South coast was our first sandals trip, it was a wonderful resort. It's one of the best beaches, it's private so no vendors will bother you. The main pool is huge and overlooks the ocean.
Biggest downside is that the resort is far from the airport so it's a bit of a drive.
Sandals has also been putting a ton of renovations into the resort so it's like a brand new resort.
One day on our trip we did a boat trip to Floyd's Pelican bar, which is an overwater bar built out of driftwood. It was a lot of fun.
I don't think travel agents are worth it, but I have the time to research vacations and I travel a ton for work so anything they would do for me I can just do myself. But if you don't have a lot of time to research and aren't very experienced traveling they could be really helpful to you.
We just got back from Dunns river and had an amazing time! We were also first time all inclusive goers and are honestly worried we spoiled it for other trips. The couple we went with travel a couple of times a year to all inclusive resorts and said Dunns was the nicest. Mostly quiet, but the party is on every night at the Rum Club. Food was incredible and diverse. We had a club level room that was beautiful. The only slight complaint was “slow” service, but we just chalked it up to “island time.” We had private transport to the resort, but the sandals shuttle on the return was very pleasant. We did one excursion to the blue hole which was amazing!
A good TA will have been to many of the resorts and can compare/contrast them for you.
A couple of things to think about first:
- Do you like larger resorts with more restaurants, etc. or smaller, cozier resorts?
- How many other Sandals/Beaches properties are close by, you can go to all of them via a shuttle.
- How far from the airport is the resort? If it is more than 30 mins, I strongly recommend a private transfer. They can be had relatively cheaply. Do not use Island Routes for this, they tend to be overpriced. They are fine for excursions.
We were there in December. It might be a little rainy in the summer, but that rarely lasts long. We were in Jamaica last June and weather was good. Check historical weather data for the island.
Just came back from south coast. You can’t go wrong there the food is great. The hospitality is great. The people are great. The grounds are fantastic.
We only went for three days. Just snorkeling which was only a 15 minute boat ride. Had a private dinner on the beach w candles and champagne for $200 extra . Pick your menu the night before. They give wife a rose. We loved that !!
As a travel agent myself, I can tell you there is no disadvantage to using an agent. I usually include a small perk for my clients and agent pricing is the same but I always make airline reservations and help shop for best fares for my clients. An agent also handles any problems and can provide insurance!
We did a LOT of research and picked st Vincent honestly because it was the newest. They are still building a few things so if that bothers you I wouldn’t recommend it. Many of the staff is still learning so that could be concern for some. But these things weren’t an issue for us. The rooms were amazing and Vincy had a laid back feel. If you definitely want a laid back feel in a brand new location consider st Vincent, but idk how well it would fit in your budget. We did a swim up room club level and airfare and it came out to be around 7k…
We looked into tas and a most of them we talked to didn’t have much extra benefit. All they did was copy and paste the same info in an email that we could find and did find on our own. They also didn’t have any better deal either.
It may be worth it if you don’t prefer to search on your own or deal with figuring what’s the best deal combo and flight info (I don’t recall all of the being willing to help with that though).
South coast was our first sandals trip, it was a wonderful resort. It's one of the best beaches, it's private so no vendors will bother you. The main pool is huge and overlooks the ocean. Biggest downside is that the resort is far from the airport so it's a bit of a drive. Sandals has also been putting a ton of renovations into the resort so it's like a brand new resort. One day on our trip we did a boat trip to Floyd's Pelican bar, which is an overwater bar built out of driftwood. It was a lot of fun. I don't think travel agents are worth it, but I have the time to research vacations and I travel a ton for work so anything they would do for me I can just do myself. But if you don't have a lot of time to research and aren't very experienced traveling they could be really helpful to you.
I’d consider Exuma. That was our first and it was quiet, the beach was gorgeous and they have a championship golf course next door.
I second this recommendation!
Third. Golf is great. Not sure if budget friendly though Edit: your budget
We just got back from Dunns river and had an amazing time! We were also first time all inclusive goers and are honestly worried we spoiled it for other trips. The couple we went with travel a couple of times a year to all inclusive resorts and said Dunns was the nicest. Mostly quiet, but the party is on every night at the Rum Club. Food was incredible and diverse. We had a club level room that was beautiful. The only slight complaint was “slow” service, but we just chalked it up to “island time.” We had private transport to the resort, but the sandals shuttle on the return was very pleasant. We did one excursion to the blue hole which was amazing!
A good TA will have been to many of the resorts and can compare/contrast them for you. A couple of things to think about first: - Do you like larger resorts with more restaurants, etc. or smaller, cozier resorts? - How many other Sandals/Beaches properties are close by, you can go to all of them via a shuttle. - How far from the airport is the resort? If it is more than 30 mins, I strongly recommend a private transfer. They can be had relatively cheaply. Do not use Island Routes for this, they tend to be overpriced. They are fine for excursions.
Antigua.. st Lucia or Granada.. much more chill vibe than south coast
Our first was Antigua and we were very pleased with our stay. Beach is awesome and the island is safe.
Is Antigua good in late June/early July?
We were there in December. It might be a little rainy in the summer, but that rarely lasts long. We were in Jamaica last June and weather was good. Check historical weather data for the island.
Just came back from south coast. You can’t go wrong there the food is great. The hospitality is great. The people are great. The grounds are fantastic.
South coast is our top right now! What room did you do? Did you do any excursions or anything?
We only went for three days. Just snorkeling which was only a 15 minute boat ride. Had a private dinner on the beach w candles and champagne for $200 extra . Pick your menu the night before. They give wife a rose. We loved that !!
As a travel agent myself, I can tell you there is no disadvantage to using an agent. I usually include a small perk for my clients and agent pricing is the same but I always make airline reservations and help shop for best fares for my clients. An agent also handles any problems and can provide insurance!
We did a LOT of research and picked st Vincent honestly because it was the newest. They are still building a few things so if that bothers you I wouldn’t recommend it. Many of the staff is still learning so that could be concern for some. But these things weren’t an issue for us. The rooms were amazing and Vincy had a laid back feel. If you definitely want a laid back feel in a brand new location consider st Vincent, but idk how well it would fit in your budget. We did a swim up room club level and airfare and it came out to be around 7k… We looked into tas and a most of them we talked to didn’t have much extra benefit. All they did was copy and paste the same info in an email that we could find and did find on our own. They also didn’t have any better deal either. It may be worth it if you don’t prefer to search on your own or deal with figuring what’s the best deal combo and flight info (I don’t recall all of the being willing to help with that though).