• Definitely happy with our choice of the Grande over the other two properties (Halcyon Beach and La Toc)
  • By far more of a 'honeymoon' crowd without encroaching on a 'spring break' crowd.
  • Best beach of the three, BY FAR
• Our choice to upgrade to the Club level was definitely worth it.  Plus, compared to some friends we met there, our 'beachview' room overlooking Rodney Bay was a dramatic improvement over their 'oceanview' room overlooking the backside of the resort and undeveloped caribbean sea shoreline.

• We booked the helicopter transfer from the international south airport (UVF) to the much smaller north airport, which we would DEFINITELY do again
  • By booking through Sandals directly (rather than St. Lucia Helicopters directly) we had a Sandals luxury car waiting for us at the north airport.
  • It was a few dollars more to do it this way ($20 if I recall), but the couple that we shared our helicopter with had booked directly with SLH and therefore didn't have any way to get from the north airport to the resort, so we felt obligated to share our car.
• We booked two excursions while there, the JJ's Boat Tour and the Island Buggies Northern Sights tours
  • JJ's was AMAZING, incorporating the volcanic mud bath, waterfall, traditional island lunch, snorkeling, and offshore boat ride all in one
  • This tour is not listed on the Sandals website currently, though we did book through Sandals' Island Routes excursion desk
  • The Island Buggies Northern Sights tour was equally impressive, allowing us to get a temporary island driver's license to operate dune buggies both on and off road.  About a half day, it too was well worth it.
  • We would definitely recommend both tours to future guests

 I wouldn't go to Sandals without this upgrade again in the future.  The one photo is from our room, a Caribbean Honeymoon Beachview Penthouse Club Level room, while the photo I took of the resort shows Rodney Bay on the right and the Caribbean sea on the left!

Thanks again for ALL you and your team did to help Katie and I plan this amazing trip.  We can't wait to work with you for our next get away!   Brian

Honeymoon at Secrets SilverSands in the Riviera Maya

Hi Gayle, 

Why not go to Australia on your Honeymoon?

Mary,
Australia was wonderful and we can't wait to go back!  Here we are at the Sydney Harbour on our Dinner Cruise.

Scott Berwanger and Karen Strabel

EUROPE HONEYMOON WAS A SUCCESS 

Hello Tana,

Our honeymoon was great!  We had a great time in Europe.  We will like to share some favorites. 

1. Venice: It was great just walking around the little streets and getting lost.  We really enjoyed that!  The guide was great since she took us to the main attractions in the square.  We arrived during an important celebration in Venice, so we got to see fireworks at the St. Mark Square!

 2. Rome:  Rome is great for sightseeing.  Everything wasn't too far from our hotel and it was easy to take the metro and get around the city.  We visited the Vatican although we had to get there very early in order to not wait in line.  The roman forum and the Coliseum are a must!  FYI, visitors should go to the roman forum first since the ticket for the roman forum is also valid for the Coliseum and the ticket is valid for 24 hrs (the coliseum line is very long, while the roman forum has a much smaller line and less wait).  We spent a lot of time walking the streets of Rome, sightseeing at night is great!  Plaza Naveno is also a great place to hang out and appreciate the artists of Rome. 

3. Paris:  We bought a 2 day pass for about 32 Euros, which includes tons of museums and you're allowed to skip the lines if you have this pass.  The pass allowed us into the Arc del Triumphe, the Louvre Museum, Notre dame, etc.  This helped us save a lot of time in lines and enjoy our trip more.  The Eiffel Tower is a must!  It was very close to the hotel n what we enjoyed the most was buying a glass of wine and some snacks and sitting by the tower and watching it light up at night.  We did go up the tower, although we had to be there extremely early since the wait is extremely long.

 4. Madrid:  The city was amazing and everything was walk able from the hotel.  The Plaza Mayor is very nice, there was a performance when we were there.  The car tour definitely helped us out a lot since we got to see more of the palace and where the bull fights take place.  Shopping is also very accessible, and the nightlife is very fun! 

5. Barcelona:  The city is very big, it required a map and lots of walking.  We visited La Sagrada Familia and we really enjoyed it.  The car tour was also very convenient due to the size of the city, however, we were not able to visit as many attractions due to the traffic.  The city is great for shopping, there are shops everywhere. 

Overall, the hotels were amazing and the trains were great too!  All the food we tried was amazing.

 A quote that would describe our trip:  Trip of a lifetime!  Nothing more romantic than sharing a bottle of wine by the Eiffel Tower.

Thanks for putting all this together for us!

 Thank you.

Jessica and Jesus Aquino

SANDALS GRANDE IN JAMAICA

Hi, Gayle!

Thanks for the Sandal's Grande Antigua recommendation. The resort was all you said it would be. A beautiful setting, warm weather, a great beach, delicious food, plenty of rum drinks to enjoy (we'll not contract scurvy for at least a year now) and a very friendly, helpful staff. We loved the central location and the comfort of our Hibiscus walkout suite. Everything we wanted to see and do was just a short walk away. Spent most days playing cards at the swim-up pool bar making friends with the bartender, Latoya. We came home very relaxed, but not happy that we still have such cold temperatures to deal with here at home. Maybe we should have stayed another week in the tropics???

Not yet sure where we'll want to go for our next adventure, but we'll be sure to call when we want you to help us. Thanks again, Gayle. We had a wonderful vacation thanks to you!

Belinda

 ARUBA

Hey Tana, We enjoyed Aruba immensely!  It was terrific!  Thank you for all your help, everything went very smooth.  We met some very nice couples all of whom where honeymooning also.  One couple staying at the hotel was from Boston and we met another very nice couple from Sweden, among others, on our Kuku Kunuku party bus tour.  It was a bar hopping excursion, boy did Todd have a good time!  We also took a jeep tour with ABC Tours one day and got to see the whole island.  Much of which we never would have seen if we’d have rented a car on our own!  I will send pictures of that too!  I will work on getting you pictures, we’ve been a little busy here at work and at home trying to get caught up with everything.  It was sooooo wonderful to get away, but as you know a real bummer to get caught up with reality once you get back. 

Talk to you soon,  
Kim and Todd Schaefgen of Oconomowoc WI 

ARUBA OCCIDENTAL GRAND

Hey Gayle: The trip was really good! The resort was very nice, but the food wasn’t the best we’ve had on vacation.

I really, really like how all the resorts were connected by the long sidewalk down on the beach. It was so nice to be able to walk down the entire beach and look at all the other resorts, especially at night. Plus, there was shopping right across the street which was so cool for when I got bored of reading. This is a great selling point for someone considering Aruba for a vacation.

Pete enjoyed the diving, but again—Cozumel is better!

Thanks for arranging everything for us, Gayle. It was a really wonderful vacation.  

Sherry

PUNTA CANA

Sheri,

Our trip was wonderful! Beautiful weather service at Secrets was excellent – exactly what you said it would be!, and very relaxing.  Food was also very good and we always thought it was easy to eat when we wanted.  We went on three excursions over the course of the week which were great – our trip would not have been the same without them.  I’m glad we took your advice on those and waited until we were down there to book them.  Also took advantage of the spa which was a great treat.

Excellence Punta Cana Honeymoons!

Our Honeymoon at the Excellence Punta Cana

Hi Pat,

  We had such an amazing time on our honeymoon, we are hoping to go back and
 celebrate our 1 year anniversary.

 Thank you very much,
 We look forward to hearing from you,
 Brittany Behm

Gayle-

Just wanted to let  you know that Patrick and I enjoyed our honeymoon to Punta Cana.  It was wonderful.

Christy Zimmerman Blessing

MORE EXCELLENT HONEYMOONS

Gayle,

The honeymoon was fantastic.  The hotel was great.  The food was great with really good variety.  I would definitely recommend the hotel to other couples.  The beach was nice.  The water is rough compared to the Caribbean side or that is what we were told although we enjoyed the ocean.  We had gone on one excursion to go zip lining.  It was a great time.  Very organized. We will work on getting some pictures to you.

I was really glad you had contacted us too.  In traveling, it has made us a want to travel more. Thank you so much for all you did.  The vacation we had was a blast.

Jackie Savorias

Gayle,

ANOTHER EXCELLENT HONEYMOON AT THE EXCELLENCE!!!

     The HONEYMOON was GREAT!!!  Everything we expected and more.  We had a top floor room overlooking a garden which was perfect.  Large jacuzzi tub and king size bed, we tried to upgrade when we got there but they said everything was booked.  No big deal.  It was cool because they had a banner on the door that said Excellence Honeymooners.  There were alot of those around the resort. 
     The food, service, beach, pools and hospitality was outstanding.  We thought the beach was nicer than in Mexico. I wish people back the US were like them.  We had so much fun being together.  It was definetly relaxing.  We did the SPA the 2nd day we were there.  Both got 80 minute full body massages, which was well worth the money.  The Saona Island excursion was awesome, Luke loved the speed boat ride.  I would recommend that trip to anyone.  We also did a 4-wheeling excursion that went through the local town and stopped at a freshwater cave that we were able to swim in, that was neat.  The only thing that was a bummer was the weather the 1st couple of days, I guess a storm was going through so it rained alot and it was over cast, but once that storm was over it was clear blue sky and sunny everyday. 
     Luke and I can't thank you all enough for helping us book this trip.  We are already talking about our 1 year trip.  We were thinking a cruise around Europe...what do you think?? 
 
Sarah

CATALONIA BAVARO BEACH GOLF & CASINO RESORT (ANNIVERSARY)

HONEYMOONS IN TAHITI

Our picture was taken right outside our porch on Moorea, beach bungalow at the Intercontinental. This is the wonderful lagoon I was talking about.  Great snorkeling here. 
 

"Choosing an island to visit in Tahiti is like going through your jewelry box to choose from a diamond, ruby, emerald or tanzanite!  As a Tahiti Tiare Specialist I can help you choose the right JEWEL for YOU!",

Gayle Zielke, Tahiti Tiare agent!!

Gennell and Ben Warner Tahiti Honeymoon

Please see TAHITI for many more exciting honeymoon and anniversary guests.

HAWAII HONEYMOON

The trip (MAUI AND KONA HONEYMOON) was great!  It has been a long time (too long) since I had a nice 10-day'er.  You forget how easy it is to forget about work and lose track of days.  Thanks for your help setting this up for us.  Everything was great.  Did a lot of different things and took a ton of great pictures.

Thanks again!  Patrick and Meghan Dietz of Waukesha, WI

Honolulu, Maui and Kauai HONEYMOON!

Adam and Kelly Landwehr had a wonderful time on their HONEYMOON in Hawaii!  Adam said it was FANTASTIC and would go back in a heartbeat.  The Helicopter ride they took in Kauai was a blast.  He said he wished of paid the extra money for a full hour ride in Kauai and recommends that to anyone who is going.  1/2 hour was too short.  The Zipline in Maui was awesome.  The Maui down hill bike ride was cool but said he would recommend that you rent a bike and go on your own if you want to go fast for an adrenaline rush!  The road to Hana is a must while in Maui!!   In Honolulu try the Hana Room at the top of the Sheraton Waikiki. 

Honeymoon Cruise in Hawaii

Hi Gayle,

Ashley and I absolutely loved our honeymoon in Hawaii.  I guess here is a list of what would be our highlights. 

The Hilton Hawaiian village was an amazing resort, we were upgraded to an unbelievable ocean view.  It was a very convenient hotel for everything we wanted to do.  I would say though that if I went back to O’ahu I would not want to stay in Honolulu as it feels more like a city in Hawaii. 

Our cruise was fantastic.  Ashley and I both agree it was the best way to get a taste of Hawaii. 

Excursions, wow did we do some amazing ones.  Our Rainforest and Waterfall hike  was incredible, we had a great guide and got to jump off cliffs by waterfalls… AMAZING!!! Our volcano bike ride was excellent as well.  The views were stunning. Our luau was absolutely incredible.  I would highly recommend that luau among any other.  The grounds it was on blew away any hotel/resort luau.  The food, especially pork, was the best we had ever had.  Our kayak excursion was also breathtaking.  Ashley and I both agree Kauai is by far the most beautiful island. 

One complaint I might have is our flight with United Airlines.  Unknown to us, they did not provide any food on their flight as complimentary.  Not even a granola bar or peanuts.  They only offered a snack package or meal, $6 and $9 respectively, which was not acceptable for us.  Ashley and I were surprised and unhappy about that considering the length of flight and cost of the flight.

Overall we are very, very happy with our trip and have been raving about it ever since we got back. I left a lot out in this e-mail, but really could go on forever about all of our wonderful experiences.  Thank you so much for your help through this long process.  Your help was invaluable in the success and smoothness of our honeymoon.

Chuck

     SHERATON MAUI HONEYMOONERS

Thank you Tana, the trip was wonderful.  

Maui was just breathtaking, the resort (Sheraton Maui) was beautiful and we had a wonderful time ... overall the trip was wonderful.  Enjoy the pics!

John and Evelyn!

OAHU, HONOLULU AND MAUI.....HAWAII HONEYMOON!

 Hi Pat,

The trip was fantastic!  My wife and I had such a wonderful time!  It was very difficult to come back.

The weather was close to 90 every day and sunny.  We drove around each island, stopped when we felt like, but mostly just enjoyed the views.  We went to Pearl Harbor and the Dole Plantation on Oahu, walked to Waikiki a couple of times and spent time at the beach and in the pool. On Maui we went to the Iao Valley and Haleakala.  What a view!

It was an absolutely amazing trip!  The worst part was the flights home.  The seats were horribly cramped and the people in front tilted their seats back, pinning our knees.  Next time I pay for First Class! :)

Thank you for all your help in getting things setup.  Everything went perfectly.

When we go back in a couple of years, I'll be sure to contact you.

Thank you again.

Show and Tell from our Hawaii guests!

 

RIVIERA MAYA ...ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS!

 

 

 

Gayle,
Our Honeymoon at the El Dorado Royale was unbelieveable!  We had the Best time in Mexico.  Glad we got the Casita Suite, it was fabulous.  Went on the ATV trip and Jungle trip which was a blast.  The candle light dinner on the beach was GREAT!!

Honeymooners Samantha and Kirk Brendelson from Muskego

 

Everyone always wants one of these CASITAS once they see them!

 Annette and Kurt Kruepke had a wonderful time in thier casita suite at the El Dorado Royale.  They celebrated their special anniversary in the Mayan Riviera with a candle light dinner on the beach.  How romantic!

We had a great time!!

 

Thanks for the great recommendation.

Annette

 

Gayle,

We had a fine time on our trip. The property at the Royale was fabulous. There was little not to like about that place. They had great food, excellent service, and everything was up kept so well. We did manage to get sick on our second day, but didn't let it get us down. We found time to take a shuttle into Playa Del Carmen, a must for shoppers. Also we went to a nearby place called Paradise Marona, where we went snorkeling, and deep sea fishing. The weather was perfect, the only down side is it is always very windy, and the waves are nuts. In all we had a great time and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to travel that way. Our pictures didn't turn out, that stunk.

Regards,

Matt

 

In a swim up Casita at the El Dorado Royale in the Riviera Maya!
The El Dorado Royale in the Riviera Maya was the setting for this anniversary celebration!

WINNERS of a State Fair BRIDAL SHOW:
Subject: Honeymoon!

Hi Tana!
Thank you so much for all your help; you guys have made this very easy for us and I really appreciate it. This is the first time I have ever gone on a trip like this...I have only flown 2 times and that was to Florida to stay in a condo that a friend of the family owns!  I will definitely use your services for future trips and I will continue to refer you to friends and family as well!!!
Thanks again for all your help!

THE EXCELLENCE IN THE RIVIERA MAYA HONEYMOONERS

Tana,  Our trip was BEAUTIFUL. I would definitely recommend the EXCELLENCE RIVIERA Resort.  Thank you for recommending this perfect resort to us!! Thanks again, Chris and Erica Ramirez of Waukesha   Secrets Maroma   Hi Gayle,   We did enjoy Mexico and Secrets Maroma. Our excursions that you booked ahead of time worked out well. Chichen Itzian was too long in the bus-6 hours or so. We would've loved to know that ahead of time. The tour guide was excellent and the food on that trip-yum! Xacret park was a blast-highlight of the trip!   Beach was still beautiful, soft sand! Atmosphere wasn't has romantic as I had pictured being a secrets resort and all  We would put Excellence Resort in Punta Cana ahead of Secrets Maroma due to cost with same experience.   Overall, it was a nice to get away and enjoy warm weather! Thanks again for checking in. Alex     EXCELLENT HONEYMOON AT THE EXCELLENCE RIVIERA MAYA Hi Gayle, Lizzy and I had so much fun at the Excellence RC.  The resort was absolutely beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for a better place to go during our honeymoon and first trip to Mexico!   Thank you so much for the detailed planning out you did for us.  We had no issues at all.  Airlines ran on time, the Lomas Travel transport was great, Excellence itself was top-notch, and the XPLOR park was really cool too!   For a honeymoon, the adults-only all-inclusive resort is DEFINITELY the way to go.  We mostly relaxed and enjoyed great weather during our stay, but we did do a day trip to XPLOR park and really enjoyed it.  Although it's set up like a theme park, it is so much better!  The zip lines were really cool, and I enjoyed the swimming through the caves as well.  That was a nice, long day and a lot of fun.  While at the resort we also booked an hour-long snorkeling trip out to the reef.  We saw a lot of cool fish and enjoyed that very much as well.   Excellence RC had fantastic service, and we thought the resort itself was just beautiful and very well-maintained.  We took a walk up the coastline there and had to agree that Excellence was the best-looking resort that we walked by for sure!  Our (my) only problem was eating way way way too much of the delicious food!   Anyway, thanks again for the work you did in helping us plan and book such a great honeymoon.  We couldn't ask for any more from our honeymoon and are already trying to figure out ways to make it back there again in a few years!  You're the best!!  We'll look through a few pictures we took and send you a few that look good soon.  Until then, thanks again for everything! Steve and Liz Gale   HONEYMOON WINNER OF ONE OF OUR BRIDAL SHOW GIVEAWAYS!  Excellence Playa Hi Tana, Our trip was amazing!! We had so much fun! The resort and people were awesome! Bob and I decided to go back for our 5 year anniversary! Thank you so much for the opportunity! Sincerely, Erica and Bob Stamm Another winner at Wisconsin State Fair Bridal Show Tana, The Excellence Resort was AMAZING.  The staff were all incredibly friendly and attentive and all the pools were so relaxing.  The beach was gorgeous as well, although the weather didn't permit us to swim in the ocean, it was still beautiful and relaxing to sit on the beach.  We had a wonderful,large room with a pool side view.  The resort brought us complimentaryfruits and champagne on our 2nd day there and we thought that was a great touch.  We only left the resort once and that was to go on a para sailing trip that was recommended by the concierge.  We had a great time and even off the resort were treated very kindly.  We will never forget our time in Mexico,we were treated so well!  We can not wait to go back.  We felt so lucky and blessed to have won this trip and would recommend the resort to everyone. Thanks so much!! Aaron and Jessica Schwid Another Bridal Show winner where we give away the GRAND PRIZE: Excellence Playa Mujeres 2013 Wonderful World Of Weddings - - Grand Prize Winners (4 photos) They just got back from their honeymoon at Excellence Playa Mujeres   Tana,   WHAT AN INCREDIBLE RESORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys spoiled us ROTTEN :)! We can't thank you enough for the most amazing vacation of our lives. :) Food was amazing, pools were amazing, weather was amazing, and boy did we get treated like ROYALTY! :)   What a tramendous blessing. THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN !!!!!   Maggie   Celebrate a Special Anniversary at the NEW Secrets Maroma! Hi Gayle, The trip was amazing and we had a really good time! The resort is beautiful and the beach everything we had hoped for- powder white sand and clear blue water. We had a swim out room that we ordered. Thanks for all you help, Jill    Pat, We had a wonderful time at the Grand Palladium Colonial.  It was an excellent place for our honeymoon.  Sherri Schreck    Secrets Maroma We just returned and had an amazing time.  The hotel was great, employees are friendly and food was very good.  Top shelf drinks too.  Thank you for putting it all together, traveling was trouble free and easy.   Thanks, Brent and Michelle   GRAND PALLADIUM WHITE SANDS  Hi Pat, We had a FABULOUS time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had our little quirks and bumps, but rolled with it and made the best of each day. We left the resort for 2 trips....Tulum and Ziplining/caves/snorkeling in the cenote. What a blast!!!! I did attach a few pictures from the ziplining day.       The beautiful caves were so neat to snorkel in...cold at first....but fun! The resort was enormous and beautiful. Great food too. Thank you for all your help in planning this trip! We look forward to going again some day.    In any case, our time in Riviera Maya was a dream. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Sincerely, Melissa and Chris Schroeter    The Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda Honeymoon   Hi Gayle-    Thank you so much for booking our honeymoon.  It was the most amazing honeymoon we could ever image.  We did 2 spa days at the resort, which also had the best food.  I think we gained 10lbs each with all the good food and options.  Everything was perfect from the airport to the resort, the transportation and the service of the staff.  Lomas Travel helped us plan our excursions, by suggesting the Dolphinaries, a brand new Dolphin encounter that just opened in April, and got us the opening rate.  That was the best thing to interact with the animals, and the foot push.  We also did the Captin Hook Dinner Show and Cruise.  We had so much fun and met a lot of great people on that trip.  We also did the ATV and Speed boats on a really windy and rainy day.  But that made it even better, speeding through the mud puddles on the ATV's and hitting the 8 ft waves on the boat.        We definitely will return some day, it was awesome!    Thanks so much for your tips on traveling to Mexico....never got sick and our credit cards worked :) Annie and Mike Thym     Belated Honeymoon in the Rivera Maya at the Barcelo Maya and Caribe    Pat,   Well, Mark and I made it back from our adventure and we could not have had a better time...THANK YOU. We took about 3300 pictures and will be sorting through them over the next couple of weeks. As soon as we find the perfect shoots to send you we will.    I cannot wait to plan our next adventure with you - we are looking to go somewhere new. Again, we want to thank you for your help and understanding as my nerves got the best of me sometimes. Jen and Mark Thomas Our Honeymoon at the Royal in Playa Del Carmen    Hello Pat,  Steve and I can not thank you enough for recommending this breathtaking resort. This was the trip of our lives. These pictures do not give justice to the amazing time we had. Everything was beyond perfect. The staff, the food, the activities, the accommodations and the location were all 5 stars!! The funjet representative was very helpful and helped us plan activities to put the icing on top of our wonderful honeymoon. We went on ATV’s, speed boating, parasailing and swimming with the dolphins. We also had a moonlight massage on the resorts beach, which was amazingly romantic. We are planning on returning for an anniversary. Thank you again Pat and I look forward to working with you again in the future!   Thank you, Ashley and Steve Johnson! MORE PICTURES FROM THIS HONEYMOONER ON OUR MEXICO PAGE!  The Pence’s told Gayle, "The Honeymoon was the only thing that went right with their wedding plans. “We loved the Iberostar Paraisio in Playa del Carmen.”   Tana, Our Honeymoon was wonderful, and I would definitely recommend Riviera Maya Mexico to anyone.  It is so beautiful there, the Caribbean sea is awesome, and there is so much to see and do. Our resort the flamenco by Xcaret was excellent, great food, great accommodations, so much going on you can't possible do it all! Rob and I cannot wait to go back again next year.  We had a blast.  The weather was great, the resort was Beautiful and the food was excellent.  Overall it was wonderful and I would absolutely recommend that resort to anyone looking to travel.  They took care of us as honeymooners and just as visitors to their resort.  it was perfect! Rob and Stacie of Waukesha   OCEAN CORAL AND TURQUESA Gayle,   Thank you for everything!  The resort was beautiful and the service was great!  We really appreciate everything you did to make our honeymoon so wonderful!    Here are some pictures of our time in Mexico!  We met another couple down there and we went on the extreme adventure excursion through the resort!  It was a lot of fun and only a half day event!  I have a lot of pictures of this as well.  I would recommend it to anyone, we had an amazing time and got some amazing pictures!    Thank you again for your recommendation!  The place was beautiful, clean, and the service was great!   Nicole and Ryan Sippel    IBEROSTAR GRAND HONEYMOON!   Hi Gayle,   Thanks for following up with us.  We had a BLAST in Mexico and at the Iberostar Grand.  Such a great time.  All our dinner reservations were made.  The tours were fantastic.  The Salvetica Zip Line tour was my favorite.  They run a great business there.  Lots of excitement and positive people.  The only negative feedback I can give is regarding the Telum/Xel-Ha day trip.  The timing was a little frustrating.  We only had an hour at Telum before we had to leave for Xel-Ha.  We literally only got to do 25% of the tour.  We had to run around and see the remainder of the ruins on our own in 20 minutes.  Otherwise, the ruins were beautiful and Xel-Ha was a ton of fun.    Thanks again for all your help making this a memorable honeymoon.  I will pass along my feedback to Eric and we will definitely keep you in mind for any future travel.    -Joe and Meg Greco    Another GRAND Honeymoon!   Hi Gayle- We had a great time.  We did do an ATV excursion one day – it was a good time, only rained a few days and was HOT!  I don’t have any pictures uploaded yet, but will send any along once I do .  Thank you again for your help, it was a stress free process which is definitely what we needed following the wedding.  Look forward to working with you again soon….(hint hint Bill)    J Thanks! Andrea

COZUMEL

Gayle,

We had a fabulous time in Cozumel.  Thanks for all your help!!  We loved the hotel; it was very nice, really high class (well, at least for me!)  Probably the most exciting thing we did was rented a jeep and drove all around the island.  We saw the Mayan ruins and drove up the beautiful coastline--what a sight!  Thank you again for sending us on such a great trip!  Talk to you soon.

Gayle and Pete Schmidt 

Pete is standing on the Carribean coastline of the island.  The waves were crashing at just the right moment to capture a perfect shot!

 

PUERTO VALLARTA

Hi Tana!
We had fun. The weather wasn't as good as we had wanted, but no one has control over that except mother nature. Met some nice people and spent some time wave running in the ocean, massages and LOTS of cocktails!! Thanks for you help w/ everything!
Stayed at the GOLDEN CROWN PARADISE in Puerto Vallarta!

~Laura and Steve Stuehn of New Berlin

ST LUCIA

Hi Tana,

Our trip to St. Lucia was fantastic. The weather was perfect and the Sandals Grande was so nice.  We did a couple excursions, that we'd definitely recommend. The Zip Lines through the rain forest was a lot of fun and so was the Booze Cruise at sunset. We actually ended up winning the Booze Cruise for free during the managers meet and greet night.  Overall we had a great time. The only thing I'd have to complain about would be their clarification of a Beachfront Ocean View Penthouse Suite.  We could see the ocean, but it was not beachfront and it was quite a ways from the ocean.  A bit disappointing, but we didn't spend a ton of time in our room anyway. Thanks again for all your help.   Kevin and Lindi Gill of Pewaukee

Gayle, we just wanted to say thanks again for everything. The honeymoon to Sandals Grande St Lucia was perfect.  We would even do the flights all over it was so worth it. Thank
you! Talk to you soon. Linda and Michael Jakus
 
The Honeymoon was fantastic! We would definitely go back to Sandals again. Thank you again for all your help.

Michael & Chanelle Pergande

Olivia and I would like to thank your for your assistance with booking our Honeymoon!

As we discussed, the Honeymoon in St. Lucia was awesome. From a feedback standpoint, St Lucia is very nice. An added bonus was that English was the prominent language. From a comparison standpoint, I still feel that Mexico is a better way to go considering the overall cost of the trip. The main concerns with Mexico are the language barriers and crime concerns. I have stayed at Riveria Maya Grand Palladium resort before (that is where I am getting my comparisons). Sandals states that they are an all inclusive; however, they had one restaurant that was $140 per couple to eat at. In talking with others, the restaurant was nothing special and only seated 40 people so Sandals thought they needed to charge for it. In either case, I feel it is a disservice to pay as much as we did to find out that one restaurant charges another $140 to go to. Another concern I had was that they charged for internet service. They were very accommodating to gluten allergies.

In the end we had a great time, but their "nickel and dime-ing" is a huge insult to the Sandals experience.

Thanks again!
Brandon

JAMAICA

Hey Tana,

The trip was amazing.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  Sandals Ocho Rios was great!  Thank you for getting us such a great deal and being so helpfull!  When we go again, we will give you a call!  

Brian & Megan Walulik of Delavan

Anniversary Celebration trip in Jamaica at the Lady Hamilton Palladium

Gayle, Thanks so much for helping up plan a fabulous vacation! Fantastic!  We can't wait to go again. 

 

HONEYMOON AT COUPLES SWEPT AWAY

Gayle,

Our honeymoon was absolutely amazing and we loved Swept Away, we will definitely be going back!

The resort has so much to offer that we only look their shopping shuttle off the resort, no other excusions this time.  We also did not visit the sister hotel, I am sure it is wonderful to.

Thanks again for everything!

Dana

SPECIAL 5TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE IBEROSTAR GRAND

OUR 5th Aniversary Vacation to Iberostar Grand Rose Hall in Jamaica!

Hi Mary,

SANDALS ANTIGUA

Hi Karen,

The trip was fabulous!  We ate too much, drank too much, got too much sun and not enough sleep – it was great!!  The resort was beautiful – the beach was the best out of all the places we’ve been.  The island was beautiful – very hilly which surprised me.  We took an island tour (we always do that) so saw some beautiful places.  The restaurants were excellent – sometimes the service was a little slow but we had to remind ourselves everyone is on “island time”.  We’re so used to rushing around it took awhile to sit back and relax.  Had the best massage ever!  Shopping in St. John’s was great.  We had a wonderful time – can’t wait for our next trip!

Paula

 SANDALS ST LUCIA SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY AND RETURN TRIP!

Gayle,

The trip was fabulous.  We did enjoy the Regency a bit more than the Halcyon because of dining options, activities, and the scenery.  Beth keeps talking about "when" we go back.  We took the catamaran to Soufriere on her birthday.  She won the beer drinking contest that afternoon.  We did enjoy the dinner for Sandals Select members where we came home with a spice basket, bottle of rum, and another cruise the following day to Marigot Bay.  

Thank you for your help in planning the trip.

Todd and Beth

ST THOMAS

Sugar Bay Resort & Spa

Honeymoon was GREAT.  We really enjoyed the resort, which was good because we never really left.  The weather wasn't ideal and it got a little nasty mid-week, so there weren't a whole lot of activities available most days.  However, that just made more time for relaxing, which is what we went for.  We can certainly get you some pictures and I'm sure Kari will be happy to fill you in with more details.

Thanks for all your help, we really did have a great time!

Justin and Kari

EUROPE 

ITALIAN HONEYMOON WITH GLOBUS

Hi Gayle!

Yes, back home safe.  Had a great time. 
We liked each town/city for it's own uniqueness.  Really loved seeing the sites in Rome, but the traffic (smart cars and scooters) was enough to be glad you were on your way.  Shopping in Florence was productive.  Bought Keith a leather jacket and a couple leather purses.  Few nice necklaces.  The trips on the tour were great.  Met a couple old ladies from Maryland that were a super treat!  They absolutely fell in love with Keith.  Small group with nice people except one jerk and his girlfriend.  Venice was super cool with all the bridges and canals.  Drank lots of wine there.  Well. . . everywhere! 

Dropped my camera the 2nd day in Italy.  So we have pictures of the Vatican and several of the statues, etc, but most are from the crazy nights in France.  Met some people at a local pub and partied into the wee night.  Communication wasn't the easiest but you know us.  We can pretty much wing it any where. 

By the way, we thought Globus did a fantastic job.  We would highly recommend a tour through them to anyone!

Thanks Gayle!

Keith and Stacy

KEITH HAD SOME BAD TRANSPORTATION...AND A LOT OF FUN!

WONDERFUL ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION IN ITALY!

Hi Sara!
We had a great trip, thank you for asking. 

Our tour was excellent - it was 100% run by Central Holidays - we never saw an Apple Vacations sign or anything and nobody else on the tour had evenheard of Apple Vacations - so that was interesting.  The tour was actually a segment of a much larger tour - something I wish we had known because it went on to Sicily which I would have liked to see.  It started in Venice and went to Florence and a couple other placesbefore getting to Rome. Approx 20-25 of the tour had started in Venice and there were about 10 of us that joined them in Rome.  Our tour guide was fantastic although a bit crazy on not being late - we always had to be 2 minutes early otherwise he would get grumpy.  But I think that is better than always running late, and our days were maximized to say the least.  I also liked that we had quite a bit of downtime; the first two days in Rome were completely free and we got to explore and get lost and that was awesome.  We did an optional tour to the Catacombs and the Pantheon which was cool and got to see more than we would have on the tourand on foot.  The same guide was our guide the day we saw the major stuff on the first "real" day of the tour.  Her name was Franca and she was fantastic; she was fiesty, funny, and very Roman - she looked like CocoChanel.  I loved her, I think we had a bond and we were hugging by the end of the Romepart of the tour.  Ha! 

Obviously Jake and I were the youngest of the group - the next closestin age were people in their mid 40's and some people were in their mid80's.  Everyone was mostly from the East Coast and many were from Long Island - they were all hilarious and we really enjoyed the group.  Central Holidays picked pretty good hotels - our hotel in Rome was surprisingly modern and the rooms were big.  The food was also great and the location couldnt have been better.  The food at the hotel in Sorrento was horrible - that was probably our only complaint of the whole tour because we had one dinner there and felt "forced" to eat there because it was one of the free meals and we would have rather gone to town on our own and eaten at a nice restaurant - even the breakfast was disgusting - and the coffee!  We loved the Amalfi Coast and I think our favorite day on the tour was probably the day that was the most vague on the tour itinerary.  We took the bus from Sorrento and drove along the coast line which was beautiful.  We stopped in Positano which was amazing, took a boat to the town of Amalfi  for some shopping and cappacinos and then went to Ravello for the best lunch with the best views.  It was wonderful - our only complaint on that day was we wished we had more time in each place!  Another time!

Our stay in Paris was also great - we stayed at the Renaissance Arc de Trioumpe (sp?) and Justin Bieber was staying there too - hilarious.  He was in the room right below us and we ran into him in the elevator.  We tried getting cocktails at Hotel Ritz because that is shutting down for a few months but Kanye and Jay Z were there partying - it was so weird. I figured out the trains right away butwe still probably walked 5 miles a day at a minimum.  The shopping in Paris was AMAZING. I got the the most beautiful lacy sexy pretty tops - the type of stuff you find at Anthropologie here for so much - for such inexpensive prices.  I loved it, I wish I had more time to scour around and shop because they were definetly no name vintagy type shops.  Love!  I actually got one beautiful sheer longsleeved top at this really weird vintage shop for 1 Euro!  And of course it was my favorite find.  

All in all, it was a great relaxing trip.  The days we were actually with the whole group were hectic but completely worth it.  I felt bad for all the older people because there was a LOT of walking; but the best part of the trip was definetly the fact that we had so much free time in Rome. We welcomed our stay in Paris because that was all free time as well. 

Thanks,
Nisha

LAST MINUTE ANNIVERSARY TRIPS CAN BE PERFECT!  JUST WHAT YOU NEED!

 Hi Gayle,

We did have a great time.  We toured around Tampa and of course went to see Erikas dad run his racecar.  She loved it.  We even got some sun Saturday and Sunday before we left.  An extra couple days would have been nice...but that darn thing called work almost always interferes .

As usual you did a great job setting things up for us.  We definitely appreciate the last minute work you did.  We plan on taking a trip sometime this summer...where????  Don't know just yet. 

Thanks again, and we look forward to calling you again soon.

Allen & Erika Buchholz

COSTA RICA HONEYMOON

RIU GUANACASTE

Hi Gayle,

Sorry for the delay – Ray and I have both been swamped with work following our trip. I had wanted to reach out to you as well to say thank you for all your help. We had such a great time on our Honeymoon!

We thought the hotel was great and the area was nice – not too far from various other beaches/towns that we wanted to check out. We did one full day tour through Swiss travel that included the Arenal Volcano/Lake Arenal boat ride, taking a tram-ride up a mountain and zip-lining down, a stop at The Springs hot spring resort… lunch and dinner included… it was fantastic! We also went fishing for a half day (through another company) – that was very fun!

I can definitely send you a few pics. I’ll be travelling the rest of this week again but will be in touch soon with some pictures after that (or if I can find some spare time in the airport).

Thanks again for all your help – we had a wonderful experience. I’ll be in touch again soon.

Best,

Jenny
 

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