JenniferSS

Trudane Hardware is the wedding consultant for Royal Plantation. One of the nicest individuals I have ever met and he does a fantastic job! Weddings at Royal Plantation are an intimate affair - there are only, on average 3 weddings a month. However they will perform two on the same day, but one must be morning and the other afternoon. The Villa (Villa Plantana) also available to have weddings at -but you must have rented the villa to have the ceremony there. The Diamond Wedding $2799 Private Car Round Trip Airport Transfers Personal Wedding Coordinator Preparation of Documents Legal Fees & Copy of License 50 minute Couples West Indian Massage Hairstyling & Make-Up for Bride French Manicure & Pedicure for Bride Dressing Attendant for Bride Bouquet of Fresh Orchids Orchid Boutonniere Exquisite Ceremony Location Marriage Officiant Best Man & Maid of Honor if required Keepsake Album with 24 5x7 Photographs Wedding Video Calypso Band for One Hour Four (RP) Guests for Ceremony & Reception French Champagne for Reception Keepsake Champagne Flutes Delectable Array of Hors d’oeurvres Two-Tiered Wedding Cake Tropical Floral Arrangement in Suite Praline Hearts & Champagne Turndown Champagne Breakfast in Bed “Just Married†Polo Shirts *Payment policy for Weddings and Renewal of Vows is a $200 deposit within 7 days of booking. Final balance is due 60 days prior to travel. Cancellation policy for Weddings and Renewal of Vows is non-refundable within 45 days to travel. All Government Fees are included 3 Updated 01/20/09sr 4

That night we had cocktails with Mr. Roper, who oversees all of the Sandals, Beaches & Royal Plantation properties in many capacities and dined with him and also Mr. Frasier, general manager of Royal Plantation at The Royal Grill. This restaurant offers Caribbean fusion and Tapas mixture. It is open seasonally and based on occupancy levels, however you can order from this menu in any other restaurant if it is closed. Both gentlemen were anxious to discuss our clients experiences at all of the properties under the Sandals umbrella and listen to any ideas we shared. They also teased us with the prospect of many new innovations that are coming down the pipe! It’s wonderful to partner with a company who still truly care about their guests, are innovative and constantly trying new things! The food again was delightful, I chose the tapas variety plate- of course the meal was wonderful. For desert this evening several of us shared a berry cobbler, ameretto cheesecake and a chocolate tart (yup- we couldn’t chose just one!). All were excellent but the overall favorite was the berry cobbler ( and I am not a cobbler fan- it was phenomenal!). Another fantastic end to a wonderfully relaxing day at Royal Plantation, I can’t wait to return. A few notes-[/U] *Royal Plantation, Ocho Rios Jamaica: 74 Suites, One Three Bedroom Villa *While this resort is one of the Leading Small hotels of the World, the goal here is unpretentious luxury, pampering and relaxation. There is nothing pretentious about the property. Dinners were casual, a nice sundress for the ladies and khaki or linen pants with a polo shirt for the men was what most couples wore. We did not see anyone over the top! Daytime wear was shorts & tank tops when not on the beach. If dining it is requested that women wear cover ups, men a shirt and both have on sandals or shoes. *In the winter months the resort sees guests who range in age from the mid thirties on up, with a few younger honeymooners sprinkled in. Great mix from all over the world. *During the late spring through summer the resort has a younger crowd, mostly honeymoon and anniversary couples. * No matter what time of year this is an extremely quiet, romantic get awayfrom all the cares of the world, resort. Entertainment varies nightly but is on the mellow side. You will not find organized pool or beach games nor loud music. You will find a warm caring staff who would love to engage you in a conversation, if you chose. Activities to engage you such as water sports, a full game room with a pool table, board games and a honor library. On big sports nights they will set up a party atmosphere in the game room complete with a snack buffet and theatre style seating! *Mandy Moore stayed in and filmed from suite 261 for the movie License to Wed! *There are two meal plans available; EP is European Plan and includes continental breakfast, does not include transfers or gratuities and during the day hours (7am – 11pm ) there is a $10 surcharge for room service plus the 15% surcharge. (Between 11pm and 7am the $10 service charge is not added on to room service). Royal Plan is the all inclusive option, I highly recommend it as it offers a tremendous value ! Your round trip transfers are included, your room service is included ( no additional fees), all bar beverages, house wines and house champagne is included, Martini Moments every Friday in the Appleton lounge, Full in room concierge bar, complimentary pillow menu and all gratuities. In addition your watersports including scuba diving (if certified), complimentary golf clinic on Tuesdays, greens fees and shuttle service to the golf course (caddy & cart additional and required). Plus you can dine at Sandals Dunns River Villagio one evening complete with transfers. *And last but not least if you see either of these fantastic young men at Royal Plantation- Trudane(wedding coordinator) or Shawn, be sure to give them a big hello from me. They made sure that our stay was amazing, every need was anticipated and overall they were both extremely kind, considerate and beamed with pride about Royal Plantation. •The main lobby and terrace sit between two main sections of the property. oThe West Wing: views of the property, ocean and main beach area oThe East Wing: quieter, views of garden and ocean •From 11am until 1pm the beach butlers will serve fresh fruit, mangosas, cucumbers on eyes and water misting, after 1pm simply place a flag in the sand •Cabanas: At Royal Plantation they have a unique experience of the “Night Cabana†Rental. This is rented from 10 pm until 7am and you are woken with a fresh water basin and wash cloth and an early morning swim ($150). oOther times include: Breakfast between 7-11 am ($150), Lunch between 11am until 2pm ($175) and Dinner between 6-10pm which can include a beach bonfire experience ($375) •Red Lane Spa: They use “Mac†Makeup in the Salon. “Pick you Paradiseâ€, to pick your spa location is an extra $80 per couple or $40 per person •Wifi: if you have your own computer the charges are as follows, $13.99 (1 day), $21.99 (3 days), $38.99 (7 days). You can access the internet all over the property including the popular “game roomâ€. Not all rooms have wifi but all have high speed internet. This is because the signal can’t be picked up in all locations of the rooms. You can also use their computer for .60 cents per minute. •2 Tennis Courts that can be lit for night tennis. Tennis Pro is free of charge on the Royal Plan (All Inclusive). •RP Promo: 6 nights or longer enjoy the “party cruise†from 4:30 until 8 pm. The cat is shared with Sandals Guests. RP is finding that not too many people are wanting to take part of this, even if it is for free Copyright 2009-2010: About the author, Jennifer Prymula, owner of Sand & Sun Vacations is a Certified Sandals Specialist and travels frequently to all of the Sandals, Beaches & Royal Plantation properties in the Caribbean. Sand & Sun Vacations specializes in Honeymoons. Destination weddings, Couples Getways, Babymoons and Beaches family vacations.

On our return we went to the Royal Cafe (Grill in the evening) for a late lunch. The menu is amazing and the three of us just could not choose-soooooo…we split three items, a Lobster BLT, a Crabcake sandwhich and the Jerk chicken. Needless to say once our order arrived there was not much talking going on. The food was to die for! I highly recommend all three (and crab cakes can really be a hit or miss-this was definitely a hit!). This evening we had cocktails with Mr. Frasier the general manager of Royal Plantation. What a gracious and warm man. He truly had a love of “his’ resort that shone when he talked about Royal Plantation, his staff and the experience he desired for his guests! I truly felt like his guest at his home. That evening we had dinner under the stars at The Terrace restaurant, this was a buffet style with our salads and antipasta available in the air conditioned restaurant while the most mouthwatering lobster tail, grouper, mahi mahi and steak filet were grilled right in front of us! We also had choice of rice, potatoes, pork chops and julienned vegetables. Inside there was a dessert table or bananas Foster made to order! I chose the Foster and was glad I did! We had live entertainment from a fantastic band that mixed it up with reggae, oldies but goodies, socca and a few love songs. It was a great mix that had many couples up dancing. Fantastic time, to be dined and entertained under the stars! That night I opened my French balcony doors, enjoyed a beverage from my mini bar and jotted my notes while listening to the tree frogs and the ocean. Ummm, I could get used to this in a hurry! I decided to sleep in and have a great excuse to try the room service card that was placed during turn down. I ordered the eggs benedict and hot chocolate (I had heard they had fantastic hot chocolate-they do!). The next morning room service was right on time and I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast. I loved that they bring linens to set up your table-it’s the little touches that make all the difference! I met up with the group as we were going to tour SunDowner Villa that morning. This is a private villa that Sandals rents out on Bloody Bay. We were then treated to Scotchies famous Jerk! (Yes, I did gain weight on this trip!). Be sure to look for my reviews on both of these! We had a free afternoon where we enjoyed the pool (with pool side beverage service!) and when it became shaded we headed down to the beach to find those last afternoon rays and dig our toes into the baby powder soft sand! It was easy to find a couple of loungers and the beach staff immediately set us up with fresh chairs covers, towels and cold drinks. Again, the service at this resort is amazingly friendly and efficient. Our drinks were never allowed to get warm nor empty-yet the staff was unobtrusive.

We spent the morning touring the various room categories at the property- true to Sandals form this is not a cookie cutter hotel. Each room category was unique and offered guests a slightly different experience! Honeymoon Plantation Oceanfront 1Bedroom suite- this is where Jessica Simpson & Nick Lahey stayed during their visit ! Located in the quieter East wing this is a large suite with 593 sq ft. On enetering you walk into a small living area, to the right you will be lead into the bedroom or to the left an amazing bathing area. Here you will find a large jetted soaking tub for two, an open air shower and views of the Caribbean sea that will take your breathe away! Off the bedroom is the traditional bath area with double marble vanities and an oversized balcony, again with a awe inspiring view of the Caribbean sea framed by gardens. Only 3 of these available. Honeymoon Grande Lux Verandah suite- Located in the West wing this suites claim to fame is the large balcony (178 square ft!) complete with it’s own mini bar, loungers and ceiling fan. Of course there is breath taking views of the beach & Caribbean sea. Not to be outdone the oversized bathroom features marble double vanities, a whirlpool tub and separate open air tumble stone shower with rainfall shower head. The bedroom area is immense but simplistic, featuring a half canopy king bed. Suite interior is 549 sq ft. Only 3 of these available. Honeymoon Grande Lux Oceanfront suite- Located in the East wing this suite has 549 sq. feet these suites are treasured for their views ( however some have a full balcony while others may have a French balcony), large sitting area and unique dressing area. The marble bathroom has a separate walk in shower, a jetted tub for one, bidet and standard toilet and single sink. However in adjacent dressing area you will have the comfort of marble double vanity sinks and a large walk in closet. The bedroom and sitting area are spacious and feature mahogany furniture. I love the full canopies on the custom crafted king size beds. Only 3 of these available. Additional Rooms: Of course they are all truly beautiful and offer ocean views! •Royal Oceanfront 1 Bedroom Suite. This only located in the West Wing on the third floor at 1628 sq ft with two full walkout balconies. At the very ends of the buildings •Royal Oceanfront 2 Bedroom Suite. This only located in the West Wing on the third floor at 2093 sq ft with two bedrooms and a private walk out balcony. At the very ends of the buildings •Deluxe and Premium Oceanfront Junior Suites: are the only rooms without a jetted tub. They have French Balconies and 2 sinks at between 365-395 sq ft. •Luxury Oceanfront Junior Suites: this is the room you want to book if you need connecting rooms. They have 18 suites and 7 are double beds. They can also fit 3 persons to a room with a roll-a-way. They have French balconies and one sink at 465 sq ft. They are only located in the West Wing. After our tour we spent a few hours at Mystic Mountain- what a rush ! I’ll review that separately!

I just recently returned from Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and wanted to share the amazing experience that I had! Immediately I felt myself start to relax as the resort came into view –the entire vibe of the property is laid back and comfortable! Upon exiting from my private transfer I was immediately greeted with a chilled clothe scented with eucalyptus and a warm welcoming smile. Check in was efficient, of course the mango mimosa’s or mangosas, are a wonderful way to ease the paperwork, then off I went to my suite! I was in a Premium Luxury Oceanfront Suite and although this was one of the lower suite categories available, when I walked in it just took my breathe away! The first thing that I noticed was the amazing view, at some resorts an ocean view – well let’s just say it’s stretching the truth a bit and you may need to be a contortionist to see the ocean. Not so at Royal Plantation, the drapes were pulled back, the late afternoon light flooded my room and the ocean beckoned to me! I loved how the garden right outside my window framed the ocean! I immediately fell in love with my suite, it was light and airy, the 4 poster mahogany bed piled high with a duvet and pillows and having the separate sitting area and the walk in closet made me settle easily into my temporary retreat. Each night I slipped into my comfortable bed (with it’s high thread count) and had a choice of pillows to entice me to sleep- it was wonderful. The bathroom did not disappoint either, having a vanity area with double sinks and then a separate area for the tub/shower and toilet was wonderful- not sure about the rest of you but when I travel with my husband it makes both of our lives easier with that layout as we are not tripping over each other to get ready! I thought that I may be disappointed with not having a balcony, as one of my favorite past times is to have breakfast sitting on my balcony or before retiring to bed relaxing on the balcony listening to the tree frogs. However I found that I loved the French balcony just as much – each morning after turning off the A/C and throwing the doors wide open, being able to hear the ocean and enjoy a cup of coffee at the in room sitting area was just as wonderful! The first evening we had dinner at Le Papillion. The chef here is creative, and we enjoyed an amazing meal that was both pleasing to the palette and the eye. If you enjoy gourmet food you will thoroughly enjoy this restaurant. We also had the privledge of meeting Jefferson, the resident sommelier. That is a man who has a passion for his job! Fully immersed in his presentation Jefferson was the opposite of any pre conceived notion I had about a sommelier being ‘stuffy”- he had us in stitches throughout, but his pairings for each course of our meal were spot on and truly delicious! The next day I had a light continental breakfast at the Terrace. The staff here is attentive and so sweet! The rest of my group were raving about their breakfast entrees! I’m not much of a breakfast eater but I love a good cup of coffee and fresh fruit. I was not disappointed! The papaya on the fruit plate was succulent and the best I have ever tasted ( on the day of my departure I made sure it was the last thing I ate so that it would be my last memory of Royal Plantation!)

There are lots of great deals to be had- Sandals/ Beaches and Royal Plantation have been offering phenomenal pricing over the last year including free nights, 65% off and spa credits !

I just came back from Royal Plantation and received a little more information about this....not only were they going against the same price policy but an even bigger issue is that they were consistently selling clients the wrong room category (which then appeared to be a huge savings to the client)or in the case of Royal Plantation saying that the guests were purchasing the all inclusive program when in fact they were not ! They would have the room category on their website for one price but when they would send the information over to Sandals they would tell Sandals the lower room category and the online company would pocket the difference! The guests of course would be furious at Sandals thinking that the problem was with Sandals/Beaches/Royal Plantation when in fact it was with the online company mislabelling the room category or describing it inaccurately. There are a few other big online companies that I hear about utilizing this practice and they too may soon be cut off. If you check the fine print on those websites it actually states that they reserve the right to do this (CHANGE ROOM CATEGORIES ON YOU)!!

Also keep in mind that this is the height of wedding season- so these coordinators are meeting with brides onsite and working the weddings & receptions-often several a day, every day! On top of that they are finalizing additional weddings that are 30-60 days out and when you are so close you usually come up with a thousand more questions and changes. Busy doesn't even begin to describe these gals! To the WC's the brides in the 30-45 day before getting married window will be given top priority- weddings that are booking more than a year out are also important but do not have as much of an immediate priority!

I'm really excited as I am going to Royal Plantation this Sunday-coming back Wednesday! It's such a beautiful laid back resort! They took such good care of my clients ( hey Jaime! ) whne they had a few issues- I can't wait to thank them in person!

You heard it here first! Martha Stewart is coming onboard to design Sandals & Beaches Wedding packages! Will post additional information soon!

Maureen already answered.

Hey Ladies ( and Gents) I'll be doing a site visit to Royal Plantation next week ( Sunday - Wednesday) if anyone has anything in particular that they would like for me to ask or take a pic of just let me know! I'll also be doing a tour with the WC at Sandals Montego Bay and hopefully seeing some of the updated rooms ! I'm going to review and take pics of the reception & wedding locations ! We'll also be doing the Mystic Mountain tour- I'm excited as I haven't been able to see that one yet!

It'll be tough to get an agency to take a trainee on right now- be prepared to knock on alot of doors. If you are serious I'd recommend that you prepare your resume- do as much research as you can into what it takes to be a TA and highlight those skills and personally visit each travel agency to drop it off and get a feel for the place. Also be prepared to be offered a non paying position to get started. There seems to be two things going on right now- agencies that are heavy corporate with some leisure are hurting badly. About half the leisure agencies are hurting badly and the other half are incredibly busy. We're happily one of the swamped agencies. We're also experiencing a time when some of the online agencies are dropping their prices so low on a few products that we just can't compete- in my experience I would not be suprised if these companies are making a last ditch effort to either A) stay in business at all costs and are falling miserably or making a last minute cash grab. We've already seen over the last two years a few online companies (one was a cruise company-can't remember the name) and airlines go suddenly bankrupt- leaving clients stranded and having paid for services that were not delivered. Personally I'd be suprised if some of them are still around a year from now ( of course that is just my opinion and I know nothing about what their true financial condition) But with the other companies we saw about 6 months of LOW pricing before their sudden demise. So I am not really worried about the super low pricing - we'll lose some business in the short term but it's more important that I stay in business for the long haul! At any rate I just wanted to give you a snapshot of what you'd be looking at for trying to get into an agency.

Last call for the webinar! If you can't make it and you already signed up please let me know so that we open the space for another couple!

I have the webinar on Sandals this Thursday- mostly they will be covering the Destination wedding information but will also review the resorts! Sandals Montego Bay in the Bay Roc Villas or a few of the other rooms offers exactly what you are looking for - stay away from the deluxe room though as it will not be quiet due to the location.The nice thing with Sanadls Montego Bay is that you will have activiti when you want it and quiet when you want it so you won't ever be bored. However Couples San Souci is extremely sedate and quiet- very mellow! If that is what you are looking for then that may be a better option for you.

Hi Winnie! As you are already working with a TA I would check with them that the group code & group contract is the same for Canadians as it is the US. It may be different and I would hate to provide erroneaous information to you! They will also be able to review the terms & Conditions with you- it should be part of their consulattion and is one of the services that I provide to my brides.

Actually the US goverment did NOT say to do not travel to Mexico and cancel your plans - they issued a statement that said to be careful but NEVER said to not travel to Mexico. There were many threads on the forum that clarified the US goverments stance, and it was also clarified on the state departments website. Unfortunately there were many media outlets that hyped up the entire situation ( as they tend to do now for shock value) and provided erroneous facts saying that you could not travel. It was/is your responsibility to verify the information before you cancelled. So ultimately it WAS your choice to cancel as the US goverment never said to stay away from Mexico. As for the complaint that it took days to return your call- did you consider that they probably received calls from all of their brides (plus grooms, parents of the bride & groom ect ect) - from all over the world and that they called you back as soon as they could. It was a time when initially everyone panicked. To call you back within a few days was actually very good customer service! The vendor is definately with in their rights to keep the deposit. You should be glad that you had other vendors that were willing to work with you. The other weddings that they turned down were likely between the time you reserved your wedding and when you cancelled. You didn't ask for flexibility & understanding- you asked for a refund of a deposit you placed. Now you are trying to shame them on the forum to giving you back your deposits. And truly it doesn't matter if they gave the deposit to the other vendors -your contract was with them. I also don't understand why they would keep calling you back- they stated their policy, offered to do another session and you refused. There is nothing more to say. Sorry if this comes off harsh but they did nothing wrong or that they should be given a bad review or warning other brides to stay away from them from.

One of the posters brought out another point - that each AI is different. Another consideration is for AI & non AI -is location both in the world and at the particular destination. Is the resort you chose close enough to a variety of dining venues for your guests ? There are many Caribbean islands that have resorts that offer an AI option-these tend to be a bit limited and much more expensive as compared to say a 4 or 5 star Mexico or Jamaica AI! You may want to read this article about AI's- it may be helpful with your decision! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t14194

Hi Lisa! Welcome to the forum! The boardwalk option is above- for the beach you'll have to contact your TA as I don't have any of the beach set up for a wedding! The beach however is at a bit of a slope. Reception options depends on how many guests but most weddings chose to do the indoor area by the beach! Name escape me right now but I'll go back through my notes to jog my memory!

Don't forget to add in transportation cost to restaurants if you are not doing an AI! Many people over look that aspect and those can add up quickly depending on destination!

Sandals Halcyon is a beautiful lush resort ! More boutique, quiet and definately smaller than the other two Sandals properties! If I remember correctly the shuttles run till 11pm. This is a great location if you envision a garden wedding and doing some photo's on the beach as the beach while long, is not very wide. However a beach wedding is definately do-able here! I'd recommend to book sooner rather than later as the wedding time slots for 2010 are going fast- especially for May! I am almost completely booked for my 2010 weddings already so people are booking quite a bit ahead of time! The nice thing is if you use a Preferred Sandals Specialists who specilizes in Destination Weddings and the jetblue flights are on different days they may be able to get your dates of travel adjusted accordingly! I just did it a week or so ago for one of my brides! A Sandals Preffered Destination wedding agent can also do a consultation with you regarding whether booking the Concierge room is a good option for you- the wedding fees in St. Lucia are steep plus concierge offers some other benefits that the standard rooms do not. Have fun planning!

Interesting news I just received from my DSM- Sandals has now banned Expedia from sellling their resorts because of discounting! Sandals & Beaches Resorts years ago adopted a same price policy to discourage discounting the product.This was due to receiving so many complaints that mega online agencies were not assisting and servicing the clients of the resorts who in turn would complain to Sandals and expect Sandals to make it right. (A case of you get what you pay for-low price = low or no service). They wanted consumers to get the best possible service from their partners(travel agencies) thus making a great experience for the guests. Often the discounters would provide the clients with mis information about the rooms , were advertising that the client was booking one room category when the client received a lower room category and on and on(still alot of that going on with other properties)! I've had lots of people ask me to discount- I've always said nope- don't want to lose the ability to sell the resorts! They booked elsewhere which is fine but I hope that their reservation is still valid!

The funny thing is I am working on an air issue and have been on the phone (mostly on hold) getting it straightened out since I answered this thread!

My pleasure!

With Air Jamaica- yup that sounds about right. Unfortunately many of the airlines are trying to squeeze additional income any way that they can! Generally a TA will advocate-STRONgly for you. Thus they are a pain in the airlines rump, take addition time to deal with and the airline can not make up the rules as much with a TA (we've been there-seen that) like they can with consumers who may not fly very often and not be aware of their (limited-but still there) rights! So what's an airline to do - well if they mark up the group fares and can make it so a consumer will not book through a TA well then they can do whatever they want! And they wonder why none of them are doing well finanacially ? The airlines operate under the most insane and odd premises!