Daily life and Sandals Barbados

It's rough getting up at 3am to leave Barbados. Then getting home, I thought about skipping the routine and the gym. I almost talked myself out of it but I rallied and made it to the gym anyways. 

I wanted to share my room with you. It was an awesome room!

The porch came with a soaking tub which was fantastic! The first time we put water in that was too hot. The second time, we used lukewarm water which was better. 

He view was rediculous and this photo looks fake but it's not! That pool was a sweet winding river around the rooms. Everyone could use it. 

The shower was awesome with two heads, a rain head and a regular. There was also a painting that moved to reveal a window into the shower. So sexy! Also, I won the Yahtzee tournament. 

Sandals Barbados

This trip brought us to the silver sandals and the complimentary couples massage. The massage was amazing!

The food was also amazing! Everything was fresh and prepared well. There were tons of Brits at the resort and the island. Barbados is celebrating 50 years of independence this year but there are definitely strong ties to the UK. 

We did a snorkel dinner cruise with Cool Runnings II and they did a great job. 

I have so many photos and stories to share and I'm planning to do that on my blog this week. 

First though, I have a long list of people I want to thank for the wonderful and welcoming service they provided. 

Shonnell

Dario

Dale

DJ Shaqmed 

Marlon

Denis

Nicholas

Stephen

Nathaniel

Jamaine 

Joy-ann 

Mario

Gilbert

Markus 

Most of these people were bartenders but the entertainment team and loyalty desk did a fantastic job. 

Sandals Grande Antigua - The Food

We did not make it to every restaurant. We missed out on Mario's (Italian) and Bella Napoli (Pizza) and OK Corral (Tex-mex, we figured we get enough of that here in OKC.)

Since we are Sandals Select (you get to that level on your second trip) we always get a sweet treat in our room. Since we were concierge level, we also got our fridge stocked with Carib, Wadadidli (the Antiguan beer) wine, mixers, and alcohol. Concierge level is great because there is a lounge staffed with people to take care of anything. Leon was awesome! He said the local rum was fantastic but it wasn't in our room. He offered to go to the store and buy a bottle and bring it to us. We gave him a $20 usd at 6pm and the next morning at 7am he was knocking on our door with our change and the bottle of rum. (That was a tiny bit too early but I was still real happy to bring that bottle home.) 

The drinks were fantastic and the bartenders were all so friendly. Lauren was on an internship from the UK and she was one our favorites.

This is called a Reggae Top and its delicious. I like to call this type of drink a pool drink because you drink it while you're in the pool. I also had purple rain (so so good), blue hawaiian (also relish) and the miami vice. 

Soy was the sushi place and it was phenomenal. It was closed a few nights but we went as much as we could. We would like to recommend that the resort order some top shelf sake for an extra charge. We would drink that up in half a second!

Kimonos was good food and good entertainment. The chef put on a great show for us.

Eleanor's was caribbean and required reservations. It was also the only restaurant where Blue had to dress up some. We both loved the lobster and the crab cakes. I did my best to stay away from the desserts.

Not on the website is the hot dog cart. It's a brilliant idea! The hot dog cart was next to the pool for easy snacking and lunching. They also had a popcorn machine at the pool. 

We discovered late in the trip (our last night) that Bayside was a French restaurant. We love French food and the food didn't disappoint. Sadly the customer service flopped here. We requested a specific bottle of wine, which was for an extra charge. The staff kept saying that the wine was coming but we found out later on that it wasn't because they didn't have that bottle. It took them 40 minutes to fess up to that oops. They even set our appetizer down with out giving us the option to select a different bottle. Eventually we did select a different bottle and it was good. We told Sean, the food and beverage director and he's worked there for 20 years, and he took the bottle off our room charges. Thanks Sean! We really appreciated that!

The Sandals Select dinner was spectacular. We all enjoyed prawns and rack of lamb, buffalo mozzarella cheese salad, and chocolate beet cake (the cake was good!)

The farewell party was stuffed with desserts and food. I did have a few bites of dessert! Oh so heavenly!

The last day we had lunch at Bayside and it was delicious. I love hummus and I finally ate a few fries on the last day. We also went to the courtyard bistro for some to go sandwiches. That was perfect for my dinner. We didn't land in Charlotte until 9pm. Also on our way out the door, I asked for some cold  soda pops from the concierge. They didn't have any cold but they got two warm cans cold in 10 minutes and brought them to me right before I stepped foot not he shuttle. That was the perfect going away refreshment. 

Sandals Grande Antigua

This was our fifth trip to Sandals and our second reunion week. Sandals does such a great job of rewarding repeat guests and this trip was no exception.

We arrived a couple of days before reunion week got started. Monday was the welcome parade. Tuesday was the Sandals Select dinner with managers cocktails. That was when we realized we were one day shy of our silver sandals. That will be our reward next year. 

After 35 nights paid, you are rewarded with silver sandals (I think they're plastic but the recognition is most important.) After 70 paid nights the reward is a free week. That will be a sweet day when we get there.

While we were there, there were several light rains. It was nothing too big and didn't spoil the trip in any way. Once we did have to duck into a pool cabana to keep dry. The rain never lasted longer than 15 minutes. 

Wednesday was the offsite excursion. Antigua by land and sea. The trip took us to this gorgeous beach. Apparently Antigua has more than 365 beaches. Nobody has been to them all, not even the Antiguans. (I asked.)

Thursday was the tree planting ceremony for Sandals Foundation. Friday was the final farewell party. The food at the party was spectacular and I wish we had known what was to be served. I'd also like to have known about some of the themed parties. They did the usual black and white but the last night was a retro party. I didn't have the right outfit packed for it.

Blue used this trip as an excuse to get PADI certified. He had to do 8 hours of online work at the hotel business center. Then there was pool work for about 5 hours on Monday. Then after that there were 4 dives over the course of 5 hours on Tuesday and Thursday. I used these days to my advantage at the spa. I used all my spa credit on massages. Now I need another massage!

There were tons of animals there. The resort kitties were well cared for and didn't seem to care about anything. Sampson and Delilah (the two parrots are both guys) would get annoyed at each other and squack loudly. They are adorable and approximately 35 years old. Since they live to about 80, I am sure to see them again. 

The final full day was Friday and we opted to rent a cabana for the day. It was fantastic. The cabana came stocked with drinks and furniture. We lounged, ate, drank, napped and got in and out of the pool all day. It was definitely worth the money. We missed the vow renewal because of the cabana. Next year, we will renew our vows because it's included in the reunion week activities. After all, at Sandals, all you need is love.

**P.S. I have not been compensated in any way for this post. I would recommend going back. Since I am such a huge fan of Sandals, I am going to research how I can be a travel agent for Sandals. I'm hopeful that I can earn extra discounts for selling. Sandals can be an expensive trip but you can trust me that it is worth the money.

*** P.S.S. The next post will be on the food at Sandals Grande Antigua.

The vacation is over...

The vacation is over, let the blues begin. Haha! Just kidding, a little. We went to Sandals Grande Antigua. I need to post a full review but after spending an hour and a half at the tax office on an amended return, I've lost most of my motivation for today.  Here are a few iPhone pics to enjoy for now.

The Antiguan beer is not brewed in Antigua because it's cheaper to brew in St. Lucia. Weird, right?

Another Caribbean beer, I'm sure you're not surprised.

Oh how those white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters call to me daily! I wish both our jobs could just pick up and move there. 

My delicious lobster dinner. I ate and drank like a queen for a full week. It was glorious but the scale may not agree. Tomorrow, I'll post my weight and how I tried to keep nutrition from going out of control. I did stay away from certain delicious foods.

 

Travel Tuesday

In 10 days, I will be here. I will be in a pool at Sandals Antigua. I will have wifi and I might decide to post photos. 

I ordered these sandals for the trip. I wore them as a kid. These cuties are waterproof and meant to be in the water. I recall they were quite durable. They only come in kids sizes, which is no problem for my feet. I'm a women's 6 or big kid's 4. I don't buy kids running shoes though. Those don't handle the beating I pound into the pavement. 

I can't wait to make new friends, relax, and have fun! My difficult decisions will include, where to eat for dinner, what drink to enjoy, which spa treatment do I need, and what extra activities can't be missed. Have you been to Sandals?