Why Negril, Jamaica Is Exactly What Your Heart Needs Right Now

I want to talk to you today about a place that feels like exhaling — Sandals Negril and Beaches Negril. If you’ve been carrying stress, or you’re craving sunshine, peace, laughter, and luxury without having to think too hard… Negril is calling your name.

And yes, after the 2025 hurricane, people have been asking, “How are the resorts doing?”
Here’s the truth: they’re doing beautifully.

Sunset at Beach Resort Negril, Jamaica

Sandals and Beaches Negril experienced mostly cosmetic damage — downed trees, landscaping loss, some outdoor cleanup — but the buildings, rooms, restaurants, pools, and core amenities remained solid. Their teams worked day and night, and the properties have fully reopened, refreshed, strong, and ready for guests. Jamaica is resilient, and these resorts came back with even more warmth, heart, and purpose.

Now let’s talk about why YOU might need to be there.

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Unlimited Water Sports That Meet You Where You Are

One thing I love about Negril is that you can be as calm or as adventurous as you want.

For the adventure side of you:

My first time paddleboarding at Beaches Negril

• Scuba diving (included!)

• Snorkeling over the reefs

• Wakeboarding, tubing, kneeboarding

• Paddleboarding and kayaking

• Windsurfing

• Sailing and Hobie Cats

• Glass-bottom boat rides

• And yes… those big colorful aquatrikes

All included. No surprise charges. No “add-ons.” Just pure Caribbean fun. 

For the peaceful side of you:

Star fish and waterskiing

• Floating in that calm turquoise water

• Early morning paddleboarding while the sea is still

• Quiet swims at sunrise

• Gentle waves setting your whole nervous system at ease

It’s a reset button for your body and your mind.

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Food That Feels Like a Vacation All By Itself

Both Sandals Negril and Beaches Negril have amazing dining, but Sandals really shines with its mix of cozy, elegant, and toes-in-the-sand restaurants.

Some favorites you’ll love:

Dinner, breakfast or lunch with a view

• Fresh seafood right on the beach

• Caribbean jerk dishes with that irresistible smoky flavor

• Brick-oven pizza under the palm trees

• Italian favorites with ocean views

• Teppanyaki dinners full of laughter and connection

Plus the bars — swim-up bars, beach bars, lounges, and your own in-room minibar. It feels like ease. It feels like luxury without being stuffy. It feels like someone finally said, “Relax, we’ve got you.”

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Luxury Relaxation for Any Season of Life

If it’s you and your girls:

Sandals Negril is effortless. Beach hammocks, quiet nooks to nap, butler suites if you want them, and that laid-back Negril vibe that whispers, “You’re safe here. Rest.”

Can you say lazy river? Yes please.

Spa days, sun-soaked mornings, late-night laughter… it’s the kind of trip that refills your soul.

If you’re taking the family:

Beaches Negril is the place.
Waterslides, lazy river, splash park, endless activities for kids and teens — and still that classic Negril beauty for you. The whole family feels seen and cared for.

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Travel That Helps Jamaica Heal

Choosing to visit Negril this season isn’t just about treating yourself — though you absolutely deserve that. It also supports resort staff, local families, and the Jamaican tourism economy as they continue rebuilding after the storm. Your presence helps. Your visit matters.

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My Personal Invitation to You

Picture this…
You step off the plane and the warm air wraps around you. You’re driven along the coastline, past palm trees and pastel buildings, until you reach a place where the ocean is a color so blue it looks unreal.

You drop your bags in your room, walk straight to the beach, and let the water roll over your feet. And for the first time in a long time… you breathe. 

Whether it’s with your girlfriends, your family, or just you needing space to recharge — Negril is the kind of place that meets you right where you are and reminds you you’re still held, still called to joy, still allowed to live wildly and beautifully.

If you want help planning a girls’ getaway or a family vacation to either Sandals Negril or Beaches Negril, I’m here — and this is the kind of travel planning I love. Just tell me what you’re thinking, and we’ll build something beautiful together.

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If you want, I can also create a perfect 3-night or 5-night sample itinerary for either resort — just say the word. mspanostravels@gmail.com

-Michelle Spanos

Travel Agent and lover of ...a comfy bathrobe

The Perfect 10-Day - 5 National Parks Road Trip

If you’ve been craving wide-open spaces, quiet mornings, and the kind of scenery that reminds you how small your problems really are, this road trip is the one. It’s simple, doable, and packed with some of the most beautiful places in America. This is the kind of adventure that resets your soul.

Here’s the exact route I recommend, along with realistic drive times and things to do along the way.

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Day 1 — Medford to Crater Lake

Drive: About 75 miles — roughly 1.5 hours

Fly into Medford, pick up your rental car, and make a quick stop at Walmart for a styrofoam cooler and simple groceries.
Then head straight for Crater Lake National Park. The drive is peaceful, full of pines, and gets prettier the closer you get.
Settle in for the night near the park so you can wake up early.

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Day 2 — Crater Lake to Crescent City, CA

Drive: About 140 miles — around 3 hours

Start your morning with those deep-blue Crater Lake views. Walk the rim, take pictures, breathe it in.
By early afternoon, hit the road toward Crescent City. This drive is gorgeous—mountains, forest, and that feeling of crossing into the Redwood region where everything suddenly feels ancient and enormous.

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Day 3 — Explore the Redwoods, then Crescent City to Eureka

Drive: Around 85 miles — about 2 hours

Me enjoying the California Redwoods

Spend your morning among the Redwoods. You can easily stop for:

• A short nature walk among the giants

• A scenic pull-off for photos

• A quiet picnic under the trees

Continue south to Eureka for the night. This stretch isn’t long, so take your time and enjoy the coastal views.

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Day 4 — Eureka to Yosemite Valley

Drive: This is your long-haul day — roughly 350–400 miles, about 7–8 hours

Leave early and settle into the drive. This is a day of changing scenery: ocean, farmland, foothills, mountains.
Arrive in Yosemite Valley for the night—welcome to one of the most breathtaking places in the country.

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Day 5 — Yosemite National Park

A full day to soak it in.
You can choose from:

• A valley walk to see El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls

• Tunnel View for sunrise or sunset

• A calm riverside picnic

• Biking or a gentle hike if you want more activity

• Watch the sunset while looking east, yes I said east, at Glacier Point

This day will fill your camera and your heart.

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Day 6 — Yosemite to Lee Vining, Mono Lake, then Death Valley, ending near Las Vegas

Lake Mono

Drive: Yosemite Valley to Lee Vining is about 80 miles (2 hours depending on Tioga Pass conditions).
Lee Vining to Death Valley is roughly 150–180 miles (3.5–4.5 hours).
Death Valley to Las Vegas area is around 140 miles (2.5 hours).

Make the short drive over to Lee Vining and stop at Mono Lake—an otherworldly place worth stretching your legs and snapping a few pictures.
Then continue south toward Death Valley National Park. By evening, stay near the Las Vegas area so you’re rested for the next day.

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Day 7 — Vegas to Grand Canyon (South Rim), stopping at Hoover Dam

Drive: About 275 miles — roughly 4.5–5 hours

Leave Las Vegas and stop at Hoover Dam—it's a quick visit but worth seeing, even if just for some photos.
Then continue to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Settle in for your first Canyon sunset.

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Day 8 — Grand Canyon

Slow down. Take it in.
Walk the Rim Trail, sit at an overlook, or ride the shuttle to viewpoints.
There’s no rush here.

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Day 9 — Another Day at the Grand Canyon

Use this day for whatever your heart needs:

• A gentle hike

• A sunrise moment

• A slow day reading or journaling by the canyon

• Or simply more wandering and exploring

Two days here feels perfect.

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Day 10 — Grand Canyon to Flagstaff and Fly Home

Drive: About 80 miles — roughly 1.5 hours

Take one last look at the canyon before making the short drive to Flagstaff to catch your flight home.

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Want This Planned Out Perfectly for You?

If you want help picking the right hotels, knowing exactly where to stop, choosing the best trails, or planning daily activities, I’d love to put together a customized road trip plan for you.

Glacier Point view of Half Dome

I charge a small planning fee only for my road trip services because these itineraries take time to map out—but this is the only time I charge a fee. Once you’re booked, everything else I do for you is completely free.

If you want a trip like this (or any route across the U.S.), I’d love to help you plan it from start to finish.

mspanostravels@gmail.com

Reach out and let's start planning your National parks Road trip,

Michelle Spanos

Travel Agent and lover of the outdoors.

Outdoors Mt Washington, NH

Muir Woods, California

If you find yourself in the San Francisco Area then Muir Woods National Monument needs to make your "to see list".

Just 11 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge I think it's a great place to start 
or end 
your day in San Francisco.

The height!

it's the height with the redwoods.

When you stand at the base of one of these trees it's as if they reach up and touch heaven and somehow you get a little taste, a fresh breath of heaven here on earth.

As if God loved designing and growing these trees so much He allowed us to see a small glimmer of His Majestic Greatness in them!

Photos do the Muir Woods no justice, so you see, you must visit.

The main area of the Woods has a nice, flat boardwalk that circles through this beautiful grove.

There are 3 options for seeing the main grove 

a 1/2 mile (30 minute), 1 mile (1 hour) and 2 mile (1.5 hour) accessible loop makes viewing these beauties easy.

Steve and I visited in 2012 right before heading to the airport for a red-eye back east.

I told him we would just take a "little side trail through some baby groves", 4 miles, nothing big. 

Except the elevation gain. While it's minimal it was more height than we thought!

By the time we realized we were crazy in the cutting it short until our flight, time area, we were too far in and I gotta say even with a small (1/2 mile) "detour" we were glad we took the time to explore beyond the grove floor.

grove of baby redwoods

So, if your headed to the San Francisco/Oakland area, I say take time to visit.

I also think it's a doable day trip from the Sacramento area, Muir Woods in just under 2 hours from Sacramento, I say you're crazy if you don't take the time to visit.

I think John Muir himself said it best when he said this about the Muir Woods National Monument, "This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forest of the world"

happy trails

~m

Getting there:

1 Muir Woods Road

Mill Valley, CA 94941

Highway 101 North or South

Stinson Beach/Highway 1/Mill Valley exit

Follow signs to Highway 1

Follow signs to Muir Woods

Cost $7pp

Hike: the Fern Creek Trail to Lost Trail and then take a right down the mountain to Ocean View Trail. 4 miles, easy/moderate

NO CELL PHONE SERVICE

you read that correct, there is no cell service in Muir Woods

Turn off your cell phone or put it on airplane mode to conserve battery.

Combine Muir Woods with a trip to Stinson Beach for some time of relaxing, link coming soon!