TopDawg Travel

Archive for the ‘Opinions’ Category

Deal of the Day: Las Ventanas al Paraiso spa packages offer endless romance 

I have already written of my infatuation with Las Ventanas al Paraiso since visiting Los Cabos in May.  However, when I see the offers they have for spa and romance experiences through 2010, I have to re-visit their hotel here (I can wish to do it physically, though I can only do so with words).  Read more…

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Decided to take a destination once a week and write about it.  Just sort of tips/tricks/insider knowledge and where to find more information on a different location each week.  I thought I would start with Belgium.

• Brussels is the Capital of Belgium.  It is also the headquarters of the European Union and NATO. 
• English is widely spoken there.
• Brussels is still less expensive than London, Paris, Amsterdam and most western European capitals
• Bastogne is the site of the battle of the Bulge (winter 1944-45).  You can find out more by visiting http://www.si-bastogne.be/index.php?lg=fpdb/sibasten&page1=a-presentation.htm.
• At the gates of Brussels the famous battle of Waterloo was fought.  You can find out more by visiting http://www.waterloo1815.be/en/waterloo/ .
• You can buy a “Brussels” card that provides free access to 26 museums, discounts in shops, restaurants, tourist attractions and unlimited travel on public transport. There are choices of 24 hour, 48 hour and 72 hour passes.  For more information go to http://www.brusselsinternational.be/wabxlint/en/visitor/practical-information/4761/brussels-card.act .
• Binche is the world famous Carnival on Fat Tuesday
• Royal Greenhouses are open to the public from April through the beginning of May in Brussels
• The Royal Palace is open to the public from the end of July through mid-September
• There are fabulous Christmas Markets in Brussells and all over Wallonia in December
• Brussels is home to 145 hotels with 15,000 rooms
• Brussels is home to more than 80 museums
• Check out the  Magritte Museum (http://www.magrittemuseum.be/code/en/index1.htm ) while visiting Brussels; the Herge Museum, in Louvain la Neuve, outside Brussels; and, Grand Curtius Museum in Liege (with easy to access thanks to a new train station)
• There are some really good hotel rates available in Brussels during the weekends
• There are more castles per square mile in Belgium than anywhere in the world

For lots more information on Belgium, check out the Belgium Tourist Office at www.visitbelgium.com

As I mentioned in an earlier blog piece, when I find “good deals” I have decided to share them here. Again, this is something I have steered away from in the past, but decided that these extraordinary times called for sharing these opportunities more broadly. And a lot of what I say here is strictly just my opinion and my advice to my clients. So talking about the “good deals” in Hawaii is a natural.

First off, Hawaii is always a wonderful place to spend your vacation. And, of course, I am prejudiced. Having lived there for 28 years, I can not think of any other place I would rather be. That said, I now reside in Seattle. But Hawaii is where my heart lives. There are some incredible deals for visits to Hawaii right now, however. Take as an example, the Starwood Hotels and Resort’s Hawaii have a promotion going on until March 31, 2009. It is called Sunsational Savings. You can qualify for a third night free and a breakfast or meal credit daily. At some locations, there is also a free room upgrade available; at others there is a 20% spa discount; at other hotels there is a 15% off at select restaurants.

Tomorrow, January 20, will be the celebration of the reopening of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki. This hotel is offering the “1927 Package” which includes luxury Royal Grove accommodations for a four-night minimum stay (you get the first night at $19.27, with additional nights from $450 per night), dinner for two at the new Azure Restaurant, two mai tais and a memento gift. This 1927 Package is available from Feb1 through June 30, 2009.

The Aqua Hotels and Resorts have a “Nifty To Be Fifty Statehood” Special at all 12 of its Waikiki hotels during 2009. Some of the offerings include a $50 off the first night with a minimum three night stay. They also include a free amenity for guests aged 50+; a free 1959-inspired postcard; and, a half-hour mini-massage for $50.

The Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is offering guests up to four hours of free valet parking when lunching at one of several restaurants at the Beach Walk. The offer is valid daily from 11AM to 3PM. Some of these restaurants include the Cheeseburger Beachwalk, Roy’s Waikiki, Yard House, Kaiwa, Giovanni Pastrami & Taorimina Sicilian Cuisine.

I worked in Waikiki at Shaheen’s, an upscale clothing store, in the early 1970′s. I lived in the Waikiki “jungle” in the mid-1970′s. My memories of Lewers Street and Beach Walk make me want to go there just to take that walk down memory lane. Have you been there before – maybe a long time ago, like me? Waikiki Beach Walk has changed. Waikiki has changed. And I want to say, for the better! It is safer, more friendly, cleaner. A real pleasure to visit. If you want to share your memories of Waikiki, or talk about an upcoming visit, just add your comments here.

I usually do not try to talk about “Good Deals”, but these are extraordinary times and maybe starting to talk about what constitutes a “good deal” is appropriate – not only for my business (afterall, I, like so many others writing blogs, am in business) but for the consumer.

Take for example Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Now, I will grant you, these are not “cheap” cruises. But value? Definitely a good value. And a good value is a “good deal”!

So as an example: booking between now and March 31, 2009, if a couple want to go to Alaska this summer, and leave from Vancouver, BC for a 7 night cruise to Seward, they can get up to 2-for-1 savings with free air from selected cities and selected cruises and free unlimited shore excursions. NOTE: The shore excursions can frequently cost nearly as much as the cruise cabin when one decides to fully experience the ports of call. This is a huge value-added. And, if you have never sailed with Regent before, you may even qualify for some on-board credit.

The other really cool thing about Regent Seven Seas is this an “all-inclusive” cruise line: complimentary beverages, including fine wines and premium spirits, in-suite mini-bar replenished daily & onboard gratuities included (don’t you just “love” getting your bill at the end of a cruise and seeing anywhere from $10 to $25 per person per day in a gratuity charge?) Now I happen to think that the gratuity charge is a value and really ok – most of the time the wait staff, cabin stewards and all the other service people on the ship do a bang-up stellar job! However, it is the method of presenting this at the time of check out that can be a challenge for people to digest onto their charge cards. I love the concept of paying the gratuity up front.

So while there is a lot of fine print attached to the offerings, there is a lot of value-added to the “good deal”. And these kinds of offering come across my inbox every day, many times a day and from all the different vendors. If someone has cruised with a cruiseline before, they may get all kinds of special offers in the snail mail or their inbox. One of the value-adds of a travel consultant is that they can book these specials for you, be your advocate if necessary and possibly either beat the price you are offered, or get you additional “good deals” in shore excursions, on-board credit, gifts and the like.

As I see “good deals” and “value-added” opportunities over the next couple of months I am going to address them here. Regardless of whether you are in the market for a vacation in the immediate future or somewhere way down the road, watching the good deals come by us can be entertaining reading and certainly food for thought.

Every time  I work up an itinerary for a client, I include the cost of travel insurance.  If someone declines said insurance, I make them sign a waiver that I offered it and they declined it.  I have been fortunate that most clients have either taken the insurance or had no serious situations arise when they declined it.  I was just reading an article in the New York Times Travel section (I follow this on Twitter) and decided the article was worth a permalink here:  Stuck in Paradise, Needing Medical Help

This story only reiterates in my mind that accidents happen, usually when one can least afford them.  So no matter where you are going, especially if you are traveling outside the boundries of the country you live in, consider travel insurance.  Make sure you check existing coverage with your health insurance provider, the charge card company you book your travel through (you may want to use only one credit card so you can take advantage of the travel insurance they offer, however minimal it may be), and consider purchasing the travel insurance your travel consultant offers you.  It may be the best investment you make on your travels