Unique Vacations

Not sure who lied to us about our $ 300 resort credit Unique or Sandals. Beware and ask lots of questions! So very disappointing after going to Sandals for our 4^th time. Will not go back!!!

we just got back from a recent Beaches trip to Jamaica Boscobel resort. after our trip to T/​C, we were offered a 2 for 1 deal to another Beaches resort, and since we blew our load for the wedding, we picked one of the cheaper options, Boscobel.
Turks really spoiled us. Boscobel is not even a quarter of the size so the on-​site amenities are much smaller. that being said, the entertainment stage is inescapable. no matter where your room is, you can always, always, always hear the games/​music, etc. There is really no single spot on the entire resort to just relax in peace and quiet, unlike the Turks.
and we knew going into this, the resort was family friendly. so was Turks, and although we saw kids there, i guess the resort is just so big, and they do offer adults only pools, hot tubs, restaurants, bars, etc. Not at Boscobel. there are kids EVERYWHERE!!! they are out all day and night, screaming and yelling and crying and falling and wasting drinks and food. and the parents are largely the same. but i guess that’s why they come here… to let their kids run amok whilst they induce a drunken buzz of ignorance.
the staff of course is out of this world polite, friendly, and accommodating. the food was good. i was full constantly. they even offered full size lobster one evening for dinner. the drinks, yes, excellent and ever flowing. they have a small gym which we utilized several times. a few pool and ping pong tables. an excellent gaming room and a nightclub that said adults could go to, but teens as well… yeck.
we took part in several of the resorts outside activities-​a Catamaran booze cruise and Dunns River Falls hike with the couples only Sandals… a river tubing and ziplining in the nearby White Mountains… and a coffee plantation tour with cruiser style bike riding in the mountains (my favorite of the 3). the resort has no control over these tours, they just arrange them. i am very surprised at the amount of tipping that goes on though. there is a «tip» for everything. i thought the British colonized Jamaica, and everyone knows the Brits don’t tip.
anyway, vacation is always fun. unless we go back to Beaches Turks, we will avoid like the plague any other Beaches… not that it’s not nice, but if you don’t have/​want kids, then Beaches resorts are not for you.

I planned a trip for my grandparents and now its impossible to unsubscribe from their mailing list. Ive tried several times and have always received confirmations for unsubscribing but still receive newsletters. Very annoying.

Still no stars… Susan never called me which makes me sad b/​c I really expected better. Beaches finally gave my guests their full refund last week. Shopping for honeymoon destinations but Baches/​Sandals would never make the cut:)

Ok — while I didn’t have real high expectations about Sandals and was admittedly a bit nervous; the Sandal’s Royal Bahamian actually exceeded my expectations. Everything from the grounds to the staff to the food were all excellent.
Butler — It wasn’t cheap and I have nothing to compare it to, but the «butler» class was top notch and worth it. I would do it again. Our butlers were excellent and on the ball. My only gripe with this is that the butlers clearly have too many people they are dealing with and are always running around scatterbrained. However, my wife bugged our butler constantly and we always got what we wanted and went above and beyond the call of duty. For example, we wanted to have dinner in our room one night with the food from their nicest restaurant. Our butler arranged it perfectly and without an added charge.
The room — Upon arrival we were escorted by our butler to our upgraded room, but first she took us by the room we had originally reserved. The upgrade really was an upgrade and it was at no charge. It was a large room with a great view and a well stocked bar.
The food — It is pretty much just like a cruise. Not the highest quality stuff but it is all included and you can have as much as you want.
The alcohol — It is all mid-​range stuff but it does the trick. The bar tenders are just ok and can be a bit slow/​inexperienced but are super friendly and helpful. No wristbands, no cards, no nothing… just belly up to one of their 5 bars and get a drink.
The spa — Nice facility and a decent massage at a reasonable price.
The staff — Everyone is very friendly and will try to go out of their way to help you with whatever you need. It will take far longer than expected, but they try their best. My only gripe is with the waiters/​waitresses. They are slow as heck. God forbid you have a diet coke addiction like I do and need a refill every 5 minutes because you will NEVER get it.
It was all a very enjoyable and relaxing vacation. I WOULD go back to the Sandal’s Royal Bahamian, but I probably won’t because I want to explore other islands. I would however stay at a Sandals again.
Oh yeah, and there was no Rolls (it was in the shop) but we did get picked up and dropped off in a very nice Mercedes.

Just got back from the Turks & Caicos property and all I can say is F’n A Cotton, F’n A. The place was spectacular, 5 stars the whole way.
The property has 3 «villages» even though they’re on the same property and in short walking proximity inside the gates. The newest village is the Italian Village and it’s all suites and rivals a Ritz Carlton. There are 15 pools, 15 restaurants and tons of stuff to do, or you can do nothing at all.
They have the whole Sesame Street connection for the offspring, which is just great for them.
Bottom line, service is spectacular and super friendly and they do things right. We’ve been to a total of 7 different properties, and every time they’ve exceeded expectations and been just spectacular.
The Turks & Caicos property is just the diamond jewel in a great line of properties and has some adult only areas so you can escape the kiddies too.