 Last week we spent a few blissful days in Turks and Caicos visiting the beautiful Beaches family Resort which is a sister to the Sandals adult properties. Now I could sit here and tell you all about their amazing features for kids, like their 45,000-square-foot water park and their Sesame Street camp, or maybe how Beaches is the first resort company in the world to complete the rigorous IBCCES training and Autism Certification. I could tell you about the most heavenly beach I have ever laid eyes on, Grace Bay, which has been voted Trip Advisors World's Best Beaches with first or second place 19 whole times. BUT......instead of just throwing all of the many facts at you about this breathtaking property I would rather talk about my very own personal experience. The Turks and Caicos airport is very small and super easy to navigate. You deplane on the tarmac and enter the tiny airport to stand in line, get your temperature checked, and clear immigration. This airport is the perfect airport for families with how compact it is. After gathering your luggage you exit the airport and within moments you are directed to the line for the Beaches Resort transportation. We had no wait for our ride and boarded our transfer immediately. Within minutes we were at the resort and welcomed with a cool towel and a rum punch. We also had our temperatures checked before a staff member quickly checked us in, walked us all the way to our room and went over all of the smallest details he thought we should know about the room as well as the property. We even received a form to fill out requesting which types of liquors we would like placed in our mini bar daily! One of the really great benefits of staying at Beaches is the complimentary Covid 19 test they do for you that the USA requires for your reentry. The testing is done at the nurses station right on property and unlike many other destinations it is free. You receive your scheduled appointment date and time within your welcome packet when you arrive and all you need to do it show up on time.  There are 4 villages on this property, Key West, Italian, Caribbean, and French villages. Each has it's very own charm and many different draws to why you would want to stay in each of them. Since I am focusing on our specific time here, I will tell you some more in-depth info about our time in the Key West village. We were in the Key West Luxury Concierge Room which is the lead in room rate for this village (meaning least expensive). The pros of this room for me was that it was pretty spacious for the lead in room category. I also loved having a large counter space with two sinks in the bathroom area. The king bed was very comfortable and we had a single pull out sleeper chair as well which would be perfect for a family of 3. Another pro is that for those who are working with a budget, this is a great option since you can still utilize the whole entire property and everything on it no matter where you stay. I loved being right next door to the large pool at the Italian Village but I also enjoyed the small quiet pool that was right by our room because the time I was able to enjoy it I had it all to myself! The cons for this room category for me were that there was no bathtub. I take a bath every single night so I always love a good bath tub when we travel. This could also be a potential issue with parents of small children. I am also a sucker for a room with a great view and this room category misses that mark. It is listed as Tropical Garden, which for us meant a view of some of the nearby restaurants and the building across from us. That being said, if you have the ability to be flexible with your budget, Beaches Turks and Caicos offer 44 room categories through out their 4 villages so there is bound to be the perfect room, suite or villa for your family! Below you will find video of our room over in the Key West Village. KEY WEST LUXURY CONCIERGE ROOMI did also enjoy the convenience of our room in comparison to where our villages dining was located. We were able to get to breakfast quickly from our room and dinned at both Neptune's and Bayside, we also enjoyed dinner at Sky Lounge which is a rooftop Restaurant. If you do visit Beaches Turks and Caicos I highly recommend dining at Sky one evening around sunset. It is a beautiful experience and the food is tasty as well. We also attended their weekly "Beach Party" celebration in the Caribbean Villages Treasure Beach area. It starts off with a welcome from your favorite Sesame Street characters and hosts many family fun games like limbo and line dancing. We had jerk chicken, french fries and corn on the cob while we were there. Since the portions were somewhat small (but delicious) we headed over to Schooners (also in the Caribbean Village) for a late dinner after the show. I really like that they do not serve huge portions of food because it is fun to be able to dine around and be able to try many different restaurants through out your stay. One of my favorite places that we dined at was Mario's in the Italian Village. The restaurant was very pretty and had one of the best salad bars I have ever seen. But the best part of Mario's was the back of restaurant looked like a castle where you can see some of your favorite Sesame Street characters placed around the area. Ernie hanging from a balcony and Big Bird dressed up in knight's gear just to name a few will get your kiddos excited to dine in this adorable area. But who am I kidding, I was just as excited to dine here as well, we all grew up watching these characters! SKY LOUNGE MARIO'S   We also had lunch at Barefoot By The Sea which is in the Italian Village right by their main pool. At night, it becomes more elegant and they serve a seafood dinner. I missed visiting Bobby Dee's which is a restaurant inspired by a 1950's diner that serves unlimited cotton candy! Since I was here for work I also did not get to utilize nearly enough of the complimentarily amenities Beaches offers their guests like their unlimited scuba and snorkeling or their glass bottom boat ride, but it gives me a reason to visit again another time. The night before your departure you will receive a notification in your room advising what time to meet in the lobby the next day for your transportation back to the airport. It is usually within 3 hours prior to your flight. You can opt to place your luggage outside your door at 9:00am the morning you are leaving and it will magically appear in your shuttle. They really make it seamless for you to enjoy and relax. I was very thankful to be able to have visited this beautiful property for work but now I am looking forward to be able to head back for a vacation! If you would like to learn more about this or any Beaches Resort vacation reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner by clicking here!
0 Comments
 DISNEYLAND RESORT Trolley Treats, Disney California Adventure Park Marceline’s Confectionery, Downtown Disney District Patrick’s Mickey Apple: Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel, marshmallow ears, enrobed in milk chocolate, colored white chocolate, and a green top hat (available March 10-17) Pot of Gold Apple: Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel, dipped in dark chocolate, and embellished with yellow white chocolate and gold candy-coated milk chocolates, rainbow sour belt, and green chocolate shamrock (available March 17) Shamrock Krispy: Shamrock-shaped krispies dipped in green and white chocolate decorated with a yellow Mickey (available March 7-17) Mint Chocolate Cookie Marshmallow Wand: Mickey-shaped marshmallow dipped in mint milk chocolate, enrobed in chocolate cookie crumbles, and drizzled with green and white chocolate (available March 10-17)  Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express, Downtown Disney District Mint Chocolate Chip Glazed Beignets: A sweet blend of chocolate chips and fresh mint with a “touch of the Irish” green sprinkles (available March 15-21)  Downtown Disney District Uva Bar & Cafe Corned Beef and Cabbage Burger: Angus Beef patty resting on a bed of braised cabbage topped with Swiss cheese, sliced corned beef, and whole grain mustard aioli on a brioche bun served with garlic fries (available March 17) Irish Nachos: French fries topped with corned beef, Guinness beer cheese, pico de gallo and spicy aioli (available March 17) Irish Libations (available March 17)  Walt Disney World Resort Amorette’s Patisserie, Disney Springs Shamrock Cream Puff with Irish cream mousse and whiskey-caramel sauce (available March 12-20) Creme Brulee: Matcha orange creme brulee (available March 12-20)  The Ganachery, Disney Springs Irish Whiskey Chocolate Squares: Dark chocolate ganache infused with Irish whiskey (available March 12-20) Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache Squares, Milk chocolate ganache infused with Irish cream (available March 12-20) Leprechaun Mickey Piñata: Chocolate piñata filled with gold-dusted chocolate marshmallows (available March 12-20)  D-Luxe Burger, Disney Springs Dubliner Burger: Signature-blend beef patty topped with Dubliner cheddar, corned beef, shoestring fried onions, Irish stout barbecue sauce, lettuce, and grilled onions (available March 1-31) Irish Cream Milkshake: Vanilla gelato with Irish cream, caramel sauce, toasted marshmallow, and green sprinkles (available March 1-31)  City Works Eatery & Pour House, Disney Springs Corned Beef Reuben: Shaved corned beef, Champagne kraut, whiskey mustard, Irish stout onions, Gruyere, marble rye (available March 10-17) Shepherd’s Pie: Stout-braised ground beef, peas, carrots, onions, shredded cabbage, potato purée (available March 10-17) Irish Libations (available March 10-17)  Vivoli il Gelato, Disney Springs Patrick’s Affagato: Your choice of gelato, matcha tea, and whipped cream (available through March 31) Green Velvet Cake Shake: Cake batter gelato, green velvet cake, milk, whipped cream and cannoli filling (available through March 31)  YeSake, Disney Springs Peppermint Patty: Slush with mint, lemonade, and blue curacao syrup served with whipped cream and peppermint bark topping. Available alcoholic and non-alcoholic (available March 5-31)  Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant, Disney Springs Raglan Road Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival: Unplugged! Think more acoustic than electric. More intimate than boisterous. The same great live entertainment, with all bands imported from Ireland. The same delicious Irish food and drink. (March 17) Make sure to reach out to your Starstuff Travel Planner for reservations for this specific restaurant.  Tamu Tamu Refreshments, Isle of Java, and Thirsty River Bar & Trek Snacks, Animal Kingdom Irish Coffee with Irish whiskey: Joffrey’s Coffee, whipped cream, and shamrock sprinkles (available March 12-17) Creature Comforts, Restaurantosaurus, and Flame Tree Barbecue, Animal Kingdom Patrick’s Day Cupcake: Chocolate with mint ganache filling, vanilla frosting, and chocolate shamrock (available March 2-17) Nomad Lounge, Animal Kingdom Patrick’s Day Trio: Madeline rainbow cake, cream liqueur-coffee panna cotta, and vanilla chiffon cake pop with whiskey-caramel ganache (available March 17-20)  Restaurantosaurus, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Patrick’s Day Reuben Totchos: Crispy tater tots loaded with nacho cheese, sautéed corned beef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, and crunchy rye croutons (available March 12-17) Dino-Bite Snacks, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Patrick’s Day Ice Cream Sandwich: Mint Ice cream between double chocolate-chip cookies rolled in shamrock sprinkles (available March 1-17) Creature Comforts, Disney’s Animal Kingdom  Tamu Tamu Refreshments, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Mickey Colossal Cinnamon Roll Green icing drizzle on Mickey Colossal Cinnamon Roll (available March 17) Landscape of Flavors, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort AND Everything Pop Shopping and Dining, Disney’s Pop Century Resort Luck of the Green: Chocolate cupcake filled with mint creme topped with vanilla buttercream and shamrock sprinkles (available March 15-18)  Dahlia Lounge, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort AND Three Bridges Bar & Grill, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Paddy’s Dessert: Irish cream mousse filled pate a choux with pistachio cream and a chocolate shamrock (available March 17-20)  Gasparilla Island Grill, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Luck of the Irish Coffee Panna Cotta: Chocolate coffee mousse, Irish cream-Irish whiskey panna cotta, and vanilla cream topped with a shamrock cookie (available Feb. 22- March 17) Goods to Go, Disney’s Old Key West Resort Key Lime Tart: With graham cracker crust, key lime custard, and shamrock garnishes (available March 8-18) The Artist Palette, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa Irish Car Bundt: Irish stout Bundt cake with Irish cream mousse and Irish whiskey caramel (available March 8-18) Disney's Vero Beach Resort Wind & Waves Market, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Shamrock Whoopie Pie: Green tea cake with gold citrus creme filling (available March 12-20)  Roaring Fork, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Patrick Cupcake: Green velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing decorated with Chip ‘N Dale and shamrocks (available March 17) Beach Club Marketplace, Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort AND The Market at Ale & Compass, Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort Irish Cream Mousse Cupcake: Chocolate cupcake topped with Irish cream mousse dome and chocolate crisp pearls (available March 10-18)  Last weekend we headed to the Amway Center and watched an Orlando Magic Basketball game. It was the first live sporting event we were lucky enough to attend in a very long time. The Magic is one of a very few teams that are playing with a live audience right now. The Amway Center itself has fun for the entire family with excellent restaurants, special outdoor areas such as a rooftop bar and kid zones for the youngest members of the family (kid zones currently on pause due to pandemic). They are currently operating at around 25% and are doing a great job with safety and health precautions. One of the things I loved was the fact that they are selling their seating in pods of two. This leaves a lot of space around your travel party which in a normal world makes the game that much more enjoyable. You can see from the picture below the spacing in between all of the travel parties in the stadium seating.  To be completely transparent, I am not a sports fan at all but I have to say we had such a great night out that I would definitely visit again. We were staying in the Disney Springs Resort area and took a Lyft so we did not have to rent a car. It only took us 20 minutes to get to the arena from Disney and with tip only cost us around $27.00. The game is a really fun addition to your typical Orlando area vacation and a nice welcome break from spending the night in one of the parks. You don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy the action of an Orlando Magic basketball game because it’s packed with fun for the whole family! They put on a sensational pregame light and video show, as well as performances from their dance team and STUFF the mascot. See matchups against those popular teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and more.   The Orlando Magic tickets range anywhere from extremely affordable to VIP pricing. Premium, all-inclusive seating options and private suites are also available. In fact for our Disney obsessed clients, they even have a suite called the Walt Disney World Terrace that is one of the most unique spaces in the Amway Center. It is holds a two-tiered deck that includes a private bar at the top with room to mingle and tables for convenience. The lower tier features a row of seating with some of the best views in the house. It comes with 10 suite tickets, Ledge seats (plus high top tables), and 1 parking pass. Don't be surprised if you find your favorite Disney character inside either! Your Starstuff Travel Planner can make this fun night out part of your Orlando vacation so make sure to ask your planner for more information today! |
CategoriesArchives
March 2023
|
RSS Feed