All posts tagged Caribbean

Elite Island Resorts Adds Morgan Bay Beach Resort In St Lucia To Its Collection

By blogger on

As the temperatures in the UK begin to plummet even further, there is no better time to escape the cold weather and head to the Caribbean for sun, relaxation and luxury.

Elite Island Resorts are now providing luxury St Lucia holidays after the hotel group acquired the islands former Almond Morgan Bay resort, previously managed by the Almond Resorts group.

The property, which has been renamed Morgan Bay Beach Resort, St Lucia, joins the hotel groups impressive collection of upscale resorts and hotels across the Caribbean in destinations that include Antigua, Grenada, Tortola and St. Vincent, Nevis, and the Grenadines.

Situated on the north-west coast of the island, three miles from its harbour capital Castries, Morgan Bay Beach Resort is tucked into a secluded cove and is surrounded by lush tropical gardens.

The beachfront resort offers 345 stylish guestrooms and suites with ocean and tropical garden views with great facilities that make the hotel perfect for family holidays in St Lucia or romantic breaks.

The all inclusive programme enables guests to take advantage of a wide range of products, facilities and activities such as premium beverages, delectable meals, snacks and refreshments, live music and entertainment shows, plus other entertainment activities including windsurfing, kayaking, snorkelling, and table tennis.

During holidays to St Lucia at the newly renamed Morgan Bay Beach Resort, visitors can take a refreshing dip in any of the four freshwater swimming pools; play tennis at any of the resorts four courts; leave the children in an adult-supervised Kids Club; enjoy an energetic work out in the fully equipped fitness centre; or indulge in a pampering treatment at the full-service spa.

Speaking about the acquirement of one of the leading luxury St Lucia hotels, Elite Island Resorts President, Steven Heydt, commented:The purchase of Morgan Bay presented a unique opportunity for us to expand our destinations and was the obvious next step for our ever-growing collection.

Our understanding of marketing the Caribbean will help re-launch this all-inclusive resort to a greater audience of travellers. Further, Elites management expertise in creating an unparalleled all-inclusive vacation will enhance the guest experience on every level.”

Additionally, the resorts wealth of offerings and breathtaking surroundings are ideal for our family and value vacation markets. We are confident that we can deliver a superior vacation in St. Lucia while providing excellent value during these challenging times.

Tips For Taking A Caribbean Vacation During Hurricane Season

By blogger on

The official Caribbean hurricane season stretches from June 1 – November 30. It’s rare to see a large storm in either June or November and most major hurricanes occur between August and October, with the peak season usually being September.

The upside is that prices are lower for the Caribbean during this time and resorts are less crowded. So what do you do if you want to get away during hurricane season?

Buy Travel Insurance
You must buy the trip cancellation insurance before the storm is announced, otherwise it will be deemed a pre-existing condition, so always purchase insurance the same day you book your trip to be safe. Most travel insurance policies will cover a trip disrupted because of a hurricane when you are forced to arrive late or leave early for your trip, but you’ll be reimbursed only for the affected days until the airport or resort reopens. You will usually be reimbursed for the days you are forced to stay at a resort during a hurricane, but be sure to always read the fine print on your policy to make sure you know what they will actually cover.

Try to Avoid the Storms
Track hurricanes online with weather websites during the season. Some good sites include:

The National Weather Service – National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Hurricane & Storm Tracking for the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans
http://hurricane.terrapin.com

Hurricane News and Information
http://www.hurricanetrack.com

Weather.com Tropical Storm Center
http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/

Pick Your Location Well
When planning a trip to the Caribbean during hurricane season, it is good to know that hurricanes are less likely the further south you go. The islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St. Vincent, including the islands below them, are the least hit by hurricanes. However, as Grenada discovered in 2004 with Hurricane Ivan, never say never and keep in mind that hurricanes are unpredictable.

Go on a Cruise
The good thing about cruises is that they can usually sail around the worst of a storm. And today’s ships are extraordinarily safe and with the advanced weather tracking available today, bad weather is something they can avoid. The downside is that the cruise line always reserves the right to reschedule port calls and change itineraries for weather-related reasons and therefore you may not get to visit the places you had hoped to.

Pick a Resort That Offers a Hurricane Guarantee
Recently, many of the largest resorts and resort chains, have started instituting a hurricane guarantee, offering guests their money back for days lost to bad weather. For example, in the unlikely event that hurricane force winds (as defined by the U.S. National Weather Service) directly hit the Sandals or Beaches resorts while you are a guest, interrupting the use of all the included activities, Sandals or Beaches Resorts will offer a free replacement vacation to be taken at any Sandals or Beaches Resort of your choice. Go to http://www.best-family-beach-vacations.com/caribbean-hurricane-season.html for more resorts that offer hurricane guarantees.

Make the Best of It.
If you do get caught on vacation during a hurricane, try to make the best of it. As long as there is no danger present, relax indoors and focus on other activities.

My husband and I got caught in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico during hurricane Keith in 2000. He was still my boyfriend at that time and unbeknownst to me, he planned to propose on our second evening there. We got dressed for dinner and arrived at the hotel restaurant to find it boarded up. We saw the line up in the hotel lobby, everyone was being evacuated from the hotel to one farther up the coast. We ran back to our room, packed and got on the next bus out – not the evening my husband had planned!

When we checked into our room at the new hotel a few hours later, he still had the engagement ring burning a hole in his pocket. The winds were blowing and it was raining so the romantic walk on the beach he had been hoping for was out. He couldnt put it off any longer so he dropped to one knee and proposed then and there. It was definitely a memorable evening, hurricane and all!

All Inclusive Luxury Resort – Sandals Golf & Scuba Included

By blogger on

Looking for a golf included, scuba included vacation? Or how about an all inclusive luxury resort providing all these facilities in the middle of the beautiful pristine waters of the Caribbean? The Sandals All inclusive luxury resorts provides the perfect getaway! Golf, scuba diving and water sports galore. If youre looking for an adventure filled holiday, Sandals is the perfect spot for you!

Golf And More Golf

If youre looking for a vacation filled with a whole lot of golf, then Sandals challenging golf courses in Jamaica and St. Lucia will have you sweating it out! These green globe certified luxury resorts. The Sandals Golf and Country Club is huge, with 18 holes and a yardage of 6502!

Its scenic location at a height of 750 feet among the hills of the Ocho Rios makes it a perfect place to admire natures beauty AND play your favorite sport! If youre looking for a golf included vacation, then this is definitely up to the mark, to say the least! Oh and did I mention that tipping is completely optional?

Theres more golf from Sandals at St. Lucia too! This course however is smaller with just about nine holes and a yardage of 2475.

But in no way is it any less challenging because it is set among rolling hills and challenging fairways! If youre a Sandals guest, green fares is included for you! So when I said golf included, I meant it! There are also complimentary PGA golf clinics on the properties of these all inclusive luxury resorts!

Scuba Included Too!

Luxury included vacations at the Sandals all inclusive luxury resorts are made even more special because they come with scuba included packages. You can enjoy he most amazing dives in the Caribbean and all with the help of the guidance of certified professionals, not to mention high quality equipment! In fact, if youre a newbie, you can also learn diving to a depth of 30 ft underwater!

You have to pay a fee for this lesson of course!

Not just scuba diving, Sandals offers a whole range of water sports for your comfort and pleasure. These include snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, waterskiing, hobie Cats, windsurfing and even Aquastrikes. However, do keep in mind that water skiing and glass bottom boats are not available at all properties. This can however be overcome if you go in for their Stay at 1, Play at 7 offers, which allows you to enjoy the facilities of ALL resorts even if you stay at just one property!

At the Sandals Luxury included vacations are beautifully done and the staff goes out of their way to ensure that you have a pleasant stay at Sandals all inclusive luxury resorts!

Sandals Launches Wedding-themed Incentives And Competition For Travel Agents

By blogger on

Sandals Resorts has launched a new incentive programme and competition for qualified travel agents to boost the sales of upgraded wedding packages at its Caribbean resorts.

The Sell and Celebrate incentive will see agents receive a 50 high street voucher for every upgraded package sold for destination weddings at Sandals Resorts.

Agents who sell the upgraded packages can send the information to their local Sandals Business Development Manager with details on the booking and any tips and advice for other travel agents. These entries will then be entered into a national draw with a fantastic prize of a seven-night break at any Sandals Resort up for grabs.

Sandals Resorts are a popular choice for couples getting married abroad and the company has a wide choice of properties that offer all inclusive, upscale accommodation and picturesque Caribbean settings.

Beach weddings are a favourite and these can be enjoyed at any Sandals Resorts across Jamaica, St. Lucia, The Bahamas and Antigua.

Brides and grooms who are looking to splash out for their weddings abroad can choose from a range of themed Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart including Flutter of Romance, Seaside Serenade, Island Paradise, Vision in White and Chic & Natural.

Couples can also choose the customisable Sandals’ standard WeddingMoon package which offers the perfect excuse to extend the celebrations of Caribbean weddings and stay on for a romantic honeymoon while enjoying all inclusive programmes, luxury facilities and fu activities at Sandals Resorts.

Destination weddings can be tailor-made to suit the individual requirements of the bride and groom and with the help of the wedding guru Martha Stewart, they can choose everything from the resort destination, the idyllic setting for their ceremony, accommodation, wedding dcor, cake, flowers, and the colour scheme.

Travel agents have until 31st May, 2012 to take advantage of the incentive and in addition, Sandals Resorts will be launching the Catch the Bouquet competition where one beautiful floral arrangement will be given away each week between 29th March and 31st May, 2012.

All agents have to do is spot the wedding bouquet, which is hidden in a picture in the I DO magazine supplement that will be delivered to travel agencies from 2nd April, 2012.

Couples Book 12-12-12 Date For Memorable Caribbean Weddings

By blogger on

Hotels and resorts across the Caribbean have launched special wedding packages and promotions for couples planning to get married on this years triple date 12/12/12.

Hundreds of engaged couples are planning Caribbean weddings on what will be the last triple date for 89 years and wedding planners are busy organising special ceremonies across the region.

Triple dates occur twelve times in every hundred years and this years triple date is said to be lucky because in numerology, the number 12 is regarded as the number of completeness because there are 12 hours on the clock, 12 months in the year and 12 signs in the zodiac.

This years triple date falls on a Wednesday and though this is not a typical day for destination weddings, hundreds of couples are booking 12th December at venues across the Caribbean and the rest of the world so they can get married on the unique date.

Sandals and Beaches Resorts already have 92 Caribbean weddings booked across their 18 resorts and they are offering a complimentary Beautiful Beginnings ceremony to all couples who book 12/12/12 weddings and stay for a minimum of six nights.

In 2011, Sandals hosted 150 weddings in the Caribbean on the last triple date 11/11/11.

Breezes Resorts has seven Jamaica weddings booked on the lucky date and couples will receive resort credit equalling 12 per cent of their total stay, including upgraded wedding packages and accommodation.

Couples planning weddings abroad at Ocean Two Resort & Residences and South Beach Hotel in Barbados between 1st November and 12th December, 2012 will be able to take advantage of a $12 traditional wedding package if they stay for a minimum of 12 nights. Family and friends attending the Barbados wedding will also receive a 12 per cent discount on accommodation at the hotel.

The Amaryllis Beach Resort in Barbados is offering a complimentary package worth $850 when brides and grooms book a suite for a week. They will also receive a 25 per cent discount on rooms until 21st December, 2012 but bookings must be made by 15th April, 2012.

Hiltons El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico has a special offer for its Love in the Sun package. Couples pay $5,000 (saving $2,012) and they will receive the wedding ceremony, venue, minister, photographs, music, drinks vouchers, room upgrades, champagne and chocolate on the wedding night and passes to the water park.