very slow because kids are in school, so you never have to worry about crowds. Not to mention there are some great deals in the Fall.
With the new Italian Village expansion Beaches Turks and Caicos now boasts an incredible 16 restaurants, 614 rooms and, 7000 square feet retail plaza featuring high end jewelry, a candy store, souvenirs, fashion and even an art gallery. Check out the Beaches Turks and Caicos page for a complete run down of the amenities at this fine resort.
Lucky for us the weather broke by mid-afternoon and gave us just enough time to check out the recently expanded Pirates Island Water park. A few of the new exciting features here include a surf simulator, 2 water slides and a lazy river, plus a new and improved water park for the little ones.
The surf simulator is a blast, although the little kids seemed to have the technique down a lot better than I did. Equally exciting are the huge new water slides, one is an open top tube slide and the other is a pitch black thriller. Children must be 48″ tall to ride the big slides, but there are also new slides and other fun stuff at the new Pirates Island for the younger kids. The new lazy river is great for relaxing on a hot day. All in all there is something here for everyone from the young to the young at heart.
Adjacent to the water park, and inside the pirates ship, is Bobby D’s, a 50 style diner serving all the kids favorites. Including a full service ice cream parlor featuring sundaes, shakes, and cones. The water park is so cool they even have a hot dog stand. There is no way to go hungry at Beaches Turks and Caicos.
(To Be continued….)
Be sure to read our next journal entry as we continue our tour of Beaches Turks and Caicos.
Unfortunately for those people, the new TSA rules prohibit packing a 24 pack of Pepsi in your carry on!
Let’s face it though, spending half your Caribbean vacation stocking up on food at the local market, or eating at MacDonald’s in Montego Bay, just to save a few bucks on meals, really takes away from the whole tropical paradise idea…
Click here to read the full article: All Inclusive Family Vacations are Overpriced
We all know parents need a break now and then. A break from the everyday stress of work, finances and yes, even the kids. But wait! You’re planning a family vacation to spend more time with the kids right! Of course.
You Didn’t have to Work….
Didn’t have to cook…..
Didn’t have to clean…
Didn’t have to do all those routine chores that take up so much time!
What if the most stressful thing you had to do all day was choosing between…
Perhaps that might free up a little more time to do the things you really love to do. Like rekindling some old flames, while the kids are entertained with nonstop excitement.
My wife and I have been traveling to the Islands of the Caribbean for over 15 years now. We enjoy going to the all inclusive couples only resorts the most, but as our kids grew older we wanted to spend more time with them. Like many parents we figured the kids would want to go to Disney, but to our surprise, when given the choice, they both chose Jamaica. This was a great relief for my wife and I, since neither of us really wanted to go to Disney anyway. Waiting in long lines, wondering how much dinner was going to cost, making sure the whole family had fun, all the while trying to get some much needed relaxation. It just didn’t seem like a vacation to me.
We were already used to the novelty of all inclusive resorts so going from couples resorts to a all inclusive family vacations seemed like the next step. By the way we still love the couples only resorts, but for now until the kids are out of the house, we’ll be spending most of our Caribbean vacations with them.
I thought you’d never ask!
Beaches uses the term “Luxury Included Vacations” to describe their all inclusive family vacations which include:
All Meals - Fine dining at their “ultra gourmet restaurants”. With up to 11 restaurants per resort, featuring cuisine from around the world, your sure to find something to please your appetite.
Unlimited premium brand drinks – As many as 11 bars per resort, swim up pool bars, serving well known premium brand liquor and Beringer Wines.
Luxurious Accommodations – Luxury suites featuring marbled baths, four-poster mahogany beds, and personal concierge service. For the ultimate indulgence, some suites include 24 hour room service and even a personal butler.
Scuba Diving and Watersports – Includes unlimited scuba diving for certified divers, motorized and non-motorized watersports.
Waterparks- Fun for the whole Family!
Kid’s Supervised Activities
Stay at one, Play at all Beaches - Unlimited exchange privileges at other Beaches Resorts in Jamaica during your stay. Limited transportation included.
All Airport transfers, Hotel Taxes, Tips and Gratuities.
Beaches, a sister line to the famous Sandals Resorts for couples, consists of 4 beautiful resorts located on the Caribbean islands of Jamaica and Turks and Caicos.
Click to learn more about Beaches Boscobel Resort and Golf Club
Top 8 Reasons to choose Beaches Negril for all inclusive family vacations.
Click to learn more about Beaches Negril Resort and Spa
Beaches Resorts The Luxury Included Family Vacation
