Indulge your inner diva

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If you saw my earlier blog about Lake Las Vegas, then you already know how “smitten” I was with the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort.

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Now there’s a whole new reason to love this property!

They are offering a “Recessionista Diva” girlfriends’ getaway package that includes: a poolside cabana, a $50 food and beverage credit, a two-for-one drink offer, and 10 percent off at their onsite boutique. In addition, if you book a 50-minute Swedish massage or holistic facial, you receive your choice of a complimentary Moulay buff, waxing service, manicure, or blow-dry style.  Best of all, the package is priced at just $119 to $189 per night (double occupancy) from now through the end of the year.

Let’s see…a beautiful resort, great pricing, and all sorts of discounts on drinks, spa treatments and shopping?  What’s not to like!

Barbados just got a little bit better

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US Airways just announced more frequent nonstops to Barbados this fall and winter, bringing this beautiful island a little bit closer to all of us here on the East Coast!

Starting October 1st, they will fly non-stop from Philadelphia to Barbados on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. For the winter season (starting December 1st) those non-stops will run every day, seven days per week.

What does this mean?

It means I can hop on a plane in Providence at 7 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and be in Bridgetown by 2:30 in the afternoon, with plenty of time to check into my hotel and go for a swim before dinner!

As a side note….since I mentioned dinner….dining in Barbados is a real treat. It’s the only Caribbean country to have its own Zagat guide, and has been called the “Culinary Capital of the Caribbean”

Are you a “bad tourist”?

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A recent survey found that the French are viewed as the world’s worst tourists. Why?  Little things like being impolite, demanding and tight-fisted.

This got me to thinking about how we Americans are viewed when we go abroad. To be honest, with the exception of being good tippers, I’m sure we’re not all that well thought of. We tend to be loud, we don’t dress very well, and we don’t usually speak the local language (every one around the world understands English, right?)

So, before your next trip, why not take a minute and think about how you want to present yourself (and represent your country) to the locals. Bring along a smile, some patience, your “Sunday best”, and at least a few key phrases in the local language (please, thank you and good morning are often enough.)

Let’s let the French stay at the top of this particular list!

Montreal

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Dear Annie,

Thanks again for all your help in planning our great trip to Montreal. Your choice of hotels was outstanding. We stayed at the Springhill Suites, which was perfectly located for us in the center of Old Montreal on rue St. Jean-Baptiste. They had a delicious hot buffet breakfast included, and they had a deal where if you paid to park a car you received a $25 gas card – – for each night you stayed there! The staff was very friendly, and we found virtually all of the employees at restaurants and museums in Montreal to be bilingual (though the default was French, they’d quickly switch to English).

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We spent one day exploring Old Montreal to the southwest of our hotel, visiting the Basilica of Notre Dame and the Pointe á Callierre museum (which was a great place to start as it tells the history of Montreal). We also took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage which started in front of the Basilica. The next day we explored Old Montreal to the northeast of our hotel, checking out the Ramsey Museum, the City Hall, the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum, and the Bonsecours Market. A tour at the Ramsey museum is worth it, we think. Our final day, we took the subway to downtown and a bus to the top of Mont Royal to check out the view, walk around McGill Campus, and visit the art museum.

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We had some delicious food while we were there. In Old Montreal, we found some excellent places to eat on Rue St. Paul, including a Polish restaurant and a café. The day we went downtown, we took a short walk from McGill campus to eat at Schwartz’s deli, a Montreal landmark. While in Montreal we recommend trying poutines (French fries with a gravy-like sauce), maple syrup, and definitely “beaver’s tails” pastries at Queues de Castor located at 127 rue de la Commune Est.

Thanks again,
Margaret, Joanne, Megan & Jim

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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)