Day 4

A bit overcast this morning, but still very hot. It is a perfect morning for shopping in Playa del Carmen! I will make sure to bring back some vanilla.

Day 2 and 3

We have spent the lst couple days relaxing by the fantastic pools here and the beach. The Iberostar Paraiso Beach is a very larg resort, so we are getting a lot of walking in! The Mexican show last night was fantastic!

Christmas in the Mayan Riviera

We are sitting at the airport waiting for our flight to Cancun. This will be the first time we have gone away on a sun holiday at Christmas. I have actually enjoyed not having to stress about preparing for Christmas this year. I will try and keep you posted once we arrive.
Posted by Susan

Jamaica November 2011

Getting to Jamaica was a bit exhuasting....we left Vancouver at 11 pm and arrived in Toronto at 615 am. We had a 4 hour layover that we spent at the Plaza Premium Lounge. We arrived in Montego Bay at about 230 pm and enjoyed some time in the Sandals lounge where you have free drinks...depending on the room category you have booked at Sandals/Beaches you get more amenities.

Off to Sandals Whitehouse....a long, 2 hour bus ride on a road filled with potholes!  Beautiful resort, all oceanview rooms, very large property. The rooms were very large, very comfortable bed and nice jacuzzi tub as well. This is a very isolated resort...excellent if you are just going for rest and relaxation on an incredible beach!

Our next stop was Beaches Negril. This resort is about an hour from Sandals Whitehouse. This is a very large family resort. The beach is beautiful....part of the 7 mile beach and the water is incredible. This resort has 1, 2, 3 or 4 bedroom connecting rooms...excellent for large families travelling together. A great waterpark and lazy river. The Sesame Street characters are always around to see the kids and they put on a great family show in the amphitheatre.

 

We toured the Grand Pineapple Beach resort. This is in Negril and is for budget travellers. It is a very small resort with limited amenities, entertainment and dining options.

 Part of the resort is on the beach and the other part is across the road. The pool is in the section across the road. It is a very small but incredible beach, again because it is in Negril.

The rooms are very basic but clean.



Beaches Sandy Bay was one of my favorite resorts although the rooms could use some updating. The rooms are large, some loft units and some with kitchenettes. I did find the pool area quite small but with that beach, who needs a pool?

Sandals Negril is a very high end resort, again on the 7 mile beach. Some parts of the beach are quite narrow but overall, amazing. It is a very active resort during the day, lots of young couples but a bit quieter in the evening. The rooms are beautiful...especially the swim up rooms with butler service. Incredible and on the best part of the beach, as well.

Rics Cafe is a great tourist attraction. It is located in Negril, about a 20 min bus ride. Here you will find the best place to see the sunset as well it is where the locals and tourists can do some cliff jumping.

We were fortunate enough to visit one of the local schools that is part of the Sandals Foundation. It was an incredible experience and certainly makes you appreciate what you have. The kids were adorable...we all brought gifts and school supplies for them. The school we visited was located in Negril.

We headed off to Montego Bay which is about an hour and a half from Negril. The first resort we stopped at was the Sandals Carlyle. This is a small, intimate resort located near the hip strip. There is no beach at the resort but there is a small public beach across the street. They do provide a shuttle to the other Sandal Resorts where you have full access to the beach, restaurants, etc. This resort has the highest repeat clientele of all Sandals resorts.

The Sandals Montego Bay is a beautiful, large resort. The only thing that may stop clients from going here is that it is located right next to the runway of the airport. Once we were there, I didn't really notice the planes but it may be a deterrent for clients which is too bad because it is a beautiful resort.



The Sandals Royal Caribbean is another one of the smaller resorts. The beach is not very good here but the resort itself is very nice. This is the only Sandals resort that has its own island. You can take the boat over to the island and enjoy a nice dinner at the Thai restaurant. It is a very unique feature.

Our last 2 days were spent at the Sandals Grande Riviera in Ocho Rios. Ocho Rios is about 2 hrs or so from the airport. While in Ocho Rios we also toured the Sandals Royal Plantation. This is another very small resort for more high end clients. There isn't much of a beach here and the sun seems to disappear early in the afternoon. The rooms only have french balconies so not a good resort for a client who likes a full balcony. You can also hear the music from the nearby Sandals Grande Riviera which could be a problem for some clients.

Beaches Boscobel is another of the family resorts. It is a very large resort on a hill so it may not be best suited to those with mobility issues. The kids waterpark is fantastic and all of the Sesame Street characters are here as well...with the exception of Big Bird. He is only at Beaches Negril because of his height!



Sandals Grande Riviera is a huge complex. Part of the resort is on the beach and part is across the street on a hill. Across the road is a magnificent pool...it is massive! On this side you have all of the butler suites and room categories with private pools. The beach is quite narrow although there is a one section by the pool that is quite wide but the area near the water is narrow. I enjoyed this resort but I found that our room location was not ideal...it was right near the walkway between the restaurants and bars so it was quite noise late at night. The rooms were fantastic but the beds are quite high off the ground. This is the resort you would go to if you like golf as it is included and is a short ride from the hotel.

Jamaica is a great destination and the Sandals/Beaches resorts are pretty incredible. Next time, I look forward to enjoying more of Jamaica and exploring the area.

the italian job

Ok so here is the start of my blog, no pictures yet just a quick update.  As always the trip over was long and boring we really need to work on that transportation thing, having said that last night less than twenty four hours after I left Chilliwack I was sitting in a cafe at the Rialto bridge have a cold glass of Prosseco and watching the world go by waiting for my friends.

|Venice is truly a beautiful city in the summer time lots of people here so I guess tourist season is going well.  We had dinner at Al Fontego a resturant that Mike, Denise and I loved last year and once again had a fantastic experince same waiter as last year, even more amazing in this town is that I managed to find the resturant first time.  If you have ever been to Venice you know that can be a challenge.

Anyway thats all for now, got to go out and try to find this coffee shop that has the best coffee I've ever had, later today we board the Wind Surf will try to get some pictures on then of our departure out of town.

Disney Wonder

I had the opportunity to tour the "Disney Wonder" before she headed back to Alaska, where she has been sailing since May.

The "Disney Wonder" being 13 years old was not showing her age at all!  It is has a modern but classic ocean liner feel with a touch of Disney through out.

The Disney Cruise Line does cater to families of all ages and does have areas of the ship that are adult only sections.

One of those areas is Route 66 which after 9pm becomes the adult only area. It has a nightclub, plus there is Cadillac Lounge which is a piano bar and Diversions which is a games room lounge.   

There are 3 main dining rooms and unique to Disney they offer rotation dining. You have your set dining time, table number and wait staff but each night you eat in a different restaurant.

One of the restaurants is Animators Palate which when at the start of the meal everything is black and white but as the meal progresses the room becomes more colorful. You will notice in the photo the tables were covered but they wouldn’t let us peck to see what was underneath.  

The staterooms were a good size and fit 4 passengers comfortable. In the Deluxe Insides and Ocean view cabins they have a split bathroom so that if someone is using the shower there is still a toilet and sink to use. This is great when traveling with a family.

There are 3 pools to cater to everyone. The 1^st is the adult only quiet pool with its soft music and comfortable loungers. The center pool is the family pool with a jumbo screen on the funnel where they show movies and cartoons all day and into the evening. This pool also has a retractable dance floor so at night they have deck party here. The 3^rd pool is the children’s pool with water slide and baby splash pool.

When we were making our way off the ship, passengers were embarking and that is when the Disney staff went into action. Each family group was announced as they entered the atrium and the staff clapped and cheered as Snow White waved from the balcony and Goofy hugged the little ones that squealed with excitement. I can just imagine what great family memoirs are gong to be made in the week onboard the Disney Wonder. 

                                                           

Powell Lake

Yesterday was our first cloudy day,  with a slight rain sprinkle.  It didn't last long, and by the afternoon the sun was out again.

   All we accomplished today was a small hike on Powell Lake.

Part of the Sunshine Coast trail

A beautiful Lake ..  part of Canoe circuit

These beautiful Red wood trees were all over the place.

Floating Cabins are available for renting,  as well we did see Houseboats on the Lake as well.

Lund BC "mile 0 "

yesterday was a day of driving around and exploring, as well as a good visit with family.

This is the Lund Hotel,  located approx 27 kms from Powell River,   built in 1905

 Marina views from in and around Lund,  cute little shops, bakery, cafe,  restaurants

         The Marina is where you get the water taxi to Savory Island.

Lots of people have summer cabins over there.

Mile 0 of highway 101

Bike rental on Savory ????  Make sure you sign a release  ....











     On our way back to the cabin,  we drove through "Old Powell River"  and grabbed a shot of the Patricia Theatre

Wellington Beach

 A quick trip into town  for a stroll along Wellington Beach.  Sunset is absolutely striking from here,  but we aren't staying that long tonight.  It would be another hour and half.

this is the area where the comox ferry comes  in

couldn't find any info on how long the path is