TopDawg Travel

Archive for the ‘Family travel’ Category

December 2009, the most wonderful time of the year, for shopping , entertainment, activities with family and loved ones, dining out and more, in downtown Seattle.  Seattle has some of the best shopping, the best food, and the best entertainment in the United States.  If you have not visited Seattle before, the holidays are a great time to make your list, check it twice and come to Seattle, whether you are naughty or nice.   There is something for everyone in downtown Seattle.  Read More….     Holiday calendar of activities in Seattle filled with shopping and travel deals: December 2009

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Is the benefit of travel insurance worth the cost of travel insurance?  Knowing you are traveling to see family over the holidays, the last thing you want to worry about is an accident or illness.  You have saved both time and money for this holiday vacation.  The time you will be spending is frequently worth more than the money you are spending.  The experience of seeing family or going to a destination to do the things you have dreamed of doing should not be wasted or marred by accident or illness.  But sometime bad things happen to good people,usually at the worst time. Read more… Travel 101: Should I buy travel insurance?

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At the end of May I got to go to Los Cabos for 4 days.  It was a wonderful working vacation for me.  I saw some beautiful properties that I genuinely enjoyed.  I met many warm and genuine people and had some great food (though maybe too much red snapper).  I stayed in a lovely casita at the Marqus Los Cabos, which included a plunge pool and amenity breakfasts every morning while watching the sun come up and listening to the ocean roaring right outside my patio door. 

I sailed on the New Zealand version of the America’s Cup Yacht Race boat.  Had a wonderful swedish massage at the Esperanza Spa  from Ulma.  Looked a horse in the eye and declined the ride.  Walked along the beach and had a good “wetting down” from a stray wave.  Experienced a cooking class with a Michelin-starred chef.  Drank such a great margarita (Las Ventanas al Paraiso’s  ”Welcoming Margarita”) that I was inspired to go to Bed Bath and Beyond when I returned to Seattle and purchase a soda siphon in order to make them myself.  And I might add, while not as perfect as Las Ventana’s Welcoming Margaritas, mine were plenty yummy. 

Without a doubt one of the best meals (and there were many delightful meals from many hotels and restaurants, but this one stood out in my memory) while there was at One and Only Parmilla.  We took a tour of the villa accommodations there at One andOnly Parmilla, then a golf cart ride to the restaurant, Agua Restaurant.  Our hosts included the One and OnlyParmilla, Cecilia Aragon-Bryant (Director of Public Relations),  the Los Cabos Visitor and Convention Bureau and Terramar Destinations, who provided our guide, Rico, for the evening.  The menu included a canape, 4 course dinner and dessert, provided by the Executive Chef, Larbi Dahrouch. 

The Thursday night Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo also stands out as a superb event to enjoy with the only cost being that of the delightful art one might feel inclined to purchase.  Our guide, Rico, led us up and down the hilly streets, and in and out of galleries too numerous to mention.  Wine, canapes, a delicious vanilla liqueur, margaritas all accompanied us on our rounds of the galleries.  See my Thursday Night Art Walk article at National Romance Travel Examiner for a more complete description.

I would go to Los Cabos again immediately if I could.  I fell in love with the place, the people, the food and the ambiance.  i really would like to stay at Las Ventanas al Paraiso or One and Only Parmilla each at least for a week!  Oh yes, the trip I went on was sponsored by the Los Cabos Visitor and Convention Bureau.  I appreciated everything they did to help me understand that the novel H1N1 virus was not in residence in Los Cabos!

I wrote several articles about this lovely trip in my National Romance Travel Examiner column  at Examiner.com.  Here are some of the links, I hope you read and enjoy them:

Sailing with the Cabo Adventures America’s Cup Yacht Race experience

Marquis Los Cabos – a resort for all senses

Marquis Los Cabos casita 704

An invitation to romance at Las Ventanas al Paraiso part 1

Las Ventanas – part 2 – more than a resort

There are more but that is for another posting……