I am welcome to Mouse Chat. We just have a few mouse cappers today. We have Kate. And how you doing, Caitlin? Good. How are you, Steve? I'm good. Oh wait. You're supposed to say, how do you know? Wait. I'm supposed to say hello friends. Oh yeah. See, I messed it up. I messed it up. And then Sharpies here, you can hear Sharpie laughing in the background. Hi, dude. Sharpie. Good. These keys. Lisa will be, I think, back on the next Mouse Chat. And I've written this guy stuff going on this week. And I was over in the Bahamas.

So I figured I'd do a quick update on something different. So if you don't want to go to Disney or Universal or on a cruise, one of the things that Sharpie, Caitlin, or Brenda can help you with is all inclusive. So they have all inclusive resorts, which is nice because it's you pay once pretty much and you get everything. And long time. Are you going to cruise? Yes. Except in one place. Yeah. And a long time ago, we were like, we were in the Bahamas somewhere and we were talking to another agent.

And she was like, oh my gosh, these certain resorts are great. So we went and looked at them on the Bahamas in the in Nassau. And I was like, these resorts are awful. And then she was like, oh yeah, but the ones here in the Bahamas that are under that brand name are really horrible. And I was like, well, I don't want to go to, you know, I don't want to support hotels that every different island is a different product. Like this one's good. This one's bad.

So years ago, we found sandals, resorts, and beaches resorts. And like Disney, they're consistent across their properties. They have similar restaurants. They have the same spa. They have kind of small resorts that they pick the best beaches as their first thing when they're trying to find the resorts or build the resorts. So and they have, and we know the managers and everybody. So we're like, oh, this is great because there's some of the Bahamas, there's someone

Jamaica, there's someone in St. Lucia, Carousel, all over. There's 18 of them in the Caribbean. St. Vincent is opening later this year in the Grenadines. So they're all kind of consistent. So it's nice. So I want to exuma Lisa's been, I don't think anybody else has been. Have you guys been to not to exuma? Caitlin, you did the other one on NASA, right? Yes, the Royal Bahimi in. Yeah. So that one's also in the Bahamas. And then I've been to Sandal South Coast in Jamaica, which was incredible.

Oh, yeah. That's a favorite. You got a Jamaica South Coast. Yeah. I know you like that one too. That's amazing. I'm going next week. Jell-e! I know. You should go. It's actually the weekend. I think it's a week after next. It's in like eight days. So it's in a little while. If I didn't have a, yeah, that's right. Two month old. No, it took a month. And they're not allowed. It's only, it's adults only at Sandals. See what it could segue. No, two month olds at Sandals.

No, but we could get a trip. But to beaches. You got to beaches, which is there. And taker. Yeah. So beaches is the one for families at Sandals. So yeah, so I want to exuma Lisa's been years ago. So like Caitlin saying there's two in the Bahamas. There's the one in Nassau, which is like if you like casinos and shopping and nightlife and all kinds of stuff going on, then I would recommend doing the sandals over in Nassau. And if you like to just relax and get away from it all and just kind of chill out,

then I would recommend Exuma, which is Sandals Emerald Bay. Because there it's like one road on this tiny little island. And there's like maybe six cars that you see on the 15 minute drive from the airport to the resort. There is not a lot. So if that's your thing. So and it's only like 35 minute flight from Miami. That's amazing. Yeah. So it's like walkable from the resort. Completely. There's not any place you would want to walk. Maybe that makes sense.

Maybe that's like nothing. So like literally that guy, I've been to some small airports. Like the airport is like the side. It's like a shed. Like that's maybe the size of like a three car garage. And that includes the customs and the baggage claim and the immigration and walking through the outside door to the street. Like so literally I'm like looking for where the luggage is. And there's this little tiny like metal door. That's like this. I don't know.

It's like a doggy door. It's the oh and it's like the second after they check your passport is this like tiny little room with the tile all ripped up or whatever. And there's this tiny little door and they open this tiny little door. And you know and you walk off the plane right there's no ramps or anything. And they just take the stuff off the plane and they push it through the little tiny little door and that's all your stuff. And then you just get like nothing there.

It's the smallest thing ever. So anyway. It didn't have air conditioning or Wi-Fi. No, it has no Wi-Fi. It has. I don't it might have air but if it does it's not. I didn't really notice. I think on on the way out. Where you sit in the other little tiny lounge. Which is tiny. They do have a couple of those little portable air things that sort of run. So it wasn't uncomfortable but it wasn't cool. It was just kind of okay. Yeah so there's it's tiny.

And then you sandals includes transfers. So they include your trans and some of these transfers are like an hour and a half depending on which island you're on. But it examines like a 15 minute ride. And you. Right. Yeah so it's super easy. So super quick. If you want to get somewhere. Bahamas a super quick destination from the US. So you know you can be there early. You'll be there for lunch. Let's see. So about three hundred I don't know. I think it's 280 some odd rooms.

So all the sandals resorts are kind of like that. They're not like thousands of rooms. So but it's on a hundred hundred acres. So lots of gardens and beach and pools and places to eat and things like that. And then they have kind of I only saw two room categories. I got a I got a villa on the beach. I don't know how I got it. Oh, it's just me lucky. I know I had this huge villa like all by myself on the beach. And then I think almost everybody else I was with was in the main building.

And really, where are you? And I'm like in building nine and they're like, what's building nine? I guess I was around the beach. So yeah. You didn't have a butler did you? No, but all the rooms there are club level or butler level. There's no luxury level, which is sandals kind of entry level. So club level you check in at the club you arrive and then they give you a cold towel and they walk you to the club level lounge and they have a drink and they check you in.

And then they take you to your room and they walk you to your room. Excuse me. And then they show you around the room. And I get you all set. And then butler, you know, they do dining well, you can do that as well. But they they set up a cabana for you and bring drinks and lunch and set things up for you and do special things. So yeah, they still have the older style room. So I think that was one of the things. Although nobody that I talked to was, you know, they're not like some of the sandals resorts,

you see they have these really modern updated rooms like white soaking tubs. And they did have the backlit mirror in the bathroom, but they still have maybe some of the darker furniture like the behemian style wood furniture as a versus some of the brighter blues and aquas and teal colors and kind of Caribbean water vibes that some of the newer rooms have. Huge room, literally on the beach with a hammock right outside and palm trees and beautiful beach.

So yeah, so and it was that I only saw one other room during our room tours because it was sold out, but it doesn't feel like people everywhere because they have so many spaces. So so it was nice. It looks like there are two poles correct. Yeah, there's two there's the main pool, uh, which has the swim up bar, which is always fun. Although I was in conferences the whole time. I never even got in the pool. So there's a message. This is sending less and less appealing.

I was in a well, they have a huge conference center and from 830 in the morning, I was in the conference center. So I took their wedding training. Those four hours with Wendy White who I met probably 15 years ago at a rural Bahimian and she was doing wedding training there. And so they have this new wedding training course. So I got to go through that. I took so many notes. I feel like all my I feel like both my daughters need to do a sandals wedding now.

It's like it's a deal compared to the US where you spent like 10,000 on a venue. Like the packages are like $2,000 five thousand dollars, but it's because everybody has to get a room, right? So the so the cost for people is in the rooms. So it's more of a vacation than just going to a wedding. So it's more of going on vacation with your friends. But the actual wedding cost is nominal. It's like a couple thousand bucks for maybe up to 5,000, you know, and that's got

DJs and the reception cocktail party. I mean, it's like on and on and on. And you can add, I mean, they have packages, basic packages and standard packages and you can add whatever you want and bring the price up. But like the standard packages that they have now compared to just doing a wedding in the US are really reasonable. So anyway, so I did the wedding training. So I didn't get to go on the pool. But it has one of those, what is it? Zero entry level pools.

I think it's the largest in the Bahamas. It's a huge pool. They've got about six bars, the swim up bar in there. You get all the premium liquors in your room, which I did not drink. So they all just sat there all sad and lonely. You get a mini bar in there as well filled with drinks and stuff like that on the club level. And you get the wines. They have a Robert Mendogee wines. And so they all come in the room or anywhere on the grounds. And then I'm trying to think how many?

Oh, so they've got 11 restaurants. So I did, we did soy. I think we wanted to get to soy, but we never got there at beaches, right? Or maybe you went, oh, you went. That's right. You guys went. And that soy is outside at beaches. This one's inside. Oh, really? So they have a building that has kimonos with your sabachi. And it has a bar in the front and then soy is to the left. And then the Indian restaurant is to the right. And they're all inside one building where the air conditioning was so cold.

It was amazing. Like normally, I think like the airport where well, normally every place I've been in the Caribbean, it's like there's never air. And then this resort actually has air that's like, well, it was built by, I was telling Sharpie it was built by the four seasons. About 15 years ago. So, you know, it's been it was built to the four seasons standard of let's have really nice, large meeting spaces and rooms and lounges and whatever. And let's make sure we have American style air conditioning built into all these places.

So they have no lack of air and nice, really pretty spaces. So good. And soy is the sushi. Soy was so good. Sushi lovers. It's a musto. Yeah. So there's only two restaurants that require reservations over at sandals emerald bay. And that is the French restaurant and also a kimonos, which is the habachi restaurant. Everything else you could just walk right up. So we did walk up to soy. It took maybe 10 minutes for them to get us a table. So we sat down with the bar, had some complimentary drinks.

I ordered so much sushi. We just went because it's all included. And then, well, I didn't realize there was a back of the menu and there were three of us. And all of us were like ordering off the front of the menu. And then she was like, oh, there's stuff on the back. So then on the so then in a panic, we ordered like four different rolls off the back. Although it was just enough. So it turned out to be just enough. It was really good. I haven't had sushi in so long.

And I can't imagine what that would have cost nowadays. Oh, it's seriously. It's ridiculously expensive. Oh, yeah, it is so expensive to go out for sushi. Yeah. When we were at Sandal South Coast, we would always go to dinner about, oh, I don't know, between like six or seven. And then we would always go for a second dinner around like eight or nine. I just go get sushi. It's the way it's like, why not? Let's see what's your dinner. Is it's included?

Yeah. So all right. So then they have, so you can get scuba diving included. You get up to two dives a day at sandals, which is also, I've got all the pricing on what it it would normally cost to go to like the place down the street. And I don't have it with me, but I have it all written down. So that's a bargain. By the time you have like two people and you rent stuff and you go on a dive and you get your tanks and blah, blah, blah. And then they have a discover scuba class, which if you're not certified to dive,

you can take this class and it'll let you do just one kind of entry level, one time dive with them. And then it's, I think it's like a hundred and forty or a hundred and fifty dollars and they take you through all the training and then you get to go on a dive with the instructors in your group. And then you can put that hundred and forty hundred and fifty dollars towards the patty certification where you can actually, you know, dive as much as you want later on.

And they teach that class there too. So they'll take that off. I believe that one's 250. So they take that off the cost of that. So I, I went to the class. I didn't do it because I didn't want to do it, but I just filmed it. So I've got all the information on the class and I've got video and photos I'm going to put together and some articles and some videos and stuff of what's involved and how they, you know, take you to the pool and they do the whole thing with you.

So I did that. And then they took us all snorkeling and snorkeling is included. I did some snorkeling. So I'm so I'm so sorry. Did you see some fish friends? Well, it's a fish friends. And um, Exuma in the Bahamas, there was a little spot they take you out to where there's like a coral reef and then it falls off into this really deep hole, which is kind of cool. So you're like going along and then all of a sudden it goes way down. And then it's like this big blue hole.

And you can see fish down in there and then kind of the edge of it. And then in the big blue hole. So it was fun. So you know, you get about an hour. About an hour of snorkeling and you get about a 30 minute or 20 minute boat right out there and 20 minute back and snacks on the boat and they have all the snorkeling gear. So yeah, I saw Stingray and lots of cool fish. Yeah, it was cool. And they do that a couple times a day. So you can get on one of those snorkeling trips all included as well.

Oh, they have a quiet pool. So if you don't like the music and everything going on, they have a very quiet, it has its own bar and it has a slushy type machine instead of blenders to keep it quiet. So yeah, I think the whole vibe, if you were looking for like casinos and nightlife, this is not for you. Because even the general manager was like, please don't send your clients here. They're looking for that because then I have to deal with them and they're very upset.

So that's good to know. It's a sleepy resort. Yeah. But there's definitely enough to do. There is a piano bar, which I with Sharpie knows everyone loves piano bars except me. Oh my gosh, I hate piano bars. So I'm in this piano bar. It's small and I'm just sitting at the bar and this guy comes in and he's like loud and boisterous and everyone's like screaming and like, what is going on? Well, this guy's got to be really drunk. And then he was the he was a piano guy.

He was like, I have arrived. And then he just went on and on. But so the travel agents I was I was with, they got pulled up for the first song. I think they got pulled up three times. I got like, I do not volunteer for those things at all. Like I am never going to sing. And that guy on his second song picked me. And there was no, there was no getting out of it. Like I knew like you could tell there he like comes and grabs you and just takes you there.

I mean, there's no, it's not an option. So I'm like, oh my goodness. So I'm like, all right, I got it. There's no, this is definitely not an option. And he hugs everybody. He's like, I'm a hugger.

I mean, mom, so what song did you have to do? I had two words and I've already forgot what it was. Two words, baby shark. No, but that would have been good. I forget, you know what they're all those like Jimmy Buffett type songs, right? You know, and there were like three other guys, there were two other guys up there with me that he pulled up there. So it wasn't bad. Right? Everybody was impaired. No, it wasn't, but I, I, I, I, it was one of those songs.

They're all, they all sound the same to me. I'm sure it's on video. Don't worry. They're, that would have been good too. It was not that, but yes, see so many good songs next time, next time you can go. That's right. Next time you get up there and sing. He would. Oh, yeah. That's, and honestly, it'll be a sharpening group too. You would love it. You would love it. It was some, it was a lot of fun, even though we worked a lot. Jelly rolls. It's one of my favorites at Disney.

It's like, got a lot of it. That's a piano bar. That's like a fun one. So the piano bar was fun. And then they have another, they have an English pub called the drunken duck, which I feel like is a rip off of the snuggly duck. But you know, which it probably is. And it has like a giant artwork on the front of like this cart with this wine or beer that fell over into the duck pond. And all the ducks are like drunk. So that's, that's the whole theme of that.

And it's the English pub like it's all these sandals that is really well done. I mean, where it looks exactly like an English pub on the inside. And then off to the right of it is a game with, game room with pool tables and ping pong and darts and, you know, and all that kind of stuff right next to it. And they have those giant, I don't know, I'm, it's not a pool table. It's like five times the size of a pool table. So whatever that is, I've only seen them at sandals resorts.

They're like gigantic pool tables. I'm sure there's a name for it. But they have that there too as well. So yeah, so we spent some time in there. They've fish and chips and wings and Guinness, spear and all kinds of stuff in there as well. And then one day, the other thing we did that I hadn't done before is they have an 18-hole golf course, which is also included. So if you're a golfer, Greg Norman golf course. So on the last day, they gave us all golf carts.

And we drove the back nine, like during sunset. It was, it's amazing. Wow. It's so amazing because it's hilly and rocky and beautiful green grass to the point where the grass doesn't even look real. And then it's like cliffs that are off to this femoral green and blue water. And then on the 18th hole, we all parked our golf course and they had a champagne toast thing set up with tables and champagne and photographer and the sun setting. And it's on the sun.

That sounds fancy. It was, it was beautiful. You're like, that is, that's such a steal for people that are big golfers for that to be included. That golf course is just beautiful. Yeah. Of course stunning. I don't play golf, but it looked amazing. So I took photos of that and I'll have information on golf. And it's literally right there on the property. And also the, the scuba diving and the snorkeling, the marina, they get a little shuttle bus, but they basically take you out of the front of the resort

and then across the street and the marina is like there. So it's like five minutes away. So it's all really close. Um, so yeah. And then I had to leave pack up, take my 15 minute ride to the airport.

How many nights there? I got there on Saturday and I left on Tuesday morning. I got there. So I got there Saturday night. And then so I had dinner, you know, cocktail partying dinner. And then Sunday, Monday. And then Tuesday, you know, left at 10 a.m. So basically it's Sunday, Monday. And did you have time to do any other like water activities? No. And just like when we were at Turks, I don't know why. Like every time. So just like Turks and Caicos, um, it was kind of windy.

So they didn't have any of the water sports open. They were all just kind of sitting there on the beach. Gotcha. Yeah. I mean, well, when the weather is nice, I know they have, it's nice to have all those. They have the hoey cats. So I saw, you know, I talked to other people there at the aqua center. So if hoey cats and paddle boards and kayaks and those bike things with the giant wheels and, uh, you know, all kinds of stuff that you can take out.

And then they have hammocks right there by the water and swings by the water. Um, sounds like the ultimate like relaxation destinations. Like I got back to my room after the piano bar and I went out in the hammock behind my little villa and there's like a palm tree and just stars. Like the amount of the amount of stars and how clear it is and no lights and you're out and the middle of the ocean is just unbelievable. So it was cool.

That's amazing. So I guess it sounds perfect. It was. So if you want it to Sharpie, Caitlyn, Brenda, get you set up. You want to do a sandals or be just tripped. Uh, and then I'll be at not next week, but the week after over in Jamaica at South Coast and the grill. Name a seven mile beach. So fine. Um, so that'll be nice. And I'll actually have to, and this one is a little bit of conference time, but mostly, uh, looking at rooms and then after that kind of time on your own.

So it might be not as crazy packed with meetings, which will be nice. Hey, will you do a review show? So we'll have to do that too. You should have thought if you didn't have the new little, new little baby. Next time, next time you can go to get, um, to get to the Caribbean from Florida. So you should be easy flight, but. Yeah. The ones that are easiest if you want to go to one, uh, and just test it out. Jamaica and the Bahamas are probably your two islands that have sandals or beaches,

resorts that are close, quick and usually have enough flights to make it affordable. So. And Jamaica has several properties. I mean, that's the island. Yeah. The most resort properties there, including a brand new one that then's river. Yeah, they opened up Duns River, which is supposed to be really nice. I still haven't been. Yeah. It looks so nice. Duns River is really nice. Carousel, which I haven't been to yet, uh, which is on the ABC, uh, Ruba, uh, on air and Carousel islands over there.

Kind of close. I think I'll close to, I want to say Venezuela. Maybe I'm wrong. What's it off of? Police. Um, but those are like Dutch islands. Those are really nice. Carousel when I talked to everybody who's been there, they love it. It's not a beach, but it's not a really a beach. One, um, has very little beach, but it has a huge pool because of no beach. It has a, it has a small beach. So that's the only downside over there. And then St Vincent, which I think opens this year.

It's either maybe in April. I don't remember the day, but it's coming up. That one looks amazing. And no one's been. Yes. No one goes to St Vincent. I don't even know where it was. I don't look it up. But it's another Caribbean. I love the southern Caribbean islands. That's yep. So all right. So we got to get you over to one. I just want them to open another beach's property. There's always glow. Yeah. It seems like they should, it seems like they should do one in, in the Bahamas.

Yeah, that would be ideal. Oh, I mean, that's like that's all. Yep. Mm-hmm. Well, I was talking to an agent who had people over in Atlantis in the Bahamas and the price of that is insane. Yeah. Totally. It was, I can't remember like, it had like a bagel and an orange juice or something for breakfast. And she was like, yeah, it was like $28. So that was like our other guest. It was just like every. I was like, I was like, you know, a small burger in fries and something for like 80 bucks or something.

I was like, all these prices were like, oh my God. And I was like, think out of them at an all-inclusive. Okay. Just whatever I want. I can imagine. I was like, it was just crazy pricing. Yeah. So I don't remember how heavily. Atlantis was advertised when I was like a teenager. Yeah. I remember. I haven't seen constantly commercials. Yes. I haven't seen a commercial for that in a long time, but I remember, I remember a long time ago. Yeah, it was always on the water park and the tube and the aquarium and the casino and so yeah,

that's definitely happening over there. So that's where the other sandals is. And they have an island off of that. Uh, well, a behemoth too. They have like a private island that has little boats because everyone's just kind of cool with that resort. It is cool. Yeah, little boat takes you over there and it's different for sure. Yeah, there was a swim up pool over there and a little restaurant over there on the little private island.

It's real quiet. So all right, let's say I guess it's going to wrap it up. I want to thank Pixi Vacation for sponsoring this show and just follow us on Facebook in our Facebook group, our mouse chat and community. Uh, hopefully Lisa will be back on the next one. And join us here again on Mouse Chat.