Barbados Bliss

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Some clients come to me with a firm vision in mind, and others look to me to recommend the right destination/resort/experience for their “escape”.  Sara and Jason considered several different honeymoon ideas before taking my suggestion and booking the Turtle Beach resort in Barbados. Looks like it was a hit!

Hi Ann,

We had an amazing time on our honeymoon in Barbados. So here is the run down on our trip.  We were 20 minutes from landing in Barbados [and had mechanical issues], and they turned the plane around to San Juan.  I think the next time we go, we would definitely fly Jet Blue — better flight times, and Business Class was not that great on American because of their older fleet.

The hotel was amazing, it was recently redone, and we had a new suite. Our suite was tucked away from everything, and ocean front with king size bed.  All we could hear was the ocean from our balcony.  A lot of honeymoon perks, we must have had at least 3 bottles of champagne during the week, chocolate covered strawberries, different desserts in our room each day,  fresh flowers in a vase for the week, turn down service, flowers in the bathroom, and rose petals throughout the room.  We had booked a honeymoon package before we left, and we had a romantic dinner for two on the beach, with a menu we picked out, and we had a hotel concierge that was assigned to us for the week.

With the hotel, when we did check-in there was an issue with our reservation, for some reason it was in two segments and they were going to have us check out and check in to a new room since the second reservation was for two double beds.  We explained it was our honeymoon and the following morning when the manager was in, they took care of it, since it had been very late when we checked in.

The first morning we were there, there was a rep from Destination Management there at 9:30 to meet with us, we had no clue and were very tired from getting into our room at 2:00am.  We needed to give them our return shuttle voucher and wanted to book our tours.  We did not book anything with them, and would suggest people not.  You need to give a cash deposit to them, and can pay the rest the day of with whatever tour company they hook you up with.  We booked our activities through the hotel instead and they had a much better selection and better prices.


We did an all day catamaran snorkel trip with lunch, worth it.  The hotel put together a special adventure for us with a driver to the Harrison’s Cave, Animal Refuge, Botanical Flower Garden lunch at a local Bajan restaurant and a trip to Earth Works. So worth it!  We learned so much and covered most of the island in one day.  The hotel also arranged a driver for us to Mount Gay Rum, for the hour tour.  It was not worth doing the tour with lunch, so we went early, went back to the hotel for lunch and had time to still hang out on the beach.  Our hotel was great for getting us drivers, you set a set fare and they come back for you.  We also had a driver take us to Oistins for the Friday Fish Fry, such an amazing time and so worth it for a really fun night.  We did not do St. Lawrence Gap, about a 15 minute walk from our resort, as it’s not really our thing, it was mostly bars, and our hotel always had entertainment and dancing and the bars were open to 12:30 at the hotel.

Our hotel was really good about making sure you got the island feel for music, food, and culture. You need to make reservations for dinner, which is not an issue, you just do it at breakfast and they have the menus out for the different restaurants. Two restaurants are semi formal and one is formal. We checked out Crystal Cove, their sister property, and it was smaller and not as nice as ours. We also checked out Sandy Lane, which was really not that much nicer than ours. Turtle Beach and Sandy Lane have strong reputations on the island. It was nice to be traveling somewhere where there were no Americans, we met a lot of honeymooners at our resort.  If there were kids, they were in the kids club and you never saw them.  The food was amazing, the pool service was great, they would set up your lounge chair, always came through with drinks, fruit, and popsicles. Captain Sam is in charge of the beach, where you take  your towel card to get fresh towels, and they will set your lounge chair and cabana up for you. There were waves but you can swim, do water sports, and boogie board.  The staff is amazing, they take the time to get to know you, we got so many hugs when we left.

So thank you for putting together an amazing honeymoon, and we will be back at Turtle Beach with children — it was a great place!  You will be hearing from us again!

Thank you!

Just right in Jamaica

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Girls’ getaways come in all shapes and sizes, from a simple spa weekend to a whirlwind trip to Paris. Today’s trip report is from an all-inclusive “escape” that was JUST the right fit for three friends in need of some tropical R&R.

Hi Ann!

Thank you, so much, for all your help in planning our Jamaican escape. We really appreciated all your ideas and research beforehand, and we ended up in a great spot!

Here’s some basic info, in case you need it…

– Jamaica was a perfect location for a girls getaway. We wanted tropical, and also wanted to feel like we were going somewhere with its own culture / style… not an Americanized resort community. Jamaica was beautiful, and the people were so kind and fun — really helped to showcase the true feel of the island. Hilton Rose Hall was a great property — clean, beautiful, fun, and great service.

– Montego Bay was a great choice for us because we wanted to be near the airport. However, I think if I went back and had the time, I would go to Negril, mostly for the beaches. The beach at our resort was a rather small, and it was completely within the resort. This is understandable and great for safety, but it is nice to have a bigger beach that you can walk along, which is what I think Negril has to offer. We still had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed the beach!

– Beaches / pools at the hotel:

– Main beach, a bit small and water a bit cloudy, but nice. They do offer kayaking and catamaran rides here for free, which was fun aslo.

– Adult beach – a little alcove next to the golf course that is great for a quiet day. It’s not easy to swim here – too rocky, but the beach is fantastic for just realaxing and so pretty.

– Main pool is a nice place to layout with a view of the ocean.

– Loved, loved the lazy river. There were a ton of families, but it was still really nice for us to just float around and chat in.

Hotel food was good. It was mostly your basic resort food, but on the higher end and all pretty good. There are 3 restaurants, all very nice and very tasty – Italian was our favorite. Great spot. There is an afternoon snack cart that serves great jerk chicken and Jamaican beef patties – yum!

Hotel was clean and enjoyable to be at. Always a lot going on, good energy. Service was fantastic – every single worker we encountered went over and above to make our stay pleasant. There was a lot of entertainment at the hotel. Not so much stuff we were into, but I could see it being a great property for families. There were a lot of families there and they all seemed to really enjoy it.

We only left the property one day. We did a full day tour with the Cool Runnings group. It included a bus to Ocho Rios, nice lunch, hike up Dunn’s Fall Waterfalls, and then snorkeling and an hour and a half or so on a catamaran party boat. Great day — definitely recommend the group. One note though… climbing the waterfalls is not for the faint of heart. There is a staircase next to it, if you just want to walk up along it, but climbing the actual falls was quite intense. A lot of people cut out halfway up. We’re all pretty active, and we had to cut out for part of it and then come back on. I’m only mentioning this in such detail because the Jamaicans really don’t tell you that when you are there. We were shocked at how hard it was, and were also shocked at how many older people and kids were climbing it… many of whom looked absolutely terrified and had to get help getting down. The Jamaican staff there were not so helpful — it was mostly other tourists helping each other down. But, it was a beautiful site and we had a nice time. The boat was great as well. It’s a long bus ride to get there, but personally, I sort of like that as you get to see other parts of the country.

We had a fantastic trip! All 3 of us really just needed to chill out and relax and it was perfect for that. I think the hotel is a little more geared toward families than couples or groups of friends, but that said.. we had a great time and it was just what we needed for this trip. Keep the property in mind though if you are looking for a Jamaican family trip.

Thank you so much for all your help!

Anne Marie

Making Memories in Mexico

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 There is nothing better than getting a note from a client telling me what an amazing time they had on their vacation, and thanking me for helping them make such a great choice of destination and resort 🙂  This is why I do what I do, and this is why everyone should work with a trusted travel professional.

 Hi Ann,

We had a wonderful time. Everything worked out great. The resort property was very clean and the staff really could not have been better. We had the feeling that they really cared about us and cared that we were enjoying ourselves. We felt safe and welcome. The food was excellent. A vast assortment, very good quality and no long waits. We all ate well and tried some new things also.

There was a good mix of age ranges at the property.  I was so glad I picked this one. It fit us perfectly. One afternoon my older daughter and I took the bus down to the Hard Rock Cafe in search of a hurricane glass that she collects. The location was way down in the heart of the Cancun hotel district. As much as I like cities, and I know once you get into your resort you don’t think much about what is outside, I was really happy to get out of there and back to our place. As it happens, that Hard Rock location doesn’t serve those drinks. We wasted no time getting back on the bus. The modest size of the Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun is definitely more appealing. My younger girls felt comfortable and safe. If they forgot something in their room, it was very easy for them to just run up and get it. 

The entertainment staff offered that if we wanted to check out some of the night clubs, they run a bus for those who want to venture out. My older daughter said if we were there longer she would have looked into that.

The day trip to Tulum and Xel Ha worked out well. I didn’t realize the bus ride was as long as it was. It was nice to have a swimming option after touring the ruins. That day the weather could have been a little warmer. We did not swim as long as I thought we would. Also I did not realize you can pretty much walk around the whole lagoon. After looking at the map on the way home I realized a good approach is to start at the far end with a tube and work your way over. The bus ride over advertises all the extra things you can do there, it would have been good if they gave a briefing of a good way to approach the snorkeling. We’ll know better next time. I would definitely go there again.

I would say our timing was pretty good. The area was definitely getting busy with the spring break kids. The property next door was  a mad house. Ann, I was so glad I worked with you! Who knows if I would have picked that place because of some good deal they were offering. Our vacation would have been very different if we were in the middle of that.   The only confusion I had was I thought our rooms came with a $300 spa discount. I remembered seeing it on the advertisement when I was choosing between properties. When we checked in I didn’t think to ask about it right away and they did not mention it. After a couple days they of sorting things out they did offer some credits and we did take advantage of some spa services.

Also we ended up upgrading our rooms to ocean view from garden view. They offered to upgrade one room for free and the other for $40/night. There was no pressure. We arrived around 2:00pm they said our rooms would not be ready until at least three. They were not quite sure which rooms we would have, so I went for the upgrade. I thought I would spoil myself a little since I hadn’t been on vacation in a while. I had a nice walk around the property so next time I go I’ll know what rooms to ask for.

The transportation people from Lomas were very nice and helpful as well.

So, Ann, thanks to you we had a great time!  It was alot of pressure on me to have this turn out well, because we haven’t been anywhere in so long. It was great, we all enjoyed ourselves, and I am  happy to say we can be travelers again!

Thanks again,

Janet  

The Truth About Travel to Mexico

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The US media has done a great job scaring people about Mexico, and I get asked at least once a week whether it is “safe” to travel there. I always explain the facts behind the misleading headlines, and reassure clients that the unfortunate drug violence is taking place thousands of miles away from the tourist areas of Cancun and the Riviera Maya, and that as long as they don’t plan to seek out local sources for drugs or prostitution while on vacation, they should really be okay! It’s kind of like worrying about traveling to San Diego because you heard there were drug-related killings in New Orleans.

But they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so today I’m sharing a first hand report (and photos) from some clients who had an amazing vacation in Cancun last week. They stayed at the Gran Caribe Real, which is right in the middle of the hotel zone, but they also got out and explored the area a little bit, and loved what they saw. I should add that I was also in the Riviera Maya the same week, at the NOW Jade Riviera Cancun with my 17-year-old daughter, and we had a blast. If you’re crossing Mexico off your travel list, you’re missing out on a real gem!

Hi Ann,

The trip was just what we needed – sunshine, tropical breeze, the ocean, food and drink!  Certainly couldn’t have picked a better week to go.  It rained a little bit, but almost not worth mentioning.  The hotel was wonderful, clean, the suite was big and we had a great view over the lagoon.  We did have a little problem when we arrived (not anything of your planning).  They gave us a room – jr. suite – but it had bunk beds in it instead of a couch/sitting area and it was in the middle of the “family friendly” zone on the first floor.  Paul went to the desk and told them we needed to change rooms and they told us they couldn’t until the next day.  Paul was very nice about it but was firm and by 5:30 that night they had the third floor jr suite overlooking the lagoon.  We both understand that you can reserve a type of room but they aren’t guaranteed – but in the end we got the room we wanted.  That was the only hiccup.  Once we were settled in the new room, we enjoyed the beach and dinner.

We decided to stay at the resort on Friday because we were both beat from the travel day on Thursday.  Early on Friday, I went to speak with the representative from Lomas Travel who was in the hotel – Jose “Tito” Cicea – and he helped us choose an excursion to Chichen Itza which was a trip we definitely wanted to do.  We booked the excursion for Saturday and it was awesome.  We swam in a Cenote and drank tequila in the museum and then moved on to visit the temple.  The tour guide was fantastic – he is a professor of anthropology and 1/2 Mayan – and you could tell this was a passion of his.  It was a long day – but well worth it and we would highly recommend it. 

Tito from Lomas Travel was at the hotel every day that we were and he was a great source of information for us.  I will be emailing Lomas directly to let them know how happy we were with Tito’s help and guidance!

 We went out and did a little shopping but not in downtown Cancun – the experience at the flea market was enough for both of us.  Shopping isn’t our thing anyway.  The “hard sell” as other people were calling it was not as relaxing as the beach!  🙂  We took a bike tour from the hotel one day and basically relaxed on the beach Sunday and Monday.  I used the gym facilities to run on the treadmill, but in hindsight I’d probably run on the beach next time – just because I love running outside – but the gym worked out great for me. 

 The food, the restaurants, the beverages and the staff were fantastic.  Paul and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this trip or the Gran Caribe Real to anyone.  Also, I’ve been telling everyone about you and the trip you put together for us – so anyone who asks I will provide your name and number or email.  We can’t thank you enough.  I’ll just put this out there – we want to travel to Europe at some point and when that time comes I’ll call to get your help again!! 

One other thing, the transportation you set up was wonderful – the flights were great and the transfers to shuttle to the hotel and back to the airport were seamless – and now that I have a feel for what to expect it will be less daunting the next time.  Your excellent instructions and planning helped reduce my stress level!  🙂

Yes – now it’s time to slowly get back into reality, but just this morning Paul asked “so when’s the next trip?”  Thank you, thank you, thank you again! 

 Kim

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You provided excellent guidance for us. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was most important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

– Clare and Mark (family cruise to Alaska)

The level of service we experienced was out of this world (and we did NOT make it easy on Ann). We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to go, when we would be able to go, or what “vibe” we were going for. After asking us some key questions (what we liked, didn’t like, why, etc.) Ann helped us narrow down our trip details and planned the honeymoon of our dreams. She helped book some of our excursions, answered some emergency questions while abroad and was always available/willing to help. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be using anyone else for future travel planning – Ann is a rockstar!

– Carli (Italy and Spain)