Sandals has spent more than four decades building an entire hotel brand around one idea: adults-only, all-inclusive Caribbean vacations designed for couples. Today, Sandals operates 17 resorts across eight Caribbean destinations, with everything from beachfront rooms to private-pool villas and overwater accommodations. W makes us want to go out. Hard Rock makes us want to turn up. Sandals makes us want to disappear together. And that's why it's #3.

Sandals knows exactly what kind of vacation it's selling. You're not coming here for a convention. You're not bringing the kids. You're not staying because there happened to be a Sandals beside the interstate. You're going to the Caribbean with your person.

Jamaica. Saint Lucia. The Bahamas. Barbados. Curaçao. Grenada. Antigua. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The islands aren't a side business for Sandals. The Caribbean is the business. And that matters to BlkTravel. There's something different about a hotel brand whose identity was actually built in the Caribbean rather than a global hotel company deciding it needed a Caribbean resort portfolio. Then there's the all-inclusive product.

Food. Drinks. Airport transfers. Entertainment. Water sports. Wi-Fi. Taxes and gratuities. Certified divers can even scuba with equipment included. Depending on the resort, there can be as many as 16 restaurants and 11 bars. So when we say all-inclusive, we're not talking about three buffets, some well liquor and a wristband. Sandals has spent decades pushing the Caribbean all-inclusive experience further upscale. And if you really want to spend? That's where the brand gets interesting.

Private plunge pools. Swim-up rooms. Overwater bungalows. Villas. And Butler Elite suites where your butler can handle dinner reservations, bring lunch and drinks to the beach or pool, arrange in-suite dining and manage the little details while you concentrate on absolutely nothing. That's a very specific kind of vacation. And sometimes that's exactly what we want.

Because every BlkTravel trip doesn't need a nightclub downstairs. Sometimes the vibe is: Me. You. The Caribbean. Don't call us. Sandals excels at the trips where the relationship itself is the occasion. Anniversary. Honeymoon. Wedding. Birthday trip for two. Reconnect trip. Or the completely legitimate: We haven't been anywhere together in too damn long trip.

There's another reason the brand belongs this high. Sandals gives travelers who may be intimidated by planning an international Caribbean vacation a relatively easy entry point. Choose an island. Choose your resort. Choose how ridiculous you want the room to be. Get on the plane. A large portion of the vacation infrastructure is already handled. That's valuable.

And once you're comfortable, BlkTravel can help you get beyond the resort too, because Jamaica isn't Sandals, Saint Lucia isn't Sandals and Curaçao isn't Sandals. The resort should be your home base. The island is still the destination.