The jury is still out for me on Cruises...

I have seriously entertained the thought of going on a cruise at some point in my life.  However, there is always some news story that gets me back off the fence.  For instance, that Carnival ship recently on the news for being stranded at sea!!! Frankly, I can give you several reasons why a cruise is NOT a good idea in my opinion.   

1.) Motion sickness
2.) Being in the middle of the ocean, miles and miles away from anything
3.) 3 words, "stranded at sea"
4.) Sinking ship
5.) Food sickness
6.) Going overboard
7.) I'd need an adults-only pool.
8.) Storms at sea

On the other hand, people LOVE these things so who knows?? Maybe one of these days.  I do think it would an amazing way to see Europe.

Yay!!!

So  I just worked with my very first shall I say 'clients'!! It is a couple that I know very well.  They decided to let me do the research for their upcoming vacation.  They only knew what type of vacation they wanted but felt overwhelmed when researching and trying to nail down the resort that was right for them.  Here is where I come in!!! It is indeed quite time consuming work but I really do enjoy it.   I found them something I think they will love... soon they will be on their merry way to Punta Cana!! Sooo excited for them and of course I wish I was going along.  I've never been to the Punta Cana side of the Dominican Republic, but I hear it's all the rave.  I was promised pics and I will post as soon as I get them.... =)

It's official - Back to Las Vegas!!

It has been quite the while since my last post, but I've been busy busy.  Well, we've decided on our 2011 vacation and chose to go back to Vegas.  I debated back and forth for a while on where to stay, sooo many choices.  Fortunately, The Bellagio once a gain came out on top.  We wanted to explore the new Aria hotel but after some very mixed reviews we decided to go with what we knew and what we loved so here we go!!!

VEGAS!! - THE BELLAGIO HOTEL

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Travel Dates: June 2009
Length of Stay: 4 nights
My rating: ****

We decided to finally explore Las Vegas!! It was our first trip to sin city and we were super excited.  So much to see, to do and experience.  We flew direct(only way to fly) through USAirways and stayed our usual 4 nights which is what works for us but that is certainly not enough time to experience everything Vegas has to offer.  The one thing I found there is that there is something for EVERYONE! You always find people with certain perceptions of what it will be like there.  In reality, you can pretty much find whatever you are into within your budget and its there.  For me it was the sun, pools, weather, malls, shops, restaurants, and entertainment.  We had the best time!

We stayed at the Bellagio hotel and did not regret it.  Immediately you see that its one of the top attractions and one of the most breath taking hotels on the strip!  

EXCELLENCE RIVIERA CANCUN

Location: Riviera Maya, Cancun, Mexico

Travel Dates: June 2008

Length of stay: 4 nights

My rating: *****

Overview: We had never been to Mexico before but had heard great things about the type of resorts that existed and decided to go!  Let me just start by saying that this resort is amazing! I did a lot of research before choosing this one and there are way too many choices in the Cancun area.  We certainly were not looking for a party scene.  We wanted a relaxing, peaceful, adults-only vacation. I was very glad that I ended up choosing this one.  It was everything we had hoped for.  In a nutshell, large resort, lots of pools, great beach, incredible room.

Check-in: The entrance to this resort is impressive.  Everyone on the shuttle from the airport was "ooing and awwing" as we approached the entrance.  We, of course, were excited because this was our stop!  There is a feeling of relaxation and shall I say, 'fanciness',  as soon as you get off the shuttle. The very spacious outdoor corridor that takes you into the lobby has very nice, shinny marble floors.  Everyone is greeted with champagne and cold towels at check-in, very nice touch.  I love it when resorts do this.  The process was very smooth and we were taken to our room by a very nice 'bell-man'.

Let me help you plan your next vacation....

So I had this idea..... why not help people research where they want to go on vacation??  I genuinely enjoy spending time doing that sort of thing. Please comment on this post if you are interested!!! 

If you contact me, I will send you a quick questionnaire so you can let me know the details of your ideal trip!  I will do all of  the footwork and research that will help you choose for FREE!

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2007 - Part II

Hello again!!
So, next on the review list are a couple of hotels we stayed in the cities of Santiago and Bonao.  Both of these cities are nested within the mountain ranges of the center of the island. 

Hotel: Aquarius Bonao
Length of stay: 2 nights
Rating: **

This one was the least favorite of all the hotels we stayed in.  Its located in the center of Bonao, which is a very small town.  We really weren't expecting much at all.  When we first arrived, the elevator was broken so they  brought up our luggage using the service elevator and we had to go up the stairs.  This was ok since it was only 3 floors.  They advertised a pool, but it was very very small.  The rooms were a decent size, but we didn't feel like it was very clean.  The best part of this hotel was the breakfast. 

Hotel: Hodelpa Gran Almirante, Santiago
Length of stay: 1 night
Rating: ***

We absolutely loved this hotel! and the city as well.  Santiago is referred to as the 2nd capital of Dominican Republic.  It's almost like getting the best of both worlds.  The bustling of the big city mixed in with the relaxed feeling of a small town.  When we first arrived, we were greeted with champagne and cool towel in the

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2007

So, back in 2007, we decided to take a trip back to Dominican Republic! It was what I would call a very 'local' trip.  I'm actually from the island, lived there for about 11 years. It's hard for me to go back as just a tourist but we managed to squeeze in a resort towards the end.  Anyway, we stayed all over the island and saw lots of interesting things while visiting family and such.  Living out of a suitcase is not fun! I figured I'd review all of the places we stayed in as some people like to do a little exploring when visiting a foreign country and it may be of some use. I'll break it up into 2 parts for easier reading.  Overall, we stayed for about 10 days and rented an SUV when we arrived at the airport in Santo Domingo.  Now, unless you're a risk taker or have driven there before, I would not recommend it! To me, its pretty scary or maybe I'm just a 'scaredy cat.'  The traffic in Santo Domingo is insane, but once you get out to some of the other cities its a difference of night and day sometimes.  I will begin with Santo Domingo, then Bonao and finally Santiago.  These are 3 very different cities when it comes to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Hilton Santo Domingo
Lenght of stay: 1 night
Rating:  ***
We really enjoyed our stay here! It's a fairly new hotel in the Malecon zone of the capital.  Even though, the Malecon is not what it used to be, you can still enjoy a really nice view of the Caribbean from your room.   Like I mentioned, the hotel is new so all of the rooms look very clean and no smell of mold or dampness.  We had dinner at the restaurant, which was

SANDALS ROYAL BAHAMIAN

So the Royal Bahamian is another amazing resort from the Sandals collection.   We truly enjoyed our stay here! and certainly learned a few things from our stay at Ocho Rios that helped us enjoy our time even more.


Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Travel Date: May 2006
Length of stay: 4 nights
My Rating: * * * *
 

 
Pros:  This resort is beautiful!! Again, we love the larger resorts that make us feel like we have room to spread out and be by ourselves if we choose.  There are 2 very large pools with swim-up bars as well as 4 other smaller pools and whirlpools through the resort.  One of

SANDALS GRANDE RIVIERA - (formerly Sandals Ocho Rios)

I’ll start posting these in chronological order. Up first is our trip to Jamaica 5 years ago. I think 5 years is far enough back to begin….


Location: Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Travel Date: April 2005
Length of stay: 7 nights
My Rating:  * * * *

Pros: This hotel is quite spacious. I personally just love hotels that offer a lot of nice grounds so that you don’t feel like you’re always running into people. You can take long walks around the resort and enjoy all the landscaping and the fish pools. There are lots of colorful flowers, trees and hidden quiet pools that you can jump into if you feel like getting away from the crowds. The hotel staff was very friendly and accommodating. Sandals is known for their great all-inclusive experience. The beach is not very big, but the sand is

My first post!

I'm very excited to finally begin writing!  I've wanted to do this for sometime, so randomly I thought, why not now?  I am planning to use this space to post reviews and put in my 2 cents on travel experiences I've had over the last few years.  We've been lucky enough to be able to take a couple of vacations a year and I always have so much to say!  Planning vacations for myself and others is probably one of my favorites things but I'm not a travel agent.  Perhaps I need a career change.  Anyway, I'm working on my first review now and will be posting soon...