Luxury Cruises...
Hop on the "Upward Curve" for your next Cruise Vacation!
If you are in the middle of your child-raising years and are looking for a family vacation ignore this post! But, if you are looking for a break from those responsibilities -OR- have moved past that phase of your life, chances are pretty good that you don't want to board a ship that is loaded with families with young children.
Family travel (including family reunions) is huge these days... and that means kids everywhere - even during times of the year when you might think they are in school and even on premium lines such as Holland America and Princess.
There is an escape! The luxury lines are, by virtue of their "price point", true adult-oriented experiences. My wife and I will become "Empty Nesters" in September and are looking forward to a luxury cruise with Seabourn Cruise Line in October! On our first Seabourn cruise in 2000, we were in the 'taking a break' mode and we are looking forward to returning to the Seabourn Spirit as members of the second group that I identified above. Seabourn is one of four luxury lines from which you can choose. Along with Silversea, Crystal and Regent Seven Seas the fares on the "Elegant Four" seem quite "dear" but when you avail yourself of the many discount offerings and when you consider that everything is included - gourmet dining (for which there is a surcharge on other lines), all cocktails, fine wines and all gratuities - experiencing the best is really not all that much more expensive than a "premium class" cruise... with all those families on board!
Note: There is a new cruise line that positions itself between the premium class (Princess, Holland America, etc.) and the luxury lines. Oceania Cruise Line is what we refer to as "premium plus" in that you still pay for beverages and the gratuities are not included but the level of the cuisine and service is slightly better - and Oceania "does nothing to encourage children".
If you would like my recommendations on the right line for you, send me an email!
Cheers,
Dick
Playa del Carmen:
Riu Palace Riviera Maya gives me a fresh, new view of Mexico.
My wife and I recently spent a week at the brand new Riu Palace Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen and loved it! I was as surprised as anyone since I haven't been especially fond of Mexico in the past. The place was elegant and the service truly the equal of first-class cruise lines - something I thought to be impossible. The food quality and presentation was far beyond that of any all-inclusive resort we have ever visited. In a seven night stay, we dined in a different restaurant each night. And, every one of them was perfect. The cocktail lounge in the main lobby was our favorite nightly spot before dinner. Live piano music and palatial atmosphere made it a perfect relaxing cocktail hour after a day in the sun. For golfers, the newly renovated Playacar Golf Club is directly across the street.
Our travel agency, Gateway Express Travel features Riu Resorts all over the world, so we thought we should try this area out since they have 5 resorts just in Playa del Carmen alone. I can heartily recommend it to anyone who wants the best. Tell your travel agent to check it out for you - especially if you haven't been a big fan of Mexico (as we weren't) before now!
Las Vegas Vacations...THE QUIETER, ELEGANT SIDE OF LAS VEGAS
My closest "friend" hates Las Vegas. It seems that her biggest objection is having to plow one's way through the crowded casino to get to her room after a lovely dinner or a great show. Well, there is a cure! My post of a few weeks ago spoke of the trend toward upscale everything - the elegant shops at Bellagio, The Venitian, Caesar's Palace and others; the Celebrity Chef Restaurants, and so on. Add to the list of elegance, some new hotels (with no casinos) that provide private entrances, private pool and spa areas and all the elegance of the finest upscale hotels in Manhattan. THE hotel at Mandalay Bay, the Skylofts at the MGM Grand are just a couple options and more are being built as I write this. (Hint: Trump is coming to Las Vegas soon.)
The other alternative destination within a destination is Lake Las Vegas. Two elegant lakeside resorts, two world-class golf clubs and relatively 'sane' casinos are yours here... and you are only 20 minutes from The Strip for those great shows and other attractions.
On your next adventure, fly First Class to Las Vegas, ride to your hotel in a private executive car, check in at the Invited Guests desk, and get 'front of the line' status at the popular Celebrity Chef Restaurants (and for the 30-something crowd - the hot nightclubs!) at a price well-below what you might expect. If you love the excitement of The Strip but want it in small doses with a quick escape route to quiet, elegant surroundings this is for you!
I would be happy to give you some additional tips. Send a comment to this blog post OR just email me.
Cheers,
Dick
Las Vegas Trips:
Vegas keeps getting Better... and Busier!
Although Las Vegas is not my favorite 'cup of tea', I always look forward my annual visit for a travel industry technology conference. It is truly the most exciting place on Earth. And, despite the unbelievable pace and the tremendous crowds, the friendliness of the great majority of people you come in contact with is beyond impressive. My hat is off to all the service personnel of Las Vegas. I don't know how they can do what they do day-after-day!!! For those of you that appreciate great marketing, the Las Vegas Visitors Bureau is the quintessential case study. The city adds thousands of new rooms each year - and they keep filling them. Hotel occupancy is 87.6% which beats every other vacation destination in the entire world. Here are a few observations & tips that I had from my most recent visit last week: 1. The growth is clearly in the upscale segment of the market. Every time I visit, another few "cheap, old casino/hotels" have been bulldozed to make room for new 5-Star properties. The day of the 99 cent shrimp cocktail is gone! 2. For the '30-something' crowd, the hot nightclubs are springing up everywhere - and getting into one without a VIP pass is a low-percentage proposition! For those of us that are 'more seasoned', the Celebrity Chef restaurants are exploding. And, likewise, don't go to Las Vegas without an advance (3 or 4 months in advance) reservation! 3. The shows just keep getting bigger and better! (You may catch on to a recurring theme here...) If you want to see a major show, you had better get your tickets well in advance of your visit. The hot tickets are Celine Dion, Elton John and Danny Gans. It seems as though Cirque du Soleil will soon engulf the entire city! The newest edition, LOVE by Cirque du Soleil which celebrates the Beatles, is the hottest ticket in town!
If you are going to go, I urge you -strongly- to ask your travel agent to arrange VIP passes, dinner reservations and show tickets in advance!
Cheers,
Dick
Maui Vacations...
The Grand Wailea Maui might surprise you!
As I shared in my last post, my wife and I absolutely adore Hawaii and get a chance to visit every few years - not nearly enough! But with the distractions of running our business and managing two teenagers and a puppy, that's all we have seemed to manage in recent years. Having stayed at the Grand Hyatt Wailea in it's first year of existence 14 years earlier, we were looking forward to a "return engagement". It indeed was a little like coming home. Although it is longer affiliated with Hyatt we found it to be everything we remembered... and more. Among the "more" were some things that were not to our liking. Among the things we expected was the cordial service, the fabulous Spa and the gorgeous grounds. And in those areas we were not disappointed. But there were a few things that surprised us as well. Unbeknown to us, this resort has heavily marketed itself to families with young children. Because of the many water slides throughout the pool areas the place was crawling with kids! Along with that shift in focus, we discovered that fine dining was no longer a part of the Grand Wailea Resort. For instance, the main restaurant overlooking the grounds from just off the lobby area - one that we fondly remembered - no longer is open for dinner. Thankfully, the Four Seasons Resort just next door and the Fairmont Kea Lani just down the beach provided us numerous options for fine dining with an adult atmosphere!
Despite all this the Grand Wailea is still a wonderful place although it is definitely showing its age. I would recommend it heartily - to families with young children!!!
