Honeymooners Wanted

If you're looking for extra value for your honeymoon trip, consider resorts that offer honeymoon "freebies" and bonuses.   Sandals and Beaches resorts offer honeymoon couples:

• a bottle of chilled champagne with glasses elegantly arranged in ice bucket
• Handwritten note from the general manager
• Turndown service on the first night, with rose petals on the bed
• Breakfast in bed one morning of your stay

Other resorts offer sparkling wine, fruit baskets, guaranteed room upgrades, honeymoon t-shirts, romantic dinners, resort credits, chocolates, sunset cruise,  or discounts. 

There are 17 Sandals & Beaches resorts located in Antigua, Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Turks & Caicos.  Here is a summary of other resorts in the Caribbean (and the Bahamas and Bermuda) that offer special perks for honeymoon couples.  

ANGUILLA - Anacoana Boutique Hotel, Sheriva Villa Hotel

ANTIGUA - Blue Waters Antigua, Galley Bay Resort & Spa, Hermitage Bay, St. James's Club & Villas, The Verandah Resort & Spa

ARUBA - DIVI Aruba All-Inclusive, DIVI Village All Inclusive Villas, Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa, Occidental Grand Aruba, Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa, Riu Palace Aruba, Tamarijn Aruba All-Inclusive, The Westin Resort & Casino

BAHAMAS - Breezes Resort, Riu Palace Paradise Island, Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort & Casino, Wyndham Nassau Resort

BARBADOS - Colony Club, Crystal Cove, The House, Tamarind, Turtle Beach, Accra Beach Hotel & Spa, The Crane Residential Resort, Hilton Barbados Resort, Mango Bay, Ocean Two Resort & Residences, Sandy Lane, The Savannah-An All-Inclusive Resort

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - Long Bay Beach Resort & Spa, Peter Island Resort & Spa, Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina-Autograph Collection

CAYMAN ISLANDS - The Reef Resort, Sunshine Suites Resort

CURACAO - Avila Hotel, Hilton Curacao

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-PUNTA CANA - Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana, Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa, Excellence Punta Cana, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro, Iberostar Bavaro Suites, Iberostar Dominicana, Iberostar Punta Cana, Occidental Grand Punta Cana, Paradisus Palma Real Resort, The Reserve at Paradisus- Palma Real, The Reserve at Paradisus Punta Cana, Paradisus Punta Cana, The Royal Suites Turquesa Resort & Spa, Secrets Royal Beach at Punta Cana, Sivory Punta Cana Boutique Hotel

LA ROMANA - Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa, Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus, Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach, Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace

PUERTO PLATA - Iberostar Costa Dorada, Viva Wyndham Tangerine

SANTO DOMINGO - Melia Santo Domingo

GRENADA - La Source

THE GRENADINES - Palm Island Resort, the Grenadines

JAMAICA - Couples Swept Away, Couples Negril, Couples, San Souci, Couples Tower Isle, Coyaba Beach Resort, Hedonism II, Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort (Montego Bay), Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall, Iberostar Rose Hall Beach, Iberostar Rose Hall Suites,  The Jewel Dunn's River Beach Resort & Spa, Riu Palace Tropical Bay, Riu Negril, Riu Ocho Rios, Riu Montego Bay, Secrets St. James Montego Bay, Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay

PUERTO RICO - (No passport required) - Caribe Hilton, Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza, El San Juan Hotel & Casino, Gran Melia Golf Resort Puerto Rico, Gran Melia, Intercontinental San Juan Resort & Casino, Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino, Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino, St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort

ST. BARTHS - Le Sereno

NEVIS - Nisbet Planation Beach Club

SAINT LUCIA - Calabash Cove Resort and Spa St. Lucia, Cap Maison Resort & Spa, Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, Discovery at Marigot Bay Hotel, Sugar Beach (A Viceroy Resort), The Landings St. Lucia, Morgan Bay Beach Resort, Rendevouz, TiKaye Village, Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort

ST. MARTIN - Esmeralda Resort, Grand Case Beach Club, Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino, Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino

TURKS & CAICOS - Regent Palms Turks and Caicos, Seven Stars

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (No passport required) 

•  ST. CROIX: DIVI Carina All-Inclusive Beach Resort & Casino
• ST. THOMAS: Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Hotel Caravelle, Westin St. John Resort & Villas

Send an email to price4travel@yahoo.com to request a catalog for full descriptions of the amenities for properties located in the Caribbean and The Islands of the Bahamas and Bermuda.

Have Crock Pot Will Travel

Summer time is a great time to share some money-saving tips for family road trips.

I recently read an article about a couple from Seattle that claimed to have saved $1500 on a 10-day trip from Seattle to Nevada.  It was just after the holidays, so they packed their holiday leftovers and hit the road. Their only expenses were gas, a few groceries, and a one-night hotel stay.  The rest of the time they stayed with friends and family and ate at their homes (hmmmmm), or they “cooked on the road.”  

How do you cook on the road, you ask?  You take along a handy crock pot that plugs in to the car’s cigarette lighter.  The Mrs. explains: 

“We were getting hungry. It was about dinnertime at that time but I didn’t want to stop to get fast food. So we ran into the grocery store, got some meat, vegetables and some beef broth and just dumped it all in a crock-pot and it cooked for about four hours on the way home, and we stopped at a rest stop and ate dinner.”

First of all, did you notice she said, “it was about dinnertime at that time but I didn’t want to stop to get fast food.”  She goes on to say, “we ran into the grocery store...”  and bought (in my estimate) about $8 worth of food.  Okay, they didn't want to stop for fast food, but they didn't mind stopping to shop at the grocery store.  Then, they “dumped” all the food in their mobile crock pot and waited four hours for it to cook, and then “stopped at a rest stop and ate dinner.”  Seriously?  If it was already “about dinnertime” when they stopped at the grocery store, wouldn’t “fast food” have been, well, faster...and cheaper?  Besides, have you seen the size of these portable crock pots?

Here are some realistic and practical tips for saving money on a road trip (without mooching off of your family and friends):

Take along some bread and snacks, and a cooler with drinks and sandwich meat. 

Book hotels in advance, and stay at hotels that offer free breakfast. If you have pets, it can be cheaper to take them with you than paying for boarding.  Find pet-friendly hotels that don't charge a fee.  LaQuinta hotels generally don't charge a pet fee for Fido and breakfast is included in the price for the humans.

If you plan to eat out for some of your meals,  save money by getting creative with the menu.  If you’re craving a burger, buy only the burger (use drinks from your cooler).  Waffle House has an All-Star breakfast that includes two eggs, choice of meat, grits or hash browns, toast, plus a waffle on the side. With coffee or juice for two, breakfast will cost around $5 per person.  A foot-long Subway sandwich is cheaper than 2 six-inch subs and they have different specials just about every day. Split the cost and share the joy!

Find ways to save money on fuel. Use the website gasbuddy.com to find out which gas stations have cheaper gas prices along your route, and plan accordingly.  Change the way you drive.  Most vehicles achieve optimal fuel economy around 55 mph and without accelerating or braking too hard. Travel light (less suitcases = less weight and better gas mileage).  In major metro areas, the cheapest gas prices tend to be in the outlying suburbs.  Buy fuel at a wholesale club where you have a membership (Sam’s, Costco).  If you use a credit card for convenience during your road trip, make sure it’s one that gives you cash back or points for fuel purchases, and then pay the balance in full when you return home, to avoid interest and finance charges.

You'll feel better about your vacation if you know you're getting the very best value for your hard-earned dollars!