Hi everyone!
Some of you already know me, but I figure that since I’m going to be posting regularly again, an introduction is in order.
My name is Teri, and I live in a small town in northwest Ohio. To say that I’m a HUGE nerd about Sandals and Beaches sales, discounts, and pricing would be putting it mildly.
My first introduction to Sandals Resorts was in 1993. My aunt and uncle honeymooned at Sandals Grande Antigua that fall. When they came home for Christmas later that year, they brought their photos and told us all about it. I remember thinking even back then that one day I’d make it to one. I didn’t care then if I even ever got married: I’d take a friend if I had to.
That trip took almost 23 years to fit the budget, and we took our first trip in late August of 2016 to Sandals Ochi. It should be easy to guess by now that I was taken hook, line, and sinker.
Between 2016 and 2019, we stayed 32 nights. COVID and life got in the way for a few years, and we’re now back to visits every year or every other year.
Part of the reason I’m the Sandals nerd that I am can be blamed on my good friend Jen. I met her in one of the Facebook groups shortly after our first Sandals trip. I pestered her at first for the anniversary night discount calculations. Eventually, we became pretty good friends. Our trips haven’t overlapped enough for us to meet in real life yet, but you can blame her for my nerdiness and my aunt for the introduction to the company.
When I couldn’t actually get to the Caribbean, I immersed myself in it the only way I could: the website and pricing. To be honest, when COVID first shut down travel, I was skeptical. I didn’t understand how in the world Sandals was still discounting hotel rooms with the 777 sale, especially when they had no clue when those rooms would fill again. A large part of me wondered whether they were increasing prices before discounting them, resulting in a discount amount in reality that was less than advertised.
It was with this skepticism that I started a spreadsheet that I still update to this day. When COVID shut things down, I had even more free time on my hands than I’d had previously. I used that time to obsessively track the pricing.
I didn’t see what I originally expected to see. There were a few rooms here and there whose pricing differed from what was shown on the booking engine, but it was rare. And they were usually in the consumer’s favor, not in their favor, like I’d expected originally. I didn’t realize it then, but there were a few rooms as early as 2020 that were simply glitching in our favor. Nothing shady like I’d thought whatsoever.
That skeptical spreadsheet has led me to do some Sandals math stuff that I never dreamed possible. I won’t bore you with all of it, but every time I crack deeper, I simply chuckle, look to the heavens, and say, “Nice try, Butch, but not today.” There really isn’t much at all that gets by me regarding Sandals math.
Over the course of the years, I’ve come to the assumption that there’s a need for the nerdy components of Sandals. And thanks to Jen starting me on it, I feel I am that person. I won’t pretend to understand why some hotels include a free night, while others don’t, among other things. I do know that I have more free time than the average bear, though. I also know that people aren’t thrilled with all of the price increases everywhere these days. So I’m here, or back for some of you, to give you the tools to get the best deal humanly possible on a Sandals or Beaches vacation.
Some of you know me from a 777 Facebook group I used to run. I quit doing that for a while, but if you know me at ALL, you know I’ve missed it. You also know that I never really stopped doing it. I’ve had plans for a comeback since before Easter. There were a few weeks when I couldn’t match the numbers, so I had to wait for that time to pass, but for the past couple of weeks, everything has been smooth sailing. If you know me from that group, it still exists. It just has a bit different name now, and will be for ALL Sandals math stuff, not just 777.
On this page, you will see weekly posts breaking down the dates to match the 777 pp/pn pricing, as well as other promotions or deal breakdowns for things that both Sandals and Beaches offer.
I’ll also throw in some Sandals math here and there for things like the loyalty and anniversary discounts. If you guys are going to use a discount, I want you to be able to calculate it, and my friend Jen has some great videos I’ll share on how to do those.
If you’ve made it this far, welcome to Paradise by the Numbers! And PS. I am NOT a travel agent. I won’t bug you to book with me. At the time of my comeback, I am also not an affiliate for Sandals or Beaches, and if the time comes that I ever do decide to pursue that, I’ll let you know. It honestly isn’t on my radar at this time, but I can’t say what may happen in the future.
Unfortunately, my content will not be geared toward UK travelers. No offense to those across the pond, but I am US-based, so my knowledge is for that end. Some things may cross over to the UK side, but a lot may not.