Sandals Butler Insider Tips: Everything You Need To Know

No, look at me, not a butler service type of guy. It was weird the first time I did butler service, I have to admit. But once you understand butler service, what they can do for you, what type of experiences, uh, and once you have an amazing butler— they have butler service over at Turks and Caicos at Beaches. So Beaches is for families. So if you're going on a family all-inclusive vacation, you want to go to Beaches Resorts. If you're doing couples just you and one other person. Sandals— there's 18 Sandals resorts, there's 3 Beaches resorts. Uh, so butler service can be amazing, but you can also do just a regular luxury room, you can do a concierge level room, or you can do butler rooms. Here's what I want to go over. I'm going to go over what is butler service, what can they do for you. I'm going to give you some examples, uh, so you know what to expect. I'm going to talk about tipping because Sandals says tips are included, but are tips included for butlers? I'll talk about that, um, and then I'll give you some tips. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna tell you like what it is. I'm gonna tell you exactly what some experiences are. Sometimes you can have a great butler, sometimes you have a butler that's not so fantastic. So if that happens, I'm going to tell you what you need to do in that situation as well. So you arrive at Sandals. Transfers are included. Now, some of the resorts have like a limousine that'll pick you up. Well, not a limousine. They might have a BMW that picks you up. They might have a Cadillac that picks you up. They might have a Rolls-Royce that picks you up. It depends on the room category, what you've booked. And, and of course, if you book these higher level rooms, they come with butler service. Um, so I was in the Bahamas and it was like I picked up in some ridiculous car with the flags, you know, it has like the flags on the front of it so you feel like you're like, uh, I don't know, like you're a UN Embassy, uh, official when they pick you up because it has these little flags on the front of the car. And I was like, oh, I gotta get flags when I get back to the United States and put them on the front of my car. It's so ridiculous, right? Um, and then the ride, uh, I think this was Sandals Barbados— no, not Sandals Barbados, uh, Royal Bahamian. So in the Bahamas. Sandals Barbados, a whole nother— I've got videos on those as well. But yeah, um, it's only like a 15-minute ride, so it wasn't like I was in there for very long, but it was cool. Um, anyways, so when you arrive at your resort, the butler, they're going to meet you, uh, right when you get out of your car. They're going to greet you, they're going to bring you a drink, probably a cold towel. They're going to take you on a tour of the resort. They're going to check you in. They either check you in in the lobby there, or they'll check you in in your suite if the suite is ready. If your suite is not ready, they'll give you some dining options. Usually, you know, sometimes you get there early, so they'll tell you where you can maybe have breakfast or lunch. Then they'll meet up with you in the suite. They'll tour you around the suite. They will unpack your luggage. Like, I'm not having you unpack my luggage. It's just weird. You can have them unpack your luggage. I don't think I've ever had them unpack my luggage, but they will unpack your luggage and put it away for you, and they will iron or press, uh, that night's clothing for dinner if you want them to do that. So those are some of the things a butler will do when you first arrive at the Sandals Resort. All right, so insider tip, this is what you have to do when you first get to Sandals or Beaches, it's very important that you have the butler plan your dining reservations. So I would plan them for almost every night of your stay, or I would at least plan the key restaurants that you want to see during your stay, because there's going to be a calendar in your room. So, so say there's 10 dining options— some of them have up to like 20 dining options, right? So depending on how many nights you're there, when you look at this calendar they are not open every single night. So maybe Kimono's or Butch's or some of these restaurants, they, they'll have certain nights when they're not open, but other nights when other restaurants are open. So you have to plan it out and say, okay, so if you want to go to Butch's on Monday and they're closed, but you don't figure this out until later in your stay, then you've probably missed out. So as soon as you get there, I would look at this calendar. It's usually just laying right there. Ask the butler what's open, what nights, and try to plan out those nights. Now, they might not be able to get exactly 7 o'clock or 7:30, but see what they can get and go ahead and book at least the key ones. Now, not all of them record— not all of them require reservations. So only a few key restaurants require reservations. The other ones do walk-ins, so you don't have to worry about those. But if you want to dine at some of the restaurants some of the top-of-the-line restaurants that require reservations. The first night, go ahead and book those. And again, that's what the butler is for. They're going to let you know, okay, this is what's available, here's where it is. They will meet you and take you there. So some of these resorts are pretty large. So in Turks and Caicos, which was a Beaches Resort, they would pick up my entire family, they would meet us at the room, they would have a golf cart, we would get in the golf cart, They would take us to the restaurant, they would get our drink order, they would walk us to our table. It was a little weird. Oh, it was so weird. So, you have to be okay with it, right? Like, later on, I was like, "You don't have to drive us. You don't have to drive us. Just point us in the right direction." But, you know, it's up to you, right? Some of the things they'll do, so I'm gonna give you some other more insider tips. So some things that they'll do for you, which I thought was awesome. So if you have your family in your Beaches, I think the butler is great because your kids are involved, they're doing things for your kids as well. It's also great at Sandals also, but Beaches, I really enjoyed our butler service. So, all right, let me get, let me step back. I'm getting too excited. So, all right, first off, when you get to your room, they're gonna give you a cell phone. So they're gonna give you a phone and the phone Um, will have their number pre-programmed in it, and they should give you a charger. Make sure they give you the charger, because if they don't give you the charger, the phone's going to die, and then you're not going to be able to get contact to them. Make sure you understand how to use the phone, because sometimes it's a little complicated to figure out how to use the phone. So usually have 2 butlers. It depends on the resort. You might have 2, you might have 3 butlers. They usually work shifts, right? So they're not— if you're there for 7 days, you're there for 10 days, you're not going to have the same butler every day, all day long, cuz they're going to go home to their families, they're doing other things. So usually in the ones that I've done, it's usually like an AM butler and a PM butler. Same phone, same phone number. When you call them, they'll answer, they'll go ahead and do whatever you need them to do. So the other thing I would say is don't come with like a spreadsheet of things for your butler to do. There are certain things I'll tell you about you should probably have them do or think about, but don't feel like, okay, this is Jeeves and Jeeves is going to be with us 24/7, or you're going to be kind of disappointed. You can't have them there 24/7. They're there to do special things for you. They're there to do little extras for you. They're like if you have questions, if you want to get a special— if you want to have a cabana. Oh, I'll go into that. That's like the best thing. Um, there's a lot of little things they'll do for you, but don't bring like a spreadsheet of all this stuff because that's not what they're there for. All right, so let me get into some examples of how to use your butler. So Sandals Jamaica, I think the grill We had a suite, two-story, beautiful. We were there with other couples that were friends. So the downstairs of our suite was kind of a living room, dining room area. So we were like, all right, we're going to go to dinner with everybody and we want to have a party in our suite when we come back. So could you bring some cordials, some dessert, some drinks, um, some flowers, plates, and have it set up for us? Cakes, you know, different things to eat. So when we came back, they had it all set up. Perfect way to use a butler. I went to Sandals Royal Plantation, all butlers. Every room is a butler. Um, they were phenomenal. We had two different butlers. Like, one night it was a party in our room. Like, all the rooms were set up like with like disco lights and stuff when you got back. Um, sometimes it's they draw a bath for you, like a bubble bath, and there's rose petals and things, things put on the bed. I met another couple that goes every year. They just like to go down to the beach, so they have a butler. They tell their butler, hey, we want these two chairs, reserve two chairs, we want towels, we want a Yeti cooler full of Red Stripe and these drinks, and then at noon come back and you know, or we'll call you on our phone and bring more drinks. And the butler just comes down, brings them drinks, and they're set. That's what they do. They go every year. They just— butler keeps their cooler stocked, brings them towels, whatever they need down at the beach. So those are just some ways to use a butler. Beaches Resort. So Beaches Turks and Caicos, two phenomenal butlers. Um, we had a cabana, so we were in the Italian Village Watch my beaches video if you want to learn about beaches, Turks and Caicos. Italian Village, perf— Old Key West, also really nice. Lots of great options at beaches. So there with my kids, got a cabana. I don't usually lay it by the pool. This is not my, not my normal vacation, right? I like to do things. I'm not usually just laying by the pool. This was so much fun. They got a cabana right outside our room. Just come down the stairs, go right out there. Beautiful cabana. It's got a fan, it's got tables, chairs, lounge chairs, uh, little pillows, uh, it's got towels all set up for us, a cooler or a little mini fridge with all the drinks that we want. And we just hung out by the pool. Then they came by for lunch. I didn't even have to call them. Like, where do you want lunch? They'll run around, they'll get you a pizza. They'll get me jerk chicken, jerk chicken from the Jerk Shack. They'll get me jerk chicken, jerk pork festival, red stripe, piña coladas, uh, mocktails for the kids, whatever. They'll bring it all for lunch. They'll clear it all the way. I mean, it was perfect. And the next day, do you want the cabana? Yes. They get it all set up. Some of them are set up for birthday celebrations, other things. Fantastic way to use a butler. Okay, I said they'll give you a phone. Make sure— look, I've had bad butlers, and we're going to get into that too. So like, you can have a butler, they're usually phenomenal, but I've gone a lot of times and sometimes you just get somebody who's not the greatest or they're having a bad day. So they didn't give me the phone. Then when I got the phone, they didn't have a charger for the phone. They didn't have their phone number programmed into the phone, so the phone didn't work even when I had the phone. They never answered the phone. So look, I've had bad butlers. So if you have a butler that's not working out, now again, you can't expect that you're going to go through this like Excel spreadsheet of things for them to do, but if they're really just, uh, you're like, man, this person never answers, they can't do anything for me, they just whatever, right? Then if you book with us, it's complimentary to book with us. I've got a whole group, a team that goes all year long to all the different Sandals Resorts, all different Beaches Resorts. You get in touch with us, we'll talk to the general manager and make sure everything's taken care of. Or if you're there on your own, go to the front desk, go to the general manager, go to the resort manager, and just explain what's going on so you can get a new butler. Because it'll— it could, it could happen. I've only had it happen one time, and I've been going for like 14, 15 years. So that's what to do if the service is lacking. But these people are usually phenomenal. I've had amazing, amazing experiences. I go back year after year. See the same people. Perfect, perfect, perfect time. Okay. Oh, so the phone. I keep talking about the phone and I don't tell you this story. Do not lose the phone. It's $100. It's probably more now. Last time I lost the phone, it was $100. I don't know where the phone went. It's very easy because, right, you're going to the beach, you're going here, you're going to the pool, you got this little tiny phone, plus you have your phone. Right? It's $100. They'll charge it to the room. So I looked everywhere for that phone, couldn't find it. So don't lose the phone. If you have kids and you're at a Beaches, very easy to lose the phone. So that's where I lost ours. So anyways, try to keep track of the phone at night. Put it back in the same place, charge it, keep it all in the same spot. But I've only lost one, only one phone so far. All right, so I want to go down my list. We talked about how you usually have two butlers, more than one butler. It's a butler team. We talked about the phone. We talked about things to do with your butler. Again, dinner's the best thing when you get there. Make sure they book it. Also, I don't know if the butler will book this because I always book it on my own. But first day, any excursions you want to do,, either third party or you should book them before you go. But all the excursions on site, so like the ones that are included, like if you want to go snorkeling, you want to go on a Hobie Cat, well, anything like on the beach, right? So you think you're just going to walk up at 4 o'clock and just get on a Hobie Cat or go snorkeling, but people have already booked a lot of these spots. So the first day you want to go out to the beach and see what's available. It might be for that day or it might be for 2 days from then. So that's why you want to go and see what's available on your first day and then book it. And then take a look at what the weather is going to be like because you don't want to go because it could be a day where it's going to be raining and then all the beach activities are closed. You know, they got the red flag going. So again, the first day is super important. So talk to the butler about what you need to book. How to book it on the first day. Same thing with spa. So if you want to book Red Lane Spa, book it before you go. Um, we can help you book that. Um, also, also you should— sometimes you get a discount, like a small discount if you book things in advance. So if you know what you want to book, book them in advance. Usually get a discount. You also have it all set up so you don't get there and it's all filled up or it's all booked up. So do that. But if you don't book it in advance, get there, talk to the butler, figure out what you want to do. On the first day and then kind of try to book it for the whole vacation, or at least maybe kind of walk around the resort, think about it, look at this, the little booklet in your room, and then when they come and get you for dinner, then say, hey, these are the things I want to do, and sit down with them, get those booked. We're going to talk about tipping. So Sandals, tips are included, so it's all included in the price. So everything, it's like, it's awesome. I hate tipping. Oh my God, especially nowadays in the United States, like Everywhere you go, oh sir, there's one little question you have to answer. Let me flip the iPad around. 40%, 50%. Like, look, I just got a cookie. So, oh, so Sandals, no tipping, it's included. So all right, now I'm going to give you— so here's what you need to do. So bring some cash, 5s, 10s, 20s, US dollars if you're coming from the US, obviously. They'll take US dollars. They love US dollars. Because, all right, so you get off the plane. The guy who's going to grab your bag and take it to the shuttle, not a Sandals employee, so you should tip him. The bus driver that's going to take you on a 15-minute to an hour and a half to 2-hour ride, depending on where you're going, to your Sandals resort, that transfer is included, but the tipping for that guy is not. So I usually— so you usually tip them, uh, and then that's it. I take my wallet, I put it in the safe in my room, lock it up. The only other things you tip for on Sandals: spa services. You have a good spa treatment, they take tips. Um, third-party tours. So you do a catamaran sailing, uh, you know, like a booze cruise type thing, or you go snorkeling. You go out and see the flamingos in Curaçao, you go swim with the pigs in Exuma. Like, those, uh, third-party trips, those tour guides you can tip, uh, and your butler you can tip. And I would definitely tip my butler. I don't tip every day. It's just— I don't think— I don't know if anybody does. I tip at the very end. So there's a couple ways to tip at the very end. I like to tip people that do an exceptional job. So when I'm on a cruise or I'm at Disney World or I'm on a Sandals trip or all-inclusive or a river cruise, whatever, those people— like, some of those people work super hard. They're away from their families for 60 days on a cruise, right? Or 6— or 6 months 60 days, 6-month contract, 9-month contract. Same with Sandals. They go home, or some of them might— you're like, when you talk to them, they're like, you might be in the Bahamas and that guy or girl might be from Jamaica and they just moved over for a little while and their family's back on the other island. So they come and they work super hard. Some of them are away from their family and they're doing everything to make your vacation fantastic. So I like to take care of those people. Versus someone just kind of standing on the side of the road somewhere. So they're doing so much for you. So you can tip whatever you feel is appropriate, right? I would say it's really what you feel like you want to do. Um, some people tip basically what's equivalent of $20 a day up to $50 a day, right? So at the end of the trip, it could be $100 It could be, I don't know, $200, $300. It just depends on what you want to do. Um, you can split it between the two butlers if you have two butlers. I usually just give it to the butler and I figure that they're gonna figure it out, right? Because they're, they're a team. Um, they will, at the— on the last day, they will meet you in the lobby or they will get your luggage and take you and your luggage to the lobby. So you should see them on the last day to tip them. If you don't, you can leave the money like in an envelope at the kind of concierge or front desk, uh, and then— and you can do that even the day or the night before. And then if you see them, you can say, oh, I left something for you at the front desk. So you can do that that way as well. I've always seen, um, our butlers on the last day, you know, usually breakfast or on the way out, and then I just hand them the the tip. All right, we're going to wrap it up. We talked about butlers, butler teams, tipping, what to do if you have a bad service or bad butler, uh, what, how to, um, what, what butlers can do for you. Uh, so yeah, they're basically, again, when you're booking this higher Butler Elite service, you're booking a higher service, but you're also booking a nicer, higher room category. So your whole, you know, experience is elevated. I just also want to say, if you book Luxury, which is their entry-level category, phenomenal. Still going to have a great time, still get to go to the same restaurants. You're just not getting— you just have to get up early. I have tips, watch my other videos. I have tips. I go on the cheap. I go to Sandals on the cheap. I go to beaches on the cheap, if that is a thing. It's still expensive, right? Flights, kids, yeah, it all adds up, right? But I have tips on how to save money, but I go to like, if it's a good value, I feel like if it's a good value, I'll spend the money. And butler service at some of the resorts and at Beaches is definitely a good value. And if you have a special occasion, it's phenomenal. And these people do a great job. They're there to make your vacation most fantastic vacation, amazing memories that you'll ever have. So if you haven't already, look in the description of the video. I will link to the latest Sandals and Beaches offers. I keep it up to date all the time. You can call me. I have a whole team. It's Pixie Vacations. So we have Pixies. See what I did there? Pixies. They plan, they magical, they plan your magical trip, right? So we have a whole team of Pixies all over the United States. Go to Sandals, they go to beaches, they go to all-inclusives all the time. We know the managers, we know the management team, we're on calls with them all the time. I am going in 1 week, I think, 2 weeks maybe, less than 2 weeks to Curaçao, to Sandals Curaçao. So I'll do a video on that also. So we're always there, happy to help. It's complimentary, like there's no extra charge. Make sure you get the best rate. Help you out with what to do, what not to do, where to stay, what the different room categories are. 18 Sandals Resorts. Just came back from St. Vincent, brand new resort. Watch that video. Oh my God, it's amazing. Oh, make me cry, it's so good. Sandals St. Vincent, just got back. Uh, beaches, been there in a hurricane, been there when it's raining, been there when it's beautiful. Tell you all about all the beaches, resorts. If you have a family, we can do that for you as well. So yeah, go to the description, you can see the latest things, or just go to pixievacations.com. We will get you a quote, we'll get you all set up. Have a fantastic vacation.