Sandals South Coast
- Amaris Scipione
- Sep 21
- 4 min read
My morning starts in my room. I’m up early due to the minor time difference and I sit on the little couch in my room. I’m surprised to see an Edwin looking at me through the window. Edwin is a white bird that looks a little like a flamingo. I take a couple of pictures and then scan the QR code to read the breakfast menu. I use the room phone to place an order. About 20 minutes later my food arrives and it’s placed on my dining table which is located on the balcony. I sit down to eat and then have a fright. The bird is still here! I see its long claws clench onto the railing while it calmly stares at me. I realize I left my balcony door open and immediately daydream of this wild bird letting loose in my gorgeous room. Luckily, I shut the door before the bird flies inside. Part of me wanted to move inside, but the other part of me was wanted the enjoy the balcony. I decided to see what happens and maybe me and the bird can enjoy together.
The bird stayed, but left me in peace while I ate a plateful of bacon and potatoes. I also had a fruit salad. Still no movement on the bird. I carefully place both lids back on my plate, but each lid has a little hole. I open my napkin and place that on top of the holes. I go inside and then the bird moves onto the table. It pokes around and gives me this look. If this bird could talk, it would say. “How dare you.”
The start to our training begins at 9am and we meet in the lobby and walk to the boardroom nearby. The first half of the training the rep from Travel Leaders Network goes over this training concept. We are asked for opinions on the training. The program will last about six-months and the ones who complete the full training and show the most promise will be invited to a familiarization trip to hone their newly learned skills. In exchange for a wonderful trip and training, videos and pictures are provided to TLN for future use for their programs. I think it’s a great program that will ultimately help many travel agents.
The second half of training is filled with tips for gathering content. My favorite tip is that the iPhone has a setting to include a level for picture. How did I not know this was a thing? I have mine on now and it’s time to test it out!
The next part of our day is a tour of Sandals South Coast. We are seeing some of the butler suites! We walk to the opposite side of the resort to the exclusive overwater bungalows. A long dock takes you over the water and then each room is placed along the heart-shaped design. We enter the rooms two at a time and they are magical. How wonderful would it be to wake up in here!
Our next room was a Rondoval. The Rondovals sit together on their own village with their own winding swim-up pool. In my opinion, they feel more private and intimate than the overwater bungalows. My room is located across from the Rondoval village, and I noticed the decorative drains on the Robdovals. They look like a chain of pretty little cups and water runs through them when it rains. I thought, “wow these are so pretty, I think I want to replace one of our downspouts with one of these. Later in the day, a brief storm rolled through, and I was in my room. What is that noise! The decorative downspouts are so noisy! Most people would be lulled by its pretty tone, but I am not most people. There have been a few storms, and I am getting used to the sound. The first time just felt jarring because it sounds so different.
Our tour ends and we actually have some time before dinner which rarely happens on this kind of trip. The wi-fi has been spotty so getting any normal work done brings its challenges. Most of us use this opportunity to test-drive the pool and swim-ups bar. The pool water is warm, so a mango daiquiri or other cold drink is needed to keep us cool. I love a swimup bar that overlooks the beach.
We all get ready for dinner and meet up again at Latitudes. This resort really utilizes the water within its design and Latitudes is no exception. This bar is located over-the-water and features beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea with a front-row view of the sunset. It’s the place to be each evening, but due to some rain, isn’t too crowded. Hammocks line the circular bar giving you a unique view to dangle over water and enjoy the view. I enjoy this with a glass of champagne.
Dinner tonight is at Bayside which serves a French menu for the evening. I love a good French restaurant! One of the things I love about Sandals is how so many of their restaurants have a very casual dress code. It’s hot here and I love when shorts are acceptable. I have a low tolerance for self-inflicted discomfort which is how I feel about resorts who require pants in 95°F weather. Dinner for me includes French onion soup, chicken cordon blue, and crème brûlée. It was a wonderful way to end the day. Delicious food with good company and in the air conditioning after a hot day.
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