The Destination Wedding Planning Process #Infographic

New and Noteworthy in the world of #Destinationwedding and #Honeymoons

Sugar Bay Resort & Spa, St. Thomas

AMResorts will take over the 294-room Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in St. Thomas next Tuesday, rebranding it as the Dreams Sugar Bay St. Thomas Resort & Spa in November after several months of renovations that will include guestroom upgrades.


Riu Hotels & Resorts unveiled new menu options at its themed restaurants at the Riu Palace locations in Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, the Riviera Maya, and the Riviera Nayarit. The changes include almost 100 new dishes, giving guests six main course choices (up from four).

The One&Only Hayman Island private island resort in Australia's Great Barrier Reef region will open after a huge makeover, including a redesigned "pool wing" that's now all suite.

Air Canada Vacations will roll out new nonstop flights on January 1st, 2015 between Montreal and Curacao, with introductory package prices on the route when you book by July 31, 2014.

The Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort in Jamaica will add a beachfront water park in December with water slides, raft rides, a "lazy river," a dining plaza with a bar, and other amenities.

The 1,600-room SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino will open ahead of schedule (Aug 23) rather than Labor Day). It will be the first brand-new Strip resort to open in almost five years.

The 124-room Capella Marigot Bay Resort and Marina in St. Lucia will re-open officially on August 15th, (after a "soft opening" next month) with new suites, restaurants, health and wellness facilities, a cigar bar, and a "rum cave." (It's the former Discovery at Marigot Bay property.)

Investors announced plans to resurrect the Moulin Rouge Casino and Resort in Las Vegas on a 15-acre site in the city's downtown district. The former Moulin Rouge property was known for being one of America's first racially integrated casinos.

Azul Fives Resort, Mayan Riviera

Transat Holidays rolled out a groups promotion at the Azul Fives Hotels in Mexico's Riviera Maya region, with $300 discounts per couple and lower minimum deposits ($100, not $250), plus agent benefits, when you book by June 30th for travel Nov 1 - April 30, 2015. (Starting Nov 1st, Azul Fives will only be bookable in Canada through Transat Holidays.)

Air Transat began its new Prague packages this week, with Tuesday flights from both Montreal and Toronto set to run through Oct 7th.

For more information and to request your free Destination Wedding or Honeymoon Quote, please contact the experts at Romantic Planet Vacations www.romanticplanet.ca 1-866-247-8123 or inquiries@romanticplanet.ca

Moon Palace to open in Jamaica

Palace Resorts acquires Sunset Jamaica Grande

By Gay Nagle Myers, Travel Weekly

Palace Resorts will assume ownership of the 730-room Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on July 7, and will close it on Sept. 1 for renovations.

The resort will reopen as the Moon Palace Jamaica Grande in early 2015.

"When we designed our strategic five-year growth plan, we listed several destinations as priorities, and Jamaica was at the top of that list," said Gibran Chapur, executive vice president for Palace Resorts.

"We believe Jamaica is the most important tourism destination in the Caribbean, and we found the Sunset Jamaica Grande to be the perfect opportunity for us to enter this market."

Palace Resorts currently owns and operates seven properties in Mexico, including the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, Cancun.

Sunset Resorts has three other properties in Jamaica: two in Montego Bay and one in Negril.

Forever Starts in Barbados: How to score free travel and a wedding for bride-to-be

Canadian brides fly, stay and wed for free in Barbados!

In the competitive market of destination weddings, the Barbados Tourism Authority has just come up with the cleverest promotion to bring more brides to Barbados - by offering them free trips!

Photo provided by The Barbados Tourism Authority

For the first fifty brides from Canada who book and register their group to Barbados with Romantic Planet Vacations from now until May next year for travel Sept 1, 2014 to December 15, 2015, they will receive complimentary airfare (valued up to CAD$1000), complimentary accommodations at select hotels in Barbados, and a complimentary wedding package. Now that's a bargain!

Flights are available with Air Canada or Westjet to Barbados from most cities across Canada with a connection in Toronto. Most people buy a full travel package to include accommodations, airport transfers and airfare, all of which can be arranged with group travel and destination wedding specialists, Romantic Planet Vacations. 

Romantic Planet Vacations has been serving destination wedding brides and grooms and their wedding groups since 2004 and will be celebrating their tenth anniversary this November. All of their agents are certified Honeymoon and Destination Wedding Specialists and all have been trained in the Barbado's Tourism Authority's 'Barbados Elite Club' making them exclusive leaders in travel experiences to Barbados.

As long as the wedding group books a minimum of ten rooms for four nights, the bride qualifies for all of the benefits. The participating hotels are;

Photo provided by the Barbados Tourism Authority

1.    Sugar Cane Club
2.    The Crane Residential Resort
3.    Turtle Beach Resort
4.    Crystal Cove
5.    Tamarind
6.    Colony Club
7.    The House
8.    Bougainvillea Beach Resort
9.    Island Inn
10.  Mango Bay
11.  Accra Beach Hotel & Spa
12.  Ocean Two Resort and Residences
13.  Sea Breeze
14.  South Gap
15.  Little Arches

And if that's not enough, the participating hotels are throwing in a free wedding! This includes;

o Officiant’s Fees/ Minister’s Fees
o Transport to Registry Office to obtain marriage license
o Bottle of Sparkling Wine for Ceremony
o Wedding Cake
o Decorated wedding area/arch
o Bridal bouquet
o Groom boutonniere
o Recorded Music

To obtain your free discounted group quote today to Barbados, please contact the specialists at Romantic Planet Vacations at 1-866-247-8123 or inquiries@romanticplanet.ca and they'll be happy to get you on your way. All you need is the groom! 

For more information, please visit;
http://www.romanticplanet.ca/BarbadosForever.html