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Beaches Negril is the ideal place for anyone that loves lots of activity, a beautiful beach, great entertainment and good food. 

While all of Jamaica is surrounded by water and beaches, the Negril beach is one of the most spectacular you will ever experience.  It stretches for 7 miles with bathtub warm, clear turquoise water fringed by soft, powder white sand.  You can just sit on the beach and read, sleep and sunbathe, or you can do something new every minute. 

How about learning to windsurf? Or how to handle a Hobie Cat?  Or kayak? The water trampoline is another great choice and snorkel boats go out twice a day. If you are a certified scuba diver you can dive twice a day and all the activities, equipment and training I’ve mentioned are absolutely FREE!

Beaches Negril also has a wonderful water park.  Two giant waterslides offer an opportunity for competition!  Who can reach the water the fastest?  One slide is definitely faster than the other, but you’ll have to discover which one.  My favorite activity at Beaches Negril, is the Lazy River.  Talk about relaxing!  You just put on the life jacket and jump in (life jackets are required for all ages, for all water activities.).  The water does the rest of the work.  You just float around and around! 

Of course no Beaches resort would be complete without a great pool and that wonderful Caribbean tradition:  the swim-up bar!  Order that fruity, frothy drink, and enjoy the pool at the same time.  What could be better? 

At a Beaches Resort, everyone in the family has a vacation.  The kid’s program at Beaches is one of a kind with Ultra Nanny Service, Teen Disco Night, XBOX Game Oasis (no quarters needed, here), supervised, age appropriate, kids’ programs and even have a program for infants!   That means mom and dad can have a real vacation, since the kids are enjoying themselves so much.  None of the “I’m bored” comments here! 

Every Beaches Resorts has an adults’ only restaurant, as well as several other restaurants for the family.  Beaches Negril has 5 restaurants, including Teppanyaki, Tex Mex, Italian and Caribbean. The Seville, which is the adults’ only restaurant, has white-glove service and a wonderfully romantic atmosphere, not to mention great food.  And at Beaches all your meals, drinks, Kids’ Program, entertainment, activities and even gratuities are included, so enjoy it all!

Totem Travel is a Sandals & Beaches Preferred Specialist Agency, with 3 specialists on staff.  Please call us to talk about Sandals and Beaches….we’ve been to every single resort! 

I made my 2^nd visit to Turks and Caicos in August and have lots to report! I chose this tiny little island for its fabulous beach and fantastic coral reefs. My son recently completed his certification in 40 degree Puget Sound waters (as I did many years ago) and it was a real treat to introduce him to warm water diving. We visited a new site every day for 10 days and saw hundreds of colorful fish, turtles, rays, shark and schools of dolphin.

Turks and Caicos is at the southern end of the Bahamian chain in the Caribbean Sea. Its most famous beach, Grace Bay, is routinely listed as one of the best in the world by Conde Nast with 12 miles of powder white sand along sparkling turquoise water. Water sports such as swimming, snorkeling, sailing, fishing, kayaking and scuba are a major draw as is lazing away the hours soaking in the tropical sun or being pampered at one of the fantastic spas.

Resorts cater to either a family market or romance and solitude seeking adults with few choices in between. My destination was Beaches Turks and Caicos which is an all inclusive resort and THE place for families plus an excellent choice for divers of all ages.  I’ll write more about Beaches in another post -

My favorite honeymoon spot or quiet getaway on Turks is Point Grace, an intimate hideaway with spacious bungalows, oceanfront spa and gourmet restaurant. The pool and gardens are lovely and private open air porches are shaded and furnished with gorgeous carved wood chaise lounges perfect for reading or napping. Kitchens are fully equipped and can be prestocked by guest services. The photo above is taken from a villa at Point Grace…

Other great choices on Turks include Grace Bay Club, the Palms, Turks and Caicos Club and Ocean Club so if you’re planning a Caribbean honeymoon or need a new idea for a family vacation I hope you’ll call me. Turks and Caicos is a little piece of paradise!

My husband and I wanted to do something extra special in celebration of our 35^th wedding anniversary so we decided to renew our vows on the beach in Jamaica. Pretty romantic, huh?

Sandals Grande Ocho Rios was our resort of choice and they are the pros on beach weddings, honeymoons and special anniversaries.  Prior to our arrival in Jamaica, we completed a wedding application and sent copies of our birth certificates and our marriage certificate.  Even though we had been married 35 years, we were still required to conform to regulations regarding a wedding.  We also needed to comply with the Jamaican residency requirement which requires that you be in the country 48 hours prior to your wedding.

None of this was hard but it all helps to convey the message: You are getting married!!  We were treated just like a bride and groom. Our package included a bridal bouquet, groom’s boutonnière, a minister to perform the service, a special dinner menu, photographer, music, and a marriage certificate.  It was really fantastic.  I felt like I was a bride again and how often do you get to feel like that? 

Sandals are couples only resorts and everything is geared toward romance and fun for adults. Every room has a king size beds, there are lots of tables for 2 at all of the restaurants, the swimming pool has a swim up bar and you can even arrange a couples massages at the spa or by the ocean!   Meals, drinks, activities and entertainment is all included so it’s a stress free vacation and I highly recommend Sandals for any couples wishing to enjoy a week or two of pampered and together.  It’s easy, fun and very romantic! 

Sandi