Resort Review - Sandos Cancun Luxury Experience

Sandos Cancun

From the moment I stepped into Sandos Cancun I knew there was something special about it. It had the perfect combination of luxury, style and service all in a boutique hotel. The small size allowed for the staff to fully engage with their guests and provide a level of service that went above and beyond. The hotel was charming and had a great spot on the beach.

Although the property is small the outdoor area had plenty going on. There are three pools, all kept at different temperatures with one serving as the activities pool. I saw several guests enjoying the water aerobics while several others were happy to relax in the pool side cabanas.

The beach is soft and sandy and the water is several shades of blue. The waves roll in gently and the beach is very swim-able. The seaweed has been a problem in the entire Cancun area this year and is somewhat unavoidable. Some resorts seem to do better at clearing it than others, and Sandos was great. Workers were out from very early in the morning all through the day cleaning up the beach and keeping it looking great for us.

Dining
The food was some of the best I've had in Cancun. The resort offers a Teppanyaki restaurant with talented cooks and amazing flavors. It's small, intimate and perfect for group of friends or romantic date. My favorite place, however, was Seasons. This Molecular Cuisine was incredible. I'm still dreaming of the Corn Cappuccino soup. Zango, the main dining room had a fantastic buffet for breakfast,  lunch and dinner. The desserts alone were worth multiple visits! St. Trop was a cute outdoor restaurant with a pizza oven and view of the pools and beach.  The margarita pizza was amazing!

Bars & Nightlife
The main bar, Bar One was a modern, upscale piano bar by day and more of a night club by night. I stopped in during Karaoke night which drew in a small crowd but had much left to be desired. I would have liked to have had a bigger selection of songs to choose from and some more enthusiasm from the host. They also offered live music here different nights of the week. It's not a "party hotel" for sure though, so be prepared for more of a mellow evening. The good news is that this is Cancun. Nightlife is all around this area so  party animals can take a quick cab ride into town and find dance clubs nearby.

Accommodations
The rooms here are upscale and spacious. I had a room facing the pools and beach which was nice. The other side of the hotel offers rooms with a Lagoon view. This is great if you want to see some beautiful sunsets. The rooms all offered room service, and I found that they were prompt and the food was fresh and tasty! The bed was comfortable, water pressure and temperature was fine and overall the hotel was quiet at night. My TV wasn't working the first night I tried to use it and a maintenance person came within 5 minutes of my call and fixed it right away.

Spa
I was able to sample some spa treatments when I was there and I was very impressed. The massage I got was great, as was the sauna, steam room and water therapy rooms. It's a little pricey but worth it if you want to truly relax and be pampered.

Weddings
I didn't see a wedding while I was there but I did see the beautiful space they offer for weddings and receptions. They really cater to brides and grooms and I will be recommending this location to my destination wedding clients.

This is a great resort if you want upscale accommodations, fantastic service and incredible food. I do think that if I had been here for a full seven  nights I would have gotten a bit bored and would find the need to venture off the property. The great thing is that you have exchange privileges with the sister properties Sandos Caracol and Sandos Playacar, so check those out if you have a longer stay!

If you want a luxury experience with top-notch service, gourmet food and a boutique style hotel then Sandos Cancun Luxury experience is for you!

For booking details visit www.LoveLandandSea.com 

Travel to Cuba - What you need to know

Yesterday I spoke with Rob Williams at Fox 19 about traveling to Cuba now that some restrictions have been lifted. There is still a lot to know before you start planning your trip. Below are some important things we talked about in the segment.

Traveling to Cuba

Fox 19 Morning News July 17^th 2015 8:10am

It’s important to know that although some restrictions have been lifted, it doesn’t mean US Citizens can travel there freely like they would to other Caribbean destinations. All travel to Cuba still has to meet one of the 12 pre-approved travel types. The difference now is that you don’t have to obtain the license that was once required prior to travel.  

The travel type that tour operators are able to plan itineraries for are “Educational   (People-to-People) Travel”

This means the itinerary and schedule is set and will involve activities relating to local life and cultural experiences. The tour companies offering trips to Cuba have specific required schedules every day. 

What you’ll need:

-          A valid US Passport that is valid for at least six months past your planned departure date.

-          A Visa

-          Signed affidavit stating that you are meeting the guidelines for approved travel

You will want to keep copies of your itinerary and travel documents for 5 years after travel in case you need to prove to the US government that your trip met the guidelines for approved travel.

Need to Know

-          US Cell Phones don’t work in Cuba (even if you have an international plan). Until this is resolved you will need to use your hotel phone or a calling card and pay phone

-          Wi-Fi is not readily available. While some hotels have it, it’s not as widespread or available in public areas, but they are currently adding hubs.

-          They are not set up to take credit cards yet. You will need to bring enough cash with you for your trip and exchange it. US Dollars are not accepted. The exchange rate is dollar to dollar, but there is a 13% commission due whenever you exchange money.

-          This destination can be challenging for those with physical disabilities. Without accessibility requirements you won’t find a lot of ramps or accessible rooms. A lot of the streets are cobblestone and can be hard to navigate with a wheel chair.

-          Visitors are able to bring back up to $400 in goods for personal use, $100 of which can be in tobacco or alcohol products.

How to Get There

Jetblue is offering flights out of New York beginning this month.

Fathom, a new cruise line from Carnival Corp is the first social impact cruise line and will visit Cuba, as well as a separate itinerary that will travel to the Dominican Republic. This will not be a typical cruise. It will focus on education and humanitarian activities instead of the typical cruise entertainment.

The best way to visit is with an experienced tour company who will make sure you have everything you need to meet the guidelines and travel legally.

Apple Vacations began a 7 day itinerary to Havana this month with a charter flight out of Miami that can be booked with your travel agent.  

For more information go to www.lovelandandsea.com 

Resort Review - Sandos Caracol Eco Resort

Sandos Caracol, in Playacar, Mexico is a wonderfully unique place. A few weeks ago I was able to stay there and take a tour of this beautiful all-inclusive eco resort. I instantly fell in love.

This is such a multi-dimensional place and each aspect comes together in perfect harmony. The best way to explain what they offer is just breaking it down.

Accommodations

Sandos Caracol offers a Family Section, Adults-Only Select Club and The Royal Elite Section. I stayed in the Select Club and was very happy. My room  was located near the main lobby and also close to the Select Club pool and reception area. The Select Club has a private restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and became one of my favorite spots (more on that later).

The Royal Elite rooms offer a close proximity to the beach and pool, as well as VIP service and a private restaurant.

Family Suites are sprinkled in the middle section so again, be prepared to walk a little bit to reach the beach and main pool. There are golf cart shuttles that come around and will take you across the resort if needed, so it's not a big deal to be further back on the property. Plus, the grounds are so beautiful the walk is enjoyable!

Pools & Beach 

The adults-only pool was quiet, calm and relaxing. Very nice for couples on a honeymoon. The only downside is that these rooms are a little walk from the beach area and the main entertainment plaza.

The main pool was located near the beach and that's where you will find the activities, water sports and nearby dining options.

The beach has gentle waves, not as much seaweed as several other resorts in the area this time of year and is only rocky on one side. If you walk the beach you will find the perfect spot to walk in!

There is an adults only section and Royal Elite section on the beach too, which offers some exclusivity.

Dining 

There were plenty of places to eat at Sandos Caracol. From an international buffet, to Italian and Mexican buffets there were plenty of choices. In addition, the A La Carte options were amazing. My favorite was the vegetarian restaurant, called Salvia. They have recently been discussing more vegan options there too which is very exciting!

Other dining options were with Teppanyaki, Brazilian, Mediterranean, Italian and a Steak & Fish place. I didn't have anything bad to eat the whole time. I will also mention that in the past I have been to all-inclusive resorts where the desserts look beautiful but have no taste.. not true here. They were all amazing. I think it may have to do with everything being made on site.

There is also a snack place open 24 hours so there is always something to eat. I didn't try the food there (except one evening when I grabbed a quick ice cream cone)!

 The bars were all great. They have a list of drinks they can make for you as resort specialties, but they are skilled bartenders and will make any other drink you request as well. I was very impressed with the bar service and quality of the drinks.

Activities/Entertainment

This is where Sandos Caracol really excels. Sure, there are plenty of resorts in the Riviera Maya. They all offer entertainment, water sports, land sports, etc. What you get at Sandos Caracol is that - plus MUCH more. They are called an Eco Resort for a reason.

Wildlife

Walking around you can spot several types of birds, turtles, coatis, iguanas all over, racoons and spider monkeys. The best part of my trip was when I was eating breakfast at the Select Club and four spider monkeys came down from the trees to grab bananas. They were hanging around eating their breakfast while everyone took pictures. They had no fear of us, but kept their distance too. It was such an amazing experience to be so close to nature.

I was very impressed that the resort respects nature and wildlife and leaves the animals alone in their natural habitat.

Nature

This place was built around the jungle. They didn't knock everything down to make room for the resort. Instead, they built around cenotes, trees, Mayan ruins and lagoons.

Our guide showed us different trees and explained the stories that the Mayas told about them. He also showed us the ruins that are on site and did a sensory experience with our group that was really cool.

What makes this place so unique is that you can explore the jungle (on foot or on provided bikes), swim in a cenote, view wildlife, get immersed in Mayan history and culture, yet still have all of the comforts and benefits of an all-inclusive beach resort at the same time.

Culture

The resort has entertainment every night and a huge focus is the Mayan culture. You can watch fire shows and ceremonies and participate in a survival game too. It's great for the whole family. For something romantic, couples can take a private boat ride in the Jade river.

Kids

For kids, there is a nice water park with slides and pools as well as a kids program with a full schedule each day to keep kids busy and happy the whole trip.

I'm already planning my next trip back. I will be recommending Sandos Caracol to my clients for sure! For more photos visit facebook.com/LoveLandandSea

For booking info contact beth@lovelandandsea.com

Resort Review - Sandos Playacar - Mexico

Sandos Playacar Beach Experience -  Mexico


A couple weeks ago I was able to tour and stay at all three of the Sandos resorts in the Cancun area. The first one I stayed at was Sandos Playacar Beach Resort. It's all in the name. this is a true beach experience. This resort had a fantastic long stretch of sandy white beach with clear water and gentle waves rolling in.

Cancun beaches typically have a lot of sea grass this time of year, and this year in particular it's been pretty bad. Sandos was on top of it! They worked hard day and night keeping it cleaned up. What I liked most about this beach is that it was truly walk-able. The resort sits at the end of the strip of hotels in this area,  so I was able to take a very long walk down nothing but beach.

Large Beach Area

Sunrise 

The resort is only a few miles to Playa del Carmen, where you will find fifth avenue, a charming street with shops and restaurants. A short cab ride will take you right there. For those wanting to stay inside the resort for their stay, there's no need to worry about running out of things to do.

Beach at Sandos Playacar

Dining

I arrived at the resort just in time for dinner. Our group met at Riviera Maya, the Mexican restaurant at Sandos Playacar. This restaurant provided authentic Mexican dishes with seafood options. I only had dessert here but everyone at the table seemed very happy with their dishes.

The next night I had an amazing Vegetarian Lasagna from the Italian Restaurant, El Pimonte. I could have eaten 10 more (although the serving size was quite big) it was just that good.

In addition to Italian and Mexican dining options Sandos Playacar offers Asiana, with oriental cuisine, Blue Moon, a casual beach side sandwich shop, El Gaucho (steak house), Fogo de Janeiro (Brazilian), Iztapalapa for Mediterranean specialties, Le Gourmet (French) and the International Buffet. For those staying in the Sandos Select rooms, there is an additional breakfast buffet located in the Select Club. The newest restaurant is Chayita Mexican Grill. I had lunch here on  my second day and it was set up just like Chipotle. I had a burrito bowl and it was fantastic. The hot salsa was a little hotter than Chipotle's so keep that in mind. Sandos Playacar also offers 24 hour room service.

Chayita Mexican Grill

One of my favorite spots at this resort was the Cupcake Cafe. This cute little shop was full of pastries, gourmet cupcakes and coffee drinks. For travelers who need their morning latte or afternoon frap this place is heaven. The best part, of course, is that it's all included. No additional costs for any of the dining here.

There was so much to do here. I would have needed several more days to experience it all. From beach activities like  snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing to land sports (Biking, walking, billiards, ping-pong, chess, tennis, mini golf) There was something for everyone. Teens will especially love this place. The teens area offered plenty of activities and the entertainment team here is top notch!

I was able to see the Madonna show and it was fantastic. A tribute to all of her music with fun dancing and great visual effects.

Fantastic Entertainment

If you are traveling as a couple I highly recommend the Select Club. Access to the adults-only pool and beach area is a huge benefit, along with private check in. Families will love this whole property. There is so much to do for kids and teens (not to mention the adults) that everyone will be happy! The Royal Elite Haciendas on this property are ideal for large families who want VIP treatment and a semi-private pool.

I also found this to be a great place for weddings. Brides and grooms are able to choose from a beautiful garden location or a breathtaking beach spot. There are plenty of benefits to having a destination wedding here too, including a current special where you can get a free room when you book 7 rooms.

Garden area for weddings

I will be recommending this resort to my travel clients for sure and I will be back here in the future! For more details or a quote contact beth@lovelandandsea.com. For a full album of photos check out my Facebook page 

Resort Review: Now Sapphire - Puerto Morelos Mexico

Now Sapphire

I recently returned from a week in Mexico and had the opportunity to stay at and tour several resorts. The first resort I stayed at was Now Sapphire in Puerto Morelos, near Cancun. I took an AmStar Transfer from the airport, a company that I recommend and arrived at the resort around 11:00 A.M.

As a "Preferred Club" guest I was able to leave my luggage with the bell man,  bi-pass the front desk in the lobby and head over to the Preferred Club Lounge for a private check-in.

Inside the air-conditioned lounge there were a few desks, couches and chairs, several snacks and cookies and a business center with computers for personal use. I sat down at the desk to begin the check in process. A moment later the lounge bartender came over and asked if he could get me a drink. Despite the fact it was eleven in the morning I requested a Pina Colada. He returned quickly and the drink was amazing.

Now Sapphire Preferred Club Lounge

Check in was very easy. Since I'm a travel agent and had a full property tour arranged with management later that afternoon we skipped the resort introduction. I did overhear another couple and a resort representative discussing details. He was explaining the dining options, how reservations were not needed, where to find entertainment, bars, etc.

My room was not quite ready so I headed over to the Blue Water Grill for lunch. The outdoor seating gave a perfect view of the ocean and had a lovely breeze. The blackbirds would occasional come down to steal leftover food or wait on the umbrellas for someone to drop a tortilla chip. To some they may be considered a nuisance, to me they were fun to watch and just part of being outside.

The garden salad was fresh and beautiful, but I didn't care for the dressing. The cheese quesadillas I ordered were very good, as was the salsa and guacamole.

Blue Water Grill

Garden Salad at Blue Water Grill

I continued my day by meeting with the sales director and taking a tour of resort facilities. The main lobby is large and surrounded with fountains and clear water. There are some decks that go across and act as bridges to get from one area to the next. Here is where you find a path to the restaurants, lobby bar, beach and pools.

Main Pool

The pool was very large, and even though the resort was at full capacity it did not seem overcrowded. The vibe was lively with music and pool activities going on.

The resort offers fantastic meeting spaces and would be ideal for corporate incentives, workshops and events.

The kid's program had a full schedule, broken down by the hour so children always had something to do and parents could relax at the beach or at the pool.

The beach was a bit disappointing. The entire area of Cancun has had a bad year with sea grass. This particular stretch had quite a bit. The resort staff was working hard on it around the clock, starting early in the morning. The water was not as clear and blue as I would have hoped for.

I had dinner at Cibu, and my vegetarian lasagna was amazing. I also enjoyed the bruschetta appetizer and salad bar.

Overall, I think that Now Sapphire offers a great value. The rooms are nice and very clean. The staff was all very helpful and food was great. If your main focus is a great beach, this resort is not for you. If you tend to spend more time at the pool then it's a great option! I do recommend the Preferred Club option. It just adds so much to the experience. For booking information, please contact beth@lovelandandsea.com  or www.LoveLandandSea.com

Preferred Club Garden View Room

Sunset

Garden View