TopDawg Travel

Archive for the ‘Opinions’ Category

My fellow travel agent and I arrived at the hotel and were greeted with cold washcloths and a fruity (non-alcoholic) drink.  The desk person could not seem to locate our records (they use paper records here – how quaint).  He left with my passport in hand and then returned to pull my paperwork out of the box in front of him.  I did wonder what transpired with my passport in the back office. 

He gave me the check-in spiel – if I wanted to have the use of the safe in my room, I needed a lock.  There is no charge for the lock, unless I lose the key.  Then there is a $100 fee for the key replacement.  He checked out a remote to the TV to me (again, no charge).  And he handed me a card for pool towel check out.  He assigned me the room # 1810.  That was nice because it is on the top floor.  He then snapped a blue plastic strip around my right wrist which indicated that I was in the all-inclusive plan.  I would wear this wrist-let for the next 5 days.  It felt a bit like a one-sided hand cuff, but it does mean I eat and drink for no extra charge. 

I asked about internet access.  The price seemed to change as it left his mouth.  It ranged from $9 to $29.  The good thing is that you purchase a set number of minutes or hours.  I purchased 24 hours.  As long as you log on, and then log off when you are shutting down, you may use only a few minutes and 24 hours can last a whole week.  But if you don’t log off, it can be used up very fast.  I agreed to the 24 hour plan immediately and then he checked in the fellow traveler.  She was 2 doors down from me and we accompanied a bellman to the 8th floor.  He dropped me off and proceeded down the hall with her in tow. 

I walked into an oven.  It was hot outside and hotter inside.  I walked over and opened the drape.  I checked the balcony door and it was not locked.  I stepped outside and the heat was overwhelming.  I stepped back in and tried to lock the door, but there was not a working lock.  After checking the AC control, I called the front desk.  I want to say two-thumbs up for the response level of the staff.  There was a maintenance person in my room handling the lock ASAP.  The air conditioning was a whole other issue.

My fellow traveler and I agreed it was a good idea to adjourn to the bar for a drink.  After unpacking and laying out toiletries, we met at the elevator and headed to the pool bar.  There was a menu of drinks.  There were a number of fruity flavored margaritas, but not a straight up margarita.  The same was true of the martinis, the daiquiris and well drinks seemed out of the question.  We settled on mojitos.  Then we saw him break out a huge bottle of beer for a waiter and the next drink was destined to be beer.  “Sol” was the brand name, but it was beer and it was wet, so that worked for me.  We were both so hot and sweaty that we agreed to go put on swimsuits and take a dip in the infinity pool.  We gave up on making reservations for dinner as it was after 5PM and dinner reservations had to be made before 5PM.  We also were too late to get pool towels with our cards.  When we went to the front desk to see if we could check them out from there, there were no towels available for another 5-10 minutes.  We decided we could dip without a towel.  I grabbed the beer and headed to the pool, expecting a cool dip to help chill me out.  Oops.  Wrong again.  The pool is a bit warmer than body temperature.  But once in and kicking around, it did not matter.  I may have been warm but the sweat was gone and I was drinking a beer in the pool.  Life was ok by most any standard.   

Welcome to Puerto Vallarta.

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