Hello, friends! I’m straying a bit from my usual inspirational-type blogs to do something a little more fun! As you may have already read in an earlier blog here, my husband and I recently returned from a trip to an all-inclusive resort, Sandals Royal Bahamian. I wanted to share a few more details about our experience – the good (most of it), the bad (well, a little), and the ugly (mainly just consisting of sunburn and sickness). Below is my report for Day 2.
You can see Day 1 here.
You can see Day 2 here.
You can see Day 3 here.
You can see Day 4 here.
DAY 5: Headed home & final thoughts…
So we come to the very last day of our trip, which really wasn’t a full day. We woke up somewhat early to do our last-minute packing and, thankfully, had the breakfast buffet. It was again very good. We then went to the photo shop to look at the pictures from our photo shoot, as well as some snapshots that resort photographers had taken of us over the last four days. We ended up buying a few digital prints to go along with our free 5×7, which was from our dinner on the beach and was beautiful.
We went back to our room to enjoy it for a little while longer. We had to have our bags set outside the room an hour before the shuttle was scheduled to pick us up, so after doing that and making one last sweep of the room to make sure we didn’t forget anything, we just wandered down to check out and hang out in the front lounge for a while. The shuttle ride, and the plane ride, for that matter, were painless and uneventful. (Well, I did get chosen – lucky me! – to be patted down at the airport. Awkward!) Also, our sweet friends who treated us to the dinner on the beach also treated us to lunch at the airport. They really did a lot to make our trip even more special.
There was due to be some torrential storms in our home area, and in Charlotte around the airport, so we were worried about our landing being delayed, but it ended up not being as bad as was anticipated. We got to my parents’ house to pick up our son, then picked up dinner and were finally home, sweet home.
A few final thoughts or things I missed over the course of the review:
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- We were very thankful for wifi at the resort and FaceTime, because we were able to see and talk to our sweet boy every day and know that he was doing okay without us.
- Housekeeping left a little to be desired at the resort. We seemed to have the hardest time getting clean washcloths every day. (I don’t mind re-using towels, but I like to have a clean washcloth every day, especially since we got all sandy and sweaty on the beach.) The only toiletry item in our bathroom when we got there was hair conditioner, so it took a little while to get all of those items. Also, the first day our room didn’t get serviced, but they were like clockwork the rest of the time, so I think that was just an anomaly. Overall, it wasn’t a huge problem.
View from the gym. The gym itself was empty. - The staff at the resort were all super friendly everywhere we went. Very few times did we pass one of them when they didn’t speak and ask us how our day was going. They really do make you feel special.
- Do yourself a favor and go to the gym at the top of the Balmoral Tower. No, not for working out, silly. (Who does that on vacation?) The view is spectacular and you can get some amazing photos.
- There were a few restaurants we didn’t get to sample at all. We didn’t get to visit the Crystal Room or Gordon’s on the Pier at all. As I mentioned, we didn’t get to eat dinner at Casanova, only dessert, but it came highly recommended. We also only ate breakfast at Spices, but their dinner menu rotates with a different cuisine each night, which would have been nice. I would also have liked to eat at Gordon’s because the ambiance looked amazing.
- There were also activities we did not take part in, like the shows and karaoke nights at the Royal Theatre (although we did stop in there one night to catch the end of a ball game). Along with the water trikes and catamarans, there was paddle boarding, snorkeling and scuba diving. For a fee, you could even take scuba classes. There were other paid excursions, but plenty to do that is no extra cost.
In closing, I would have to say I would recommend a Bahamas vacation, I would recommend an all-inclusive resort, and I would especially recommend Sandal’s Royal Bahamian if you are looking for a romantic getaway. Well, unless you are averse to pampering, relaxation, delicious food and beautiful views.
She Who Has Believed 