Have you been thinking about going to Sandals but wonder what it would be like on the resort during COVID-19? I was wondering too!

If you decide to travel at this time, the best advice I can give is to be open to changes. It could be anything from flights needing to be rescheduled to new Covid testing requirements. The entry requirements for all the Caribbean islands is constantly changing. Each country is learning what works for them and what needs improvement. They are doing everything they can to make your vacation safe and wonderful. I am on calls and webinars almost daily with key representatives of these countries to keep up on all the changes and the latest information so if you have any questions, I would be happy to help!

If you are interested in my airport and flight experience, you can view my post “Traveling to Jamaica During COVID-19“

When we arrived, our temperature was taken, we were directed to the hand sanitizer station and then taken to the Club Sandals room to wait for our butler. We were given a welcome drink and a snack. Our butler escorted us to our room and were given a phone to contact him for anything we might need. The entire staff was amazing. Any time we saw someone, they would ask how we were doing and if there was anything we needed. I forgot to snap a picture of Club Sandals, so here is one of the lobby.

The staff follows very strict protocols to avoid the spread of Covid. They always wear a mask and distance when possible. They have hand sanitizer stations all over the resort, so you do not need to worry about having your own. They ask that guests wear masks when inside areas such as the lobby, photo shop and spa but there was not a requirement to wear one outside. They were constantly cleaning chairs, tables, loungers and anywhere people may have been touching. I felt extremely safe.

If you are not familiar with Sandals, just about everything is included! Of course food (all restaurants), alcohol, Wi-Fi and entertainment are included. Even the transfers to and from Sandals. Tipping is not allowed with the exception of your butlers and the spa staff. Here are some of the activities that are included:

Water Sports:

• Paddle Boarding
• Aqua Trikes
• Snorkeling (equipment is included).  You can sign up for the snorkel boat that takes you to a great spot.  The team will allow you to explore on your own if you are comfortable or give you lots of guidance if you are not as experienced.
• Scuba diving.  That’s right!  If you are a certified diver, you can dive daily at no cost.  The dive boat will take you to some excellent dive sites.  If you are not certified or would like a refresher course, they do offer this at an additional cost.
• Glass bottom boat tour
• Sailing on Hobie Cats
• Wind Surfing
• Kayaking
• Knee Boarding, Tubing, Waterskiing and Wakeboarding

Land Activities:

• Board Games
• Bocce Ball
• Croquet
• Pool Tables
• Giant Chess
• Shuffleboard
• Table Tennis
• Tennis Courts (2, both lit for night play)
• Volleyball (beach and pool)

We tried most of the activities available. Although we are both certified divers, we opted for snorkeling as we are getting older and it is just easier! Everything we did was so much fun! We didn’t leave the resort all week and we were never bored.

We stayed in a Honeymoon Beachfront Butler Suite. The room is large, decorated beautifully and has a well stocked bar with juice, soda, local beer, wine and and several bottles of alcohol (we had Appleton Rum and Absolut Vodka). The bar was replenished daily.

We had two butlers that worked different shifts. They were both wonderful and couldn’t seem to do enough for us. Every morning at 7:00 am (I’m an early riser) they would set up tea for me on the patio and come by again about 8:00 with breakfast (by then my husband would be up). It was amazing to enjoy my tea and breakfast overlooking the beach each day. We requested a room on the first floor as my husband has some mobility issues, but most people seem to prefer the 2nd floor for better views.

The butlers set up loungers with an umbrella, towels and a cooler of our favorite beverages on the beach each morning. Every day we would let them know what restaurant we wanted to dine in and in the evening they would walk us to dinner to make sure we would get the best table available. The butlers also signed us up for any activities we wanted to do on property that day.

The large main pool played music and had a swim up bar that was shaded if you needed to get out of the sun for a while. We played group trivia a couple of times, but most days, there just weren’t enough people in the pool to get activities going.

We spent a lot of time in the smaller pool close to our room. It didn’t have a swim up bar, but someone was usually walking around offering to get us a drink. If no one was available, we simply walked over to the bar as it was located right next to the pool. There was a hot tub here and no one was ever in it, so we never had to wait.

Sandals has photographers walking around the resort offering to take your picture. I almost always let them take the picture because there was no obligation to purchase anything. Towards the end of the week, we decided to go ahead and set up a photo shoot session. Again, there is no cost for this service. We were able to go into the photo shop and browse through our pictures without any pressure. We decided on a small package and have been thrilled to finally have some professional photos of ourselves!

There’s certainly is a lot to think about before deciding to travel at this time, but if you are ready, Sandals would be a great option! Whether you are ready to travel now or want to make a plan to travel later, give me a call and we can design a trip of your dreams! Where would you like to go?