Well, the event the entire team has been planning for, working towards and looking forward to for so long finally arrived—the Grand Opening of the brand new Italian Village at Beaches Turks and Caicos. And boy was it worth the wait! Thanks to the enthusiasm and hard work of so many people, this was one totally unforgettable celebration.

We kicked the festivities off on Thursday, May 14, with a really rocking “Welcome to Beaches” Barefoot Beach Party, where everyone could hang out, have a cocktail, listen to some music and dig their toes into the sand. From that point onwards it was a non-stop party, filled with superb activities, great performances and endless excitement. It was a blast to share this unbelievable occasion with so many partners and friends, as well as all of the incredible guests, Sandals and Beaches team members and celebrities, who all came down to the resort to mark this awesome day.

On Saturday, the Chairman, various dignitaries and I participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. We all snipped away and, just like that, the Italian Village was officially declared open. It was a proud moment for me, one that got even prouder, when the Chairman and I accepted an unprecedented two Six Star Diamond Awards from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) for Beaches Turks and Caicos. Already the industry is recognizing just how spectacular the Italian Village and this spectacular resort truly are!

It was a very full and rewarding four days for everyone and especially for me. Along the way, I managed to get in some surfing, in our state-of-the-art surf simulator, and meet some amazing people, some of whom you might recognize. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—I absolutely have one of the best jobs in the whole world!

Here I am with Jenna Elfman, one of the many celebrities who were with us at Beaches Turks and Caicos to celebrate this fantastic event.

The buzz was over-the-top. It seems I kind of got in the middle of something here, as Maria Menounos interviews Joey Fatone for Access Hollywood.

Check out the surfer-dudes! Here I am with Elijah Mack, the Marketing Team Rider from American Wave Machine (the folks who created our thrill-a-minute surf simulator), as well as Yoni Epstein, Director of Call Center Operations for Sandals and Beaches, as we strike a pose before riding the waves.

Wipeout! It took me a while to get the hang of this surfing thing, but it was really fun trying.

Smiles all around as two of our entertainment team members and I get into the swing of the party!

A good time was had by all, including every single person who made this event such a success. Here I am with all my boys, Mario Campbell, Beaches Turks and Caicos’ Chief Engineer; Ricky DuQuesnay, Sandals and Beaches Director of Food and Beverage; Jordan Samuda, Group Manager of Procurement; and Shawn DaCosta, Director of Operations.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the news by now, but in case you need a refresher—the brand new Italian Village and Waterpark at Beaches Turks & Caicos is absolutely awesome! We’re getting ready, on May 14th through the 17th, to officially introduce the world to our new addition, so in anticipation of this grand opening kick-off celebration, we’ve been bringing people down to the resort and showing off all the spectacular new features.

As part of the preparation festivities leading up to the unveiling party, I recently hosted a Worldwide Consumer Media Press Trip. We brought members of the media from all over the globe down to Beaches Turks & Caicos to introduce them to the dazzling luxury, grand scale and unbeatable seascapes of the Italian Village.

The Chairman and I personally greeted each representative, from outstanding press outlets, like Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, NY Daily News, The Daily Mirror, Parents Canada Magazine, the Toronto Star and Caribbean Travel + Life, just to name a few, at the welcome dinner. Then they got to enjoy days of non-stop sun and fun with their families, as they experienced the state-of-the-art Pirates Island Waterpark, as well as all the incredible wonders of the Italian Village.

So, the excitement is definitely building and it’s only going to grow bigger from here on out. I can’t wait to throw open the doors and show even more thrilled guests what we’ve created at Beaches Turks & Caicos in the brand new Italian Village! Just a few short weeks to go until the inaugural extravaganza…. Let’s count it down together!

Having a blast with Cookie Monster at Beaches Turks & Caicos! Joanna Gallo, from Family Circle in New York, enjoys some quality time with her family and their favorite Sesame Street characters.

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Huge smiles all around from Victoria Perricon, of NYC-based Savvymommy.com, and her entire family, along with their new friend, Elmo!

Elmo can’t help getting in on the fun as Judy Koutsky, from Travel Meredith in New York, soaks in some precious bonding moments with her young family.

The Toronto Star’s Heather Davis and her son Ethan get a big furry hug from a friendly red fellow!

Check out the beaming faces as NY1’s Melissa Rabinovich and her photogenic family pose with Elmo.

It looks like Cookie Monster’s getting ready to bake up something yummy! Here he is sharing a hug (and some of his recipes?) with Good Housekeeping’s Bari Nan Cohen Rothchild and her family.
 

Something really exciting is happening at Beaches Turks and Caicos! And we want to make sure that the whole world knows about it. I’m talking, of course, about our eagerly anticipated Grand Opening Celebration for the amazing Italian Village, which is just around the corner, on May 14th to May 17th. We’re planning a whole slew of incredible events for media and celebrities—and we wanted to get the word out.  That’s why I was in Turks this week. To begin with, I had a great time hosting almost 200 travel agents, flown in on a chartered plane from Chicago, as part of our first Mega-FAMiliarization trip of the year, one of several to come. It was great to introduce them to all of the impressive features that make the Italian Village and Beaches Turks and Caicos stand out as the #1 Luxury Included Resort with anything and everything for everyone in the Caribbean. There are many more FAMS planned for 2009, which will give all of you the chance to come and take a look at what all of the buzz is about!

I also had a blast showing off the resort to members of the media, who were here as part of a Worldwide Press Junket. My dad and I had dinner with them and I even tried my hand (or voice) at giving some radio interviews!  The energy and enthusiasm about what we’ve created here at Beaches Turks and Caicos with the brand new, state-of-the-art Italian Village and Pirates Island Waterpark is really off the charts and is only going to grow and grow, until we officially unveil this unbelievable addition to an already phenomenal property. The Italian Village represents a whole new level in family vacationing and I can’t wait until the whole world (and especially you) can see it up close and personal!

We made sure that our valued mega-fam-trip attendees had a really good time—from morning until late at night! Here I am with Andre Wade, Director of Industry Relations, Dwight Johnson, Director of Marketing, plus the girls from Beach Bum Vacations. I think the smiles say it all.

And here’s the Unique Vacations marketing, promotions and publicity gang down from Miami to support our PR push for the upcoming opening. It sure seems like everyone’s having a pretty good time at Club Liquid!

                                                                                                                                                            I look very focused, as I chat about the resort with two members of the team from CJMX EZ Rock 103.5 Fm, a radio station in Sudbury, Canada.

                                                                                         I’m trying on my headsets for size and getting the hang of this broadcasting thing, as I get ready to go on the air with WISX-FM My 106.1 FM in Philadelphia—spreading the news can be so much fun!

Listeners in North Bay, Canada were able to get a lot of info about the spectacular happenings and amenities at the Italian Village, when they tuned in to my interview with local station, CHUR-FM EZ Rock 100.5.

Wow, what a backdrop! Here I am filling in the Philadelphia audience of radio station, WISX-FM My 106.1 FM, as the sun shines and the pool sparkles behind me at the Italian Village. Sometimes words really can’t tell the tale and you’ve just got to see it with your own eyes!