Let’s chat about something incredible – Sandals and Beaches Resorts; they are simply top-notch….. And let’s talk about something less incredible: having to plan a vacation to these resorts. I’ve been on my fair share of trips, but while an all-inclusive vacation seems easy, a Sandals or Beaches vacation has so much you have to know.
Picture this: trying to figure out which resort to pick, what transportation to use, which activities to book, and which restaurants to dine in.
And don’t even get me started on the rooms. There are literally 400 different options. They are in different locations, and everything says ocean view, but some only have a sliver of an ocean view while some have a full ocean view, so you need to know which room type is what. It’s exhausting.
The amount of research you do for this trip is just insane. It’s like a never-ending puzzle! Oh yeah, I have to raise a family too.
A few years ago, I finally outsourced this task to a travel agent because I had enough on my plate (also, I didn’t know their services were free, so I probably would have done it a lot earlier if I had known that).
MY FIRST TRAVEL AGENT EXPERIENCE
My first travel agency experience was pretty good when i booked a Celebrity Cruise. It was one of those big travel agencies that boast about booking the most vacations and making magical memories, yada yada yada.
They got me my rooms, and I think I saved a little bit of money, so it was definitely worth outsourcing to a travel agent because I didn’t have to do any of that stuff. The one thing I didn’t love was they tried to upsell me on everything, which I know is sales, but it wasn’t that fun.
Still, I was most likely going to use this same company again… until my friend told me I needed to use her travel agent.
Now, I am not one to usually jump to whatever my friend tells me, and I didn’t really understand how a travel agent could be any different, but my friend insisted I had to try her travel agent.
THE NEW AGENT – SERIOUSLY, THIS WAS THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t expecting too much difference when I reached out to the next travel agent, but after a few minutes (maybe even seconds), I knew immediately this was different.
Right off the bat, it was a great experience. It was like talking to your best friend. They are so excited to help you plan your vacation; you can feel it. By the way, the name of the company is Best Day Ever Vacations (I probably should mention that).
Rather than just sending over a quote, they wanted to know about my family, what activities we enjoy, and what kind of resort we prefer, and then worked it all within my budget.
We ended up splurging and staying at a Beaches Turks & Caicos because my kids love water parks, and it has an amazing pool. Also, I loved the various dining options on the property. I absolutely love this resort.
HOW DID THEY HELP ME PLAN MY TRIP?
In addition to booking the rooms, the agency gave our family:
- They let me know which rooms actually have a full ocean view
- They told us which of the additional things they think is not worth the cost
- Notified us along the way of all the things included in the trip to make sure we experienced everything
- Gave us a guide and tips on how to get the best possible experience
- Dining guide for which restaurants are the best
- Packing Guide
- They helped me figure out how to get to the resort (it was easy by the way, they set everything up)
But that’s not even the best part.…
THEY FOUND ME A BETTER DEAL, EVEN AFTER I WAS ALREADY BOOKED!
So, I booked the trip about a year in advance. I put down, I think it was a $200 deposit and hadn’t really thought about the trip when, out of the blue, I got a text from my travel planner Jamie saying a new offer just came out and they got me a better deal. They saved me an extra $650 on my vacation that I already booked.
It was the best text I have ever received. Since then, I have booked every Sandals and Beaches vacation with Best Day Ever Vacations. I’ve done two Sandals vacations and am now going on my 4th Beaches trip booked with them this holiday season.
OVERALL – SHOULD YOU USE A TRAVEL AGENT?
If you are looking to book a Sandals or Beaches vacation, I highly recommend using a travel agent. Worst case, if you find one on your own and they are average, you will save some time. I guarantee if you use Best Day Ever Vacations, you will be thrilled you booked a trip with them.
They have seriously made vacations so much more fun for my family and especially me. I now, too, like my friend, refer everyone to Best Day Ever, and I am pretty sure our entire PTA has pretty much used them.
Here is the link to get a free quote from Best Day Ever Vacations. I have sent them a ton of people (so many that they asked if I wanted to be a travel planner, but that’s not for me).
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