This year was a year of invitations, a year of inspiration and a year of newfound goals and determination.
Beaches Moms
Disclaimer: Please note that I paid a conference fee and received a discounted stay at the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort. All flights were paid for by ourselves.
We got invited to the 2018 Disney Social Media Moms conference earlier this year and I loved it.
My friend, Carolina King at Mama Instincts had mentioned the Social Media On The Sand conference that she attended last year and said I should apply because it was AMAZINGy. I didn’t think I could get lucky twice in one year… but then, magic struck twice! I found this e-mail in my inbox in April!
I immediately perused YouTube in order to find more details about the Beaches resort. To put it mildly, I was blown away by what I saw.
An all inclusive resort that included water sports, food, drinks, games, tips and that’s just half of it! It sounded too good to be true, especially after looking at that gorgeous water color and sand.
Grace Bay Turks and Caicos is GORGEOUS. Pictures cannot do justice to the natural beauty of amazing beach.
After watching the videos and seeing the pictures, this is how I envisioned myself:
After paying our deposit, working out the technicalities of a 5 person room reservation and planning our flights (airfare was really expensive and a large part of our holiday cost) we were excited and filled with anticipation.
Leading up to the event we received a lot of fun surprises in the mail from the Sandals Turks and Caicos #SMOTS sponsors.
I had so much of fun shopping and finding the right outfits for our trip. (You mainly need a ton of swimsuits and cover ups with the odd smart casual outfit thrown in there for dinner. I didn’t even wear jeans once!)
I will be breaking up our trip to Providenciales Turks and Caicos into three blog posts so that I don’t overload you with pictures.
Post 1: Beaches Moms Social Media On The Sand conference. That’s the post you are currently reading.
Post 2: Beaches Turks and Caicos Reviews From Our Family – this includes a trip report.
Post 3: 20 Reasons Why Kids Love Beaches Turks And Caicos – this one is told from the perspective of a child.
Social Media On The Sand
Day 1:
Check in for the Beaches Moms Social Media On The Sand event began at 11am and carried on until 4pm.. My kids spent time at the pirates waterpark area while I checked in.
I definitely wasn’t expecting this much SWAG (gifts) and I have to say, I received more gifts at this event than I’ve ever received at any other conference. There were some REAL treasures including an Instax camera! We also got gorgeous dresses from Lands End, a hat to protect us from the sun and a water float.
We were offered non-alcoholic beverages and some finger snacks.
The welcome party began on the dock and it included a sunset cruise. This is where I met so many of my blogger friends, many of whom I hadn’t yet met in person before.
From left to right: @katiemcrenshaw/ @mego/ @amylou262 / @beingmommywithstyle/ @funwithmama (yes, myself!)
/ Green dress outfit from Cabana Life /
There was a DJ and a lot of dancing set amongst the calm blue ocean, a serene sunset enveloping and inspiring us and the laughter of newfound friends creating the perfect ambiance.
In the evening we went for the Fish Fry and hung out with friends. The whole fish fry had such a cool island vibe.
My friend, Carolina King @mamainstincts and I had a blast together!
Social Media On The Sand Day 2:
We went to one of the Bungalows where we got a ton of gifts! From sunblock all the way to bags and clothing, Beaches Moms had us covered! I didn’t even have an available finger to take a picture.
We then went for our first interactive experience. Mine included learning how to make a sand castle.
It was definitely harder than I thought and the waves kept washing it away. To make a sandcastle, make sure you pack it as dense as you can. The sand should be a bit watery so that it sticks together. It was really a fun experience and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to try it out. It was something I would never have generally tried out.
We had the afternoon to chill at the resort with our family and then dinner was our family dinner at Kimono’s restaurant.
/ Here is where you can find the jumpsuit outfit above. /
That evening we went for the Alice In Wonderland Mad Hatter Party
I think there was a great balance of conference activities and family activities. I love that my children and hubby got to enjoy many of the spectacular events too.
I truly believe that my children also work hard on my blog, so to see them get gifted for their hard work and posing for pictures makes me feel truly happy inside.
One of their favorite parts of this event was the tie dye hands that got painted on their hands. It looked awesome and as a mom, I was so glad that it washed off so easily too!
Social Media On The Sand Day 3:
This was our conference day. I woke up bright and early and this was what I got to see:
I love how we had special surprises ALL the time… it was so exciting to see what we got and I mean, how gorgeous is this yellow? Especially when you add it to the blue jumpsuit that I was wearing.
/You can find the striped jumpsuit above here. /
First we heard from Maria Bailey, who is so spunky and inspirational.
Then we heard inspiring stories from some wonderful speakers, some of which included Rebecca Minkoff, Alli Webb (the owner of Dry Bar), Julie Colie, Holly Robinson Peete and Adam Stewart.
Did you know that Beaches Resorts cares about the environment and is changing all their plastic straws to paper straws? A plastic straw that you use for 5 minutes can live for up to 200 years on the earth! This is such a wonderful change that I hope to bring home with me too.
We then had a gorgeous beach view lunch at the Schooners restaurant.
Then it was time for Cabana chats.
I met Brianne Manz from @strollerinthecity and Julia Furlann.
Social Media On The Sand Day 4:
The next day we got to learn more about The Sandals Foundation and how they are helping rebuild the local school that got damaged from Hurricane Irma.
Before we got to Beaches Turks and Caicos we were sent an empty bag that we were supposed to fill with school supplies to donate.
On our last day we got to paint the local school and this was one of my favorite parts. I helped paint the stairs and the hopscotch.
We also had a bunch of time to explore the resort and visit one of the four pools.
/ My blue swimsuit top can be found here. Shorts can be found here. The kids outfits are here. /
The last event, the pool float party was truly magical. I have never seen so many pool floats in the pool at once and it was so exciting for the kids and I.
I also met my Instagram friend @xo.rachel.pitzel
The whole event was magical. Thank you to the Beaches Moms team for putting together the most amazing event!!
As a blogger, I feel truly blessed for all the experiences we are open to receiving. I love meeting new people, making new friends and seeing the world with my children. My husband and I are already planning our trip back to the Beaches Resorts Turks and Caicos. We definitely wanted a few more days (years haha)!
