When it comes to a Sandals Resorts or Beaches Resorts vacation, it's not uncommon for travelers to want the best. This includes the best price too. But it's hard to understand if you're truly getting the best deal or not, and I find myself being asked often what the secret is to getting the absolute best deals on a Sandals or Beaches vacation package. When I explain my tips, I find that most people don't know half of these deals even exist or how to go about getting as many as possible. That's why, in my blog today, I'm tackling this ever popular question: how do you get the best deals at Sandals Resorts?
Travel During Shoulder Season
Shoulder season is travel industry talk for the times of year when school is in session and no major holiday breaks take place. Normally this is late April through mid-June and late August through to early November. Any time you travel around a holiday the prices will increase significantly. Example: for families, it's cheaper to travel the last week of August than it is to travel the first weeks of August. If you truly want to save the most money, be flexible with your travel dates and don't plan your vacation around a major US holiday.
Be Flexible With Flight DatesÂ
Being flexible with travel dates goes for flights too. Depending on the time of travel, you may be able to get a cheaper flight on a Tuesday verses flying on a Saturday. Also, not all airlines fly every day of the week, so if you're dead set on flying Wednesday-Wednesday, you may be missing out on a cheaper airline option that only flies Sunday-Sunday.Â
Stay 3 Nights or LongerÂ
It's often assumed that the shorter your stay, the cheaper the overall vacation package will be. With Sandals and Beaches, their promotions only apply for bookings of 3 nights or longer, which means that a three night stay actually comes out to less than a one or two night stay. If you're short on budget or time, consider a stay of three nights instead of two and you can save up to 65% on the same exact room.
Airfare and Bonus Booking Credits
Make sure to take a look and see what deals are being offered for the dates you plan to travel. Some of the best deals Sandals and Beaches offer are for the Fall shoulder travel season. At times airfare credits can be up to $1,000 and there are bonus booking offers available, as well as free nights and spa or tour perks and credits. Again, the longer you stay the better the deal you'll get. Take the airfare credits for example. In one case, a 3 night stay will get you a $350 credit, but if you stay for 7 nights that credit goes up to $1,000. Â Remember to pay close attention to the "Book By" dates so you don't miss a deal before it expires.
Free NightsÂ
At times, Sandals and Beaches may offer 1 Free Night for bookings of 6 nights or longer. This means that if you're staying 6 nights, the 7th night becomes free. One thing to keep in mind about this promotion is that it is not for every room category. Â Normally it's for butler level bookings, or at times, some of the top Club level suites. This deal may not be for someone looking to save on an entry level room, but it's great for someone who wants to experience a higher level of service for less.
Free Anniversary NightÂ
The Free Anniversary Night offer is valid for clients looking to travel to Sandals or Beaches within 30 days before or after of their wedding anniversary date. It is for one free only with seven paid nights and the offer is only available to guests staying the Club and Butler level room categories. The only downside to this is that the offer is not combinable with Loyalty & Travel desk bookings. It is also not combinable with any other "free night" promotions Sandals offers. So this option is only a good one when the room you're in doesn't offer a free night already. But sometimes it's actually a better deal than the Loyalty Desk promotions, so make sure to go over the options with us before you rebook.
The 7-7-7 Deals
Every Wednesday, Sandals and Beaches release their weekly "7-7-7 deals". To break it down, this deal includes 7 specific room categories and puts them on sale for a week. During that 7 day time frame if you book one of these categories during the travel window for the promotion, you will get an additional 7% off of the room rate, on top of the other promotional discounts. For the absolute best prices, you'll want to look for a timeframe when the room is already 65% off (the highest the sales go). Combined with the extra 7% you'll get the maximum amount of savings.
Last Minute Deals
If your schedule is flexible and you are looking for a trip in the next two months, this is a great deal to take advantage of. The best part is, it's combinable with several of the other discounts. Last minute deals are just that, deals you can find last minute for travel within the next few months. Most times you will get 1 FREE night on stays of 3 or 4 nights for select dates at select resorts. This is the resorts way of filling open inventory last minute. You'll want to view the exact availability on their site in order to know which options are best for your travel timeframe.
Service Personnel (Military/Police/Firefighter/FEMA) DiscountÂ
United States & Canadian guests who qualify are able to receive a 10% discount at all Sandals and Beaches Resorts on top of all the other savings available to the public.  For firefighters, the qualification is they must be part of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).  Members of the military include active or spouse, retired, reserves, U.S. National Guard, U.S. Veterans, U.S. Department of Defense and Canada Department of National Defense.  Police in U.S. and Canadian must be active members of the force.  All service personnel must provide proof to the resort chain ahead of time and carry their service ID with them to show at check-in.
Airline MilesÂ
If you have miles or points accumulated through an airline that you prefer to use, you can book that on your own and still get the airfare credit. The way the airfare credit at Sandals and Beaches works is that it comes off of the room price automatically, so the price you see online is the price including the airfare credit already.Â
Sandals Select Guest (SSG) Return Guest DiscountÂ
Been to Sandals or Beaches before? Even if it was a long time ago you can still sign up for the return guest program to get a discount on your new reservation. Â When you sign up, after your first Sandals or Beaches stay, you qualify for 10,000 points which equals $250 off your next visit.
Price Matching
One of my favorite things that Sandals and Beaches allows is price matching after booking. As long as your room isn't paid in full and the room category you have booked is available for the dates you are traveling, they will allow you to price match the lower rate after booking. In many cases I've had a price adjusted before my clients even knew a new price was out!
Best Price Guarantee
Stop searching all over the internet for the best possible price for Sandals or Beaches resorts. You won't find a better rate than direct with the resort chain. This is because of their No Discounting Policy that the brand takes very seriously. Nobody is allowed to discount these resorts, and any supplier, tour operator, or travel agency caught discounting will lose the ability to sell the brand entirely. This is why you won't find Sandals/Beaches for sale on certain booking discount websites. The good news is, this means you don't have to spend days, weeks and months of your time searching every possible travel site online to find the best price for a Sandals or Beaches vacation. The best price will be directly at Sandals.com or Beaches.com, and any Sandals Specialist who works directly with Sandals and Beaches will book directly to get you that best price guarantee, too.
Loyalty & Travel Desk Discount
If you're already on resort, you may be able to take advantage of the generous rebooking discounts at the resort. The Loyalty & Travel Desk can add an additional 10-12% off of your next booking, on top of many great deals already mentioned in this post. Any guests on resort booking for a future stay through the Loyalty desk will receive 10% off of entry level rooms, 11% off of Club/Concierge level rooms, or 12% off of butler level rooms. This is on top of 7-7-7 deals, SSG points, and regular promotions. However, this deal is not combinable with the free anniversary night promotion, so you may want to check pricing of the two options to compare which would be the best discount for you. Remember, if you are booking with your travel with a Sandals Specialist, you can rebook at the Loyalty Desk on resort and transfer the booking back to that specialist to continue working with them going forward.
Double or Triple Point PromotionsÂ
As an SSG member you'll also receive emails when double (and sometimes even triple) point promotions pop up. At times I've seen the deal go as high as $750 off in points! These promotions will typically only qualify for new bookings. There are also promotions through SSG like "Birthday Month" where you get an extra 5,000 points for booking a trip within your birthday month which equals a $125 additional savings. You must be an SSG member to qualify.
Sandals Credit Card
Many don't know that Sandals and Beaches also have a partnership with Bank of America that allows them to offer a credit card with perks for guests. The long list of perks include several tiers of savings such as $75 off or even $300 off, but the top reward is three free nights. There is no annual fee (see terms and conditions) and you earn one point per dollar spent on everyday purchases and double points for purchases at any Sandals & Beaches Resorts property. So it's not too hard to earn if you plan to use the card frequently, especially while traveling to the resorts. Plus, when you sign up and make a purchase in the first 90 days you qualify to earn a 10,000 bonus points offer, which is enough for a $100 spa credit.
Test Drive Your WeddingÂ
If you're planning on possibly getting married at a Sandals or Beaches Resort, you'll most likely want to make sure that resort is the right fit for your destination wedding needs. Sandals now offers couples a "Test Drive". The option to come down to the resort ahead of time for a two night stay to experience everything Sandals or Beaches has to offer you. You'll be able to meet the wedding coordinators, taste the cakes, sample menu lists, see the table set ups, and check out the wedding locations on property, all in person to prepare you for your big day. The best part is, prices start at only $500 per couple for two nights (air not included in that price) and those who book their Wedding after the trip will receive up to a $700 credit to go toward their special occasion at Sandals, earning you back what you paid for the Test Drive trip, and then some.
Trip Insurance
Your trip is an investment and you want to make sure you protect that money you spend. If something happens while away, you want to make sure that you have the coverage to recoup that money. I always recommend trip insurance for that very reason. What if you get sick? What if something happens to a family member and you can't travel? What if you're away an a storm hits the island or back home? These things happen, more frequently than most realize. Without trip insurance your options are limited and you won't see a penny back in what you spent. My best advice is to shop around for coverage that best suits your needs. Like with all insurance, the more you pay, the better coverage you'll receive. Look into the plans, call the insurance companies and ask questions if you're unsure of something. Â Sandals offers a somewhat limited plan through Trip Mate, but there are also other great companies like Travel Guard and Travel Safe that offer more comprehensive coverage. Some have insurance through their credit card, make sure if you do that you understand the coverage and what's included. Research all of your options and always remember to go for the "Cancel For Any Reason" protection.
Book With A Us
I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't cover this important factor. Not all of these deals are combinable, and a true Sandals Specialist will know exactly which ones will work best for you.Â
But not all Sandals specialists are alike. For example, a "Certified Specialist" means that specialist took an online course with a 10 question test at the end and has at least one booking under their belt. The next tier is a "Preferred Specialist", which is is one that Sandals and Beaches prefers their guests work with because they are maintaining a minimum of 25 bookings per year and know the resorts well. The highest tier is the Sandals Chairman's Royal Club, which are the top award-winning Sandals specialists, in the entire world. When you're working with a top tier specialist, you're getting the absolute best of the best.
As a Chairman's Royal Club member, my partnership with the brand is an integral part of my client's travel experience. My personal expertise on the resorts (having been to all of them) is an invaluable tool at my client's disposal. From the moment my clients contact me for assistance to the moment they return home from a trip I send them on, I am working night and day to ensure their vacation is worth the investment they've made. And, while rare, if my client's trip doesn't live up to the Sandals/Beaches standards, I continue to work hard after travel to ensure their concerns are heard and answered by the resort brand, and any resolution is to my client's satisfaction.
The best part is, no matter which level of room you book or how much you spend, you never pay anything extra for my service. Yes, it's true. Consider it part of the all-inclusive package. You get the same price whether you book on your own or book with me, except when you book with me you get a pre-travel concierge available to help with anything you need before, during or after travel. This is an excellent value for even the most seasoned Sandals and Beaches traveler. Just take a look at my booking comparison chart here:
NOTE:Â All information in this blog was collected at the time of publishing. Information above is always subject to change, per the resort.
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