Members rave about not getting dinged by extra charges
By Eileen Ogintz
The guests were being serenaded pool-side by a violinist as they enjoyed a surf-and-turf dinner at elegantly set tables, complete with beautiful flower arrangements.
But this wasn’t a wedding. This was a special cocktail party and dinner for repeat Sandals Resorts guests, many of whom have been vacationing at these properties throughout the Caribbean island for years.
Typically, 25 percent of the resort guests have been to a Sandals resort before, if not Sandal’s Dunn’s River which is one of the newest, near Ocho Rios on Jamaica’s North Coast.
Even though it is mid-May, the resort is full with about 500 guests. The Tufa Skypool Butler Suites and the Coyaba Sky Villa Swim-up Rondoval suites (there is a rooftop telescope for star gazing!) may be the most expensive but are also often the first to be booked.
What is the appeal of all-inclusive resorts like this one? For one thing, there are no kids here under 18. (The Sandals Beaches brand is specifically designed for families.)
“If we aren’t vacationing with our kids, we don’t want to be surrounded with other people’s children,” said Jackie Moore, here with her husband Steve, an Army Warrant Officer from Alabama. This is their third Sandals vacation, typically as an anniversary gift to each other.
On the go all the time at home, Steve Moore explained, a place like this “forces us to relax. “
“You don’t worry about tipping or anything,” added Jackie. “Anything you want you can get.”
This is also a good bet for adult children traveling with their parents, suggested Bailee Schuhmann. A psychologist from San Antonio TX, she is here with her husband, her sister, and her partner, her dad, and his girlfriend.
“They are in their seventies,” she explained. “They relax while we do all the water sports and active excursions, like climbing the iconic Dunn’s River Falls, then we meet up. There is enough variety for everyone.”
“Good family time,” added her sister Devin Schuhmann, a Houston bartender.
The two sisters and partners were just at another Jamaican Sandals six months ago and they had such a good time they decided to return.
Their dad, Ed Schuhmann and his girlfriend, Rita Bastier, opined this is their eighth or ninth Sandals vacation. They couldn’t remember exactly how many. “You don’t worry about anything,” Ed Schuhmann said. “If you need something, you just pick up the phone.”
And if you are in a butler suite, you have a special phone to call whether you want a coffee drink from Blum, the coffee house featuring Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee harvested and roasted especially for the resort, prime lounges at the pool or daiquiris brought pool side. (There is also a pool featuring a swim up bar.)
“The best part is everything is taken care of. You just have to get here and enjoy,” said Lynne Jaquay, here with her partner Keely Ralston from Albany New York. It’s their third Sandals vacation. “The food is consistently delicious,” she added.
What about their kids? They are grown (two in the military) and doing their own thing, the two women explained.
The variety of food is a big draw – everything from South American cuisine to Italian to French to Greek, Asian Fusion, sushi, and Caribbean. The Dunn’s Rum Club, a new concept which debuted here, has proved a huge hit, said Juan Morrison, the resort’s executive chef who has worked for Sandals for 20 years. There are more than 30 varieties of rum to taste, rum cocktails, and authentic Jamaican tapas. Think of oxtail sliders, smoked marlin dip, Jerk pork, and locally made Bad Dog Sausages.
“This has been a game changer,” said Morrison, adding that the British pubs at other Sandals’ resorts likely will be converted as guests appreciate the entrée into local culture and food. That’s why, he noted, there are a growing number of local dishes—Jerk chicken and sausage at the Jerk Shack, Callaloo, a green leafy vegetable widely used in Jamaica, and Saltfish, typically dried cod, served at breakfast.
Morrison believes the food choices is one reason guests return time and time again. Whether they are kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten free or have various food allergies, the resort can accommodate them. They meet with a senior chef on arrival, he explained, and plan their meals so they don’t have any worries.
They can also customize their order, perhaps a steak with sea bass, sushi prepared with cooked fish, lobster with a side of lamb chops. And if they don’t see anything that appeals on the menu, they can order something from one of the other restaurants. “We are very flexible,” he said. “That is one thing that makes us unique. And at the end of the day, that is what guests want.”
Just as important, there is no need to pull out a credit card at all,” said Kali Ashton, here with her husband Jeff from Georgia, her mom watching the kids.
“The staff are so friendly,” added Bailee Schuhmann. “They really build rapport with you,” but not in a fake way.”
Guests also appreciate that 100 percent of donations to the Sandals Foundation supports children and their families with over 90,000 pounds of supplies donated to Caribbean schools as a result of guests who “Pack with a Purpose.” There are environmental programs, turtles safely hatched, trees planted, marine areas protected, empowerment programs for women, treatment for newborn babies and now, The Power of 15 Project that will install solar panels on school buildings, guaranteeing an environmentally-friendly power supply that will keep equipment running, Wi-Fi strong and will help children learn better.
“Everyone, the staff and the guests are lovely,” said Lynne Jaquay. But to be safe, don’t talk about politics or religion.
Good vacation advice anywhere you go these days.