What Is a Butler and What Do I Do With One?

A Butler is a person, perhaps man or woman, who have been trained to anticipate your every need.  This doesn’t mean they are weirdly following you around during your vacation; think Alfred, Batman’s Butler.  Instead, many of today’s luxury resorts provide you with a cell phone that will dial directly your Butler to assist with any of your needs.

Alvroy the Butler saying hello &
giving you a cell phone to keep in touch

 Now I know what you may be thinking, trust me, as a Midwest girl I shovel my own sidewalk and kill my own bugs but it’s so much more than that!  The biggest thing you need to do before booking a Butler Suite is have the right mindset.  They are not your slave but they are there to enhance your vacation experience.  How?  I’m glad you asked; read on:

A Butler will check you in IN your room!  Chances are you’ve been traveling quite a few hours to get to Paradise, so this is a nice way to begin your vacation and they will generally pop a bottle of champagne or make sure your favorite cocktail is available to enjoy ensuite.  From there, your Butler will offer to unpack your luggage and even iron a few pieces for you.  Of course, they will also recommend making dinner reservations so you won’t need to eat at the same places nightly, or worse, the buffet!  Again, it's so much more than that; many times they will escort you to dinner and even spruce up your table with fresh flowers while others may only have a salt and pepper shaker on theirs.  Have you ever experienced the frustration of not being able to find a beach chair because they’ve been “reserved” by other guests who never seem to show up?

 

Your Butler can reserve your beach cabana or lounge chairs prior to the mad rush of sun worshippers but get this- they will stock your own personal cooler with your preferred beverage of choice and never stop the supply!  Does your spouse like to sleep in while you are an early riser? Ask your Butler to bring you a continental breakfast early so you can enjoy your morning with meditation or even read the newspaper before your other half wakes up and you can go to breakfast together.  Do you like to golf?  Your Butler will set up your tee times for you and even pack a little cooler for you to take with as well.  Plan to do an excursion while on vacation?  Most couples do an average of three excursions during a week’s stay.  The Butler will know when you are arriving back to the resort and will most likely surprise you with a little something like a snack tray of cheese and crackers and fruit to nibble on while you freshen up for dinner.  Since vacation is a great place to unplug and reconnect with the one you came with, the Butlers will try to assist you in your reconnection and relaxation with special touches like a romantic bubble bath waiting your return from dinner complete with a bottle of champagne chilling on the side of the bed.

Bubble bath awaiting your return

If you have a special surprise you’d like to pull off such as a proposal, trust me when I say your Butler has your back!  Talk to her or him about your wishes and they will help make it come true.  Although they don’t guarantee she’ll say yes, they will make you look like a rockstar!  I know they have just as much fun helping you to pull it off as you will celebrating the “mission accomplished”!  

Now in many of today’s luxury resorts they say tips are included.  However, the Butlers and the Spa are able to receive a tip.  This should go without saying, however, I think it’s an important point to bring up.  You will go to a coffee house and order a coffee and leave a tip.  And at the car wash you leave a tip.  Each time you dine out you leave a tip.  Did the person do much of anything that special?  Did you even catch their name?  Now imagine getting to know your Butler so well that you know their name but they know your name, preferences, likes, dislikes and even what time you’ll be back from your excursion, day at the beach or even dinner so they make a conscious effort to anticipate your every need that will enhance your stay by the little special touches they sprinkle throughout the vacation.  Don’t you think that’s worth a tip?  Of course it’s discretionary but considering the effort they put into enhancing your vacation, show them your appreciation in your tip.  Many of my clients (especially men) say, “What will I ever do with a Butler?”  And by their return they are pouting and saying, “What will I ever do WITHOUT my Butler?”  

Do you have a milestone Anniversary coming up? A Honeymoon to plan? Just receive a promotion at work? Perhaps now is the time to consider upleveling your next vacation by booking the Butler Suite. You won't be disappointed you did! Want a personal reference to some of the best in the business of butler service? Ask us! We'd be happy to personally recommend and request one for your next Divine Destination!

The War On Mosquitos; Is It Real?

For many Americans, the fear of Zika has successfully destroyed their plans to take a dream honeymoon to somewhere in the tropics.  I feel just as strongly as the news does to fill your head with fear, except I want to give you a different perspective, one that has personal experience behind it.  

 I’m generally the one with legs that look like I just contracted the mumps AND measles when I return from Jamrock.  In fact, one time I had a guy serenade me with an impromptu song called ‘The Girl With The Polka Dot Legs’ as others leisurely floated down the Martha Brae river, I was swatting like crazy trying not to capsize our little bamboo raft.  That was in November.  Fast forward to today.  I just returned from a two week hiatus in Jamaica, the land I love just as much as their mosquitos love me.  However, something was very different on these last two trips.  I did the same precautions as always: no bananas prior to travel (bugs love the potassium) no fruity hair and body sprays and bug spray instead of cologne; it’s the new body musk.  This is my typical defense that only scratches the surface of keeping the biting buggers away.  However, this time I noticed that I did not need to do this, in fact, I didn’t even SEE a mosquito.  So I asked what they were doing differently.  Turns out, the resorts are responding to Zika and the fear factor of young couples on their Honeymoons that they have decided to spray the grounds twice daily.  This has been incredible.  I can honestly say that I never saw a mosquito the entire trip nor was I ever even bit! 

And then there was last night on my deck.  WOW.  What a stark difference. The mosquitos were like small birds with an appetite like a bear just coming out of hibernation!  They were intense and not giving up, even after 10pm when they generally go to bed with full mosquito tummies.  I gotta say, Zika is everywhere now and from what I experienced in Jamaica compared to my own backyard, if I were concerned about where I’d contract something from a mosquito, it’d be here at home vs abroad.  

So remember, if you know how to repel mosquitos, you'll be fine repelling them anywhere.  Don’t let the hype you hear online or in the news suck the confidence out of you from missing out on what potentially could be the best vacation of your life.  Because quite honestly, that bites!  

If you are ready to talk about your next mosquito free vacation, please reach out to us!  We'd love to help design your next Divine Destination.  Simply drop us a line at jennifer@4divinedeals.com or to schedule your complimentary vacation consult, go to www.4divinedeals.com and let's chat!