Waking up in Paradise

Awakened by the sound of a gentle doorbell, yes no knocking, but doorbells in every suite, our butler brought us a full yummy breakfast of french toast, omlettes, fresh fruit, fresh pastries, and freshly brewed coffee. Our butler set our table on our balcony as we sleepily put on our soft robes and staggered out to the balcony. Our view was spectacular. Just see for yourself!
As our butler was leaving she advised us that she had reserved our pool chairs just below complete with our own umbrella for shade if we needed it. Rather than veg out all day by the pool (don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with vegging by the pool :-), our day was filled with exploring and adventure. We started off with a Hobie Cat sailing experience. Jeremy is quite good at this, so I let him sail while relaxing and sometimes hanging on for dear life--he likes to sail with speed. Once we returned to shore, Jeremy enjoyed a fierce game of beach volleyball. This is one of his favorite things to do when we visit Sandals. And he always does well. We also took a stroll through the gardens and took some gorgeous photos. Jeremy has a knack for photography and took some beautiful shots. I've uploaded them to the photo album called Sandals Royal Bahamian Gardens.
We wrapped up our afternoon with a trip to downtown Nassau, just 10 minutes from the resort. We took a public bus that costs $1.25 per person. We roamed the streets in search of nothing in particular. TRAVEL TIP: Always visit downtown late in the day after the cruise ships have departed. You'll have a much more pleasant experience and you'll be able to negotiate better if the vendor had a no-so-profitable day! We came back to get ready for a relaxing dinner at the Butler Guest's restaurant Gordon's on the Pier. We both had the lobster and filet mignon with a bottle of Chateau Alexander Cabernet Sauvignon from the Manager's Wine list (an additional charge). After our busy day, we were beat and decided to head back to our suite. I really wanted to see the Junkanoo Parade so I was torn between relaxing in my suite and some cultural entertainment. However, our suite offers the best of both worlds and we got to view the parade just below us from our balcony. I think tomorrow we should check out the off-shore private island...

We walked along the beach and noticed a flickering glow ahead. To our delight we found these fantastic beach beds complete with a campfire...Right on the beach. Each of these 3 beds faced the ocean with all the sights, sounds and smells of the beach and a campfire. The best of both world's. Needless to say, this was one of our favorite evening hangouts. After relaxing here for hours, we continued on our adventure to find some hot tubs and garden pools nestled back in the gardens. We enjoyed the remainder of our evening soaking our tired muscles in our very own little hot tub and pool. I've included some daytime photos so you can get a better idea of the seclusion of these pools and hot tubs. Upon arriving back to our suite, our clothes were all neatly put away and our bed was turned down with rose petals on the fluffy pillows. Ahhh, wonder what tomorrow will bring? Adventure, relaxation or a combination. All I know is I can't wait to see the ocean in daylight!

5 Days in Paradise

Getting there was half the battle. A crazy one hour delay in Atlanta, on the runway due to a flight manifest issue made me so anxious. I wanted to be there to enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner. Not happening. To make matters worse, when we finally left the gate, we ran into a traffic jam of sorts. Check out the view from my window after we waited 20 minutes on the runway.

We arrived at the Nassau airport and rushed through immigration to the baggage claim area only to realize that our second bag was the last one off the plane. At least, this was the last of our unpleasant experiences.

Greeted by our private Mercedes transfer just outside the airport, it was finally happening. I relaxed and eased into the comfy bucket seat and enjoyed an easy 15 minute ride to Sandals Royal Bahamian. The driver opened my door and I was greeted by my butler who then whisked us away to our suite to check us in. Along the way, she informed us that we had been upgraded to the top suite, the Royal Windsor Oceanfront Suite. We entered the suite to find our living room complete with wet bar stocked with all of our favorites that we requested before we arrived. Absolut Vodka, Cranberry juice, Cabernet Sauvignon, Diet Coke, and bottled water. We weren't going thirsty. We had french doors that led into our stunning bedroom with a 4 poster king size bed. So inviting. Even a huge tub that took a good 30 minutes to fill up completely. Ahhhh... now I can relax. As our butler checks us in, we enjoy a glass of champagne while being informed of our dinner reservations for the week. By this time we were absolutely starved. So our butler escorted us to the Pub for some Bangers and Mash and Shepherd's Pie while she unpacked all of our clothes.







The staff at the Cricketer's Pub agreed that we were the most romantic couple after a slow dance on the terrace while waiting for our food and brought us a special table decoration of fresh hibiscus and a delicious dessert. After dinner, we decided to do some exploring, but you'll have to wait until Monday to see what we found....

A Disney Cruise Day by Day

Wow! How wonderful it is to be in the middle of the Caribbean in the dead of winter? That's exactly what we had the privilege of experiencing last week. My husband and two children joined me on a magical 7 night cruise aboard The Nostalgic Disney Magic. The next several blog entries will take you on the magical journey with us from port to port. Make sure to take note of the end of each post for insider tips to make your cruise experience more magical! And, enjoy the numerous photos of the ship, the ports of call, and our personal travel experiences!

Our Caribbean Night and Wine Tasting

Recently, Personal Travel hosted a special Sandals Caribbean Night paired with a wine tasting of Beringer Wines. We host these events approximately 5 times per year, but this one was especially nice. We took the liberty of personally inviting our repeat clients to join in this event. As you'll see by the photos, the evening was spectacular in the perfect setting of the Whitehall Gardens in Louisville. Every person in attendance received special savings incentives on future Sandals or Beaches Resorts reservations just for coming to this free event. Repeat guests were able to save up to $675 off of their next stay at a Sandals or Beaches! Since we are the only Preferred Sandals Agents in the Louisville Metro and Southern Indiana area, we are able to offer amazing savings because of our Platinum Status with the chain. Our next event is scheduled for August 7th. We will be at Whitehall again, and weather permitting, in the garden. Check our website for more info at www.PersonalTravelOnline.com . Enjoy the photos!