YUCATAN XMAS

5 days, over Xmas, in the Caribbean. Dec. 23 – Dec 27 2013

Puerto Morelos is a beautiful little fishing village midway on the Riviera Maya, halfway between Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

From here it is a short bus ride to Puerto Juarez (the ferry to Isla Mujeres), Cancun, Playa del Carmen ( and the Ferry to Cozumel), and Tulum.

Monday, flight from Vancouver. 

Tuesday, Xmas eve, explore your hotel.

Wednesday,  Xmas day, depending on the festivities, part of the day at the hotel, the rest of the day at Playa Del Carman, about 20 min. by bus.

Thursday, Boxing day, catch the ferry over to Cozumel.

Which leaves you Thursday evening and Friday morning to enjoy your hotel.

Ocean Coral Resort Hotel Puerto Morelos, Mexico Includes;

- All meals, local drinks, and snacks included 24 hours a day.

- Mini Bar (water, soft drinks, and beer)

- Daily activities program

- Nightly Entertainment

- Kid's Club (ages 4 to 12) and Wading Pool

- Teen Club (10+)

- Complimentary Wireless Internet in lobby area

- Selected Non-motorized water sports (1hour/day)

- Scuba diving lesson in pool (1 per stay)

- Special Welcome Cocktail

- 7 a la carte dining options

- 1 buffet restaurant for breakfast, lunch, dinner

- Room service

- Pool and beach waiter service

- 4 swimming pools

- 3 Outdoor Jacuzzis

- Tennis court

- Fitness center

- All taxes and gratuities 

Flight - Vancouver to Cancun Dec. 23

Cancun to Vancouver Dec. 27 

Flight, luggage, & health insurance $167 

Total package = $1923.37 

(BOOK NOW before prices change)

TRAIN AND CRUISE

Did you know that you can take a tour of Southern B. C. by train. In fact you can go across Southern Canada, as far East as Toronto.

You can do a tour of the West coast, by ship, from Seattle to Alaska.

Or you could combine the two and enjoy a rail-ship tour in either direction, starting, or ending, at; Alaska, Banff, Calgary, Jasper, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, or Whistler.

How can you tell that I just completed a training course for Rocky Mountaineer train tours?

Drop me an E.

XMAS IN HAWAII

Too early to think about Christmas?

Not if you want a cabin aboard the only cruise ship that will be sailing the islands on Christmas Day.

Fly direct from Vancouver, B.C. Dec. 19

Hotel for 2 days.

Sail out of Honolulu Dec. 21, cruise 5 different islands, return to port Dec. 28.

2 nights in a hotel and catch the plane back to Vancouver, Dec. 30.

Total $5818.55 *

Total trip = 11 days, 4 nights in Honolulu, and 7 days aboard NCL `Pride of America’.

For more information, drop me an E.

·     

** Price cal. May 27, & based on; 1 person, 2 * hotel near beach, Economy seating on plane, and inside (Double Occupancy) cabin.

GOLF & HISTORY

What do golf and history have in common? I mean besides the fact that golf is one of the oldest games/sports in modern history.

Did you know that Marriott has spent the last umpteen years touring England and buying up old; houses, farms, hotels, and government buildings, and restoring them.

People travel to visit; golf courses, historic buildings, and spas.

One could, conceivably, combine these pastimes. Say; if you were to play a round of golf in the morning, spend the afternoon absorbing the history of your accommodations, then spend the next day travelling, you could, from Bournemouth to Leeds, stay in a different Marriott hotel, and play golf on a different course, and absorb some English history, seven times in 2 weeks.

What a concept. What a great summer holiday. What a tour of England.

 For more details contact me. Oh, lets not forget, some time for a spa in the evening. 

DESTINATION SPA

Many people like to travel just to visit spas.

There are many types of spas and there are many locations of spas.

One could travel the world visiting spas. You could challenge yourself, visit a spa in every continent.

Marriott offers a hotel with a spa in nearly every continent; Africa, Asia Australia, Europe, Middle East, and the Americas.

Or you could travel spas, and countries, with a continent. Say: Africa, with 3 countries hosting Marriott hotels with spas; Asia, 13 countries; Australia -
S. Pacific, 2 countries; Central America, 13 countries; Europe, 16 countries; Middle East, 9 countries; North America, 3 countries; and South America, 5 countries.

If you want less flight time and more spa time, just travel one country. Marriott offers 11 hotels with spas in Canada, 32 in China,  9 in Mexico, 9 in Turkey, 6 in the UEA, or 50 in the US of A.

Less travel time, more spa time, just tour one state. You will find  8 Marriott spas in Arizona, 27 in  California, 34 in Florida,  8 in Georgia, 14 in Hawaii, 8 in New York (state), and 7 in Texas.

Touring and spas, not an original concept but truly an endearing one. There are many different types of spas and Marriot hotels offer a spa of every type, somewhere.

Interested, contact me, and tell me which type you would like to visit.

GOOGLE + SUCKS

Have I ever told you how much I hate goggle.  I have had this blog for years. Long before Guugle was ever heard of. How it became gobble I have no idea. Now that I have joined Centre Holidays they have supplied me with; a website, an E mail, a Twitter, a Face Book page,  and a You Tube account.

Had I known they would all be Gabble accounts I probably wouldn't have joined.
Goog + got into the act and now I can't separate my personal accounts from my company accounts.
I spend more time tying to separate them than I do posting, or reading, and I am really getting sick of it.

I am so pissed off that I am tempted to sell my MAC and get a Winn... NO, No, not that, anything but that.
Wouldn't do me any good anyway.  Gigle controls Windows as much, if not more than, Mac.
And of course trying to get in touch with the clowns that own the stupid software and explain to them the mess they are making is about as sensible as banging your head against the wall.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I HATE GOOGLE.

I tried to up load a video to my You Tube account. Don't ask me where it went.  Some stupid Youtube account somewhere, but not mine.  When I try to find my you tub account I find a website that says it is mine but it is full of stuff that I never put here.

Why do I bother, you are all in love with google.

If you happen to stumble across my video, about Tuxpan, tell it to go home, it belongs at http://www.youtube.com/user/Bear39224?ob=0&feature=results_main I think.

ACCOMMODATION

When I travel I usually take the cheapest flight available. (This often means I have to leave within 72 hours.)

When I arrive I walk out the `departure’ doors, avoiding all the cabs and tour guides clustered around the `arrivals’ doors.

I then walk off the airport grounds and catch a city bus.  I ask the bus driver to drop me in the area where the cheap hotels are.

One might think that accommodation is not important to me.

It is.

Like any traveler I have my wants and needs.

First is price. After negotiating a price with the desk clerk (Prices are usually negotiable in any hotel, if you are talking to the person who has the power to make these decisions.) I then ask to inspect the room.

If the sink only has one tap (faucet), this room does not have hot water.

If it has two taps, I make sure that both work and determine how long it takes for the water to get hot and how hot the water will get. (I abhor cold showers.)

In one hotel, my friend and I had to show the lady how to ignite a hot water tank.  She had owned the hotel for years, never knew she could offer her guests hot water. A sign, and the room rates, went up the next day.

Another thing that is important to me is a seat on the toilet. Or even a toilet. In the orient I am at a disadvantage because many places don’t have toilets and my knees do not handle my 250+ pounds in a squat position.

Another must for me are an overhead fan, with variable speeds, that runs quietly,

Slow speed will keep mosquitoes away and the low hum will drown out the drunks on the street below.

These minus 1, and 2, star hotels can usually be found in a market area, away from heavy traffic, but close to the people, restaurants, shopping, night life, and the heart of the culture. Sometimes I luck out and it is also close to a beach.

No matter who you are, or where you travel, accommodation plays a major part of the enjoyment of your trip.

Be it a mom and pop Posada, or a five star luxury suite with balcony and catered breakfast, finding the right hotel; at the right price, in the right location, with the right amenities, may not be the center of your trip’s planning but it should d be an integral part.

I can help you with that.

As a travel consultant I can help you choose; the right means of transport, the right accommodation, and the right itinerary.

From home to home, and everything in between, visit my website or send me an E.

Lee