Resort Overall: clean, modern, and very lively, catering to the young-adult demographic for the most part (the resort is adult-only).

Room: very clean and modern (lead-in room).

Food and Beverage: food and drinks were delicious.

Beach: typical for Jamaica (small, man-made, but no seaweed).

Service & Staff: service and staff were wonderful

Entertainment: the entertainment and party atmosphere was the highlight of our trip as this is what Riu is all about (especially the foam pool parties, themed Riu Parties, and daytime poolside entertainment). A big advantage of this resort is if you do not want to be a part of the entertainment and lively atmosphere, there are multiple pools that allow for prime relaxation.

Location: very convenient as the resort is just minutes from MBJ Airport.

Other: Even though this is an adult only resort, there is a waterpark located near the back of the resort with multiple waterslides.

Resort Overall: The resort is beautiful and clean, though there are some design flaws (tiles throughout the resort and around pools get very slippery when wet, the hallway between the lobby bar and lobby/rum bar is like a wind tunnel when winds are high).

Room: Beautiful rooms and very clean. Unfortunately, I did experience some maintenance issues that put a small damper on my stay.

Food and Beverage: food was delicious, and a large variety of cocktails available (especially at their rum bar), as well as beer and wine.

Beach: not swimmable due to strong ocean currents year-round and seaweed.

Service & Staff: service was good, especially in the onsite spa.

Entertainment: I did not see much entertainment during my stay, though they do have a daily entertainment schedule.

Location: only about 20 minutes from the airport. Located on the east coast of Barbados, this area does frequently experience strong winds.

Other: Although I usually do not indulge in spa treatments on vacation, I did during my stay at Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle during a rainy day and my experience was wonderful.

Resort Overall: our trip was fantastic, and the resort exceeded our expectations. Small, but very clean and modern with a lot to offer.

Room: we stayed in a Deluxe Ocean View room and the view was perfect - I would recommend anyone staying at this resort to upgrade to the Ocean View.

Food and Beverage: The food was good, we always found something to eat, and shortages were not a huge issue during our stay.

Beach: The beach was nice but not as good as in other parts of Varadero - that being said, we personally had no complaints.

Service & Staff:

Entertainment: the entertainment was great. The poolside entertainment in the mornings and afternoons, the live music in the lobby in the evenings, and the nighttime shows on the theatre stage did not disappoint.

Location: The location of the resort was perfect - it is located only about 15 minutes from the airport, and about 10 minutes from downtown Varadero. We took advantage of this and hitched a couple rides in some classic cars into town for a couple of really fun nights out at The Beatles bar and The Havana Club. It wouldn't be a true trip to Varadero if you didn't take some time to explore the Downtown Varadero area.

Other: The Wi-Fi was good but only available while in the main building or rooms.

Resort Overall: beautiful, with so many different things to do throughout the day/evening.

Room: very clean and modern (Junior Suite).

Food and Beverage: the food and drinks were delicious.

Beach: absolutely gorgeous (barely any seaweed and no rocky areas).

Service & Staff: service was top notch.

Entertainment: entertainment was so much fun (especially the pool parties and evening parties at the main theatre stage).

Location: very convenient (only about 30-40 minutes from the airport depending on traffic).

Other: the only wildlife we saw at this resort were iguanas, and cats. No coatis anywhere.

Resort Overall: was beautiful and clean, but very large.

Room: During our stay, half of the guest rooms were closed for renovations. Due to this, our room was assigned in an older area of the resort, so our room was a little more dated than the renovated rooms, but still nice.

Food and Beverage: phenomenal - by far the best all-inclusive buffet I've ever eaten at. Such a large variety of cocktails, as well as beer and wine.

Beach: not great, there wasn't much seaweed during our stay but there is a lot of rock and coral on the beach and in the water.

Service & Staff: Service was good and staff were friendly, though we had some issues getting in touch with concierge to help us arrange a tee time at the golf course.

Entertainment: The evening entertainment was great, but we did not experience much of the daytime entertainment as we spent our mornings and afternoons at the adult only infinity pool.

Location: This resort is far from the airport 1-2 hour drive depending on which airport you fly into (Tulum or Cancun).

Other: There was a lot of wildlife on this resort which I personally loved. Seeing the coatis, capybaras, iguanas, cats, and more was an awesome experience for me during my first trip to Mexico! We also spend one morning playing a round of Golf at PGA Riviera Maya Golf Course which is located on the Bahia complex in Mexico. The course was beautiful, and it was an awesome experience (word of advice, bring your own golf balls and tees as they are very costly in the pro shop).

I was invited to attend this year's Spirit of Barbados Mega FAM October 15-20 (the first ever Barbados Mega FAM originating out of Canada). During my time in Barbados, I spent 4 nights at O2 Beach Club & Spa in Christ Church, Barbados.

Resort Overall: small, but beautiful, clean, and modern. The pool areas (including the rooftop infinity pool area) were stunning. Although I spent a lot of my time in Barbados out and about, the time I did get to spend on the resort was well enjoyed.

Room: gorgeous and so clean (I stayed in a 1-bedroom suite).

Food and Beverage: The food was absolutely delicious. A variety of cocktails available, as well as beer and wine.

Beach: the beach was fabulous, though water can be rough at times. There was a turtle egg hatch during our stay.

Service & Staff: the service was top notch.

Entertainment: there wasn't much entertainment at the resort, aside from a couple hours of live music in the evenings, this resort would be perfect for anyone just wanting to relax and/or stay in a prime location close to local restaurants, bars, and shopping.

Location: just minutes away from the St. Lawrence Gap.

We stayed at the Manhattan at Times Square hotel in the Premium King Room. The location was perfect for those wanting to stay in the area of Times Square and Central Park, and the hotel itself was beautiful (note that we were assigned a room on one of the recently renovated floors). During our time in NYC, we visited the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Centre, rented bikes and rode through Central Park, visited Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, visited the Empire State Building and the 86th Floor Observatory, visited SUMMIT One Vanderbilt (one of the most notable experiences we had in NYC), spent a couple days exploring the city with the help of the Big Bus Tours Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, visited the famous Wall Street Bull, tried so many awesome foods and restaurants (including the famous Joe's Pizza and Ellen's Stardust Diner), and much much more.

Resort Overall: Very beautiful, clean, and well-maintained. I would recommend this resort to anyone – families traveling with kids, adults (couples or friend trips - of any age), honeymooners at Serenity, etc.

Room: a little outdated during my stay, but clean and very room is oceanview (except serenity).

Food and Beverage: delicious food and a wide variety of cocktails, as well as beer and wine.

Beach: that this is not a resort for people who enjoy swimming at the beach. Because of the side of the island that Coconut Bay is located on, the water is very rough and there is a lot of seaweed.

Service & Staff: excellent service and friendly staff.

Entertainment: Super fun resort with so much to do day and night. Honorable mention to the Caribbean Carnival Night and the Silent Headphone Party. They even have live music every evening in the lobby.

Location: 3 minutes from the airport – very convenient.

Other: Once you arrive in St. Lucia, you go to the Coconut Bay kiosk at the airport to get checked in and brought to the resort by their own transfer service.

Fun fact: Coconut Bay is located across from Maria Islands Nature Reserve – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Home to 80 plant species and 5 endemic reptile species, including the world’s rarest snake, the Kouwes Snake.

Resort Overall: beautiful, serene resort.

Room: I recommend going with an upgraded room category as the lead-in does have some cosmetic issues that are in need of some TLC.

Food and Beverage: delicious food with a variety of cocktails, as well as beer and wine.

Beach: The beach was beautiful. So clean and no seaweed whatsoever – definitely one of my favorite beaches in St. Lucia.

Service & Staff: excellent service. Tipping is not allowed at Sandals so everyone receives the same service.

Entertainment: There is a quiet pool and there is a livelier pool with music and activities. Because of this, I think this resort would be appropriate for any couple – those who prefer to relax and those who like to party, and those who like both.

Location: St. Lucia is a very small island, so it only takes 1-1.5 hours to get to Sandals Halcyon from the airport. If you suffer from motion sickness, take something for nausea before boarding the bus to the resort as the island is very mountainous with windy roads.

Other: The new section (Joli and Rondoval categories) is breathtaking.

Resort Overall: What can I say other than “WOW”… This place is amazing. This resort is truly for everyone.

Room: beautiful, modern, clean, and beautiful views.

Food and Beverage: delicious food and a large variety of cocktails, as well as beer and wine.

Beach: Another beautiful and clean beach with no seaweed, though the water does get pretty deep, pretty fast.

Service & Staff: There are servers at every pool and on the beach. They have something called “red flag service”. You just stick up your red flag next to your chair and a server will come over, take your order, and bring you whatever food or drink you want, even towels. You don’t even have to get out of your chair if you do not want to. They have a very cool but different tipping etiquette as well – instead of tipping every server individually, they encourage you to leave your tips in the box at the front desk and they are dispersed to all employees equally.

Entertainment: There is ALWAYS something going on throughout the day – different activities scheduled every 15 minutes ranging from yoga, to land sports, to water sports, to workouts, and more. Every Friday night they do a Sunset Cruise which seems to be a guest (and employee) favorite. 

Location: St. Lucia is a very small island, so it only takes 1-1.5 hours to get to The BodyHoliday from the airport. If you suffer from motion sickness, take something for nausea before boarding the bus to the resort as the island is very mountainous with windy roads.

Other: There are 3 pools – a quiet pool, an activity pool (which is pretty small but still nice), and another quiet pool located at the wellness center. This is not a great resort for people with mobility issues as the resort is situated on the side of a hill. They did say that they have ways of getting you up and down the hills if you have mobility issues preventing you from making it up the hill by yourself comfortably.