Where to stay when you leave.
10/11/2007 at 1:03 PM
Tags: Hotel Openings, Hotel Parties, All-Inclusive Resorts, Sandals, Celebrity Scoop

We're not sure if the world needed another huge Sandals resort but someone decided that it did and thus, the new addition to the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa just opened this past weekend.
Much like the opening for The Cove at Atlantis, Sandals brought out celebs to celebrate its opening weekend. And by celebs we mean Rumer Willis, Kimora Lee Simmons, Shaggy, Teri Polo and Laguna Beach alum Stephen Colletti.
Jen at Ok! Magazine actually has the "play-by-play" on the opening festivities including a brief description of the suite "which is like a palacial suite with a balcony overlooking the entire 'rainy' village", her stint in a beer-guzzling competition and a report that Rumer Willis and Stephen Colleti were in the hot tub til 4am while friendly Sandals butlers refreshed their towels.
As for the new addition, it totally resembles The Cove, complete with some flash media presentation that talks about a "legend" and an "epic of love." The presentation also says the place was so grand and so luxurious it needed a new name--the Mediterranean Village. Um, that's not so grand or epic.
Anyways, in typical Sandals fashion it remains an all-inclusive resort but now it has all-suite accommodations and the Eastern Caribbean's largest pool:
As big as an ocean, this impressive new pool features a majestic tower for viewing sunsets, a colonnaded swim-up bar, and chic pool-side cabanas for lounging in intimate luxury.
Plus Sandal's has exclusive butler service, the first for their resorts, with butlers trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers. This service is available for those staying in the concierge suites. And of course, this is Sandals. There's so much more to do here aside from make-out in a hot tub. And for that we can't really fault Sandals.
by juliana
4/05/2007 at 11:57 AM
Tags: Hotel Hell, All-Inclusive Resorts, Cancun Hotel Reviews
A tipster let us know that there is a controversy brewing on TripAdvisor over the managment at the Le Blanc Resort and Spa in Cancun.
We're still piecing everything together but it looks like the hotel has signed a deal with a Jewish group for three years to celebrate Pesach at the hotel. Which normally should not be a problem but the agreement includes "an entirely kosher arrangement" throughout the hotel during their stay, ranging from food to the silverware and cooking utensils to a "No Alcohol" policy and to accommodations for children at this "adults-only" hotel.
All of which is not good if you aren't in the group and you don't keep kosher. And if you are a kid-hating alcoholic.
MORE on the Cancun Kosher Hotel Hell after the jump.
MORE...
by juliana
12/13/2006 at 11:13 AM
Tags: Puerto Vallarta Hotel Reviews, All-Inclusive Resorts, Warm Weather Hotels

[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven Tim Leffel continues his Puerto Vallarta hotel hopping by checking in at the Grand Velas Resort. Enjoy.]
Let's be real; for anyone with a sense of style, all-inclusive resorts are a guilty pleasure. They are right up there with sneaking rocky road ice cream at midnight, listening to Abba on the iPod, and secretly watching bad reality TV shows when nobody else is home. Great fun while you are enjoying them, but not something you want to necessarily go bragging about afterwards.
There are some all-inclusive resorts that break the mold, however. Bartenders make cocktails with liquor you've actually heard of, there's no chirpy Julie McCoy animation director trying to get you involved in goofy games, and the food is more than just fuel to put down your gullet. In Puerto Vallarta, that mythical nirvana of all-inclusives exists for real in Grand Velas Suites and Spa Resort.
Keep on reading to learn more about this surprisingly un-cheesy all-inclusive resort.
MORE...
by juliana