Sandals Webinar

Join us on December 15th at 7:30pm for a Sandals webinar. Learn everything you need to know about Sandals Resorts for your honeymoon or destination wedding. Please email to RSVP and receive your webinar log-in information.

Engagement Season

Engagement season has begun! We would love to hear your stories of how he popped the question!

Caribbean Night Date Change

Dreams and Destinations Caribbean Event is rescheduled for July 26th from 3pm-5pm at the Broadlands Apartments Clubhouse. We'll be featuring the islands of the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos, and Antigua as well as our Music Fest in Jamaica November 5-8, 2009.

Calling All Grooms!!!

Why do the same old thing for you bachelor party? What could be more perfect than a golf getaway for you and your closest friends? Right now you and your closest buddies can enjoy several golf choices at Beaches Boscobel Resort (one of my favorite resorts on Jamaica!). Enjoy the "Play Paradise Golf Package" which includes a one day PGA golf school powered by Nike Golf, a golf club fitting with the Nike 360 fitting system, complimentary caddie, cart use and advance tee times, daily lunch on course (Jamaican jerk! Yum!), and a complimentary bottle of wine off the managers list. All this for only $395 per person (rates based on availability and subject to change). Go to wwww.caribbeandreamescapes.com for more details.

Royal Honeymoon Treatment

Royal Plantation Resort, a Small Leading Hotel of the World on Jamaica is offering 65% off, a complimentary night and a complimentary island cruise. Royal Plantation was voted the best all-inclusive for the 2009 Trip Advisor Awards. This intimate property is incredibly unique and every need here is catered to with the highest level of service and attention to detail. Walking through the doors of this resort it is impossible to not take a deep breath and just relax....be pampered...enjoy. What else could you need after the stress of wedding planning.

The suites boast Egyptian cotton sheets, top shelf liquor, luxurious bath amenities and sumptuous furnishings. The resort is home to the only champagne and caviar bar in the Caribbean where the fine art of sabering (opening the champagne bottles with a sabre) is practiced. Le Papillon, the resort's French restaurant, is what I still consider to be one of the best meals in my life. There are 2 options for staying at this property...a European plan and the Royal Plan. The inclusions that automatically come with the resort's European plan are luxury shuttle transfers from the airport, welcome sugar cane bubbly, early riser's continental breakfast on the Terrace, mangosas, chilled towel, rosewater face and body misting, and cucumber eye cooling every morning on the beach by your beach butler, daily afternoon tea on the Terrace, Jamaican hot chocolate on the Terrace every Friday, cooking lesson with the chef at the Royal Plantation Wellness Luncheon, weekly General Manager's Cocktail Reception with open bar, hors d'oeuvres and martinis during Martini Moments on Fridays, complimentary pillow menu and complimentary use of 24 hour fitness area.

If this isn't pampering enough then you can always upgrade to the Royal Plan which also includes ala carte breakfast, lunch and gourmet dinners, traditional tea, in-room dining, in-room bar with premium liquor, extensive wine selection and all bar beverages as well as non-motorized watersports, diving if you are PADI Certified, cigar rolling classes and championship golf. This current special is absolutely incredible for a resort that can surpass any honeymoon expectation. Please don't hesitate to contact us via phone or email at 866-585-1631, 703-724-1243, or info@wheredreamslead.com with any questions or to book your honeymoon getaway at Royal Plantation.

New Flights to St. Lucia from JFK

Great news!!! Jet Blue is beginning non-stop service from JFK to St. Lucia this fall! Introductory fares are incredibly low $434 from JFK and from the Washington DC area $482.61 per person (we haven't seen fares this low in over a year from this area!). From JFK its only a 4 hour and 44 minute flight! What a perfect time to take advantage of the great sales at Sandals (3 to choose from with privileges at all)! Call or email us for details!

Fuel Surcharge Reminder

When fuel prices reach $70 or more a barrel many cruise lines and airlines will impose fuel surcharges. In the case of cruise lines this will often be added on to the cost of the cruise regardless of final payment.

****Don't Forget The New Passport Requirements****

Just a reminder that as of June 1st, 2009 the latest passport requirements were implemented. A passport or passport card will now be necessary for people traveling from the US to Canada, Bermuda, Mexico and the Caribbean via air, land and sea. Take note cruising honeymooners! You will need a passport or passport card to cruise! Air travel internationally will still require a passport rather than a passport card, which is for land and sea travel. Go to www.state.gov or www.getyouhome.gov for more information. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at www.wheredreamslead.com.

Just a little reminder....

One of my new agents developed an addiction to Jamaican jerk on a winter training trip. In the Montego Bay airport we had an hour for her to scour the shops looking for the perfect jerk sauce and seasoning with just the right blend of spices. Upon arrival back to the US we patiently worked our way through US Customs and Immigration in Miami, rechecked our bags and began to make our way to our gate. It was then that I noticed a bottle of jerk sauce. The jerk sauce it took an hour of agonizing and searching for in Montego Bay. The perfect jerk sauce peeking from the top of a carry-on bag. At that point we were on a new mission in between flights....locating a post office in Miami to mail the perfect jerk sauce home.

I know for me it is too hard to resist the temptation of really great perfume at excellent prices. Many of our newly married clients purchase local alcohols and mixers (or jerk sauce) momentos to stock in their pantries upon return to the US. Just remember that duty free purchases and purchases made in the "sterile zone" of the international airport of your destination will be carry-on. When you return home and clear US Customs and Immigration you will recheck your bags and you will again go through security. TSA will confiscate any of those liquids you try to carry on to your domestic flight. Please remember after clearing Customs and prior to rechecking your bags to take a moment and tuck those items in a safe area of your checked baggage.

Happy travels :)

Sandals and Beaches Caribbean Night

We will be holding a Caribbean Event on July 12, 2009 from 3pm-5m at the Broadlands Apartment Clubhouse, Ashburn VA, 20148

Please RSVP by July 9th, 2009

Come and see the newest additions to some of the most innovative resorts in the Caribbean!

Honeymoons and Destination Weddings by Sandals and Beaches

Right now there are amazing specials at all Sandals and Beaches Resorts. You can enjoy fantastic accommodations in paradise for a fraction of the cost. Be pampered by a butler or reconnect together in the spa or enjoy a candlelight dinner on the beach to make your honeymoon really special. If the thought of wedding planning makes you want to say "I don't" instead of "I do" just make your wedding super easy with a free wedding or easy and really gorgeous with a Preston Bailey wedding package. Weddings are available at any Sandals or Beaches resort in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, Bahamas or Turks and Caicos (Beaches Resorts are only on Jamaica and Turks and Caicos). Airfares to these islands are fantastic and you can enjoy up to 65% savings once you get there! Call us or email for more details.

**Rates based on supplier availability and subject to change at any time

Why The Honeymoon Is So Important

This photo is taken from my balcony in Luxor, Egypt. It was a holiday with only rest and relaxation scheduled. Nothing on the itinerary but doing whatever I felt like, whenever I felt like doing it. I opted for dinner on the balcony nightly because the dinner show nature provided was one of the best in my life. Nothing describes the sun dipping behind the desert hills with boats gently gliding down the Nile. It was the last trip I was able to truly relax and do nothing...a time to recharge and a place I revisit in my memories on busy days with multiple schedules to juggle. This wasn't my honeymoon so why mention it on our honeymoon blog? It is a testament to what I believe is most important about the honeymoon. Rest, reflection and rejuvenation.

Modern weddings have become a full-time job for couples already dealing with busy work schedules, family demands and economic strains. Just when you think you've made it through another planning day another issue pops up. Another vendor needs payment. Another juggling act begins. The honeymoon is often treated as the after-thought...pushed to the back to see what destination, if any, the budget can allow. It is my personal opinion that the honeymoon should be one of the first things considered and planned early in the process.

The honeymoon is that light at the end of the tunnel...the hope of time for just the two of you...when the world stops and you reconnect. It is the promise of conversations revolving around your life together and not just place settings, or invitations or colors. It is a time for you to cherish the memories of your hard work and embrace the new life it represents for you as a couple. It is the time to dream of the future while being pampered in the present. Regardless of the type of honeymoon you choose, whether it is you exploring ancient civilizations, gazing at each other over an espresso in a cafe or resting on a sandy beach make sure you give it plenty of thought. It is the most important vacation you will ever take as husband and wife.

~Melinda

Honeymoon Registries

What is a honeymoon registry? While the wedding registry isn't a new concept, a honeymoon registry is often unfamiliar to many couples. These days many couples live together or are marrying after they've established themselves. Often couples are combining households and find they don't need as many "necessities" as the couples of yesteryear did. These couples are trading in the bread and cheese board for upgraded electronics and other items that they wouldn't otherwise purchase for themselves. Enter the honeymoon registry...a perfect supplement to the wedding registry. Who doesn't want spa treatments, room upgrades, candlelight dinners, and excursions. Rather than receiving an item that will be forgotten or obsolete in 10 years you can enjoy a lifetime memory together. We also often suggest that couples have a photo taken of themselves in the destination on the excursion that was purchased and then include that in the their thank-you note. Friends and family will love the satisfaction of seeing their gift being enjoyed to the fullest.

Some Favorite Honeymoon Picks

Selecting a honeymoon destination can often be an overwhelming task for couples. You want this to be the perfect vacation of a lifetime and there is the world in front of you! What are some of our favorite destinations for honeymoons? Read on and see (destinations are not listed in order of importance).

1) Riviera Maya, Mexico--The photo to the left is of one of my favorite beaches and what is considered to be one of top 10 beaches in the world, Maroma Beach. White sugar sand, kissed by turquoise water and the easy going friendly local warmth make it a dream come true. This is the perfect base for cultural exploration, world class snorkeling and diving, or just simply relaxing together. Tip...spa treatments on the beach are a must!

2) Antigua--Another white sugar sand destination with beautiful water and a beach for each day of the year! Enjoy pink sand bathed with azul water.

3) Turks and Caicos--Grace Bay is consistently voted one of the best beaches in the world and this is another place to enjoy white sand, strikingly blue water and tons of fun with private island escapes, jet ski cave safaris and fantastic diving.

4) Italy---Specifically the Almafi coast and Capri with with beautiful towns, world class shopping and people watching, limoncello tastings, fantastic cuisine (why not take a cooking lesson together?), and little romantics escapes possible at every turn.

5) Ireland---Where else can you experience the warm music and laughter at a local pub before snuggling down in your castle bedroom? Ireland is one of my favorite places on earth and strikingly beautiful. Combine this with the warmth of the Irish, fantastic cuisine and even better accommodations (castle anyone???) and you have the perfect romantic escape. We were also very excited when marriage restrictions were lifted now making it possible to have a gorgeous destination wedding at many of these beautiful locations.

6) Portugal---Another favorite destination of mine, Portugal offers so much in the way of history, cuisine, beautiful towns, fantastic wines and locals who are so friendly and warm they really, truly make the destination. Portugal also offers great variety in scenery...everything from beautiful mountains to striking coastlines. We can even let you know where Lisbonites go for Fado! Or where the best place is for sea views and fantastic seafood in the Algarve!

7) Hawaii--We couldn't leave off America's little piece of paradise! Each island has so much to offer and the great thing about Hawaii is that in a 10 day honeymoon you can sample 3 islands without feeling rushed! Our favorite option...take the ferry from Maui to Lanai for a few days of rest and relaxation on Hawaii's private island. This is the perfect place to rejuvenate after all of your wedding stress.

8) St. Lucia--The Hawaii of the Caribbean....simply stunning scenery combined with fantastic resorts, drive through volcanoes and a ton of eco-adventure for the most active couples. For couples wanting a more relaxed pace enjoy a luxurious rondoval with butler service, private pools and grotto showers with a view of the Pitons across Rodney Bay!

9) New Zealand--New Zealand is an amazing destination that offers a ton of options for outdoor active adventures...which the destination is famous for. However, New Zealand offers so much in the way of great culinary and wine tours, luxury lodges, relaxing beaches, the fascinating and cherished Maori culture, world class spas, golf, art, and architecture.

10) Egypt--I LOVE Egypt. It is such an amazing destination...just the history alone makes it the perfect backdrop for the honeymoon of a lifetime. Add to it luxury river cruises that allow you to enjoy spectacular sunsets on the Nile, hot air balloon rides over the desert and 5 star resorts for a fraction of the cost of other destinations and you have a custom, luxury honeymoon at a fraction of the cost of other destinations. Not to mention if you love shopping the souks of Egypt are a shopper's paradise!