Sandals Emerald Bay-April 2012, Day 4

Sandals Emerald Bay - Day 4

I woke up early and watched the sun rise from my patio.   It was a gorgeous sunrise. Then I went to breakfast at the Bahama Bay restaurant.

Today they were diving, so I was anxious to experience scuba diving here (I am an Advanced PADI Diver).  We met in the lobby at 8:20 am.  You take a shuttle over to the marina (2 min drive).  The dive shop is right there. You get your fins and a wet suit if you like.  They bring the rest of your stuff on the boat.  By the way, they have a dive pool right there, so they do the checkout dives right there and you can dive the same day.  When you get on the boat, all of your gear is already set up on the boat.  The marina is really nice.  All of the docks are concrete and look brand new.  We dove at da Cove.   It was an OK dive, but the water was still rough and the visibility was only 40 ft. from the rain earlier in the week.   Normally, it is much better. We dove for 1/2 hour and then came back in.   They usually have a 11am dive, but it was too rough to take that one out.   By the way, Sandals does a shark dive.  It is extra ($100 per person), but I hear it is a very good dive.

I had lunch at the Bahama Bay Restaurant.   They had a pasta station again, but with different veggies.  The food was good.  Then I spent a couple hours in the afternoon relaxing in the pool. 

At 6pm on Wednesdays they have a Butler Convoy.  All butler guests meet at the golf shop.  Everyone grabs a golf cart and heads up to the lawn outside the General Managers cottage.  It is on the golf course.  The fairway is right next to the ocean with awesome views.  By the way, 6 of the 18 holes run directly next to the ocean.  If you are a golfer, you will want to play this course.  The views are incredible.  We had drinks and appetizers right on the fairway.

I had an early dinner at the Drunken Duck and then back to the room to relax and do some work.

It was a great couple of days.   Sandals Emerald Bay is a wonderful resort, with great service, good food, and the most beautiful ocean you can imagine.

I would recommend this resort to anyone looking for a quiet, relaxing, adults only resort. Upon my return, I hope to be able to answer your questions and even better help you make your dream vacation to Sandals Emerald Bay come true!

Sandals Emerald Bay-April 2012, Day 3

Sandals Emerald Bay - Day 3

The morning started with the sun shinning bright.  The sky was clear and the water was absolutely beautiful.  I got up early and took a walk on the beach to take pictures and some video.  I also took pictures of the two pools. 

I had a 9:15 meeting with Jeremy Mutton, the General Manager.  He wanted to introduce me to his management team (most of them I knew already).  He also presented Dream Makers Vacation Services with a plaque in appreciation for all the clients that we send them.  It was a really nice surprise and much appreciated. 

After that, Rebecca took me to see some rooms.  I took videos and pictures of 4 rooms.  Then we did a tour of the Greg Norman golf course.  The course is beautiful.  There are some really spectacular views and quite a few holes run along the ocean.  The turquoise waters really make picturesque view.

The current promotion includes unlimited golf in butler suites.  Clubs are available for rent if you don't want to bring yours.  They also have various programs like a scramble and play with the pro.   For any additional questions about golf, please ask.

I went back to the room to do some work and then to the Bahama Bay restaurant for lunch.  They had a pasta station set up today.  They had various veggies, chicken, and a white sauce and a red sauce.

 After lunch, I headed for the beach to relax.  The beach is beautiful and the water is an amazing turquoise color.   It is really has some of most beautiful water I have ever seen.  I stopped by the quiet pool for a little while.  It is set back from the ocean and is smaller.   It has a large hot tub, plenty of cabanas, and umbrellas.  There is a bar, but it is not a swim up bar. They do not blend drinks there because they don't want to make noise.  They try to keep it quiet.  The main pool has music, a swim up pool bar, some cabanas and these really cool couches that are in the zero entry part of the pool.  It is close to the ocean. 

I was having a late dinner, so I went to the Drunken Duck to get something to eat.   I had the chili and I don't remember the name of it, but it was basically  beef tips & gravy in a pastry.   Both were very good. 

Dinner at il Cielo:

It started with bread with butter, balsamic, and olive paste.  I love the olive paste.  Then I had the baby spinach salad with palm hearts & Parmesan with light mustard dressing.  I also had the pumpkin soup with walnut oil.

My main course was sliced strip loin topped with braised radicchio & rosemary au jus served with pan fried potatoes.  The beef was very tender.

And the service is really friendly and quick. 

I went to the Drunken Duck and got wings & Shepard's Pie to go.  The wings were good.  They were meaty.  I ordered them hot and they were a little spicy, but not hot, like at home.  The Shepard's Pie was very good.  By the way, the Drunken Duck has a great dinner menu.  

Tonight is the chocolate buffet.  I saw them setting it up as I was heading to the room, but I'm staying in the room and relaxing. 

Tomorrow morning I'm going to try to go scuba diving.  I'm not sure if they will go out.  If it is too windy, they don't go out.  Wish me luck...

Thanks for reading my posts and for being dream clients.  We appreciate all that you do! More to come!

Sandals Emerald Bay-April 2012, Day 2

Sandals Emerald Bay - Day 2

It was windy last night, but first thing this morning, the sun was out.  That didn't last long because by 7am, it started raining. 

They had a 7:30 am Yoga class.  Normally, the morning class is in a gazebo by the pool, but because of the rain, they moved it to the yoga room on the 2nd floor of the spa.  It was an hour long.  I'm used taking power yoga in a hot environment.  This was not as vigorous, but it was good.  A lot of stretching and breathing exercises.  The 7:30 am class is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  They also have a 5pm class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

After yoga, I had breakfast at the Bahama Bay Restaurant.  This is a buffet.  I had some fresh fruit.  They had mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honey dew melon.  They had an omelet making station.  And included in the hot foods were hash browns, bacon, sausage, stewed sausages, pancakes, French toast, and a few others.  They also had a cereal station and a bread station where you could make toasted bread, English muffins, or bagels. 

By the way, I am really impressed with the service here.  At the Bahama Bay Restaurant several people went out of their way to be kind and to offer assistance.  Dominique was great.  She asked where my wife (back in the states taking care of our Dream clients and our 4 wonderful kids!) was and offered to make her a plate that they could send back to the room if she wasn't feeling well.  On the way to breakfast, a woman offered me her umbrella because I did not have one.  At dinner last night, the host checked on me several times and the server was very nice too. 

Then I went back to the room to get some work done.  The rain let up a little in the mid morning, so I went for a run on the beach.  I ran the length of the beach. It was a good run and nice to have the ocean at your side while running.  After the run, I stopped at the Bahama Bay Restaurant Bar.  I got some fruit from the buffet and the bar tender made me a great refreshing smoothie.

I went back to the suite to shower and relax a little bit before lunch.

I ate lunch at the Bahama Bay Restaurant.  I had salad, corn chowder, Flank steak, coconut rice with brown onion gravy.  They had some kind of fish, spicy sausage pasta, and balsamic roasted chicken.  The food was all good for buffet food. 

After lunch, I went to the Drunken Duck.  They normally open at 3pm, but because of the weather, they wanted to give people another place to go, they opened at 1pm.  The lunch menu has a number of bar type foods, like chicken wings, fish and chips, salads, and much more.  But it is different than the dinner menu and had good variety.

I went back to the room for some work, but around 3pm I ventured out again.  At the main pool bar, a number of people had gathered.  Most everyone was behind the bar to get out of the rain.  They had a great, fun atmosphere going.  In fact, most of the guest were getting their own drinks or getting drinks for other guests. The bar tenders were really fun and one of the guests brought their iPod station down.  We were rocking to Reggae and the bar tenders were loving it.  It was a lot of fun, but I had to leave because I had 6 pm dinner reservations at la Parisienne, the white glove service French restaurant. 

Before dinner I went to the weekly Managers Cocktail party at 6 pm-they hold this every Monday.  I was able to reconnect with a lot of the managers that we've know for years.  Most of them we know from when they were at other resorts and we've forged some great relationships with them.  They really have a Dream Team of managers at this resort and it shows in the level of service.   I commented on the level of service earlier, but I was sitting at dinner next to some other guests and they were commenting that they were impressed with the service here too.  They were here for 7 nights and they could not think of one instance where they had bad service.  It is really top notch here. 

Dinner - la Parisienne

Escargots Bourguignon - this was very good Poitrine de Porc - pork belly over cannellini beans with tomato.  I've never had pork belly, but it tasted like bacon. 

Salad Parisienne - pickled tomatoes over baby greens and an egg.  This was an interesting salad.  It was presented so well that I had trouble eating it.  I didn't want to spoil the presentation.

French Onion Soup - without the onions.  Very good. 

Duo de Boeuf - filet with Jack Daniels Pepper Butter.  This was very tender and had a small piece of short ribs which was also very tender. 

I had the Chocolate profiteroles with chocolate mouse.  It was very good.  But they also had Creme Brûlée and Lemon meringue as well as a few others.

After dinner I walked back to my room and realized that I dropped my key somewhere.  I called my butler Dacia and she was there within 5 min.  Again, more excellent service at Sandals Emerald Bay!

I walked up to the piano bar and there were some really talented guests who were singing along with the piano player.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Once that bar closed, everyone moved onto the Drunken Duck.  This was a fun place to hang for the night. 

Thanks for reading and for being dream clients, more soon...

Sandals Emerald Bay April 2012-Mike McHugh, video of Room 9302

Hi Everyone,

Please Visit Dream Makers Vacation Services YouTube Channel to see a tour of my suite at Sandals Emerald Bay.  Our channel is a work in progress but we hope that you stop by often to check out our various resort adventures.

Enjoy and thanks for being dream clients!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KX77sAnyNE&feature=g-upl 

Sandals Emerald Bay April 2012 - Arrival for Mike McHugh, co-owner for Dream Makers Vacation Services

I was met by Jeremy Mutton, the General Manger.  Rory, the Assistant General Manager and Rebecca from the Sales office picked me up in the Sandals SUV.

It is a short drive to the resort - 10-15 min.  It is a smooth and easy drive, great for guests who do not like a lot of travel to get to the resort.. 

Upon arrival, I was taken to the Butler Lounge.  Check-in was easy and I got to reconnect with Satar, who is the Butler Manager.  He was the Butler Manager at Beaches Turks and Caicos until he moved here approx. 6 months ago. 

I had lunch at the Bahama Bay Restaurant.  It has a buffet with various food displays.  I had a salad, flank steak (which was fairly tender for flank steak), roasted potatoes. I also ordered a pizza from Bella Napoli, which is in the same building as the Bay Restuarant.  The pizza was very good, it is brick oven pizza.  I had the four cheese pizza, but they have pepperoni & salami, margarita, one with mushrooms, and a few more. 

I am in the Prime Minister Beachfront Walkout 1 Bedroom Villa Suite, Room 9302. The suite is gorgeous.  It has a separate living room, bedroom, 2 full bathrooms.  It is a direct oceanfront suite and the view is gorgeous.  The ocean is a deep blue aqua color.  It is very beautiful and all you have to do it open your eyes and look out your sliding glass door to see it.  You have a patio off both the bedroom and living room.   The patio has a table & two chairs as well as two lounge chairs and a hammock.  The living room has a sofa, flat screen TV, work table, dining table, bar with a refrigerator, and a great view of the ocean.  The bedroom had a King size bed, sitting chair, and flat screen TV.   There are two full bathrooms.  The first bathroom, off the foyer has a toilet, sink, and a full glass enclosed shower.  The second has a shower is off the Master Bedroom and has a double vanity, a makeup vanity, bathtub, and separate glass enclosed shower.  The suite has a large walk-in closet.  Soon we will post a video of this on our agency You Tube page.

In the afternoon, I went to their Drunken Duck English Pub for a drink since it was raining.  I met some friends from another travel agency and spent some time catching up. 

For dinner, I went to II Cielo, the Italian restaurant.   Since it was a travel day, and I wanted something quick, but I do not like buffet for dinner.  My butler, Dacia got me reservations for 8pm.   Their bread was served with balsamic, olive oil, and butter.   I ate pumpkin soup with bacon & walnut oil and it was very good.   The bacon was a welcome surprise.  The Veal Scalapini was also good. 

I wanted to try room service.  So, I ordered salad, pumpkin soup, sirloin. I ordered it around 8:45.  It took about 45 minutes to arrive.  I'm sure they were super busy because of the rain and more people ordering room service than normal (and the fact that it was on a Sunday night).

It was a good first day, but I am tired.  More tomorrow, stay tuned for more and feel free to ask any questions, etc.  We look forward to sending many of you on your dream vacation to Sandals Emerald Bay and we appreciate your business! 

Mike McHugh, co-owner of Dream Makers Vacation Services, travels to Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma, Bahamas-April 2012

Greetings from the beautiful Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma, Bahamas!!!   Our co-owner Mike is there this week and he looks forward to investigating this amazing property for your upcoming dream vacation(s). He welcomes all questions, etc.  Stay tuned for more details soon.

2012-03 Ear Marked Conference-Day 3

Today is the big day!   Off we went from the Coronado Springs Resort to sail on the gorgeous new Disney Fantasy Cruise ship.  If you follow travel in any way, you will know that this gorgeous ship is taking the travel industry by storm.  Her maiden voyage is on March 31st, but she is currently engaged in some travel agent and media cruises.  Dream Makers Vacation Services is very honored to be invited to this prestigious event-thank you to our fans and clients for making this dream possible.

It took about an hour to go from Orlando to Port Canaveral, which is where the ship is docked.  Our first sight of the ship was pure magic-she is absolutely gorgeous.   Embarkation was smooth and efficient and within 15 minutes of getting off of the bus we were boarding the Disney Fantasy.  The Cast Members introduce each family by name (on their microphones) which is another special touch.  We were so excited and were ready for all that this ship has to offer.

While we waited for our luggage, we went to Cabanas which is a large buffet area and is open for breakfast and lunch.  There was a wide variety of food and beverage options and the choices were pleasant and varied.  Everything was brand new and sparkling!   After we received our luggage and inspected our stateroom (more on this later!) we went to the mandatory drill and then to the sail away party.  What fun!  The weather is gorgeous and sunny (low 80's) in sunny Florida, and we are ready for some amazing adventures at sea.

Our trip would not be complete without a visit to the spa.  Senses Spa and Salon is on Deck 11 and is one of the nicest spas I have every had the pleasure of visiting.  Since I booked a treatment for embarkation day, I received an additional 15 minutes on my treatment time.  I reserved a ginger/lime scrub and a massage.  My therapist Emma, from England, was one of the BEST therapists that I have ever encountered anywhere-EVER!   She was insightful, pleasant and just excellent at what she does.  Her enthusiasm is amazing and when you sail on the Disney Fantasy, please ask for her. 

Thanks for following our amazing adventure at sea.  Stay tuned to hear more about Disney's rotational dining and about our fantastic stateroom.

2012-03 Ear Marked Conference-Day 2

Today was spent mostly in meetings, learning more about upcoming Disney attractions and trends.  Please contact your favorite Dream agent, to hear about the latest updates.   Lynda, one of our valued team members, arrived today to join me at the conference.  We also heard from a President of Pixar Studios about their work on some upcoming Disney theme park attractions (aka Cars!) and movies.

We went to Epcot for a few hours this evening.  We walked around, and shopped at some of the various countries.  We ate at Bella Napoli and had a good dinner there (it was a little noisy so if you are looking for quiet and romantic, this might not be the pace for you).  Lynda had spaghetti and I had chicken parm.  Overall, a good meal with friendly service and the food came very quickly!   Wow!   The views were gorgeous as we walked around the World section of Epcot at nigh-always a memorable sight.  We just made the bus back to the Coronado (buses come about every 20 minutes)-whew!    We did some quick shopping at the hotel (great selection of food items and Disney merchandise) before heading for bed.  Tomorrow is a big day as we board the new Disney Fantasy cruise ship for the 3 night Inaugural  Voyage.  Stay tuned to hear about this groundbreaking ship that is taking the cruise industry by storm!

2012-03 Ear Marked Conference Day 1

Dream Makers Vacation Services is proud to be invited to Disney Destination’s 2012 Ear Marked Conference.  This annual event celebrates the top selling travel agents for their Disney sales and service.  Thank you to our valued clients and friends for making this happen as we could not do it without you!  We look forward to sending many of you on your Disney vacations in the year ahead.

This event has two parts to it.  The first part is a two night stay at the Coronado Springs Resort.  This Disney Resort is a Moderate resort, which means that it offers an above average amount of amenities at a fabulous price.  This resort is large, at close to 2000 rooms so it is perfect for large groups and meetings such as this.  A benefit to having groups being the focus is the resort is not crowded much during the day, since many of the guests are at meetings. The resort has a Mexican/Southwestern feel to it and is arranged around a lake.

My first evening was spent in the Magic Kingdom.  This theme park has so many wonderful memories for me-pure Disney magic!    I was tired from traveling, so I only spent about 4 hours there.  You need at least a day there to maximize all that the park has to offer.  I experienced the Haunted Mansion, which no visit would be complete without seeing it.  I ate dinner at The Plaza, which consisted of potato soup (ok) and a strawberry salad (great!).  My waiter, Justin, was fantastic and provided speedy and very professional service.  After a great night at the park, I headed back to the Coronado Springs on the Disney transportation system (bus).  Guests who stay at a Disney Resort have access to this complimentary service-another reason to stay at a Disney property.  I am looking forward to another great day tomorrow, of Disney magic.

2012-01 Beaches Turks & Caicos - Day 8

Today is departure day.  Unfortunately.   We started with breakfast at Reflections.  It is a buffet breakfast.  One tip, it is best to avoid the 9 am hour for breakfast.  It is the busiest time for breakfast.  Also, they serve buffet breakfast at Marios in the Italian Village and Guiseppes in the French Village.  They serve ala carte breakfast at Scooners along the beach.  

After breakfast, we took a dip in the Italian Village pool and got espresso at Cafe de Paris.  We had lunch at Gordon's and it was really good.  Mike had chicken parmesan sandwhich; Amy had stomboli; Karlin had a salad; Ardan had pepperoni pizza; and Madison & Sutton had chicken nuggets.  Our flight was scheduled to leave at 3:30 pm.   We got our shuttle at 1pm and were seen off by a bunch of the staff.  It was a great send off capping off a great week.

The flights home were good.  I'd recommend getting to the airport at least 2 hours before your flight.  There are days that the airport can get pretty hectic.  The terminal is small and if there are flights that are delayed, it can get crowded.  All in all, it is not terrible if you keep a relaxed attitude.  We had a tight connection in Charolette - 1 1/2 hour.  We normally like to have a 2 hour connection to be able to get through immigration, get your bags, go through customs, go back through security, and get to your gate.  We were able to make it, but barely.  There was a lot of people going through Immigration, but the line did move quick.  Our bags were there when we got to baggage claim and we moved through customs quickly.  We were able to get through security relatively easily, but ran to make sure we didn’t lose time.  The flight to Harrisburg seemed to have less people, so I’ll bet there were people who didn’t make it. 

We were tired, but made it home on time and had a great trip.