Sand N Sun Vacations

Jennifer — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:52:22 +0000

Just a quick FYI!

Beaches Boscabel will be closed for rennovations this fall! Guests will be reloacted to either Beaches Negril or Beaches Turks & Caicos- this will be an amazing upgrade for Beaches Boscabel guests !

Sand & Sun Vacations Testimonials

Jennifer — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:40:50 +0000

Jennifer,
I just wanted to send you an email thanking you for everything you did to help us with our honeymoon! When we got to the room and we found your letter that was a very nice touch. Anyway, we had a great time and I will definitely recommend you to anyone I can!
Best Regards!
Kris & Sean K.- Ohio – Sandals Whitehouse

June 2010

Hello Cherie! We are finally getting back into the routine of “real life”! We had a fantastic time at Sandals Negril. We truly enjoyed every moment in Jamaica. The staff at Sandals were so accomodating and friendly! We loved the cooks at the Beach Front Grill and Neisha at the Resort Shop was the best! Our conceirge, Jason, was right on top of things and was always available to answer any questions or concerns that we had. We met some wonderful guests from England and enjoyed spending each day on the beach by the Sea. The food was incredible! Whether we ate at the buffet or at one of the restaurants, we were never disappointed. The candlelit dinner on the beach at sunset was like something out of a movie. The butler was right there for any need/want and the food was out of this world! We also had a couples massage one day which was very relaxing. The icing on the cake, was being able to upgrade to first class on the direct flight home! What a way to end a perfect honeymoon! We wanted to thank you for helping us set-up our honeymoon! Working with you was stress free and very enjoyable! You were available day and night, able to answer any question that we had, and were always pleasant to speak with/e-mail with. You gave us all the information we needed and helped us with things we wouldn’t have thought of. We would definitely go through you again! We will be contacting you in the future for any traveling that we will be planning! Attached are some pictures from Sandals Negril. Thank you again for everything! Sincerely, Bethany Howard – Scotts, Michigan – Sandals Negril Honeymoon May 2010

Jennifer,
Thank you so much for all your help in making it happen.You were such a tremendous help through the whole process that I want everyone to know who they should be using for their weddingmoons if they dont know already! Everything from the flights to check in and check out went super smoothly!! Our wedding and honeymoon were beyond unbelievable!!! Sandals exceeded all of my already high expections, I could not have asked for a more perfect vacation. Thanks again, you’re awesome

Mariana and Jeff Russell – Raleigh, North Carolina - Destination Wedding Sandals Antigua May 2010

Dear Jennifer,

We are back! We had a fantastic time. The wedding was beautiful. The staff amazing. Actually we were provided with a butler and Mr. Hernandez ended up loving the butler. He took really good care of us and in the end we took really good care of him tip-wise.

Love, A. Hernandez – Texas – Sandals Carlyle Inn / Sandals Montego bay (wedding), Jamaica

Parents of the bride & groom
May 2010

Thanks again for all you did setting up the details and rescheduling our flights home during our latest trip to Couples Sans Souci in Jamaica….you are amazing and we appreciate all you did for us!!

Paul & Vicki Hodge – Allegan MI – Couples Sans Souci, Jamaica February 2010

Hi Jennifer – We made it into GR safe and sound, and had plenty of shoveling to do when we got home : ). Thanks again for tracking our flight status and staying on top of everything. It was great to already have been re-booked on the first flight out in the morning. All and all, things went great. Thanks again for all of your help. We will definitely recommend you as well as look forward to working with you on future vacation planning. Thanks again,Don W – Grand Rapids – Moon Palace, Mexico Destination wedding
February 2010

Jennifer we had a wonderful time, everyone was so nice and helpful. The room was FANTASTIC! Unfortunately we had to come back to reality, now we have to wait for everyone to get back home too, so we can get the rest of the pictures. Thank you so much with all your help.

Reanna & Brant Steffes – Sandals Grande Ocho Rios, Jamaica Destination Wedding

January 2010

Hello Jennifer!

We had a wonderful time on our trip/wedding to Sandals Whitehouse last week and I just wanted to thank you again for all of your help. I also wanted to ask if you would be willing to be our travel agent for future trips that we plan? We went ahead and booked a trip with the Soon come back desk while down there, and I gave them your information. Thank you, Deanna B - Sandals Whitehouse, Jamaica Destination Wedding January 2010

Hi Jennifer,
I just wanted to let you know that we had a great time. Sandals is an undeniably good value. We booked a trip for next year at the same time to go to the Whitehouse in Jamaica, and I put you down as our agent to make sure you get credit for it.
Thanks again for all of your help.

Regards, B. Green – NYC – Sandals Regency la Toc, St. Lucia Wedding Guest January 2010

Hey Jen! Sorry we didn’t respond sooner – hectic life as with everyone! The trip was very nice. We took a day trip to the capital city -Santo Domingo and that was very interesting and we got some nice pictures. We had signed up for scuba diving again, however the weather ended up not cooperating and the activities were cancelled the last three days of our trip, but we still found plenty of nice things to do. The resort was really nice…they had just opened another part called the Esmeralda seven weeks earlier and they bumped us up to there. It was quieter and we really really enjoyed ourselves there. We have attached some photos – hope you enjoy them! We have decided we are definitely taking another trip in the end of 2010/early 2011…prb Mexico (guess I better get started on that second language!) Thanks again for everything! Brad and KayLee- Grand Rapids MI- Gran Bahia Bavaro, Dominican Republic January 2010

Hi Jennifer, I would like to thank you for all of your help. The wedding was beautiful, the trip was great and we had absolutely no problems with the resort. You handled the matter with the rooms so fast and put all of my worries to rest. We had no problems finding the transportation to and from the resort like we did in the past when booking ourselves. It was truly a carefree experience and we thank you. You are awesome Let me know if there is anything I can do to help spread the word about just how great you are. I am going to write a great review for you on bestdestinationwedding forum. If there are any other sites you use, please let me know and I’ll be happy to help I am organizing a group trip of around 10 people to Costa Rica next year and am going back to the Catalonia for my anniversary. I would love it if we can all use you to help plan our trip! Are there any all inclusive resorts you can recommend that is fun and carefree? We are looking to travel probably May 29 – June 5th. I will have more definitive days after the holidays. Thanks again ! Take care,

Evelyn S- NYC

Catalonia, Riviera Maya, Mexico Destination wedding-November 2009

Hi Jennifer

We all want to Thank you so much for helping us with our vacation. It was perfect.

Our oldest planned on Proposing to Jenny (West) while down there and that went beautifully at sunrise on the 2nd morning there. It was a very well kept secret from her! She is a very special girl and we love her.

We were upgraded to the “Colonial”, because of your Vip letter -that was awesome !

From our balcony it was about 40 feet to a part of the pool (which ran the whole length of the 3 hotels) and a direct line to the beach was only about 100 yards or so. The rooms and the whole resort was VERY classy. Marble tile every where. The walkways were all brick and stone with landscape over the whole resort. There was not a spot that wasn’t manicured ! I would recommend this resort to anyone.

Thank you again.

The Doane Family- West Michigan Riviera Maya, Mexico -November 2009

Hi Jennifer! We are back from our wedding at the Excellence. We got your note in our room… thank you for thinking of us! It was very sweet of you. Our trip was absolutely amazing!!!! Everything about the wedding was just perfect and everything we were hoping it would be. Nayeli is a sweetheart. The resort is gorgeous, the staff is so nice and fun, and all of our 24 guests (ages 21-73) loved it and want to go back! If you want or need any info about our trip or the wedding to pass on to other brides, let me know. here is my full review on the wedding & resort- http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/f77/excellence-riviera-cancun-wedding-review-very-long-51423/#post1045855 Aaron and I are already thinking about where we want to travel to next, probably for our 1 year anniversary, so I’m sure we will be in touch in the future. Thanks for everything!!! ~Sabrina & Aaron- Boston, Mass. Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort , Mexico October 2009

Hi Jennifer! We just received your wonderful post card. Thank you for thinking of us even after everything is said and done with. You made our travel plans so easy, especially since neither one of us had ever been to Mexico before. We had an absolutely amazing time! If it is OK with you we would like to perhaps talk with you when it is time for our honeymoon. You made everything so effortless that it made our first vacation in over 6 years that much more pleasurable. Here are a few photos from our trip. Enjoy! And thank you again. Griffin & Mike Wedding Guests of AAron & Sabrina- Excellence Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico October 2009

Biggggggg Thanks! Hey Jennifer, Shannon and I are spending our last few days here at Beaches Turks and Caicos and we just wanted to thank you for everything. It has been amazing! We were upgraded to a beautiful beachfront suite in the Italian village. The wedding went perfectly and everyone really enjoyed themselves. They are already talking about coming back for a 5 year anniversary reunion. Haha. We leave on Thursday and are already dreading it! Thanks again, Chris and Shannon Hammond- Texas Beaches Turks & Caicos Destination Wedding October 2009

Advice Right on the mark…

Jennifer,

Had a wonderful time at Sandals Montego Bay. Once again, your advice was right on the mark. The resort is distinctly different from Sandals Royal Bahamian, with more of a beachy vibe, but with all the Sandals comforts we’ve come to love. Upon arrival we were upgraded to a Beachside Cottage (many thanks to our travel agent) – we were literally right on the beach! The evening sunsets from our patio were spectacular. I didn’t realize how convenient the exchange privileges were – we really felt like we experienced both resorts. The SSG dinner was a real treat, they went out of their way to show their appreciation for choosing another Sandals vacation. Already looking forward to our next vacation! Chuck S – Pennsylvania, Sandals Montego Bay, Jamaica – Vacation August 2009

Thanks for a Wonderful Honeymoon at an Amazing resort!

Jennifer,

We had a WONDERFUL time! It was such an awesome trip and resort.

I think it has only been open for a little over a year. Everyone we talked to down there said it was the BEST resort they have ever gone to and that they will either go back to this one or try out the Excellence one that is opening in Jamaica. And some of those ppl have been traveling for YEARS and have been to many, many resorts but said it was the best as far as quality, cleanliness, service, staff, food, drinks, pools, environment, and just overall experience.

Brian and I know no different as this is our 1st trip -have not been any other place - so we were like little kids going to Disney World for the first time. But it was so nice hearing from everyone else there how much higher standard this resort was compared to any they have ever been too. Brian and I had a wonderful time and would recommend it to anyone! Thanks for everything you have done for us!

Take Care and hope

to talk to you soon – after that trip I want to take another!!! I’m crossing my fingers for the 1-yr anniversary. We’ll see what Brian thinks

Valerie & Brian H.- Grand Rapids, Michigan

Excellence Playa Mujures –Honeymoon-July 2009

PS – thank you for the champagne and nice letter we received while we were down there! We really appreciated that and it was so nice of you!

Dream Wedding at Beaches Negril Nicole and Josh had a dream wedding in Jamaica—we were very happy with the crew down there and everything went off beautifully….—wedding was beautiful —we all had a fantastic time……thanks-Mary Beckman Mary & Randy – parents of the bride- Grand Rapids MI Beaches Negril -Destination wedding- June 2009

Amazing wedding at Sandals St. Lucian Grande

Jennifer,

I hope all is well! I just wanted to say Thank you soooo much for all of your help with our travel issues. We LOVED St. Lucia and had an amazing time. The wedding went off without any issues that day. And our families had an awesome time too!

Once again, thank you so much for all of your help!!

Lisa and Bill Keenoy-Grand rapids Michigan Destination Wedding sandals St. Lucian Grande – July 2009

( As a side note from Jennifer- Delta had a series of issues including mechanical that delayed Lisa & Bill from getting to St. Lucia from Detroit the day that they were supoose to arrive. THIS MAY HAVE MEANT THAT THE WEDDING WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE PLACE UNTIL THE NEXT MONDAYBECAUSE OF GOVERMENTAL RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS ! I contacted the GM and WC of Sandals Grande St. Lucia to see if there was anything wihthin their power to assure that Lisa & Bill could still get married the Friday as they were scheduled ! The phone lines were busy between Michigan, Miami and St. Lucia ! I am so pleased to say that the General Manager and Wedding coordinators in St. Lucia and Miami scrambled, called in favors and were able to meet the St. Lucia requirements by the skin of their teeth and that Lisa & Bill were able to get married that Friday!! I am so grateful to have an amazing company such as Sandals that will stand by my side to ensure our clients have the perfect wedding! )

Your service was Great!

Dear Jennifer, I wanted to say thank-you. We just returned from Jamaica and had a wonderful time. Your service was great and everything ran like clockwork. Your support helped to make this trip a pleasurable one. Tonya M, Miami, FL

Iberostar Rose Hall, Jamaica- June 2009

Royal Plantation Villa- Amazing Honeymoon!

The villa was AMAZING! It was really more than we could have ever expected. Jamaica in general was beautiful and most of the people were very welcoming and kind .

-Martin & Jaime L.- Texas

Royal Plantation Villa – May 2009

Perfect Wedding & Honeymoon!

Hi Jennifer!

We are back and our trip was AMAZING. Wedding and honeymoon were both perfect. Thanks so much for all of your assistance, I really appreciate it. I will be sure to refer you to anyone interested.

Thanks again and have a great day!

Mrs J. Luck- San Antonio Tx

Sandals Antigua, Meditteranan Village- May 2009

Great time at Sandals Royal Bahamian !

Jennifer,

Thanks for all your help — we had a great time at SRB! It was very difficult to leave. Your advice and recommendations were valuable throughout our stay. There are definitely some “quirks” to the property, but nothing to warrant the negative reviews out there. We’d definitely go back and recommend it to others, but will likely look into another Sandals just to experience a new destination. Thanks, Chuck S -Pennsylvania Sandals Royal Bahamian- May 2009

Awesome trip at Sandals Whitehouse! Hey Jennifer… It was awesome. We were in the Italian Village and all three of our rooms were right next door to each other on the 3^rd floor. We were in the corner looking down at the huge Jacuzzi. Everyone had a great time. Here are just a few pictures. 1) Chris and Susan (us) 2) Left couple, Chris an Cathy,NY; Middle us; Right , Geri & Dwight from Vegas 3) Beach outside of our room…you couldn’t ask for anything better I don’t think there could have been more friendlier people than the Jamaicans. Eleanor’s was the best. It is cool that you can just order more if you want. There were a couple of times we had appetizers and they were so small we ordered more. We never left the resort, as you know, we are pretty secluded and once you do the ride from the airport, you just don’t have that desire to ride that long again. But, if I went again, I would venture off the resort. We did snorkel a couple of the times, used the hobi cat….But mostly…laid on the beach or by the pool, drank way too many rum runners, dirty bananas and Miami Vice’s, and ate. There were two days the water activates closed because of the wind and storms blowing over but that didn’t last long. Thanks for all of your help. Next year….sailing the Greek Isles. Sus & Chris -NY Geri & Dwight-Vegas Chris & Cathy -NY Sandals Whitehouse – Jamaica May 2009

Beautiful Honeymoon at Sandals Regency-thank you!

Hi Jennifer,

Everything with the honeymoon went beautifully – thanks so much for helping us out. We ended up missing our connecting flight in Miami on the return due to a delay coming in from St. Lucia but the airline put us up in a hotel overnight and gave us dinner and breakfast vouchers, so it worked out ok. I’ll take delays on the return flight anyday over the arrival. Anyway, here’s a few of our honeymoon pics in case you want to see them.Thanks again and we’ll certainly use you when planning our next vacation!

Angie (and Brett) Veneklase – Grand Rapids

Sandals Regency, St. Lucia-February 2009

You are truly professional and knowledgeable Hi Jennifer. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. Odetta notified me this past week that they will not be getting married in Jamaica – I will be a guest and not the planner. I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help. As I mentioned previously, my husband and I will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary in 2009. I will definitely contact you to help us plan. Also, I will be referring every bride that I talk to who is interested in a destination wedding to you. You are truly professional and knowledgeable. I was totally confident that you could make the bride’s ideal wedding a reality. Thank you again and Happy Holidays! Sincerely, Donna McClendon Wedding Planner- Chicago December 2008

Sandals Antigua HM booked, thanks to TA Jennifer!

So I am SOOO excited – a few days ago we finalized plans for our honeymoon in Antigua!! We will be staying at the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort there, which is renowned as “The World’s Most Romantic Resort”. We booked the MonteCarlo Honeymoon Oceanview Suite (which is in the new mediterranian village), and I could not be more excited! At first we couldn’t decide where we wanted to HM after our Cancun wedding, but we knew we wanted an AI (our resort in Cancun is non-AI), and adults/couples only. We also wanted somewhere semi-excluded from tourist traps, and the beach/ocean quality was our top priority since all we want to do is lounge around the beach and enjoy the beautiful scenery. For a while we thought Antigua was going to be out of the question due to horrendously long and expensive flights, but it was always our number one choice.

Anyway…TA Jennifer from this forum, who works for Sand and Sun Vacations is who I owe all my happiness to! I asked her for help and she helped me narrow it down to Sandals Jamaica Whitehouse or Sandals Royal Bahamian, or Sandals Antigua. We seriously went back and forth for WEEKS AND WEEKS as she quickly responded to every single one of my emails, looked up countless flights for me, etc. The flights there were a HUGE pain to book b/c you have to book each different flight seperately or something like that, and I would have been SO confused and lost if it hadn’t been for her helping me! And I really could never have decided on a place without her – there are just too many beautiful places on this earth that I want to see! So anyway, she is a Sandals and St. Lucia specialist so if you are considering using a Sandals resort, I would definitely contact Jennifer because she will be honest with you about the resorts, and she really knows her stuff. PLUS, I only had to pay for flights plus a $200 deposit upfront (which is less than the $400 deposit you pay if you go directly through Sandals). TA Jennifer is so professional and kind, I just can’t say enough great things about her! I’m so excited to go on my dream Honeymoon…I wish it was here already!!

From Jessica – Best Destination Wedding Forum

http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t30380#post565802

Our honeymoon was amazing! We loved every minute of it. New York was great, busy but fun! Jamaica couldn’t have been better! The weather was awesome and the resort was beautiful!

I’m so glad you helped us on which resort to stay at, etc b/c Jamie’s brother and his wife also went to Jamaica but they planned their own and their resort was under renovations and they got relocated, etc it was a mess for them, so again I’m so glad we had your help!!

Amanda & Jamie D.

Michigan

Honeymoon -New York, New York & Sandals Dunns River Villagio, Jamaica

June 2008

Sandals Royal Caribbean

Jennifer — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:50:52 +0000

Sandals Royal Caribbean has some great exciting new updates!

• The Roehampton Lawn now boasts a new life-size chess court and a shuffle board court

• The main stage on Sandals Cay was relocated (a new one was put up), thereby giving the cabana area more beach- yeah!

• Twelve of the fourteen Royal Beachfront Suites by the Balmoral Block (2nd floor) were refurbished. Work done includes: repainted walls, new drapes and plasma televisions installed

• All sixteen Royal Grande Luxe Beachfront Rooms in the Sandringham building were refurbished. Work done includes repainted walls, new drapes, new AC units, the doors now use swipe keys instead of the normal keys and plasma televisions were also put in the rooms.

Jennifer — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:40:15 +0000

Sandals Grande Ocho Rios – This is such a great property for those that want to be close to all the action and adventure that a honeymoon or vacation in Ocho Rios !

With the closure of Sandal Dunn’s River Villagio sandals Grande Ocho Rios is receiving some extra TLC!

All rooms at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios have received new luxurious soft furnishings (duvets, bolster pillows, shams and throw cushions)

Updates on the Manor side of Sandals Grande Ocho Rios-

Villa 49 at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios (4 Oceanview Grand Luxe Plantation Villa One Bedroom Suites with Pool and Butler Service) was refurbished – pool area resurfaced, stairs varnished, split ac units installed, I-pod docking station put in, interior and exterior repainted and the grounds landscaped-looking good!
The Manor Restaurant has an updated look now that the tables and chairs have been repainted
The Manor Patio has been re-tiled

Updates on the Riviera Side of Sandals Grande Ocho Rios -

Four Honeymoon Luxury Cottages were completely refurbished (painted, retiled, new glass panel sliding doors, wooden molding installed, ceramic tile counter top in bathrooms, automatic controlled air conditioning units installed, mahogany furniture, new landscaping and the roof changed
New elevators were installed on the Bamboo Grove and on the Riviera Building (1 each).

Stay tuned for more updates as sandals has big plans for this gem!

Sandals Emerald Bay- the Beach Experience

Jennifer — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:58:23 +0000

Sandals Emerald Bay- The beach experience !

Imagine, you are lounging on your chaise, next to your loved one looking over a bay with all the shades of blue imaginable. The sun is hot, the ocean breeze cool, the sand baby powder soft and you are amazingly content and comfortable. You find yourself thirsty and reach into the cooler for your favorite cold beverage that your butler thoughtfully placed there when he put down your towels that morning. Speaking of your butler, here he come with fresh towels and the mohito’s that you mentioned you loved from the night before at at the Drunken Duck where you listened to that great band !

After you enjoy your Mohito’s the two of you decide that now is the time to learn how to use a catamaran. You approach the watersports team and they greet you with a smile! As you have your lesson and a few laughs you realize how nice it is to have everything at your finger tips! Off you two go – enjoying the bay, the wind taking you back & forth as you cruise over the water, the spray cooling you off, fingers trailing in the water, exhileration! Once you’ve had your fill you head back, and realize you’re ready for an afternoon snack.

At your chaise, your loved one reaches for the butler cell phone and orders a fresh tossed salad for you, some of those great home made nacho chips and fresh salsa from Barefoot by the Sea, and a pizza for him. You towel off and relax, holding hands and discuss what you want to do tomorrow….the choices are endless, snorkel, learn to scuba dive, massage for two, golf, bone or snapper fishing, tennis lessons with the tennis pro, island hopping, kyaking, enjoy the swim up bar and make a few new friends or maybe the tranquility and shade of the quiet pool……… or another relaxing beach day!

As you watch the sun go down, wrapped up together in a towel together you snuggle in and sigh….. ahhhhh this is the life!

Sandals & Beaches Summer 2010 Updates!

Jennifer — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:11:29 +0000

First I’d like to say Welcome to our Blog ! As time permits I will be posting all the latest and greatest news, updates and information for all things Sandals, Beaches & Royal Plantation!

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks with lots of Sandals trainings and events going on!

I had my yearly 4 hour classroom training 3 weeks ago, then the next week off to Chicago for the Sandals dinner with Adam Stewart CEO of Sandals and the chairman Butch Stewart! I was called up on stage to speak- I don’t know how many of you were around last year but that was my first time speaking to an audience and I was petrified! Well this was ,my second time and yup- I am still pretrified! I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if I had something prepared but it was a, “BTW your next” and off you go! My husband said I did well, just was really quiet. Honestly I don’t remember but two words of what I said! The funny thing is my throat was soooo parched and when I sat down and reached for my glass of water my hands were shaking so bad that I couldn’t take a drink! I survived though and I am really proud of myself that I did it!

Then last week we were invited onboard the “Lady Sandals” yacht for dinner and more training! She’s a beautiful ship- it’s nice to see how the other half live! Check out Sand and Sun Vacations facebook page for pics! A little history on the yacht- Mr Stewart sold it to Nicolas Cage, who then made some modifications and enjoyed till he had some financial issues -he then sold it back to Mr. Stewart! I suppose it’s as close to the rich & famous as I’ll ever get LOL!

Testing the Blog

Jennifer — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:55:01 +0000

This is a test post of the blog function, to be certain it is working properly like it should. Weee!

Sandals Dunn's River Villagio

Jennifer — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:39:39 +0000

Our honeymoon was amazing! We loved every minute of it. New York was great, busy but fun! Jamaica couldn’t have been better! The weather was awesome and the resort was beautiful!

Amanda & Jamie D.

Michigan

Honeymoon -New York, New York & Sandals Dunns River Villagio, Jamaica

June 2008

Sandals Antigua Booked Thanks to Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:39:07 +0000

From Jessica – Best Destination Wedding Forum

Beautiful Honeymoon at Sandals Regency

Jennifer — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:38:11 +0000

Hi Jennifer,

Angie (and Brett) Veneklase – Grand Rapids

Sandals Regency, St. Lucia-February 2009