Beach Junkies

How We Ate Our Way Through NYC: Forty Four

2012-01-24T08:06:00.000-05:00

Restaurant Name:

Forty Four

44 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036, United States
(212) 944-8844

Cuisine: American

Price Rating: $$$$
Beach Junkies Rating (based out of 5 stars):
Food: 5 / Service: 5 / Drinks: 5 / Atmosphere: 5

One of our main goals was to try as many drinks as we could at Forty Four. After dinner we would walk back to the hotel in anticipation of what drinks we would get that night. The drinks here are awesome! Pricey, yes but if you go to other quality bars and restaurants around the city, the price is just right. There is a range of cocktails and other drinks to choose from, but knowing that Forty Four bar is staffed with awesome mixologists, we knew we were going for their signature cocktails!

Drinks: Please keep in mind that we did not drink all of these in one sitting. These were the drinks we had throughout our stay.

Creamsicle & Ginger Julep

The Creamsicle is an off the menu cocktail that Matt at Forty Four had done up for "M". It was clean, tart, fresh and strong. If you like the taste of spirits, this drink is for you. If not, I'd stay away from it as it might be too much for your taste buds. "A" ordered the Ginger Julep and this is where Matt introduced us to Honey Jack Daniels! Y-U-M!

Seven Spiced Cider & Agave Royale

After sitting on top of a double decker tour bus for 2 hours in the cold, we longed to sit by the fireplace at the lobby of the Royalton Hotel. Seeing that we were chilled to the bone, Jason recommended that we get the Seven Spiced Cider. It was definitely what we needed. Hot, flavorful, and just a soothing cocktail! It was perfect for coming in from the cold. "A" opted to get the Agave Royale, her second crushed ice drink of the trip. At this point I was getting really jealous of her crushed ice drinks but I'm glad she shared with me.

French Caribbean & Sidecar

I thought this time around it was about time that I ordered a crushed ice drink, so I went with French Caribbean which became my absolute favorite drink of the trip. It's pretty much a Pina Colada on roids. It's that good. It also comes in a clear Tiki mask mug that I thought was a perfect touch! The only thing that could've gone better with the drink is if it was called Beach Junkie lol! I definitely recommend it. As a joke, "A" decided to order a Sidecar since Matt raved about it (inside joke). She should've ordered it when Matt was there but Merritt made one for her instead.

Merritt also made us a bunch of drinks our first night like the Alchemist and the Italian Banana Bread which were delicious as well but unfortunately we forgot to take photographs of them.

Appetizers: We don't remember what they called this bread, but we sure can still taste it. This was the best bread we have ever eaten! At first we thought it was some sort of danish. The outer layer is like a danish but the inside is like bread. You really have to try this. It's unreal

Fresh Mozzarella Salad: A-MA-ZING! The roasted peppers and arugula compliment well with the texture of the mozzarella. It was really fresh. We've never eaten fresh mozzarella before and I can see what the difference is. It's not hard and chewy, it's tender and slightly flakes at a bite. Just great!

Tuna Tartar: The best tuna tartar you will ever have. Sushi grade tuna dressed with Kimchi and mixed with Cucumbers and toasted chia seeds. Fresh. Flavorful. Fantastic.

Main: 72 Hour Braised Short Rib: This meal was straight from mama's kitchen. Perfectly cooked baby carrots, peas and pearl onions. The mash potatoes was amazingly soft, fluffy and creamy and the short rib was outstandingly juicy!

As it turned out, our last meal of our trip was the best meal of our trip. It was amazing and the service was once again outstanding. The best part about Forty Four is that you don't have to be a guest at the hotel to enjoy this goodness. You can walk right in and enjoy the drinks and food, like so many people we saw during our stay. If the food doesn't lure you in, then the drinks should. It is a bit pricey but there is a reason why and as the saying goes, you get what you pay for and we definitely got what we paid for!

How We Ate Our Way Through NYC: Bryant Park Grill

2012-01-23T07:53:00.000-05:00

Restaurant Name:

Bryant Park Grill

25 W 40th St
New York, NY
(212) 840-6500

Cuisine: American

Price Rating: $$
Beach Junkies Rating (based out of 5 stars):
Food: 3 / Service: 3.5 / Drinks: 3 / Atmosphere: 4

We chose to have our Christmas Day dinner at Bryant Park Grill. They offered a 3 course pre-fixe menu for $68 per person which was really reasonable considering the other prices we saw in town. We also wanted to eat somewhere that had a very festive feel and being that the Holiday markets and ice rink were there, it just made sense.

Appetizers: Crab Cakes: We were off to a good start with this meal. It was quite delicious and perfectly cooked. Unfortunately, this was the best dish of our seating and you'll see why below.

Main Course: Duck with Portobello Mushroom and Mash Potatoes: The duck breast was actually pretty good and so where the cranberries. However the dark meat portion of the dish wasn't so great. It had a really gamey taste to it and wasn't desirable to the pallet at all. Good thing I ate it last cause I almost lost my appetite because of it.

Turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potatoes and vegetables. I chose to eat traditional turkey for my Christmas dinner. The turkey was moist not dry and there was three huge slices included in my entree (a little too much for me). I barely made a dent in my meal but I was full. I am not use to eating so much carbs.

Dessert: Bread Pudding with coconut drizzle and creme fresh: The savoir of the night. If it wasn't for this, I would've been really grumpy on Christmas Night since my main meal wasn't satisfying at all. Then again can't judge it fairly since it could've been good since my duck was so bad. In any case, it was edible at least.

Mascarpone cheesecake with chocolate ice cream: Being lactose-intolerant, I tried not too eat too much of the cheesecake but it did taste delicious with the cookie crumb base and ice cream.

Overall this was our most disappointing dinner of our trip. We wanted the ambiance and that's what we pretty much paid for. The meal wasn't great and the portions were extremely huge that we didn't finish everything. The service was your typical "get you in and out" as fast as they can. This was a good thing since we didn't wait long for our meal, but it unfortunately showed in the quality of the food.

How We Ate Our Way Through NYC: Blue Fin

2012-01-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Restaurant Name:
Blue Fin
1567 Broadway at 47th St (at W Hotel, Times Square)
New York, NY
(212) 918-1400

Cuisine: Seafood and Sushi
Price Rating: $$$
Beach Junkies Rating (based out of 5 stars):
Food: 4 / Service: 5 / Drinks: n/a / Atmosphere: 4

We happened to stumble upon Blue Fin on Christmas Day. We were walking around Times Square, noticed it was opened and luckily we were able to get a table. Since it was Christmas Day, they had a special menu but everything on the regular menu looked equally delicious, including the brunch.

We wanted a light lunch, therefore we only ordered two items off the menu. Let me tell you that we did get full just from the delicious warm bread they served. Both of us love seafood so we went with the shellfish tower for 2 people. This tower included maine lobster, empress crab, jumbo shrimp, littleneck clams, ceviche, marinated prince edward mussels and east and west coast oysters. The icing on the cake was the tasty sauces for the oysters: spicy cocktail sauce, mignonette (shallots and red wine vinegar mixture) and the tomato horseradish granite (cocktail sauce and horseradish mixed together, then frozen and scraped). The last sauce was absolutely to die for. We never tasted anything like it but it worked wonders with the oysters and everything else we decided to dip it in.

Balcony Shellfish Tower

We also ordered the spicy tuna maki in case all the that shellfish wasn't enough. The sweet thai chili sauce was a unique addition to the standard tuna maki.

Spicy Tuna Maki with sweet thai chili

Again, we had no room for dessert or maybe it was the fact that Baked by Melissa was across the street and was calling "A"'s name. We will save Baked by Melissa for another post.

How We Ate Our Way Through NYC: La Masseria

2012-01-18T08:09:00.001-05:00

Restaurant Name:
Las Masseria
235 West 48th Street
New York, NY
(212) 582-2111

Cuisine: Italian
Price Rating: $$
Beach Junkies Rating (based out of 5 stars):
Food: 4 / Service: 4 / Drinks: 4 / Atmosphere: 4

As mentioned in a previous post, we had all our dinner reservation booked through Open Table. On Christmas, we had reserved at a Sake/Japanese bar but suddenly craved for authentic Italian food. We had no idea where to go and if it was even possible to get a last minute reservation on Christmas Eve, let alone figure out what would be open. What is the best solution? Ask the concierge or front desk at your hotel. Within minutes, we had a 8:45 pm dinner reservation at La Masseria. What wonders the front desk can do - we asked for an Italian restaurant walking distance around 8 pm - and we got it. There was no disappointment at all. We were satisfied and honestly, we would have never found this restaurant on our own.

We were seated almost instantly and since it was Christmas Eve and there were large family parties booked throughout the restaurant, we were seated very close to another couple (who were quite annoying but I tried my best not to let it ruin our dinner. We started off with some sparkling water and a glass of prosecco for "A" and red wine for "M". The waiter announced the daily specials for the evening and let me tell you it was a very long list.

I Cucuzielli Fritti Alla Pino

Appetizer. We were going to start off with salads but decided on trying the I Cucuzielli Fritti Alla Pino, Crispy Fried Zucchini. "A" was a little hesitant in ordering anything fried since we had fried chicken for lunch (see previous post) but after trying these slivers of fried goodness, there was no regrets. "A" had pictured sticks of deep fried zucchini. We have never had anything like it and would definitely recommend it as a starter.

Pasta special of the night - Lobster Ravioli

Mains. There are so many dishes on the menu but both of us are not big eater so we went with an entree each. "A" ordered the pasta special of the night, Lobster Ravioli. It was delicious with large chunks of lobster.

Spaghetti All Spugnito Di Pomodoro

"M" ordered the Spaghetti with cherry tomato sauce and fresh basil. Every time I go to an Italian restaurant, I always order spaghetti. To me it's a good way to see how authentic the restaurant really is. The simpler, the better and this was definitely one of the better ones I have had.

It would have been nice to order more dishes if we had the appetite or even if we had a little room for dessert. As you can see the pasta portions are quite large so make sure you don't over stuff yourself with the bread they give you once you sit down. If you want to eat some good Italian food in a family owned restaurant (no Olive Garden please), you must try Las Masseria and be sure to start off with the crispy fried zucchini.

How We Ate Our Way Through NYC: Bon Chon Chicken

2012-01-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

Restaurant Name:
Bon Chon Chicken

325 5th Avenue
New York, NY
(212) 686-8282

Cuisine: Korean
Price Rating: $$
Beach Junkies Rating (based out of 5 stars):
Food: 4 / Service: 4 / Drinks: 4 / Atmosphere: 4

www.bonchon.com

In the same trip I discovered Koi three years ago, I stumbled upon Bon Chon Chicken. We were at a friend's apartment and were lazy to go out and eat so we wanted something delivered. There in front of us was a menu for Bon Chon and we decided to try it. It is now my must have while in NYC along with the Crispy Rice from Koi. Unfortunately, we didn't take much pics of the food here since we were starving by the time we got there. I hope I can describe each thing perfectly.

Drinks: Blue Moon Beer & Coke - We heard about Blue Moon beer from a friend of mine and thought I'd try it out and I quite enjoyed it. It paired nicely with the food.

Sides: Kimchi Coleslaw & White Rice - Some of you might be thinking "Rice with wings?" but it's the best thing ever! Kimchi coleslaw was to die for. Crunchy, gooey and spicy all in one bite. "A" ordered a side of hot sauce but never used it since the coleslaw gave enough kick for her.

Popcorn Shrimp & Onion Rings

Appetizer: Popcorn Shrimp & Onion Rings - This was not bad but it basically was your typical popcorn shrimp and onion rings. Nothing special about it but the cocktail sauce that came with it had a good kick to it which was great. What we should've ordered here instead were the Bulgogi Tacos! We saw it on the menu after eating and regret not ordering it. Our server said it's her favorite thing on the menu.

Soy Garlic Drumsticks

Main: Small (5pcs) Bon Chon Soy Garlic Drumsticks - When we ordered this, we didn't know if it would be enough for the both of us since we were thinking these would be drumstick wings. Obviously we were wrong. These were the regular drumsticks and they were the larger kind too. The Soy Garlic that they glaze it with is just delicious and the drumsticks are fried to perfection. Nice crispy layers of skin and soft white meat on the inside. Paired with the Kimchi Coleslaw, this thing will just scream flavors in your mouth.

There are two Bon Chon locations in Midtown, the second one being on W 38th Street. Oddly enough, that was the location we were aiming for but ended up at the one on 5th Ave. We highly would recommend this place for lunch. It wasn't busy at all and might have a harder time getting a table during dinner service. We are definitely returning to try out those Bulgogi Tacos and I won't wait three years to have this again!

How We Ate Our Way Through NYC: Koi Restaurant | Lounge

2012-01-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

We were fortunate enough to have found some great restaurants around Midtown NYC. Just before we left, we had a set plan (and reservations) as to where we were going to eat and when. Things changed when we got there. The reality of how much traffic there was around the area was just insane. This was Christmas weekend after all and after dealing with the crowds all day, the last thing you want to do is sit in traffic just to get to dinner or walk in dress shoes and heels. By the end of it all, we only kept one of the four reservations we initially made, but in the process, found some excellent ones.

Restaurant Name:
Koi Restaurant | Lounge
Located @ Bryant Park Hotel
40 West 40th Street
(212) 921-3330

Cuisine: Japanese
Price Rating: $$$
Beach Junkies Rating (based out of 5 stars):
Food: 4.5 / Service: 5 / Drinks: 4 / Atmosphere: 4

www.koirestaurant.com

This wasn't the first time we've eaten at Koi. I first ate at this restaurant three years ago on a trip to NYC with my friends. We then went to Las Vegas the same year and that was when "A" tried it so we knew what to expect.

We have recommended this restaurant to a few people and all came back with glowing reviews BUT we all tell them to keep it light and share all the dishes. Koi's hot dishes can be very savory and it can be too much sometimes just to eat that one dish yourself. Trust us, this is the 3rd time we have eaten at this restaurant and our last visit there was our best experience yet. Practice makes perfect.

Koi-Tini and Ginger Mojito

Cocktails: Koi-Tini & Ginger Mojito - Three years ago was the first time I tasted the Ginger Mojito. In that one sitting, I ordered four of them. That's how good they are. Unfortunately, our visits after in Vegas was Ginger Mojito free. They didn't have them on the menu there and when we ate dinner this night, they didn't have it on the menu as well. I asked the waiter if they served it and he said no. However, a few minutes later, he came back and said that the bartender that has been at this location since day 1 and said he would make it for me. It was even better than I remembered it. As for the Koi-Tini, it wasn't anything spectacular. It basically was a cosmo but with sparkling wine.

Koi Crispy Rice topped w/ Spicy Tuna

First course: Koi Crispy Rice topped w/ Spicy Tuna - A must order! Our first introduction to Koi's food was this and it should be everyone else's. An explosion of soft, crispy, juicy and spicy runs through the course of your palate once you take a bite of this goodness. We swear we can go to Koi and just eat this, but of course that won't be fun at all. If there is one thing you must order from their menu, it is this.

Rock Shrimp Ceviche and Yellowtail Sashimi

Second Course: Rock Shrimp Ceviche and Yellowtail Sashimi - We had always seen this on the menu but never opted to order it until now and we're glad we did. The yellowtail sashimi at the bottom was fresh and delicious, and the rock shrimp was just right, not too soft and not too chewy. Eating this though can be tricky but "A" figured out a way where you slide the chopsticks at both ends of the yellowtail and as you raise it, close the ends so that the rock shrimp is being cradled by the fish. I know it seems silly, but these dishes are meant to be eaten all at once so that all the flavors combine which makes the dish.


Baked Crab Roll

Third Course: Baked Crab Roll - Tthis was the one dish of the night that we could have done with out. It didn't have that mix of flavors and textures we were looking for but it was still delicious none the less.

Miso Bronzed Black Cod

Fourth Course: Miso Bronzed Black Cod - Remember what I said that their hot dishes were savory. Well, this is one dish well worth sharing. The cod is cooked to perfection and the skin was just absolutely wonderful. It was a great mix of salty, sweet and savory. This was our favorite meal of the night and having three light dishes before this meal balanced really well.

Japanese Mochi (pistachio and peanut butter/chocolate)

Dessert: Japanese Mochi - I absolutely love mochi. Any flavor will do it for me. "A" on the other hand hates it and it was surprising to see how much she loved her peanut butter/chocolate mochi.

As I said earlier, this sitting was our best dining experience at Koi to date. There is much more that we want to try on the menu that we want to try so it definitely won't be our last visit.

HOTEL REVIEW: Royalton Hotel

2012-01-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

Trip Date: December 23-27, 2011
Location: New York City, New York

Beach Junkies Rating: (based of 5 stars)
Location: 5 / Service: 5 / Room: 5 / Ambiance: 5

Royalton Hotel NYC

First Impressions: We arrived at the hotel at 9:30 am after taking the train in from Newark Liberty Airport and walking from New York Penn Station (we will have a separate post of different ways you can commute to and from EWR. There were many different forum posts about this but I thought we would compile all our research into one post). The one thing you have to remember is that Royalton does NOT have the red door that all the other travel sites show. As you can see from the picture above, it is a sleek black door framed by beautiful columns supported by a gorgeous overhead with a tonal engraving of its name across it. This is when you know you have booked at a boutique hotel.

Location: The hotel is conveniently located on 44th between 5th and 6th avenue. Steps away from tourist attractions such as Bryant Park, Rockerfeller Center, 5th Avenue, Times Square, Magnolia Bakery, MOMA, FAO Schwartz, Central Park and much much more. It is close enough to all these locations but you don't get the noise, traffic and overall madness that a Midtown hotel normally gets. The location is just perfect.

Royalton Hotel Lobby

Once we walked in, we were greeted with what we would call dramatics. The lobby is just stunning. This is one of the main reasons why we decided to go with this hotel. To us, it was classic old New York with the dim lighting, fireplace, deep tones of brown and black leather seating accented with hyde and fur upholstered chairs. Simply put, it was cozy, classy and sexy.

Sit by the cozy fire in the lobby after a long day

Two of the seating sections on the left was split by a huge fireplace (which came in handy after sitting on top of an open double decker tour bus) and just in front of it on your right hand side is the reception desk.

Check In: Since we arrived pretty early, we knew there was a 90% chance our room wouldn't be ready and we were right. Royalton has a 12:00 pm check out and 3:00 pm check in. Most travelers should be acquainted with those times since that is pretty much the standard times at most hotels and resorts. We were quickly processed and asked for one of our cellphone numbers to notify us if our room would be ready earlier. We handed off our luggage with the bell boy and off we went to explore NYC.

Room 602 King Loft Suite

Room: We were lucky enough to book a King Loft Suite at the Royalton. Royalton has several room categories and we were probably at one of the bigger ones. What many people might not know is that hotel rates in NYC during the Christmas Holidays are amazing and this room was also just that. AMAZING! Once we walked in, we first noticed the extensive bar on our left hand side. That is where you will find the electronic safe and iPod / iPhone dock.

Room 602 King Loft Suite

Straight ahead was the King Size bed with a total of 6 down pillows and the most comfortable duvet we have ever slept with at a hotel. Instead of night tables, Royalton had designed two tiered ports holes complete with a night light. We found this most convenient since "A" loves to sleep with a light on and "M" doesn't. This is where you will also find the phone and remote for the TV.

Room 602 King Loft Suite

Beside the bed is an extremely long sofa which was so comfortable to lie on after a day of walking. We used this to relax, read or just to watch TV. Our room had a view of 44th street which wasn't that spectacular but the interior design of the Royalton actually made us forget there was an outside world. At the end of the couch is the TV which can be pulled from the wall and you can angle it towards the bed if you wanted to watch TV there.


Royalton King Loft Suite Bathroom

The other stunner of this room was the bathroom. The Loft King Suite came with a 5ft soaker tub with a rain shower head right in the middle. The sink (left side of pic) and the vanity (right side of pic) was at either side of the tub. We have to tell you. This tub was definitely worth it. Think about walking the streets of NYC all day during the winter. This helped wear off the wear and tear of the day and made our transition from day to night a whole lot easier. The only thing we wished was that there was bubble bath that we were able to use but we just bought some bath balms from the Lush store near Herald Square and we were good to go. The one thing I loved about this bathroom was how they stored the hair dryer. It was in a white garment bag, hung on a hook. Simple and clean. Robes can also be found in the closet and honestly were the most comfortable robes I have ever worn. We wanted to buy two for us but forgot to ask how to during our stay. The bathroom is stocked with Malin + Gotez products which were wonderful as well.

King Loft Suite Desk

Just outside the bathroom was the desk which had an iPad on it. This is where you can browse Royaltons amenities and services that are available to you during your stay. You can also use this to browse the internet and help you find directions on how to get to the places you want to go to. On a side note internet is not included but can be purchased at $10/day for each device.

King Loft Suite fireplace at Royalton Hotel

Last but not least is the bedside fireplace. Yes. Bedside fireplace. We highly recommend getting one when visiting NYC during the winter. It made our nights so cozy. Honestly we forgot we were in a hotel when it was lit. A simple call to the front desk and they will bring up the engineer to bring up the log and light the fire for you. The log lasts for about 3 hours so please don't call and have them light it when you are going to leave for dinner in an hour or two. It's just a waste. There is a glass barrier in front of the fire to protect any embers from flying out.

Thank you Royalton!

On our second day, we got a call from room service telling us that there was a plate of cookies that were being delivered to the room. To our surprise it was a treat from Forty Four (the hotel restaurant) and it came with a note welcoming us to their property. A simple gesture that went a LONG way with us. "M" doesn't like cookies and he loved them. That's how good they were.

Overall, we truly enjoyed our stay at the hotel. This was the first time we ever stayed at a Morgans Hotel and it definitely won't be our last. We are already planning a trip back to NYC and with no question, we want to return and stay at this hotel. It felt like home for us and the staff is just wonderful. They made our Christmas the most memorable one and for that, we would like to thank you.

Still not convinced? See what others think here.

NYC Christmas

2011-12-28T20:47:00.000-05:00

Here is a video montage on how we spent Christmas this past weekend in New York City. We are currently working on a review of our AMAZING stay at Royalton Hotel and we will also cover all the restaurants we ate at. For now, please enjoy our video.

A New York Christmas from BeachJunkies on Vimeo.

Article from More magazine

2011-11-14T11:09:00.001-05:00

Back in the beginning of the summer, we were contacted by Camilla Cornell for a phone interview. She came across our blog and wanted to ask us some questions, more specificially, she wanted to ask me questions because More magazine is a Canadian women's magazine. In the article, I am quoted on travel insurance and tipping.

Here is a scanned copy of the article. Sorry for the poor quality of scanning but I am sure you will still be able to read it. Please click each image to enlarge.

Beach In The City

2011-09-23T20:55:00.000-04:00

I have some exciting news! If you're a follower of our blog, you will know that we have gone to the Caribbean for Christmas twice in the last 3 years. This year we thought we would change it up. "A" has never been to New York City and I thought the most appropriate way to introduce her to NYC is during Christmas! You've seen it in the movies, how wonderful and magical the city can be during the Holidays and this is what I want her to experience.

The most important decision of this trip was the hotel. Location is everything in NYC. Though they have a great public transit system, I find it best just to walk everywhere and experience what the city is all about. There is a certain energy you feel when you walk the streets of NYC and I wanted "A" to have that.

I want to share with you all how we decided on our hotel. We found that it was a great way to narrow down your hotel options for a city vacation especially when there are so many wonderful hotels to choose from.

Create a personal google map - you can do this if you have a gmail account. Simply go to maps, then create maps.
Mark all the sights, restaurants and shops you want to visit - this can give you an overview of how you want to plan your trip. It will also show you what the most convenient spot is to have your hotel.
Search hotels - on the map you will find the most convenient hotels that is within the vicinity of your plans. Once you've done that, go on tripadvisor and do your research.

Our map for Christmas 2011

I know it seems simple enough but it really helped us on narrowing down our options.

Royalton Lobby

With all that said, I am excited to let all of you know that we will be staying at the Royalton New York! This hotel to me SCREAMS New York. It's a wonderful boutique hotel located right in Midtown Manhattan, steps away from Times Square, Rockerfeller Center, Central Park and 5th Avenue. To us this was the perfect hotel.

When we go on city vacations (which is rare) we love staying at boutique hotels mainly because it feels more intimate. I also find the interior decor of these hotels are just par to none. Royalton is part of the Morgans Hotel Group which also offers the Hudson, Mondrian and Morgans in NYC as well as a few other wonderful looking properties in LA, San Francisco, South Beach and London.

We booked a Standard Room with a soaking tub. What is a Royalton soaking tub you ask? See below

Royalton Soaking Tub

Isn't that just awesome? I figured this was a great feature to have. I mean who would not want to soak in this wonderful tub after a long day of trekking around the city in Winter?

Another perk that sold us on this hotel other than the location was Forty-Four. Honestly we cannot wait to eat here and of course, have a cocktail or two.

So please stay tuned for our review of the Royalton, Forty-Four and all the other restaurants and sites that we will visit during our Christmas vacation NYC.

If you can't wait for our review? Check out this great review of the Royalton by Oyster

ADVICE: Room Categories

2011-08-17T20:29:00.001-04:00

Often when you are searching for prices for an all-inclusive vacation, you come across something like this:

I will be using www.itravel2000.com for an example. This is a very popular Canadian travel site and it's one we use often when we are searching for prices. This info for a seven nights stay gives you the price, taxes, hotel and flight details. As you can see, there is a tab [+] you can open up to view all options. When you click to expand, you will see this:

It gives you the option of different tour operators (which means different possible flight times) and the most important, the room categories. If you are not picky with your room, then you probably don't care about this. If you like to have a room close to the beach with an oceanview or perhaps you would like a swim-up room, you need to either view these options if you use iTravel as your search engine or speak with your travel agent. Most room categories go up starting in increments of $20 and can start you off with the most basic room and go all the way up to the Presidential Suite. The travel agent we use is very good at letting us know what our options are and the price for each category.

Another option is to book at the lowest room category and upgrade when you arrive at the resort. It may be cheaper but with most resorts, it's better to upgrade at the time of your booking. Some resorts will charge anywhere between $20 to $60 per night. Before you book, it might be a good idea to email the resort to see how much they will charge and then weight out your options to see where you will get a better deal.

With the last trip we went on to Now Larimar, we found that many guests were disappointed and even unhappy with the room category they booked. They were under the impression they would be getting a certain room and when they arrived, there was some kind of confusion. I personally don't think it's the resort's fault, I think it's the lack of information provided by the travel agent or when you book online. Remember that if you are particular about your room, please try and find out what your options are by either speaking with your travel agent or booking the right room category online.

Iberostar Ensenachos & Grand Village Suites

2011-07-22T19:34:00.001-04:00

Browsing around I just realized that one of our favorite resorts Royal Hideaway Cayo Ensenachos is being re-branded into Iberostar Ensenachos and Iberostar Grand Village Suites.

Iberostar Ensenachos will still welcome guests aged 13 and over exclusively until Oct. 31, 2011. After that it will be a family resort. Iberostar Ensenachos Grand Village Suites will be a resort that welcomes guests aged 14 and over.

This property is one of our favorite resorts. The best beach we have ever been to is at this resort and it is amazing that families now can come and experience the beauty and snorkeling of this resort. I'm still glad that Iberostar will be making an Adults Only section since the atmostphere of this property is meant for romance, relaxation and serenity.

Congratulations Iberostar on getting such a wonderful property.

I wonder if we should go back and do our second re-branding post, similar to the one we did for Now Larimar back in June. I'm very interested to know what changes Iberostar will do to this wonderful property and I hope that they take immense measures to make sure that the beauty of the beaches are kept in pristine condition. Only time will tell.

Resort Tour Post: Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana

2011-07-10T21:03:00.000-04:00

We had a chance to check out Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana during our stay at their sister resort next door, Now Larimar. Secrets Royal beach is an adults only resort and shares the majority of the restaurants with Now Larimar.

Walking to Secrets Royal Beach takes literally a minute from Now Larimar. You can access the resort through a pathway just off the courtyard of Now Larimar or from the beach. Our first impressions of Secrets Royal Beach was "WOW! It's really quiet over here!". You don't hear the hustle and bustle of the resort next door and a quiet, relaxation atmosphere is definitely achieved. The courtyard at Royal Beach is a lot wider and in the evenings, is a great place to enjoy a drink and listen to some live music.

The pool is very different form the ones you see next door at Now Larimar. There is a main section where the pool bar is located and a lazy river goes through the middle of the resort. The palapas are spaced out accordingly and really promotes personal space which is key at an adults only resort. The only unfortunate thing is that the color of the pool isn't the sea green color that Now Larimar has. We really love the look and feel of that pool but I'm guessing you can always go next door to use it.

We had a chance to eat lunch at La Riviera restaurant and the restaurant is decorated wonderfully. It was nice to eat outside while taking in the great ocean breeze and a nice break form the sun. You can also eat inside but the view is just too good to miss out on. The selection of the food at La Riviera was a lot better than the Carnival Buffet at Now Larimar. This was of course expected since it is a 5* resort compared to Now Larimar. The food was fresh and I really suggest in getting some of the kiwi that they have there. I swear it was one of the biggest I've ever seen and eaten. It was awesome.

The beach atmosphere at Royal Beach is much quieter and they offer more relaxing activites such as Yoga and Stretching in the morning and for those that want something more exciting, they have Beach Volleyball twice a day. I found that it was a bit more competitive than the other side since of course it was all adults that were playing. The one thing that you don't get at Now Larimar that you do at Secrets Royal Beach is beach service. They have waiters taking your drink order and bringing it right back to you, but really the beach bar is no more than a 2 min walk from where ever you are. The left side of the beach is where the majority of the palapas are situated and the right side is where you will find a more open area where you can still get some shade from the abundance of palm trees that are located there. There are hammocks as well towards the back of the beach if that's what you fancy.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to experience more so we can't comment on the rooms and the other restaurants since the week we were leaving, it wasn't offered out of Toronto. You can always do an upgrade once you get there if you run into the same problem as us. It's a great resort from what we saw and if it does get too quiet, you can always go next door to get more of a different vibe.

Below you can view the 360 videos we took of the resort. Hopefully this will give future guests better idea of how the space looks. We are finding these days that videos are a more reliable resource of how a property really is.

For more information on the resort, you can visit the Secrets Resorts website here or to see what other people think, you can visit here

Heartbreak In Jamaica

2011-06-25T16:03:00.000-04:00

This is a short little video we put together to show the different animals you can see right off the beach of Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton in Lucea, Jamaica. Definitely one of the best snorkeling off the resort I've seen! Enjoy =)

Heartbreak in Jamaica from BeachJunkies on Vimeo.

RESORT REVIEW: Now Larimar

2011-06-20T07:27:00.003-04:00

Trip date: June 5-12, 2011
Location: Punta Cana, DR

Beach junkie rating (based on 5 stars):
Beach: 5 / food: 4.5 / room: 4 / pools: 5 / snorkeling: n/a

This is our 6th time to Punta Cana and our 2nd time to this resort. Our first time was back in 2009 for Christmas. Back then, it was NH Real Arena. Click here for our previous review. The re-branding of the resort took place May 2011. Everything is the same except the resort is now owned by AMResorts and the resort is now called Now Larimar. The staff remains the same but the restaurant names have changed. The Paradise Club is now the Preferred Club.

My husband and I went to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. Before we left, we contacted the resort with various requests and all our emails were answered immediately.

We booked through our usual travel agent. The package was with Transat Holidays and the flight with CanJet. I don’t think we will ever want to flight with CanJet again. You cannot check in online, the seats are tight and the aisle is very narrow. Luckily we arrived early, customs was a breeze, our transfer to resort only made two prior drop offs and we were at our resort within a little over an hour of landing.

Check in
Check in was quick and swift. We first went to the front desk but then got escorted to the Preferred Lounge to check in. There we were greeted by Johanna who explained everything to us. Our room wasn’t ready so we ate some snacks in the lounge and grabbed some drinks at the lobby bar and sat in the courtyard till our room was ready. We waited a total time of 30 minutes.

courtyard at Now Larimar

Room
We are going to try to clarify this as much as we can since most of the disappointments and confusion with this resort starts off here. We had booked a Preferred Club Suite Ocean View with our travel agent. According to the Now Larimar website, these suites feature:

    * Living room and a separate dining area
    * Two flat screen cable TV with remote control
    * Nespresso machine
    * Exterior Jacuzzi on the terrace
    * Two make up mirrors

On the website as well, it states that if you’ve booked this room category, you get the following inclusions with your suite:

    * Personalized check-in and check-out with concierge service
    * Preferred status and amenities
    * Private Preferred Club Lounge
    * Two private, Preferred Club pools
    * Upgraded bath amenities
    * Bathrooms with double sinks
    * Pillow menu
    * Complimentary wireless internet access in suite
    * Complimentary computer access in Preferred Club Lounge
    * Upgraded mini-bar and room service menu
    * Daily continental breakfast service in the lounge
    * Pool concierge & bar service
    * Afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres; exquisite desserts & fine liquors in the lounge
    * Complimentary newspaper in room every day

Many guests we met including ourselves were expecting this since all of us had booked the highest possible category from our travel agents. Unfortunately we were wrong.

Ocean FRONT Suites

We had contacted Roberto at the resort to submit our room request and he cleared up right away that we did not book the rooms facing the ocean and the preferred pool. Those rooms are the Ocean FRONT Suites, not Ocean View.

Ocean View Suites

The Ocean View suites were located at the inside part of the resort facing the pools and are all located in the block closest to the beach. The room view that we got was basically the same view we got 2 years prior but facing South this time instead of North. Instead of having an open concept room like last time, the bathtub with jets was outside in the balcony and the bathroom was enclosed. The room didn’t have a separate dining area or two flat screen TV’s as stated on the website.

As far as the extra service inclusions, we did received the following

    * Personalized check-in and check-out with concierge service
    * Preferred status and amenities
    * Private Preferred Club Lounge
    * Two private, Preferred Club pools
    * Upgraded bath amenities
    * Bathrooms with double sinks
    * Complimentary wireless internet access in suite
    * Complimentary computer access in Preferred Club Lounge
    * Upgraded mini-bar
    * Daily continental breakfast service in the lounge
    * Pool concierge & bar service
    * Afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres; exquisite desserts & fine liquors in the lounge

The Wireless Internet Access in suite: This is free and complimentary but ONLY if you ask for the user name and password from the concierge. They also only give you an allotted usage time of 10 hours per ticket which seems to mysteriously go really fast. We used the internet for about 3 hours in total by our 3rd day and by then we got a message saying that we had reached our maximum time allowed. It was no problem getting another user name and password though.

Room Category Names: To stop the disappointment and confusion with future guests, NOW Larimar should consider changing the room category names. The Ocean Front Suites should be called just that BUT instead of having Preferred Club Ocean View suites, they should rename them to Preferred Club Pool View suites.

During our stay it was clear that the Executive Ocean Front suites were getting all the inclusions and services that were stated on the website. All of the other Preferred Club Ocean View guests did not. Fortunately for us, we knew this coming in and our expectations were lowered but for the other guests that didn’t know, it was a real let down and I don’t blame them.

So the lesson learned, If you want the rooms that are facing the preferred pool and ocean, book an Ocean FRONT Room. To be honest, the preferred club ocean view rooms unfortunately weren't worth it. We could have just gotten a regular room with the same view and expected less which for some maybe more of an enjoyable vacation.

With all that said, our room was clean (no musty smell). We had the electronic safe, a well-stocked mini-bar, amenities in our bathroom, face towels, beach towels and plenty of bath towels. We also got bathrobes and slippers. Some things that were missing was a directory and room service menu. We got both of these by asking for them at the Preferred Club Lounge. We did notice that we were suppose to get turn down service but never received it (probably because we always had the do not disturb sign on when we went out for dinner). The balcony had two chairs and a table, as well as the outdoor jacuzzi. It was really nice to sit on the balcony at night and just read. The pools and building are really well lit at night.

Room 1456

Amenities

Balcony of room 1456

View from room 1456 at night

Food
Carnival International Café - which is located by the lobby was opened every day for breakfast (7:00 am to 11:00 am), lunch (12:30 pm to 3:00 pm) and dinner (6:30 pm to 10:45 pm). The various themed night are Dominican, Italian, Spanish, American, Gala, Mexican and Asian. We ate at the buffet at the Dominican, Spanish and Mexican night.

Breakfast Buffet sample

Dominican Night desserts

I highly suggest that you make an effort to eat at the buffet on the Dominican night to get a taste of their local cuisine (see photo below). After all, you are in their country so why not take it all in. We found that since the last time we were at this resort, the buffet has changed significantly with much more selections. If you can’t find something to eat, then maybe you are not cut out for all-inclusive resorts. What we enjoyed was that there was a section reserved for Preferred Club members at dinner.

Dominican Night Buffet sample

Asides from eating at the buffet, you can order room service for breakfast, lunch or dinner but note that the menu is very limited. When we ordered breakfast one morning, we got everything listed on the menu and it only took about 20 minutes.

Castaways & Barefoot Grill - both are located close to the main pool and beach. Castaways is open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and has a small buffet of salads, pizza, paninis, burgers, fries, veggies, rice and some type of meat. They also have delicious, refreshing self-serve vanilla or chocolate ice cream in a cone or cup. Barefoot Grill (open from 12:00 to 3:00 pm) is found just outside of the restaurant and serves grilled red snapper(see photo below), pork chops, chicken and also paella. Right beside it is a fruit bar which offers freshly cut fruits such as papaya, mango, pineapple, etc. You can either eat in the restaurant or take it out to the pool, beach or your room. Please just be courteous and return your dishes and clean up after yourselves.

Grilled Red Snapper, Rice and Beans and Carrots

There are four a la carte restaurants for dinner- Mercure (French), Spice (Asian/Teppanyaki), Bluewater Grill (American) and Capers (Italian). There is always one of the restaurants closed each night. With the switch from NH Real Arena to Now Larimar, there is no longer a reservation system, it’s all first come, first serve. The busiest dinner times are between 7:00 to 8:00 pm.

We ate at the following:

Bluewater Grill - First off, I really think they should change the decor in this restaurant but the food was okay. We had ribeye steak, braised beef in Jack Daniel’s sauce (see photo below), chicken caesar salad, asparagus cream soup, an combo platter of chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, quesadillas and potato skins. For dessert was cheesecake and a brownie.

Click the menu to expand

Braised Beef

Mercure - this French restaurant was our favorite. The decor is really nice and it’s an adults-only. We had traditional french onion soup, mushrooms & escargot, Atlantic salmon fillet (see photo below), Beef bourguignon, caramel chiboust and apple and cream strudel. We were also treated to a banana flambe.

Mercure

Click the menu to expand

Atlantic Salmon

Spice - this Asian restaurant gives you the choice of Teppanyaki or a la carte. We went for the Teppanyaki tables with three other couples we met earlier that day. In order to be all seated together, one of the couples arrived at 7 pm to put our name in and we didn’t get seated until after 8 pm. no problem, we just grabbed a drink and waited. If you have had Teppanyaki before, it’s all the same. Fried rice and veggies, along with beef, chicken and shrimp. They serve susi, miso soup and tempura for an appetizer and then tempura ice cream for dessert. The night we ate there, the A/C wasn’t kicking in so we ate dinner fast and got out of there.

Lobster Dinner on the beach - this is a dinner which you have to pay extra for and can be booked with the concierge. On the menu is shrimp cocktail served in a pineapple, a whole lobster with veggies and mashed potatoes and chocolate cake with a fruit platter. You also get one bottle of wine and one bottle of champagne. We did this because we were celebrating our 5 year anniversary. I don't think we would typically do this. It was a lot of food to eat (even though it doesn't sound like it) but was an experience to eat on the beach at night. It wasn't very well lit but we did get to enjoy a lightning storm in the background. Thankfully it didn't rain. There were no bugs but it did get really quiet and one thing we regret was not taking our speakers and played some music while we ate.

Shrimp Coleslaw Salad

Whole lobster with mash potatoes and veggies

Bars
There are plenty of bars all over the resort. I won’t name them all but you will find one at the lobby, sports bar, the three pools, by the beach, basically, anywhere you turn, you are able to get a drink. Since we were staying at the Bavaro building, we mainly used the bar, Splash at the Preferred Club pool. Daniela, the server consistently went around taking everyone’s drink order. By the end of the week, she knew my drink order - a bottle of water with either a beer or slushie mojito. The lobby bar, Moments has an extensive drink menu and most of the bars, you can get a delicious cappuccino.

Beach
Bavaro Beach is always great! We love this stretch of beach! It’s wide, and just awesome to be in. During our stay, we didn’t have any problems getting a palapa on the beach. There is enough shade and chairs to go around in this resort but you do have to get up early to get the premium spots. The vendors to the left of the beach don’t bother you really. They will call for you but a simple “No Gracias” can end that conversation quickly. There also is a security guard who stands ALL DAY under a palapa and I wish someone would give him a chair.

The beach is lit at night and they play movies for both kids and adults on the beach. This is something new and we unfortunately didn't take part since none of the movies that were playing interested us. They also showed some NHL and NBA games when we were there.

One suggestion to Now Larimar would be to have a section on the beach for preferred club guests and extend the pool concierge service that is offered to the beach as well. This we believe will make your guests feel like they really did pay for something extra.

Bavaro Beach

Pool
During our stay we only used both Preferred Club pools since we figured since we paid for it, we might as well use it. There was never any lack of chairs around both of these pools and it was a great place just to sit down and read a book. I wish that they did place some umbrellas with some of the loungers since it does get really hot and uncomfortable when the sun is beating down on you. There really is no relief from the sun at these pools .

Preferred Club Pool on the Bavaro Side

The main pool was always rockin’. Seemed like fun if you’re into that scene. We enjoyed watching people from our balcony in that pool just enjoying themselves.

Main Pool

The quiet pool (which was the pool we mainly used our last stay) has the same vibe as the preferred pools but it as no bar or waiters to take your orders.

Quiet Pool

Entertainment
I spoke to one guest and he said that there wasn’t enough entertainment during the day. I can’t say I agree with him because we are the type who like to relax on the beach or poolside. Everyday the entertainment staff offers yoga, stretching, water aerobics, beach volleyball, water polo or volleyball and a special activity that changes daily by the pool (bed decorations, vegetable & fruit cravings, painting class, cocktail making, weaving palms, massage clinics and finger painting). In the evenings, you can either watch a show in the Larimar Plaza or Crystal threatre (Dancing Around the World, Galacaribe, White party, Circus of Dreams, the Michael Jackson show or Karaoke night) or listen to live music before the show. There is also movies on the beach or dancing at the Eclipse nightclub from 10:30 pm to 1:30 am. We don’t have kids but they do have the Explorer’s Club with a kids program from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm.

Staff
The staff at Now Larimar are so friendly and helpful. They always greet you and smile back when you greet them. Yes, most of them cannot speak English but they try their best to communicate with you. Some outstanding staff we would like to mention - Johanna at the Preferred Club Lounge, Mirabel at Castaways and Bluewater Grill, Luis at the concierge for our lobster dinner, Pasqual our server for the lobster dinner, Ricardo the photographer, the bellboys - Antonio and Henry, Jhonathan at the buffet in the Preferred section, Daniela at the Splash preferred pool bar and Moments lobby bar and Kelvin who was everywhere and served us many times. A special thanks to Tara, the social media coordinator at AMResorts and Roberto, the rooms division manager. They both made our stay a very welcoming one and gave us some perks as returning guests celebrating their anniversary.

Check out
Check out was quick and easy just like the check in. They actually called us to see if we needed a bell boy to come and pick up our luggage which was nice. The one thing that I want to keep on mentioning is KEEP YOUR CHECK OUT TICKET to give to once you enter your bus. You cannot leave the hotel with out this. This is proof that you had checked out and cleared all outstanding business with the hotel. You don’t know how many times I see people scrambling for this ticket. This is a process done at all the all inclusive resorts I’ve been to.

Overall
We spoke to many guests about Now Larimar and most people liked it except for the room category confusion, lack of daytime activities, no reservation policy and lack of selection in room service menu. As mentioned before, this was our second time to this resort. We personally still like the resort but would like to check out other resorts offered by AM Resorts. I will also still recommend this resort to people as it’s a small resort with a selection of restaurants, a gorgeous beach and nice pools. It’s a great first resort to go to since it’s not that big and you won’t spend half your day trying to finding everything. The one thing that I really like about this resort is how it’s laid out and how it looks at night all lit up. One of my favorite things to do was to read on the balcony at night.

The resort does have to iron out a few kinks such as being consistent in what is offered with preferred club rooms, the no reservation system for the a la carte restaurants has many guests waiting during prime time hours, the time share people need to stop calling the guest rooms and chasing people while they exit the buffet. Also the preferred club lounge should be returned to the section where all the rooms are located. It’s easier for the preferred guests to enjoy the premium liquors, afternoon hors d’oeuvres and desserts.

Shout out to all the wonderful people we met at Now Larimar and at the Punta Cana airport:
Mark, Sarah, Lewis and Aston from the UK - you made our last two days enjoyable with great conversation.
Eva and Andru from Montreal, Kat & Ryan and Rachel & Devon from Mississauga - it was a shame we met you too late but we did enjoy our dinner with you at Spice and our impromptu beach party.
Greg and Jane from New Jersey - thanks for hanging out with us at the pool after everyone left.
Shameer and Forzana from Richmond Hill - it's too bad we weren't staying at the same resort but with you guys, you made the plane ride and wait at the airport bearable.
Randy, Mercedes & Angelina from Brampton - you taught us the goodness of karma.

Still not convinced? See what others think here.

ACTIVITIES: Macao Surf Camp - 2 years later

2011-06-16T10:16:00.002-04:00

I Wanna Go Surfing from openmiQ on Vimeo

December 2009 was the first time I went to Macao Beach and had Macao Surf Camp take me for a lesson. Back then there was absolutely nothing on the beach. Rafael would come and pick you up in his car, surfboards strapped on the top of his car and off you went.

We recently just visited Macao Surf Camp last week and boy have things changed! Business is booming! They now have a Shack on Macao Beach which is their headquarters, they have staff that give you one on one instruction in a group lesson, they have Jack the surfing dog that joins you during your lessons, they have a photographer that takes photos of you which you can purchase and burnt on CD! The vibe here now is awesome! It has become an amazing community and it's great to watch something grow this much from the very beginning! I'm so proud of Rafael and his partners for doing this! It's a big hit amongst tourists that come and want to surf. It's just absolutely amazing what they have done and I can't say enough good things about them! If you really want to learn how to surf with a non intimidating atmosphere and friendly instructors, look no further than Macao Surf Camp.

Contact Information:

Macao Surf Camp
Rafel Ferreras
macaosurfcamp@gmail.com

Address: Macao Beach
Bavaro Punta Cana
Dominican Republic

Tel: (809) 430-9017

For more reviews go to Macao Surf Camps Tripadvisor Review Page

Punta Cana Photography - Ricardo Vásquez

2011-06-14T19:24:00.000-04:00

For our 5 year wedding anniversary, we decided to trash our wedding outfits..otherwise known as "Trash The Dress"

I had looked around for different photographers in Punta Cana to do this shoot for us and I decided that it would be better to use the in house photographer at Now Larimar since you have to pay extra for a day pass for other photographers to come in.

I contacted Ricardo Vásquez through email and we had set up a time to meet and discuss what we wanted. He is a real friendly and professional guy!

Below is a slideshow I made of the photo session we had with Ricardo or "Richie". His work speaks for itself and if you are getting married at Now Larimar or Secrets Royal Beach, make sure you ask for him. He is amazing!

Contact Information:
Ricardo Vásquez
Email: ricardovasquezh@yahoo.es
web: flickr.com/ricardovasquez

5 Years... from openmiQ on Vimeo

We're headed back

2011-05-18T21:13:00.000-04:00

Beach Junkies is off again! This time we are going back to the beach where we got married, Bavaro Beach celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary! We will be returning to NH Real Arena which just got re-branded as NOW Larimar. This is only the second time we have returned for a repeat visit to any resort. The only other time we did it was 5 years ago for our wedding.

The sister resort of NOW Larimar is Secrets Royal Beach which is right beside the resort. We were lucky enough to schedule a tour of the resort during our stay so we can at least show you all a new resort while visiting an old favorite.

We will also be visiting Raphael again at Macao Surf Camp! I've heard they've added a new camp hut which was under construction when we were there so we can't wait to see that! I hope I have a better performance than last time, which was absolutely dreadful lol!

So stay tuned for our first re-branding edition and first ever resort tour post!

RESORT REVIEW: Melia Cayo Santa Maria

2011-05-04T12:48:00.001-04:00

Trip date: April 16-23, 2011
Location: Cayo Santa Maria

Beach junkie rating (out of 5 stars)
Beach: 4.5 / food: 2 / room: 3.5 / pools: 4 / snorkeling: n/a

First of all, I have to mention that I won this trip a year ago. How? Through Metro News, a local Toronto paper. All I had to do was fill out a form online and that was that. This contest was sponsored by Transat Holidays and the resort itself, Melia Cayo Santa Maria. I was hesitant on booking this resort because of all the cats and outdated room photos I saw on Trip Advisor. But with my year deadline almost up to take this vacation and stress from work, I booked for my husband and I to go from April 16-23, 2011. The flight times were ridiculous - 5:25 pm out of Toronto (our flight was delayed until 6 pm) and we landed at 9:30 pm and by 10:30 we were on our way to the resort. If you have never flown into the Santa Clara airport, please note that all the resorts in Cayo Ensenachos and Cayo Santa Maria are close to 90 minutes away. Therefore we arrive finally at MCSM at midnight. We are not thrilled with this resort and all I can say is, thank goodness it was free.

Check in
The one good thing I liked was that after you land, go through immigration, security and collect your luggage, as soon as you give the tour rep your hotel voucher, they give you your room key and ask you to fill out the registration form on the bus. It was all so easy and I think it is because we were arriving so late. Once we arrive at the resort, we were on our own. Everyone got off the bus and didn’t really know what to do since there were no bellboys there to help us out.We had studied the map before leaving Toronto and knew where our room was. Before heading to our room, we passed by the 24 hour pool snack bar and got hamburger and French fries along with some beers.

Room
Even though many reviews said that the room are outdated, I agree with them but I was pretty impressed with the room. It was clean, no rusty faucets, the toilet was clean and the bed sheets were, for the most part also clean (a few stains here and there). Two week prior to arriving, I emailed the resort (to an email address recommended by many Trip Advisor members), requesting for an oceanview room (with my contest winning, my contact at Transat Holidays graciously upgraded us to an oceanview room) in building 17 on the second floor with a king size bed (preferably room 1725). When we received our room key, I was relieved and surprised we got room 1722. I say this because in the Trip Advisor forums, most members said they received a email confirmation saying their request would be fulfilled. So my request was fulfilled except for we had two double beds instead of a king. I will share with you a little hint when booking rooms in most resort in the Cayos, all second floors rooms are two double beds pushed together and the king size beds are on the first floor. You have to pick your battles and decide what you want more, the second floor or a king bed. In my opinion, go with the second floor (you can avoid ants, cat fighting outside your balcony and other insects coming into your room).

In the room you have your beach towels, a day bed, coffee table, single chair, bed with mosquito netting, two very comfy body pillows and square pillows, a desk, TV, mini-bar (filled with one large bottle of water, one beer, one cola and one orange pop), safe in your closet, ironing board and iron, hair dryer…all your standard room amenities.

Speaking of the mini-bar, it took an arm and a leg to get it re-filled. At first we thought it wasn't getting filled because after our room was cleaned, we would leave on the "do not disturb" sign, so the next couple of days we didn't put on the sign and waited to see if the guys would come to re-stock. No such luck. Water is treated like gold here. You must save the first bottle you receive and get it re-filled at one of the bars. There is no way that you can get a new bottle at the bars, you must get it through the guys who restocked the mini-bars. I called the guest service line (which I think was front desk) and asked them to send the guy with water. No luck again. So we went to our tour rep and he said that we had to talk to customer service. After waiting in line to speak to the customer service person, he said he would send someone. I told him we really needed water and if he could please just give us a bottle (mind you, there was a truck right beside his desk filled with water bottles). I looked over to it and he said, "I shouldn't be stealing it but I will do it for you". I swear it's like pulling teeth to get water. Finally on our second last day, the guys came twice to stock our fridge. Just a heads up to keep your bottles to get re-filled otherwise, you may be out of luck.

Our maid, whose name I never got was very nice and had our room cleaned by 1 pm almost every day. She left us some great towel and blanket art. When we ran into her one day, she thanked us for the little gifts we left for her (toothpaste, lotion, makeup, along with money).

The beds were somewhat hard, a bedspring dug into my hip while I slept but the pillow definitely made up for it. The one thing that I didn’t like in our room was that the balcony door didn’t lock (thank goodness we were on the 2nd floor) and by mid-week, we couldn’t even open it, it would jam and we were too nervous if we opened it, we wouldn’t be able to shut it. We just had to admire our oceanview from the inside.

Food
I must start off by saying that we are NOT picky eaters. We will eat anything but we need to be able to have something to choose from. We found the resort lack tremendously on variety. I can make due on meat and veggies with rice alone but I could never find rice so I settled for pizza and fries every day for lunch.

Breakfast - you can eat at the buffet from 7-10 am or at the poolside restaurant from 9 am to 12 noon. We ate at the buffet on our first day. I read about these delicious omelettes and french toast but the omelette line was too long and the French toast was no where to be found. I did find these delicious mini donuts. I lost my appetite this morning while sitting by the window and seeing three feral cats hanging out by the door begging and waiting for food. What grosses me out is the amount of people who pet these wild cats before heading into the restaurant and who in turn use their hands to pick up food due to the lack of tongs and serving spoons. We only went back one other day, the other days we ate at the poolside restaurant and got a fried egg and toast every morning.

Lunch - We ate at the buffet and again didn’t find much selection. I noticed that they serve the featured pasta that was served the night before. We ate twice at the beach restaurant but we took the paella, sausage and roasted chicken with BBQ sauce to our room because the place was surrounded by cats begging for food. We heard that at dinner (the seafood restaurant) and lunch, the cats stare at you and sometimes even jump up on the chairs and tables looking for food. So instead of dealing with that, we ate at the poolside restaurant for most days. On the menu, are sandwiches, burgers, hot dog, french fries and tons of pizza.

Dinner - we ate twice at the buffet, on our first night and Tuesday. The buffet is open from 7-10 pm. Thank goodness we only were having 6 dinners at MCSM and four of them at a la cartes. We ate at the Japanese and French restaurants and twice at the Mediterranean one.

"El Portulano" (Mediterranean) - Both the red and white wine is pretty good here, as in all a la carte restaurants. We went to this restaurant twice since we opted to not eat at the Seafood restaurant because of the cats. Portions are small so don't go there hungry. Some dishes we ate were smoked salmon appetizer, rice with squid ink, grilled vegetable appetizer, cod fillet, styled lamb, pork tenderloin with orange, gazpacho and various desserts.

"Sakura" (Japanese) - Go to this place hungry as you will get a lot to eat. First you get cold noodles with pickled cucumbers, then a sushi and tempura appetizer and then your teppanyaki meal (beef, chicken, shrimp and fish, along with fried rice and vegetables). For dessert was ice cream. It's all a bit salty.

"Le Bistro" (French) - This was our favorite restaurant, mainly because of the atmosphere. The food was okay but better than the other two. Some of the dishes we had - smoked salmon appetizer, shrimp cocktail (shrimp with loads of mayo), lobster bisque and lobster with chicken (chicken was dry and there was very little rice). I can't remember what we had for dessert but I was all excited that they chocolate mousse but when I went to order it, they said they didn't have it.

Bars
There are a couple bars around the resort. A 24 hour lobby bar and pool bar, one swim up bar, one beach bar and a nice bar between the Japanese and French restaurants. We drank beer the majority of the time, had wine with dinner and drank a lime slushie when we needed something non-alcoholic. We attempted to get a mojito from the beach bar and it tasted like crap. Considering Cuba is known for the mojito, they sure don’t make a good one. The best was in Jamaica - who would have thought?! Elvis, the bar staff who goes around the pool taking drink ordered was great. He remembered everyone’s drink, so you never had to ask him again.

Beach
The beach at Cayo Santa Maria is absolutely wonderful. If you’re lucky enough to experience a green flag day while at the resort, you will get to see the Caribbean at its best! The water is absolutely clear and the color of the ocean is to die for. On yellow and red flag days, you really get to see the power of the ocean. It’s still beautiful to look at, the waves get pretty big and is fun to play in. The beach does get really windy on these days and if you are near the lip of the sand bank, you will get sand blasted.

The stretch of beach at Melia Cayo Santa Maria is broken up into 2 parts, the East side of the resort has 2 rows of palapas and is where the beach volleyball court is. You will also see the wedding gazebo on this side. The West side of the beach has one row of palapas and a higher sand bank to climb down on to get to the ocean. The Beach Bar is right of the middle pathway of the beach.

The week we were there (and we are only speaking for the week we were there) it was impossible for us to find a palapa. One of the days, we couldn’t even find a couple of loungers on the beach. Even broken ones! Loungers and shade were pretty much spoken for by 6am on the beach. You can get shade and loungers on the beach later on in the afternoon when everyone else was headed back to the pool but that’s usually when the wind picks up.

You can snorkel at Cayo Santa Maria. You will have to walk west towards the Sol Resort and just past the nude beach is where you can snorkel. We didn’t venture out that far so I cannot speak of the quality of the snorkeling but from people we met, they said it was just okay.

Pool
There are two big pools in the resort and one by the spa but you need to book an appointment with the spa to get their water treatment if you want to use that pool. If you are with Transat Holidays, you get one free hour to use the spa facilities (jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and spa pool). We were thinking of doing this when we couldn’t find any seats on the beach or pool but opted not too. The pool is really cold but very refreshing on those hot days. One thing that bothered me about the pool is that the washrooms near the pool side restaurant are disgusting. Out of the three stalls, only two were working but both doors didn't lock. The floor was filthy and there was no soap.

Entertainment
We didn’t watch any shows even though we had late dinners and finished around 9:30-10:00 pm. Our entertainment was mainly watching movies on TV and reality shows on VH1. We came to relax so we went to bed early and slept in. The animation team does a lot of activities poolside - tai chi, merengue ans salsa lessons and scuba lessons. They also have aerobics in the pool in the morning. The only think I didn’t like was them yelling on the mic, “WAKE EVERYONE, WAKE UP! I get doing it in the afternoon but in the morning when everyone is reading or sleeping is not ideal. They do a great job in entertaining all the guests.

Staff
Maybe it was the fact that the resort seemed to be at full capacity (because we went during the Easter holiday) or the rumoured fact that it was going to be the beginning of low season so staff were getting their pink slips but I found the staff not to be so great. Yes, they are hard-working and I appreciate that . We are on vacation and they are waiting on us hand and foot but they didn’t seem all so friendly. Especially the wait staff at the buffet. They were definitely understaffed. The servers at the pool restaurant were great and same with our maid. Raul, the tour rep gave a great intro to the resort and was quite funny but I didn't find him all too helpful. We tipped when tips were deserved but we also left a tip even if we felt it wasn’t deserved. These people work hard to please us and make our vacation wonderful even if they are miserable.

Check out
Our flight on the way home was at 10:25 pm but luckily our flight arrived early so we left at 10 pm. Check out is at noon. The day before we paid $35 CUC for late check out at 4 pm. We were able to use our beach towels and soak up the sun until going back to our room to shower. The bus picked us up at 6 pm on the dot. The bus ride was uneventful was we have seen the cities on the way to the airport the last time in 2009. The rep did a wonderful job giving us tidbits about the causeway and the cities we passed through on the way to the Santa Clara airport. Check immigration and security at the airport was a breeze. Save some CUC’s if you want to buy some alcohol at the duty free shop and if you want to grab something to eat before you board.

Overall
The resort was okay. Nothing exciting, we have been to better in general and in the area. The trip was free so we can’t complain. We talked to a lot of people who were on our flight and some who arrive on the flight the day before us. We came to the conclusion that if this is your first time in Cuba or your first time to an all-inclusive resort, you will enjoy this resort but if not, I hope you paid very little to stay at MCSM. A special shout to the lovely people we met - Pam & her family from Richmond Hill, Barry or Gary from Ottawa, Jocelyn & Jason from Niagara Falls, Serena & Graham from Toronto, Glen & Lynn from Brampton and Benjamin & Margaret from Toronto - they made our trip much more enjoyable.

Still not convinced? See what others think here.

RESORT REVIEW (Guest Blogger): Beaches Turks & Caicos

2011-04-28T10:02:00.000-04:00

**Beach Junkies Note: Our friend Kat was so thrilled with her stay in Turks &Caicos so I asked her to write up a review for us (seeing that us Beach Junkies have not been to this island). All photos used in this post belong to Kat**

Trip Date: April 9-16, 2011
Location: Turks & Caicos

Kat's Rating: (based on 5 stars)
Beach: 5 / Food: 5 / Rooms: 3.5 / Pools: 5 / Snorkeling: N/A

The Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos caters to kids and adults. It's a beautiful resort with 3 large "villages" - Italian (newest), French and Caribbean; all within walking distance of each other. There are 16 restaurants and dozens of pools with a large water park for adults and kids.

Beaches is the only resort that provides complementary shuttle service to/from the airport and they're very efficient; I was expecting to wait around for at least 30mins while they got themselves organized but the minute we were outside with our luggage, we were whisked away into the first shuttle and taken to our room. Beaches is a cashless resort so everything that's outside of the all-inclusive plan gets charged to your room. They don't accept tips either (?!) so the cash we had remained in the room safe for the entire trip.

Because this resort is kid-friendly, they have tons of kids activities; some which requires an additional fee to be paid. The character breakfast (you dine with Elmo and friends - totally worth it) or the sesame street cruise are extra but activities like baking cookies with Cookie Monster (Wednesdays at 3pm), Elmo's birthday party (once a week) and the Sesame Street camp (open daily - daycare for kids and they get to frolick around with the characters) are all free.

Check in
I think check-in is 3pm but we arrived late and our room was already ready. I'm not sure why but we had private concierge service so they brought our luggage to our room

Room
We stayed in the Caribbean village in a 1bdrm suite. It was a decent room but I expected more since I paid through the teeth for this trip. However, it was clean, the staff was excellent and we had a great terrace that stretched from the sliding door in the bedroom to the main area. The Caribbean Village is the older of the 3 villages and the most quiet and we booked this area for that very reason since our daughter goes to bed around 8pm.

Food
The food was awesome. There were 16 restaurants scattered around the resort and you could walk into every one. Some were adults-only but most of them were kid-friendly. They had different 'theme' nights; my favorite was Mario's restaurant - it was huge and the food was really good.

Bars
They were pretty good. The drinks were good and the service was quick.

Beach
Fantastic; by far, the most beautiful beach aside from the beaches of anguilla. The water was crystalline blue so those pictures you see on the internet of the turks beaches/ocean are that gorgeous. I LOVED the beach - it had fine, white, powder sand and the water was so refreshing.

Pool
Beaches resort had tons of pools; they even had a water park with slides and everything. The French village had a children's water park/splash pad that our daughter loved with a lazy river and giant slides for adults. Lots of swim-up bars, great (fake) caves for the kids to play in.

Entertainment
Awesome entertainment for kids. Every evening, they held a Sesame Street show (free!) or some kid of talent show/dance off, a Sesame Street parade through the entire resort and at the end of the week, they held a beach party complete with a show, amazing local food, lighting, the whole works. It was awesome.

Staff
For the most part, the staff was so incredibly nice. The ladies at the bar near our pool were sort of crusty but all the other staff were so nice and friendly.

Check out
Checkout wasn't bad. Because we had private concierge service, we didn't have to wait in line. They have an 11am checkout but our flight wasn't until 715pm! Luckily, we reserved on of the private cabanas so we chilled out by the pool until we had to leave. They provide a departure lounge where you can shower/get ready for your flight and they also serve refreshments/snacks while you wait for your (complimentary) shuttle to the airport.

Overall
Definitely a 10. We loved it so much, we're planning on going back there next year!

Top 5 Things to Do in St. Lucia

2011-04-16T11:18:00.000-04:00

Blogger's note: We are thrilled to announce our first guest blogger - Katie. She may be writing some articles for Beach Junkies from time to time.

{via}

Before you embark on your next Caribbean vacation, you may want to do some investigation about the activities and attractions located in St. Lucia. The options may seem endless, but compiled below you will find a list of the best things to do during a trip to exquisite St. Lucia. From sunning by the seaside to partying with locals, there are many exciting ways to spend your time visiting this popular Caribbean destination.

Worship the sun at a St. Lucia beach. Many travelers flock to the Caribbean solely take it easy on the soft sand and bask in the warm water that laps smoothly against St. Lucia beaches. Some of the best stretches of coastline in St. Lucia can be found along the areas of Marigot Bay that are solely accessible via water craft. Unlike many Caribbean destinations, a large portion of St. Lucia’s beaches feature black sand created by volcanic sediments. Some beaches, like Anse Couchon, boast sandbanks with naturally intermingling patches of white and black sand.

Celebrate the Rose Festival in August. A yearly tradition in St. Lucia, the Rose Festival pays homage to the event’s namesake flower with an entire month of music, dancing and street parties. The celebration climaxes on August 30th, when the island hosts the Feast of St. Rose de Lima. Each Saturday leading up to the feast includes all-night dance and musical fundraisers to raise funds for festival costumes. If you’re fortunate enough to be in St. Lucia during the month of August, be sure to partake in some of the rosy rituals.

Try your luck at a St. Lucia casino. Many tourists are enchanted by the bright lights and bustling sounds of casinos during a Caribbean vacation, and St. Lucia has finally opened up their first gambling establishment. The island has historically outlawed all gambling, but the opening of the Treasure Bay Casino has changed everything for this small island. From slot machines and placing bets on sporting events to Caribbean stud poker and everything in between, the newly opened Treasure Bay of St. Lucia offers it all.

Get a taste of local cuisine. While traveling to foreign countries, travelers will inevitably encounter exotic food that may not be like anything you've eaten before. Although many travelers may prefer to order more familiar dishes, people with daring tastes are encouraged to consider testing out fare from authentic, local restaurants. If you want to get a true taste of St. Lucia cuisine, check out pepperpot soup or blood sausage. Additional exceptional treats include local produce like breadfruit, tamarind tree beans and tropical love apples.

Put on your dancing shoes. The nightlife of St. Lucia provides endless outlets for drinking and entertainment. From crowded dance clubs to themed cruises, there is a wide selection of ways to spend your evenings. If you're interested in dancing the night away, you should think about heading to a popular night club in St. Lucia, like Upper Level Night Club in Rodney Bay. For a less crowded experience, travelers may prefer a leisurely bar, such as the themed Xanadu Lounge in Gros Islet. Some other suggestions for alternative nighttime experiences include taking an evening ride of the Marigot Bay Ferry or attending an open-air performance at the Derek Walcott Center Theatre.

When organizing your itinerary for your vacation in St. Lucia, contemplate these five excellent activities. Each offers a unique peek into the culture of St. Lucia, and will provide you with memories to last a lifetime. Whether your lifestyle is better suited for snorkeling through crystal clear waters or shopping for trinkets in a charming market, St. Lucia has plenty of attractions to keep you captivated throughout your travels.

About the Author: Katie Boue is a Cuban-American student who studied at Florida State University’s Creative Writing program before diving into the world of travel. An avid rock climber and photographer, Ms. Boue has a true passion for adventure. She currently writes for a series of Caribbean guide sites, including stlucia-guide.info. Feel free to contact Ms. Boue at kboue@iiwinc.com.

Best Beaches of 2011?

2011-04-07T08:05:00.001-04:00

Playa Megano - Santa Clara, Cuba

Most recently Tripadvisor released its survey results from the best beaches around the world. I was STUNNED to see that only 1 of Cuba's beaches were on the list. Santa Clara made it to 21. I realized that a lot of US travelers cannot go visit the country, but let me tell you, Cuba has some of the best beaches in the world. To be fair though, I have never been to 5 out of the top 10 they listed in the Caribbean but it's also fair assessment to say that some beaches in Cuba are far more superior that the 5 I have been to.

Take a look at the list here Do you agree?

I ♥ the beach by Steph S-C-O

2011-03-04T18:32:00.000-05:00

{Montego Bay, Jamaica}

Best Resort. It's a tie between the Bavaro Princess (for beachjunkie's wedding) and Iberostar Paraiso Beach (for A&E's wedding)

Worst Resort. Marea de Portillo in Manzanillo, Cuba -- it was my very first all-inclusive getaway and I didn't do much research!

Tropical Cocktail of choice. Usually something sour or a beer.

Favourite Sunblock. Ombrelle -- have used it for years!

Beach tunes. I don't listen to music much when I'm on the beach...I like to hear the waves and the noise the people make. But, in the even that I do, I like Jack Johnson.

One magazine to bring. I usually bring a book or crosswords, but, I do carry a Women's Health Mag.

Best Tour Operator. I'm not sure but I know I don't like Sunwing.

Go to travel agent/company. We've booked with itravel2000 mostly, but, we have also used Bev Chin from Travel Kiosk.

Travel Essentials. Sunblock, lip balm, sunglasses, lotion, flip flops, bikini, UNDERWEAR!!!

Steph
stephsolchai.wordpress.com

I ♥ the beach by Aileen

2011-02-22T08:39:00.001-05:00

{Waikiki Beach, HI}

Best resort. Iberostar Paraiso Beach. We got married at this resort in the company of our friends and family. One of our most memorable vacations!

Worst resort. I haven't found one yet, but there were resorts that were not as comfortable but they always had other amenities to make up for it.

Tropical cocktail of choice. Margarita

Favorite sunblock. L'oreal Ombrelle Sport. This sunblock goes on easily and doesn't leave a sticky residue.

Beach tunes. Bob Marley, Blue Crush Soundtrack and of course, the local music.

One magazine to bring. Women's Health.

Best tour operator. Apple vacations

Go-to travel agent/company. Allison's Travel Agency, orbitz.com

Travel essentials. Ipod with external speakers, Magazines, a couple of books, bikini, slippas, cover up, hat, aloe gel and sunscreen.

Aileen
Our Bump Adventures

Melia Cayo Santa Maria

2011-02-21T10:25:00.000-05:00

We have booked our next vacation! We won a trip to Melia Cayo Santa Maria courtesy of Air Transat Vacations and Sol Melia Cuba last year and we finally decided to book it. This will be our second time in Santa Clara, Cuba. The beaches in this part of Cuba are absolutely beautiful and we can't wait to go! Stay tuned for our review.

I ♥ the beach by Steph

2011-02-11T08:54:00.000-05:00

{Ashwem Beach, Goa, India}

Best resort. Yab Yum Resort at Ashwem Beach, Goa, India

Worst resort. I have not been to enough resorts to fairly say that there is a worst on my list. I can rank them, but I can't say that there is one resort that I had such a negative experience at that I can classify it that way.

Tropical cocktail of choice. Mojito

Favorite sunblock. I love the Neutrogena products because they feel the cleanest.

Beach tunes. Something acoustic.

One magazine to bring. InStyle, because it's nice and thick and easy to flip through.

Best tour operator. Not sure, so I will say SunWing

Go-to travel agent/company. I do my research for pricing on redtag.ca, itravel2000.com and Expedia. Then I get in touch with Beatrice at travelbee.ca and she usually gets me the best deals

Travel essentials. iPod, a couple of books, sunscreen, snacks, cameras, flip flops, magazines, mosquito repellant.

Steph
stingaling.wordpress.com

I ♥ the beach by Leeann

2011-02-07T08:43:00.000-05:00

{Tulum ruins, Riviera Maya}

Best resort. Iberostar, Riviera Maya

Worst resort. RIU, Dominican Republic

Tropical cocktail of choice. Miami Vice

Favorite sunblock. Blue Lizard

Beach tunes. 311

One magazine to bring. US Weekly

Best tour operator. Depends on resort

Go-to travel agent/company. n/a

Travel essentials. camera, sunglasses, iPod, several bathing suits and coverups, sun block, lip balm that contains SPF, and most important, an all-inclusive resort!

Leeann
Join the Gossip

ADVICE: Burrito method of packing

2011-02-06T08:41:00.000-05:00

{via}

Packing for vacations can be time-consuming and such an exhausting task. Us, Beach Junkies have a customized packing list that we created four or five years ago and it makes packing simple. Probably about two weeks before our trip, we start putting away clothes that we want to take. If we are traveling in the summer, we put clothes aside so we won't wear them and have to launder before our departure. If it's winter, we pull out those summer clothes that have been tucked away for the season. I think the toughest part is figuring out what to bring. In terms of clothing, the easiest thing is to do is choose a colour scheme and bring clothes that have a dual purpose (scarf/sarong or cover up/evening dress). Once you have figured out what you are bringing, packing everything in your luggage is a piece of cake. Check out this method:

BURRITO STYLE

{via}

I have started this style of packing a year ago. I just considered it "rolling up my clothes so it fits nicely in my luggage" but a couple of months ago, I came across a blog who called it the Burrito Method of Packing. So instead of piling up all your clothes in two separate piles, you simply roll up all your clothes and arrange it nicely in your luggage. You can definitely fit more in your luggage and nothing gets wrinkled.

I ♥ the beach by Reg

2011-02-05T09:11:00.000-05:00

{Varadero, Cuba}

Best resort. I've only been to two resorts in my travels. So out of the two resorts I'll say that Barcelo Solymar in Varadero, Cuba is my fave.

Worst resort. Dakak Beach Resort in the Philippines. I don't remember much because I was younger. It was a little bit of a trek from hotel cabin to beach. I believe the cabins are on a hill too.

Tropical cocktail of choice. I don't drink cocktails

Favorite sunblock. I have Coppertone Sport SPF30

Beach tunes. Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, kidding... Anything acoustic.

One magazine to bring. I don't usually bring magazines because I'm busy playing beach volleyball or swimming.

Best tour operator. Sunwing

Go-to travel agent/company. ?

Travel essentials. Sport sunglasses, frisbee, iPod, sunblock, aloe, towel, hat, and some beer.

I ♥ the beach by Reni

2011-02-02T08:59:00.002-05:00

{Boracay Island, Philippines}

Best resort. Tabacon Grand Spa and Thermal Resort (Costa Rica) and Discovery Shores Boracay (Philippines)

Worst resort. So far I've been lucky on not having a negative experience on lodging/accommodations.

Tropical cocktail of choice. pina colada, mango margarita

Favorite sunblock. Ultra Sheer Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 70 and Neutrogena Sport Face Sunblock Lotion SPF 70

Beach tunes. California Gurls (Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dog), Summertime (TQ), Escapade (Janet Jackson), I'm In Miami B*tch (LFMAO), Holiday (Madonna), I Got A Feeling (Black Eyed Peas), Dynamite (Taio Cruz) - sorry, I listed too much. It said, tunes - plural, right? :)

One magazine to bring. Marie Claire

Best tour operator. Interbus (Costa Rica)

Go-to travel agent/company. CostaRicanTrails , Mango Travel and Azumano Travel (mostly for trips to Asia)

Travel essentials. sunblock (the ones mentioned above), clinique after-sun body balm, flip flops, iPod, a magazine, a good book, sunglasses, passport, camera (point & shoot and dslr), wallet, pen/paper or a travel journal, blistex daily conditioning lip balm SPF 15

Reni
in HER shoes @ www.livewhatyoulove1.com
theSTREET @ http://thestreet1.tumblr.com

Guest Review: NH Real Arena/NH Royal Beach

2011-01-31T10:02:00.002-05:00

It's always great to hear from our readers. Some have questions about a resort we stayed at and what's even better is when they email us to tell us all about there vacation. Marcianne emailed us back in December with some questions about our stay at NH Real Arena. She made us quite jealous when she mentioned that she would be going for two weeks over the holidays. Here's her report about her stay at NH Real Arena (one of our favorite resorts).

***

Hi Leesh,

We had a wonderful trip, even though the weather wasn't really nice. It was cloudy almost every day and even rained at least 4 times. We pretty much had only half days of sun. The hotel was good but at first we were a bit surprised at how big it was. There were so many people, tons of children, and a bit too much noise! It was the holidays, mind you, and of course we love children, but we were looking forward to a nice relaxing romantic and sunny holiday.

We were also disappointed at the fact that our room was on the ground floor, when I had taken the time to write Roberto prior to our departure, our travel agent had requested a 3rd or 4th floor room, and we had paid for the mirage level so I assumed we would have had a better room. We complained to a very nice concierge named Alexander and even though he couldn't do anything that night, he did tell us to come back and see if there was another room the next day. Well it just so happened that apparently the hotel had overbooked and since we had no children, he offered to upgrade our hotel to the sister hotel next door called the NH Royal Beach for a very small fee. He said it was smaller (about 200 rooms) and for adults only and that there were two more a la carte restaurants, and of course we could still have complete access to the NH Real Arena and all their restaurants. The Royal Beach also offers unlimited reservations for all 6 restaurants and we could make them all at once for the whole 14 days.

As soon as we changed hotels, we were in heaven! The buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner was amazing! Fine cheeses and good bread. Expressos and cappacinos.. Irish coffees after dinner under the stars! At one of the restaurants at the Royal Beach I ate a rack of lamb. The menu at the other restaurant was a tasting menu which was also excellent! The Royal Beach hotel is newer and the rooms are nicer and bigger and each one has an outdoor whirlpool bath on the balcony! Needless to say, the change made our holiday a wonderful experience and I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who wants great food, quiet atmosphere and excellent service! I'm sure that both of the NH hotels are excellent and we met lots of people at the other hotel who loved it there too.

All in all, I can say we spent a week of being spoiled while we waited and hoped for the sun to come out! We relaxed and read books before returning to snow and ice and work... I hope this helps some people choose a good place for vacation.

Keep up your beautiful site, it sure helped me to feel good about my choice.

Marcianne

***

Thanks Marcianne for sharing your thoughts and experience after being upgraded to the new resort next door, NH Royal Beach. We, ourselves would like to check it out one day. It would be nice to stay at the sister hotel and enjoy the benefits of adults-only while still having the options to enjoy the amenities over at NH Real Arena.

NH Royal Beach {via}

I ♥ the beach by Lisa

2011-01-30T09:52:00.002-05:00

{Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos}

Best resort. The Four Seasons Maui. But my favourite beach is Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos (see pics). The water is the bluest I have ever scene with sugar white sand. This beach has spoiled me and I always compare back to the beach in Turks.

Worst resort. Any all-inclusive with bad food.

Tropical cocktail of choice. Miami Vice. Half Pina Colada and half Strawberry Daquiri when you can't decide which one you want.

Favorite sunblock. Hawaiian Tropic with the coconut scent. Always makes me think of being on vacation. The Neutrogena Sheer Touch collection is a close second because you don't feel it.

Beach tunes. Wipeout by the Surfaris, In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry

One magazine to bring. A very thick In Style Magazine. I once made the mistake of bringing Shape Magazine and felt guilty my whole vacay.

Best tour operator. Westjet Vacations

Go-to travel agent/company. I check everything on iTravel 2000 for best pricing. I then cross-reference with Expedia and Kayak.

Travel essentials. Pepto Bismol - it's the pill that solves everything! I just really need a bikini, sunglasses, sunscreen, a magazine and that's it.

Lisa
www.hipurbangirl.com - The Hip & Urban Girl's Guide

I ♥ the beach by Kathy

2011-01-28T09:26:00.004-05:00

{Palm Beach, Aruba}

Best resort. I have to say the Holiday Inn at Aruba. It was by no means a 5-star (maybe a 3.5star?) but it was the best because the rooms were spacious, clean and the whole vacation was just so awesome.

Worst resort. The one we stayed in mexico. although it was a 5-star resort and really nice, the fact that we had to stay IN the resort after hours sucked. we're a 'choose your own adventure' type people and didn't like being confined in the hotel.

Tropical cocktail of choice. strawberry daiquiri and/or pina coloda

Favorite sunblock. australian gold. smells like orange popsicles!

Beach tunes. anything 80s and regular top 40 stuff.

One magazine to bring. anything trashy - people, OK!, US weekly

Best tour operator. damn, i forgot the name. It starts with an "S" and has the word "Sun" in it (I think). When the airline lost our luggage in Antigua, the lady who was our tour operator main contact/person went above and beyond to track our luggage down so that we got them about 2 or 3 days into our vacation. The airline told us "it'll get here when it gets here". She was so awesome I tipped her $100US for doing that because she would spend hours on the phone arguing with these people when she went home!

Go-to travel agent/company. don't have one. We always do our own booking and research.

Travel essentials. sun block, books, mags, music, water, face cream, vaseline. i've also learned to carry an extra set of clothes and toothbrush with me in my carry-on.

I ♥ the beach by Lori

2011-01-26T07:00:00.006-05:00

{7 Mile beach in Grand Cayman}

Best resort. El Dorado Maroma

Worst resort. Grand Palladium in the Mayan

Tropical cocktail of choice. Mojito!

Favorite sunblock. Neutrogena Ultra sheer body mist spray

Beach tunes. Taylor Swift, Marianis Trench, 50 first dates soundtrack, Glee

One magazine to bring. Cosmo

Best tour operator. Sunwing

Go-to travel agent/company. Myself! Lori Green at The Travel Network

Travel essentials. Sunglasses (extra pair too!), beach bag, headband, big straw hat, iPod, LOTS of books, aloe, moisturizer

Lori Green
Spiritoftravel.tumblr.com

I ♥ the beach series by Leesh

2011-01-24T09:40:00.003-05:00

{Playa Megano in Cayo Ensenachos}

Best Resort. NH Real Arena, Punta Cana, DR (best all around - food, service, room, entertainment, pools and beach)

Worst resort. Barcelo Solymar in Varadero, Cuba

Tropical cocktail of choice. Mojitos

Favorite sunblock. Hawaiian Tropics Sheer Touch

Beach tunes. Robin Thicke

One magazine to bring. Us Weekly

Best tour operator. Transat Holidays

My go-to travel agent/company. Lori at The Travel Network

Travel essentials. iPhone, tinted lip balm with SPF, sunblock, sunglasses and jelly bellies

I ♥ the beach series

2011-01-22T11:25:00.000-05:00

It's been three months since we last posted on here. We are going to start a little series called, I ♥ the beach. If you would like to participate, send us an email at beachjunkies@gmail.com and complete the following:

First, attach your favorite beach photo (and let us know where the photo was taken).

Next, answer these:
Best resort.
Worst resort.
Tropical cocktail of choice.
Favorite sunblock.
Beach tunes.
One magazine to bring.
Best tour operator.
Go-to travel agent/company.
Travel essentials.

And lastly, don't forget to include your name and blog if you have one.

Every week, we will post the answers we receive and hopefully, you, our readers, will find some inspiration for your next vacation.

ADVICE: Rainy Days

2010-10-12T13:29:00.000-04:00

We all rely on mother nature to give us perfect weather when we are away on vacation. The expectations of the sun beaming onto your skin, the ocean looking bright turquoise green. The sand soft and white on your feet. It's what dreams are made of! However, this is not always the case as some travelers know and more often than not, many of us scurry away into our rooms and wait till the sun comes out to enjoy the day. I'm here to tell you that there are plenty of ways to enjoy the rain while you're on vacation.

Assess the storm: If the storm passing through is ONLY rain, stay outside! The reason why I say rain only is because once you hear thunder and lightning, you SHOULD head inside since it's dangerous. Sitting out in the rain is awesome! I've sat under a palapa on the beach while it rained and it was one of the most peaceful experiences I've ever had. Just this year, we all sat in the pool while it rained and it was such a nice break from the heat! It's such a calming experience! I've also done it in the ocean but that gets tricky cause you really have to watch out for the current getting stronger. So check it out and don't worry about getting wet, you're already in a swimsuit!

Play Games: I must admit that I hate card games but it is such a cheap form of entertainment when the weather outside is frightful. Sit in the lobby, your balcony, under a palapa and feel the cool breeze from the rain while you play whatever games you decide to do. It's also a good way to spend some quality time with the person you are traveling with. Some resorts have game rooms that you can play other games but I usually find that they are filled with kids and teens and it gets noisy so thats not really our cup of tea, but if it's yours go right ahead.

Meet People: When we all travel, there is always this awkward barrier of should I talk to them or shouldn't I? I love meeting people on vacation and sometimes the easiest way to do so is when it is raining. Talking about weather is the best topic of conversation when breaking the ice. It's also easier to talk about it when you and the people you're meeting are stuck under palapas with nothing else to do. The only thing you have to figure out on your own though is if the other people want to meet or talk to other people. Not everyone wants to meet people and it's a fun game of hit and miss I always like to play on rainy days.

Be creative. You are not home so make the most of your day no matter what the weather is. Experience the other sites a beach can bring in different weather situations. You'll be surprised of what you get out of it.

Top 5 Beaches (so far..)

2010-10-04T10:36:00.002-04:00

Puerto Aventuras - Riviera, Maya, Mexico

Punta Cana Beach - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Coral Beach - Lucea, Jamaica

Playa Esmeralda - Guardalavaca, Cuba

Playa Megano/Ensenachos - Santa Clara, Cuba

Beach Junkies Wallpaper Wednesday

2010-09-29T10:00:00.004-04:00

We have decided to share pictures that we have taken on vacation and share them as wallpapers for everyone. Please feel free to click on the picture and save it as your desktop picture.

RESORT REVIEW: Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton

2010-09-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

Trip date: August 21-28, 2010
Location: Lucea, Jamaica

Beach Junkies rating (out of 5 stars):
Beach: 3.5 / Food: 5 / Room: 4 / Pools: 5 / Snorkeling: 5

Intro

We found a great deal to Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton for a one bedroom suite flying into Montego Bay with Air Transat. For this trip we were traveling with two other couples, one of them brought along their 22 month old little boy. Our sold out flight left Toronto at 12:45 pm and we arrived on time in Montego Bay at 3:45 pm. Customs and getting our luggage was quick. Let me warn you that there is one washroom before you hit customs but you have to wait because everyone from the plane is trying to use it. There is another one after customs but it is a single stall. We found our bus and had our luggage loaded in a separate trailer truck that would be following the bus. We have never experience so many people going to one resort. There was two buses going to the resort. We arrived at GPLH around 5:30 pm.

Check in

We were greeted with a glass of rum punch. Check in went smooth and quickly. Our group all got rooms in the same building. We got our map, room cards and activities schedule. We grabbed a whole golf cart to bring all seven of us plus our luggage to building 33. When you view the resort map, everything looks so far away but it’s not. After a short ride, we dropped off our luggage, checked out room and the view from the balcony, or should I say two balconies.

Room

We were assigned to building 33. We got room #3330 on the top floor facing Coral Beach and the adult pool. One couple was in the room next to us in room #3331 and the other couple with the child was in room #3318 on the second floor. All of us booked a one bedroom suite. This suite includes a living room area with a pull out sofa, TV, two chairs, table and desk where the mini bar can be found (two bottles of wata, two cokes, two sprite, two diet coke, one bigga orange and two Red Stripe); a bedroom with a king bed, desk and TV; huge closet with a safe, beach towels and bathrobe; a bathroom with stand up shower, toilet and jacuzzi; and lastly, two balconies, one off of the living room and the other one from the bedroom. We loved the location of our room, therefore when we realized the air conditioning wasn’t working, we didn’t complain. We didn’t want to have to move rooms in case it couldn’t be fixed. We endured a very hot two nights but after my hubby turned off the A/C, it stopped circulating warm air and cooled down the room immediately, or it could be that someone came to fix it slightly (we did mention to the front desk and our tour rep but we didn’t want to make a big deal out of it). The sofa bed was a tad dirty, the bed was hard but bearable. We loved the pillows and there were many channels available to watch. There are some standard toiletries in the bathroom and the water pressure in the shower was great, better than my own at home. Building 33 is right beside the adult pool and bar and a very short walk to the beach. It’s about a 5-7 minute walk to the lobby or to Sunset Cove.

Food

The food at the resort is amazing! Anyone who disagrees with me must be the world’s pickiest eater. I did some research ahead of time to find out what the theme nights were at the buffet. In our group, some of us had special requests - to eat at the buffet on Jamaican night and for me, on Mexican night. I’ll explain our favorites for breakfast and lunch and then give you a breakdown of what we ate each night for dinner. Note that if you are booked with Imperial Club with Transat Holidays (white bracelet), you are entitled to five a la carte reservations per week. An added touch is in front of the buffet, they have a listing of what dishes they are offering at the buffet.

Breakfast - made to order, omelettes, french toast, bacon, ackee and salt fish, rice and peas, smoked salmon, hard boiled eggs, chocolate donuts, chocolate croissants

Lunch at the Buffet - it just your usually buffet fare. I liked to make made to order panini sandwiches.

Lunch at Poseidon - you must try the jerk pork, it’s super spicy hot but really good. The fish tacos are delicious too. This is an outdoor restaurant so it can get very hot in the place even with the fans going on. There is also an ice cream machine here.

Lunch at the Jerk Hut - The line up is long but worth it. You can either eat your plate of food on the beach or bring it to Poseidon. You can get Jerk chicken, corn on the cob and paella.

Jamaican night at the Buffet - this is the best themed night all week. It’s on Saturday night so make sure you don’t schedule an a la carte dinner, better yet, check with the reservations desk to find out the exact night, just in case they change it. At the buffet you can find, curry goat, jerk chicken and pork, rice and peas, collard greens, coleslaw and yummy banana fritters covered in cinnamon sugar or chocolate.

Lotus - the Asian restaurant had too many items to select from, it was hard to decide. Some of the dishes we ate were: Wakame Salad (a fave), Tempura Soba, Vit Quay (Crispy Duck served with pancakes and Hoisin sauce) and Japanese Fried Rice. Any of the Maki rolls are equally delicious.

Mexican night at the Buffet - yummy steak and chicken fajitas. There was also tacos, Mexican rice, quesadillas and so much more.

Gala night at the Buffet - I was very disappointed with this themed night. In most other resorts, Gala night = lobster or lots and lots of seafood. There was none of this and really, nothing that stood out to make it a gala night. I would make sure to book an a la carte for this themed night.

French night at the Buffet - also another disappointing night. I will admit that the beef bourguignon was good but nothing else. This was the night that we were suppose to eat at the seafood restaurant, Poseidon but we missed our reservation.

Bhogali - this Indian restaurant was probably our favorite restaurant. The service was much slower here but it didn’t matter to us. It was nice to eat at a poolside restaurant. Some of the dishes we ate were Subzi Samosas, Vegetable Pakora, Kerala Shrimp Curry (a fave), Butter Chicken and Tandoori Chicken.

Xaymaica - the Creole restaurant we decided to leave for last. We thought it would probably be the best dinner but it was okay. The salad bar has many conch type salads, breads and ackee with beans so make sure not to fill up on it. Some of the dishes we ate were Cod Fritters, Crab Cakes, Coconut Shrimp, Seafood Gumbo (a fave), Island Rack of Lamb, Rasta pasta and Tilapia Jambalya. The grilled pineapple dessert was a favorite but most of us were not pleased with our main course.

In total, there are seven a la cartes restaurants - the ones we didn’t try were Poseidon (Seafood), El Mariachi (Mexican), Bubba’s Restaurant (Steakhouse) and Pastafarian (Italian). In my opinion, I would make sure to eat at the buffet on the Jamaican and Mexican nights and then book the other nights for a la carte. All of the restaurants are in the main building except for Poseidon, it’s close to Sunset Cove.

One last thing I should mention about food is there is a Sports Bar in the lobby that’s open 24 hours. It’s tucked away in the corner by the theatre on the ground floor. Here you can get fries, jerk pulled pork sandwich, really, really delicious beef and chicken patties (order by the dozen and trust me it’s worth the 20 minute wait), popcorn, nachos and ice cream.

Bars

There are several bars located all throughout the resort. Infinity lobby bar, Woogie Boogie disco bar, theatre bar, sports bar, swim up bar, Las Brisas pool bar and Coral pool bar. My favorite bar was Coral Bar by the Coral adults only pool. It’s my favorite for two reasons: 1) the bar is right next to our building and close to our spot on the beach and 2) two of my favorite bartenders worked there, Sedrick and Oneal. They served us mimosas, Red Stripe, Miami Vice, Rum Punch, Mojitos and Sedrick’s secret drink. If you want the most delicious Mojito (even better than Mojitos in Cuba), go to the bar that is between Lotus and Xaymaica restaurants and look for Dexter. He makes the best tasting Mojito ever.

Beach (this part is written by my husband since I don’t snorkel)

La Brisas Beach - Beautiful. This was our main spot for the mornings and the afternoons. Snorkeling is great right off the beach, you see lots of urchins, fish and I saw 6 lion fish in the coral. Closer to the rocks towards the back, I saw some squid as well. The middle part of the beach is rocky so if you want to swim, stay towards the ends of the cove.

Coral Beach - This is the adults-only beach which is next to the adults-only pool. The snorkeling off of this beach is awesome. There are 2 sting rays, and an eel that I saw that live here. There are also a bunch of sea urchins towards the right of the cove so please be careful. The water here is always calm and snorkeling here is easy.

Sunset Cove - This was my least favorite. The beach had a lot of birds, bugs and the water reminded me of a lake. Not my cup of tea but it was for many other people. This is where the water sports center is located and there is some great snorkeling here to the right of the cove. I saw some fish I never saw before and an eel and a VERY VERY BIG Barracuda! There also is an octopus here somewhere but I never did find it.

Pool

There are four pools, Roselle Relax pool on the Jamaica side, Coral Adult pool on Lady Hamilton side, a pool at the Spa and Infinity main pool. This main pool is the biggest pool I have ever seen at an all-inclusive resort. There are lots of chairs and palapas surrounding the entire pool and two volleyball nets. We did spend some time here but most of the time we were on the beach. What we liked was that you can exchange towels at any of the pools rather than there just being one place. As I mentioned before, the Coral adult pool was right next to our building (#33). This pool has night swimming so it’s open until midnight. The first night we arrived, we went for a dip. I am 5’2 and after I walked down the first couple of steps, I got to the last step and it had a very big dip. I could not touch the ground. Needless to say, I never went back in, I would only sit on the steps or lie on the loungers. Another reason why we never went back in was because in the next couple of days, a bunch of topless, drunk girls took over the pool. Being topless and drunk does not bother me, we are all on vacation and after all, it is an adults-only pool. What did bug me was when we noticed that they were totally buck naked. Call me a prude or uptight but I think it’s a bit unhygienic to be chilling in a pool all day naked. There are other resorts that let you prance around naked, it’s called Hedonism.

Entertainment

We didn’t see much of the entertainment that took place by the pool but we know that they did trivia pursuit, had reggae lessons and organized beach volleyball tournaments. The one day we hung out by the pool, we met Smiley. He got everyone around the bar drinking shots. We never made it to the disco as it started late and we were tired from waking up early in the morning to make use of our day by soaking up the sun. The animation team does organize nights out to their local clubs. This info is posted by the pool towel hut. As for nightly entertainment, we missed most of it because we ate dinner at 8:30 pm and by the time we finished dinner, the show was over. On our last night (Friday), we were able to catch the show. It’s the one show I heard a lot about and it was the one I was looking forward to. Not sure what exactly the show is called but it has a steel drum band playing top 40 hits and a bunch of breakdancers. This was so entertaining. There is also live music at the Infinity bar by Miss Lou’s. It was nice to hang out here, enjoy the pool view, grab a drink a listen to the talented band/singers.

Staff

The entire staff is awesome. Out of all the resorts we have been to, we find Jamaicans the most friendly and helpful. To those reviewers who complain about the service they get, think about this...if you are rude to them, of course, they will be rude to you. Treat them with respect and they will respect you back. If roles were reversed, wouldn’t you treat someone with kindness if they were kind to you first? Do not make demands to the staff as if you were the Queen. Some of the staff that made our stay wonderful - Sedrick and Oneal at Coral pool bar, Lawrence at Las Brisas pool bar, Romaine at the Negril buffet, Winston at the Infinity pool, the security guards, Brenda and Ian and the bell boy who made our check out a breeze. Unfortunately, I can’t remember his name. I also want to thank the GM, Dimitris Kosvogiannis for his warm welcome and attentiveness to my emails. He runs a every tight ship here at GPLH.

Check out

Check out was a breeze. We called the bell boy to pick up all seven of us and he was at our building in five minutes. We brought down all our luggage and didn’t even mind waiting for one of the girls who was running late and letting us say by to the bartenders at Coral pool. When we got the lobby, we checked out, did some shopping at the gift shop and hung out at the sports bar to eat more delicious beef patties. Our bus arrived on time but because there was a torrential downpour, the loading of the two buses got a little chaotic. The team of bellboys handled the situation professional and didn’t lost their cool with all the demanding guests. Everyone who was on our plane rushed to get their luggage onto the separate trailer truck and to board the bus. We patiently waited for the second bus and it all worked to our advantage because since we were the last to board the second bus, our luggage was the last to go on the trailer but first to get unloaded at the airport. We checked in at the airport in no time which left us with an hour to quickly shop. The Montego Bay has great shopping so save some money for it. There is a Havaianas store that sells the flip flops for $16.

Overall

I would definitely recommend this resort to everyone. Despite some of the bad reviews it’s been receiving, those should be ignore because those are people who think they are the Queen and should be waited on hand and foot. We paid a good price for this resort and especially for Jamaica. We would definitely come back because the staff made our stay very enjoyable. There is plenty to do within the resort since there is the big main pool, three beaches and lots of restaurants to eat at. Yes, the resort is far from the excursions but if you do your research, you will know this. We booked to stay at this resort because we had no intentions of leaving it.

Still not convinced? See what others think here.

Top 10 Favorite Foods at All-Inclusive Resorts

2010-09-26T21:35:00.002-04:00

We'll admit, we love to eat. We may look strange taking photos of everything we eat but because we took all those photos, we can share with you our top 10 favorite meals at the all-inclusive resorts we have stayed at.

10) Shrimp teppanyaki at Ikebana (Japanese restaurant), Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya

9) Paella on the beach at Bahia Principe Akumal

8) Duck confit tacos with orange and soy sauce accompanied by pico sauce, guacamole and flour tortilla at Vida Garden Grill (Latin Fusion restaurant), El Dorado Seaside Suites

7) Mushroom and Lobster Penne at Portofino (Italian restaurant), Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado

6) Fried Calamari at El Mégano poolside restaurant, Royal Hideaway Ensenachos

5) Kerala Shrimp Curry at Bhogali (Indian restaurant), Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton

4) Scrambled eggs with fresh chorizo sausage with fried black beans and tomato sauce and French toast with orange honey, strawberry shaving and brown sugar and cinnamon at Vida Garden Grill, El Dorado Seaside Suites

3) Rotisserie Chicken at Olas poolside restaurant, NH Real Arena

2) Argentinian Steak at El Gaucho (steakhouse restaurant), Bavaro Princess

1) Jerk Pork with rice and peas at Poseidon, Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton

If we had to pick one resort whose food stood out, we would chose, El Dorado Seaside Suites. We love their gourmet inclusive concept. This means there are no buffets, everything is a la carte even breakfast and lunch. If you check out their link, you will notice they even post their menus online.

Surf Art

2010-09-25T08:57:00.001-04:00

We see art everywhere when we go on vacation. The cheezy "touristy" kind that you think is an original piece till you walk into the next store that has them. Seems like a good idea at the time, but when you bring it home, it seems like such a hasstle to get them framed and put up in your house.

Sound familiar? Then you are exactly like us! =) It's easy to get caught up in the beauty of the country you are visiting. Each and everyone of us want to bring back the essence of the culture and scenery and put a little touch in our home to remind us of it. In my personal opinion,a paintings or renderings that want to capture the feeling of the beach should be soft, fluid and vibrant. When looking at it, it should bring back that feeling of happiness and relaxation you felt when you were there experiencing it.

To me there are plenty of beach or surf artists out there that do an amazing job. My favorite out of all of them, is Jay Alders.

I don't know exactly how I found him, but when I did, I was absolutely blown away. I have to admit I still have to buy a Jay Alders piece, but the reason I haven't bought one is because I can't pick ONE print. I am close to finding it though and when I do, I will stare at it every morning when the Canadian winter hits to remind me that somewhere out there, the sun is still shining.

We are now on Twitter

2010-09-23T07:16:00.000-04:00

ADVICE: Snorkel Gear (UPDATED)

2010-09-08T08:18:00.001-04:00

miQ snorkeling in Holguin, Cuba

I always get the question "Is there snorkeling at the resort?". Most of the time, you won't know how good the snorkeling (if any at all) is until you get there. Everyone has their own opinion on what "great" snorkeling is. Great snorkeling for me is to be able to swim out of your resorts beach front without having to pay for anything and being able to see an abundance of fish in their own habitat. I've been to 4 resorts that have great beach front snorkeling but there are so many out there that you really just have to research it to make a better decision on your choice.

snorkeling picture from El Dorado Seaside beach in Akumal, Mexico

Once you've done your research and figured out what kind of snorkeling there is out near the resort, it's time to ask your self wether or not you should buy the equipment or not. 75% of the time people won't buy it and they will just rent whatever equipment there is at the resort. The other 25% go out and buy their own gear (like myself) just so they don't have to worry about it when you get down there.

Here are the pro's and con's of each choice.

Renting Snorkel Gear:

Pros:

save on luggage space
save on money

Cons:

everyone uses the same mouth piece and mask and only gets washed with salt water
most resorts will give you a time limit of an hour to use the gear
the equipment is cheap and can cause cuts in your feet and gums
dive shops are usually on the other side of the resort where you have to take a hike to get to.

Buying Snorkel Gear

Pros:

sanitary, it's yours and yours only
no time limit, use it as long as you want
convenient
better quality equipment

Cons:

luggage space will be tight
will have to spend some money

To me honestly it's a no brainer but I am a snorkeling enthusiast. So I'm partial to buying my own gear.

If you decide you go ahead and buy your own gear, here are a couple of reviews I have done on some I have owned in the past.

The first snorkeling kit I ever bought was the Dolphino Pro Series Adult Dive Bag. I saw this at Canadian Tire and said to myself "Wow, it's cheap and the fins are small! These will work PERFECTLY!!" Let me tell you, the only thing perfect about this was the fact that it fit in my luggage! The fins broke after 2 days of using it, it is made out of cheap rubber so the friction of it cut me at the back of my heel, the silicone on the snorkel was so hard that it cut my gums and the mask leaked for days! The lesson? You get what you pay for!!

Beach Junkies Rating: 1 out of 5

The second time I went to buy gear was at Costco. I saw this Body Glove Kit for about $70 and it looked cool! I was hesitant but I thought I would try it out anyway! This equipment lasted me 3 years and was one of the best snorkeling kits I have ever bought. The fins are big enough to efficient propelling in the water but small enough they fit in your luggage or carry on. The snorkel has a very soft and comfortable mouth piece and the top has a splash guard which prevents water from coming in for you to swallow (otherwise known as a dry snorkel). The mask was awesome and never leaked! It does get old though so you would have to replace it with a new set but for the price, I would recommend this for anyone looking to start out snorkeling!

Beach Junkies Rating: 5 out of 5

miQ snorkeling in Lucea, Jamaica

I said I would update this post as soon as I was able to use my new snorkel gear and now I have kept my promise =).

I absolutely love my new gear!!! The mask is better this time around. It is not split in the middle and is a WIDE mask which makes for better visibility and a greater field of vision compared to masks that are split into two. It was very comfortable and spending a bit more money on it was not necessary, but I could really tell the difference.

miQ snorkeling in Lucea, Jamaica

The snorkel I bought is a BARE Dry Top Snorkel. I prefer dry top snorkels because you don't have to worry about inhaling water when the waves get rough. This was my second dry top snorkel. Really no big difference in the snorkel other than that the mouth piece gets really heavy compared to my Body Glove snorkel I previously had. I noticed a significant drag on the bottom while swimming but it wasn't a nuisance, it just took a bit to get used to but overall the quality of the snorkel was excellent and I'll be keeping this for a while.

My new fins are the U.S Divers Blast fins. BIG difference from my old Body Glove fins. The only draw back with these fins is that they are a bit heavier than my previous fins due to the frame on the outside, but other than that, these are AWESOME! It took a bit to get used to the open toe shoe but it ended up being more comfortable. The split fin make maneuvering in the water effortless and you honestly have more control of yourself in the water. Sprinting in this took less effort than what I was used to and they definitely came in handy when I ran into a MASSIVE Barracuda in Jamaica =). Lets just say that I left my friend with the Body Glove gear in the dust hahaha!

Overall these three items together worked very well and I definitely can't wait to get back in the ocean!!

Beach Junkies Rating: 5 out of 5

Staying fit while on vacation

2010-09-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

Sure, what's the point of maintaining your workout plan when all you really want to be doing is lying on the beach. Well, #1 - you don't want to fall off the wagon, you worked hard to achieve that beach body and #2 - you will most likely be eating at the buffet three times a day. If you don't stay active, you may just pack on the pounds you just lost before vacation.

David Hirsch created a great 10 minute express workout you can do in your hotel room or on the beach. Check out this link and print out the express workout and bring with you on your next beach vacation.

RESORT REVIEW: Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado

2010-09-02T22:32:00.004-04:00

Trip Date: June 2010

Location: Samana, DR

Beach Junkies Rating: (based on 5 stars)

Beach: 4 / Food: 4 / Rooms: 4 / Pools: 5 / Snorkeling: 3

My husband and I stayed at Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado from June 12 to 19, 2010. We went with another couple and their 19 month old. This was a resort that my husband has always wanted to go to but the price was never right. We thought we were getting a good deal until we found out that we had only paid for a superior room with WestJet Vacations.

Let me point out that WestJet’s taxes a lot lower than other tour operators and their staff are the most friendly bunch you will ever encounter. The flight was good and going through customs and getting our luggage was quick. We met with our Hola Sun representative and to our surprise, our names were not on the list but our friend’s names were. The rep just told us to go ahead on the bus. After an hour and 20 minute bus ride with no A/C, we arrive at the mainland reception.

Check in

At the mainland building, we filled out the paperwork, got our key card and bracelet and then, it was off to the ferry. The transfer time is only about 5 minutes. Once we got to the resort, we were greeted by management and a cocktail. He told us where we can find everything and how to book a la carte dinner reservations. He then directed us to our rooms and told us that we could grab a snack by the pool. I was very impressed how quickly the check in process went.

Room

We got to our room (#217), it’s on the second floor in the main building. We were quite disappointed to open our curtains and find out that we were facing the maintenance building where a lot of employees hang out. The room is a very standard room – closet with electronic safe, hangers, iron and ironing board, bathrobe and slippers; a king bed, tv, desk, sofa, chair and a very large bathroom with a Jacuzzi and separate shower. I have to admit that it’s very dark in the bathroom and room, even with all the lights on but it didn’t bother us. Prior to our arrival, I did email the resort and request villas 2-11 with a king size bed on the top floor, also with an ocean view. I did receive a reply informing me that they could not accommodate my request because it wasn’t the room category we purchased and they also included a price list for upgrades. This is when we realized that we had booked a superior room. Please be careful of this if you plan to go to this resort. After settling into our room and exploring the resort, we came back to the room to find a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and crispies (It’s their version of rice krispies with white chocolate). There was a letter from the person I was exchanging emails with. They had been upgraded us to a junior superior suite and they had also made reservations for us that night at the Don Pablo restaurant. Totally unexpected and very thoughtful. Our friends were staying in room #215. They had a superior room. There is not much of a difference except we had a larger window opening from the washroom and bedroom and we had a separate shower and they had a shower head coming out of the wall above their jacuzzi tub. There was no glass or wall anywhere so when they showered, water sprayed everywhere. A few days after our arrival, a glass wall was installed (and they didn’t even file a complaint). The room was cleaned daily and little chocolates were only left once on our pillows. We received towel art every day and the maid lined up all our shoes and fold our clothes into piles that we left on the sofa.

Food

The buffet is located in the main building. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has a terrace which we never ate on because it was just too hot outside. I found that they had a good selection to items to choose from. We fell in love with these mashed carrots and potatoes one evening and never saw them again. They had different themed nights (they are listed at the a la carte reservation desk in the lobby) such as Mexican, Spanish, Gala, Oriental, Italian, Barbeque and Dominican. At breakfast, they had the typical spread - made to order omelettes, french toast, pancakes, bacon, sausages, pastries and these delicious donuts covered in sugar (they are my favorite). What I liked was they had a separate section that had fried eggs (this is what I usually order from the omelette guy), poached eggs and hard boiled eggs. There was also a variety of fresh juices, yogurt, cereals and fruits. Lunch and dinner was your typical fare - you can select your meat to be grilled and a pasta station. There is a vegetarian corner and lots of breads. Each night, they put out a display of appetizers according to what the themed night is. The wait staff is very attentive, also refilling your glass, whether it's wine or water. I can't remember what night it was, I think it was the Mexican night, a guy with a cart of turkey would come around and carve off a slice for you and pour gravy all over. It was delicious and the best turkey I have ever had in my life. For the a la cartes, there are only three restaurants - Gourmet, Italian and Mediterranean. You can make your reservations at the desk oron the 24 hour computer in the lobby.

Don Pablo (Gourmet)

This restaurant is in the middle of the resort. we had trouble finding it on our first night because we arrived at 5 pm and went to the pool, we never got a chance to walk around. It turns out it's very close to the back of the main building. A maintenance guy was kind enough to walk us there. Instead of choosing what to eat off the menu, we decided on the five course set dinner. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact names of each course, but I will do my best to describe it.We started off with crackers with some type of jelly on it, then pumpkin and asparagus cold soup, a tomato topped with deep fried cheese, our main entree was beef tenderloin & lobster on a skewer and for dessert, chocolate fantasy and an apple tartin.

Both these restaurants are located by the pool by the beach. You need to take the elevator to get to them. It's quite a far walk and very dark:

Portofino (Italian)

We were not really hungry when we ate here but I wish we were because they had so many items on the menu that I wanted to try (especially since I was craving for pizza the whole week). Some of the dishes we ordered were caprese inssalata caprese, trio of bruschetta, mushroom soup, mushroom & lobster penne (a must for this restaurant, so flavourful and filling) beef medallions (didn't look very appetizing) and shrimp pizza and for dessert, tiramisu.

Mediterraneo (Mediterranean)

The house appetizer is a potato and tuna dish. Very tasty considering I don't like tuna. Some of the dishes we ordered were the greek salad, shrimp cocktail appetizer, the lobster entrée (a must if you are going to eat here), chicken entrée, cheesecake and chocolate mousse. It was very hot in this restaurant. The fans were not helping at all.

Bars

There are four bars in the resort, Daiquiri (lobby), Flamboyan (quiet pool), Hibyscus (main pool by the beach) and a bar by the jacuzzi. The bar by the pool makes a very refreshing non-alcohol drink called Very Well. Also, by this pool, they come around very 20 minutes to see if you want a drink. The lobby bar serves a delicious cappuccino. I am not a regular coffee drinker but I had to have a cappuccino every night before retiring to our room. On this trip, we didn't try any of the cocktails, we drank beer (El Presidente) for most of the trip. I did see a cocktail menu on each of the tables and at the bar.

Beach

The beach on Cayo Levantado are broken up into 2 beaches. There is the calm side and the wavy side. Both have its pros and cons. I'll start with the calm side. The water here is very swimmable and the scenery is AMAZING! You can watch a flock of Pelicans fish all day. The only problem we had with the beach was that it was really narrow. Most of the beach is filled up with trees and you can't really get "personal" space due to the size of the beach. You're pretty much side by side with strangers. Since it is also filled up with trees, which amount to an abundance of bugs, leaves and dead fruit falling on you. Getting a good spot to catch some sun is nearly impossible unless you decide to hang out on the ends of the beach. The wavy beach is the perfect beach! The water is fun to play in and there is plenty of space for you to get comfortable in. It is wide and there is a perfect sun/shade ratio. The problem with this beach is that it is REALLY WINDY. If this doesn't bother you, it is the perfect place, as it was for my husband. For me however, it was difficult to get comfortable with the wind howling in your ear. Now if we had to pick the perfect spot on the beach, it would be on the right side of the calm beach near the water sports center. There is also a public beach which is huge but we never wandered over there since you have to pay for chairs to lounge in. It is after all an island so you can't really be that picky with the wideness and length of the beach.

Pool

There are two pools, a quiet pool that is close to the main building and the main pool by the beach. Both pool close at 7 pm and have plenty of loungers and palapas around them. The quiet pool has beds with draping over them which provide some shade. At each pool, there is an activities hut where you can pick up some towels, books or board games. At the beginning of our trip, after eating lunch, we would come back to the pool or beach only to find nowhere to sit, because every chair had a towel on it. Later in the week we realized that you didn't have to keep your towels or exchange it at the end of the day. You can just leave it there and it will be picked up later in the evening. You can also pick up new towels whenever you would like a fresh one and you can even get more than one. I am not sure if this is a great system but I must say, there was never a shortage of towels, the huts were always being replenished throughout the day. There wasn't too many pool activities in the main pool, most of the activities took place beside the pool but on the beach. I would highly suggest staying by the quieter pool. If you want to chill out, stay close to the gym as they have some speakers hidden in the grass that plays very relaxing, spa-type music.

Entertainment

This is the one thing I have to complain about. There is a little poster board on top of the piano outside of the main buffet, it lists all the activities throughout the day. I wanted to try participating in the painting or arts & crafts but it did not say where it was taking place. We all wanted to go to the Sunday ice cream party but again, we didn't know where it was happening. In the evening, the animation team and manager go around the terrace and lobby to tell guests that the nightly entertainment would be happening at the public beach. We never went to see one show. On our last night, we received a letter saying there was going to be a "white party" by the quiet pool at 8:30 pm. Around 9:00 pm, we went to check it out but only saw it all set up but no guests or staff there.

Staff

All were very nice. I really appreciate the letter for our upgrade and a la carte reservation we received upon our arrival. Our maid was always happy to see us in the morning. The waiters at the buffet became good buddies with the little boy who was with us.

Check out

We were given an option for express checkout the night before our departure date but we checked out at 9:30 am and waited for our 10 am boat. When we arrived to the mainland, we had to wait another hour for our bus to arrive. The bus arrived half an hour early but two people were missing when the rep did his count so we had to wait half an hour before leaving, luckily this bus had A/C. We got to the airport and we were the only ones at the airport. The check in counter still issues manual boarding passes and luggage tags so it took some time to for them to write everything down. It was quite annoying but it made for less waiting time at the gate. There is a huge duty free shop and one restaurant that charges $20 for a hamburger and fries. Make sure you eat at the resort before you leave.

Overall

This is a beautiful resort but I feel like we didn't fully take advantage of what the resort has to offer because our room was in the main building. The entire resort is well-maintained and runs perfectly. I don't think that we would go back but if we did, we would make sure that we were staying in a villa instead of the main building. In my opinion, the transfer time is too long for me - the 90 minute bus ride and then the boat ride plus all the time in between handling the luggage. It was an experience being on a remote island but since we were not too impressed with the narrow beach, we are crossing this resort off of our to-go list and will probably stick to our favorite, Punta Cana, instead. Click here to check out more photos we took at the resort.

Still not convinced? See what others think here

Two vacation this summer...oh my!!!

2010-05-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

It's been over a month since we last posted something on this blog. I apologize but over the summer, we will have two new reviews to post up and I promise to write more lists and tips on all-inclusive travel.

We have two beach vacations coming up. One booked and confirmed for June to Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado in Samana, DR and another trip that still needs to be booked but are aiming for the end of August to Melia Cayo Santa Maria in Santa Clara, Cuba. The second trip is an all-inclusive vacation I won from Transat Holidays. It's a dream come true winning a trip that's all paid for. I have until April 2011 to book it but we decided to go sooner than later because of our work schedules.

I'll post some photos and information about each resort that we are looking forward to. Do you have any beach vacations booked for the summer?

MUSIC MONDAY: Ms Harmony - Robin Thicke

2010-03-22T22:39:00.000-04:00

There is something so chill about this song...

ACTIVITIES: Macao Surf Camp

2010-03-18T21:39:00.003-04:00

First I would like to say that it has been a dream of mine to try surfing. It took me a while to finally do it and I can proudly say that I've gone once a year since I've started, which is a total of 2 times =D.

As you may know, we visit Punta Cana A LOT, and after a while you got to do different things to make your trip stand out. Just this past Christmas I did that.

I contacted Rafel Ferreras from Macao Surf Camp and I'm glad I did. Honestly it was one of the best experiences I had. After planning out the details over email, he picked us up form our hotel and drove us to Macao Beach. Unfortunately the day I went the conditions were rather choppy and BIG. For some reason every time I go surfing, the conditions always seem to have huge waves. With that as a challenge, Rafael still was determined to get me going. He has a lot of patience which is needed when teaching a newbie. Honestly he was so driven to get me standing up it was awesome!

If you are going to Punta Cana and would like to get some private lessons, give Rafael a call. Trust me you'll be happy you did.

Here's a little video compilation of my surfing in Macao Beach.

Wipeout! from openmiQ on Vimeo.

Here is a tip though, keep your schedule open. Don't do what I did and schedule a day when you want to go. Go when the conditions are good. Rafael will tell you when it will be good during that week. You will have a better and easier time learning!

If you do decide to go here, please tell Rafael that Mike and Alysia from Toronto say HI!!

Also let me know how your experience was if you did go. We want to hear all about it!!

Contact Information:

Macao Surf Camp
Rafel Ferreras
macaosurfcamp@gmail.com

Address: Macao Beach
Bavaro Punta Cana
Dominican Republic

Tel: (809) 430-9017

For more reviews go to Macao Surf Camps Tripadvisor Review Page

MUSIC MONDAY: Jamie Lidell - Rope Of Sand

2010-03-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

MUSIC MONDAY: Calabria 2008

2010-03-08T19:45:00.000-05:00

Natasja - Calabria 2008 by Playground Music

Vacation Countdown Starts NOW

2010-03-03T18:13:00.000-05:00

Beach Junkies has just booked their first vacation of the year. This June, we are off to Samana, Dominican Republic staying at the Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado.

This resort has been on my list since I've seen it in the brochures. The main thing that I love about this is that unlike all the other all inclusive resorts, this one you have to take a boat to since it's on it's own island holding 3 different beaches. I think it's awesome and I hope we have an awesome time! Stay tuned for the review!

ADVICE: Medicine bag

2010-03-02T08:54:00.032-05:00

When away at an all-inclusive resorts, you may encounter all sorts of ailments. Here is what I carry with us when we travel. I keep all this in a ziploc and bring it in my carry-on:

Advil - not only is it good for headaches and muscle pain, you can also take it when you get a sunburn. If you get a bad sunburn, immediately go inside. Take two Advils and a cold shower. Apply lots of aloe and take a nap with the A/C on full blast.
Benadryl - I discovered this trick when we stayed at Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya back in 2007. We met a great couple - Michelle and Carl. While the men were snorkeling, Michelle noticed my heat rash. She went back to her room to get me Aerius. She instructed me to go back to my room for the rest of the afternoon, take the two antihistamines and a cold shower and relax in the comfort of an air-conditioned room. She is one smart cookie because this trick worked (this is the same formula as the Advil and sunburn trick).
Lanacane - this is great for instant relief for heat rash and bug bites.
Immodium - just in case you have a bad case of BG's (this was a term we came up with when we stayed in the DR with four other friends - BG's stand for bubble gut). Only take one Immodium when it's absolutely necessary.
Visine - Mr. Beach Junkie loves to snorkel and also swim in the ocean and pool. He tends to get red eyes after a day in the water and sun. A couple of drops of Visine does the trick right before we go out for dinner.
Hand sanitizer - with germs lingering around everywhere, you never know if you will get to wash your hands before eating any food. Always good to have sanitizer on hand.
Liquid bandage - water-soaked band-aids are never any fun so spray liquid bandage on your cut or scrape instead.
Band-aids - always good to have (just in case you get blisters from your flip flops).
Gravol - if you are prone to motion sickness, it's good to have these for the airplane and bus ride (maybe even for a boat ride).
After-Bite - another remedy for instant relief of bug bites.
Facial lotion and mist - I added these two items because you should hydrate your face on the plane and the facial mist is great for when you are feeling the heat on your face.

MUSIC MONDAY: Jack Johnson - Better Together

2010-03-01T08:29:00.000-05:00

We got new luggage!!!

2010-02-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

Both Beach Junkies recently bought new luggage. It appears that we are buying new luggage after two vacations. Hopefully these two will stand the tossing they get from airport baggage handlers.

His luggage - Gravis Trekker Roller Luggage

Her luggage - Heys Eco Orbis Spinners

FYI: Heys luggage is on sale at Sears until March 5, 2010. Most styles are up to 55% off. For example, I bought the 26" Heys Eco Orbis Spinners which is regularly $274.99 and I got it for $109.99. If you are in the market for new luggage, I suggest you head out to your local Sears store to take advantage of this awesome sale!!!!

MUSIC MONDAY: La Vida Es Un Carnaval

2010-02-22T10:29:00.002-05:00

How could I forget this song...it's a staple for a beach vacation!!! La Vida es un carnaval by Celia Cruz.

Celia Cruz - La Vida Es Un Carnaval (Salsa) by hedyl

ADVICE: Packing your luggage and splitting the contents

2010-02-17T18:31:00.002-05:00

After reading our guest resort review in the previous post, it gave me an idea. Let me quote the line in her review that inspired this post:

"We waited on board for over an hour for the luggage trailers to bring our passengers' bags to the plane group by TINY group. The captain advised us that we had to take off due to flight crew schedule restrictions, while 29 of our bags were still somewhere in the airport's luggage system."

Here's a little tip and it's something that Beach Junkies practices for every trip they go on. If you have the luxury of traveling with a companion, we advise spliting what you are bringing between the two suitcases. This way, in case one suitcase gets lost, you will have some of your clothing and toiletries in the other luggage. We also started doing this when a friend told me about her trip to Cozumel with her mom. Her mom's luggage didn't make it to their destination but luckily my friend's luggage made it through. If they had split their stuff, the mom would have had some of her clothes to get her through the week. I would certainly suggest to either pack your bikini/boardshorts in your carry-on or wear it on the plane. It's the most important item you need to enjoy your vacation.

MUSIC MONDAY: Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

2010-02-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd get one of the most obvious songs to listen to on the beach out of the way =)

RESORT REVIEW (Guest Blogger): Riu Mambo

2010-02-10T20:07:00.008-05:00

**Beach Junkie's Note: Our friend Stingaling enlisted in our help for her all-inclusive vacation last month. Before she left, we asked her to make mental notes of her stay and to blog her review as a guest. So, here is Beach Junkies' first-ever guest resort review. All photos used in this post belong to Stingaling**

Trip Date: January, 2010

Location: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Stingaling Rating: (based on 5 stars)

Beach: 4 / Food: 4 / Rooms: 3 / Pools: 3 / Snorkeling: N/A

Can I start with a little disclaimer? I must say that I am having a hard time with Beach Junkies' star rating system and applying it to this resort because I know that their standards are very high when it comes to resort travel. This is only the second AI vacation I've ever been on in my life, so my knowledge and experience of these types of vacations are meager in comparison. So obviously, my star rating and review isn't really relative to the other reviews on this site, and therefore, the opinions expressed in this particular review are the views of the writer [Stingaling] and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Beach Junkies blah blah blabhbity blah.

We stayed at the Riu Mambo from January 23 - 30, 2010. There were mixed reviews about this resort, but we weren't dissuaded at all by these reviews, especially after really considering the petty things that people would complain about. As well, we scored a really excellent deal for our vacation, and in the end we got such awesome VALUE out of our week here. One thing of note about the Riu resort is that it is comprised of 3 hotels, the Mambo, Merengue and Bachata. You pay to stay at 1 hotel, but you can play at all 3, meaning that you can enjoy all facilities at all the hotels, and are only limited to eating your dinner at your own hotel.

FLIGHT FROM TORONTO

We flew with Skyservice out of Toronto, and were delayed on the tarmac at Pearson airport due to some issues with their luggage handling system. For anyone who has flown Skyservice in the past, you all know that these planes are not ones you want to be sitting in for longer than necessary. This coming from a person that is of below-average stature — I felt crammed and sore in my sunken little seat by the window. We waited on board for over an hour for the luggage trailers to bring our passengers' bags to the plane group by TINY group. The captain advised us that we had to take off due to flight crew schedule restrictions, while 29 of our bags were still somewhere in the airport's luggage system. Luckily for both my boyfriend and me, our bags were among those that flew with us. For those that were not so lucky, they were assured that their luggage would be on the afternoon flight to POP, and would promptly be directed to their hotels by their tour operators. We were delayed a little while on our transfer bus, waiting for things to be sorted out, but were on our way in no time. The airport is about a 30-minute ride from the resort.

CHECK-IN

We arrived at the lobby of the Riu Mambo by about 2:30, and were greeted immediately by welcome cocktails by the staff. It was quite a large group of us that arrived from Toronto with Sunquest, and they told us that some of our rooms were not ready at that time, which was not a surprise to me, since it is indicated that standard check-in is at 3:00 here. However, lucky for us once again, our room was ready for us. Rather than lining us up to check us in, they had a table full of envelopes with our check-in packages, and called us individually to hand us our packages.

ROOM

About a week prior to arriving, I had emailed the manager and requested a room that was close to the beach, on the second floor with a king bed and I was happy to see that my request was honoured — our room was #2412, which was on the second level of the villa type building, just steps away from the beach. We didn't have a direct view of the ocean from our window, but there was a good view from our balcony. Since the grounds and the resort aren't huge, we were also really close to the lobby, beach snack bar and buffet restaurant.

The room itself was pretty spacious. The bed was actually two double-mattresses pushed together to form one big bed, which wasn't ideal because of the big split in the middle. We had a closet, ceiling fan, a mini-bar with booze dispensers, and a safe. Our little fridge was stocked with beer, and mixers for the booze like Pepsi, tonic water and club soda, as well as a big jug of water for drinking and for brushing our teeth. Safe key and lock were provided to each guest free of charge. Our room was a bit musty smelling, but not unbearable. The bathroom was nothing fancy – just a toilet, bathtub/shower and sink. If I could express a couple of gripes with the room, it would be regarding my showering experience. Firstly, there was no hot water in the mornings. I'm not sure the reason for this, but the water would be lukewarm at best. Afternoons would be better, where the water would switch intermittently from hot to less than hot. Secondly, the bathtub is long and narrow. As I mentioned before, I'm not a huge person, but there was so little space in that tub that I had a hot and intimate affair with that shower curtain twice a day. Because I'm a bit of a germaphobe, I can't stand things touching me in the shower unless it's my own hands, a bar of soap or the water itself and that shower curtain would come in for frequent hugs and kisses, so I'm quite sure I lost my virginity all over again to it.

Enough of that. Overall, the room was kept really clean and the maid did a great job every day. Oh, except on that last day, when she forgot to leave towels for us. No biggie. We called the front desk, and someone was at our room promptly with new towels.

FOOD

We went with no expectations for the quality of the food, but ended up all agreeing amongst our little group that the food was great. I'm not sure why I was reading so many complaints about the food and the lack of variety offered. Sure, if you're the type of person who is only going to eat the pizza, fries and pasta, then yeah – it will be the same thing every night. However, we felt that the food was excellent and it was pretty different every day. For breakfast, the usual bacon and sausage and scrambled eggs were offered. Fresh donuts, French toast and pancakes and some sort of puréed starch like potatoes, yuca or yam were available. As well, were omelettes made to order if you wanted. Fresh fruit (like papaya, pineapple and passionfruit) were always plentiful, as well as fresh fruit juices and shakes. We had breakfast in all 3 hotels, and found that it was the same food offered everywhere. What I loved about the Bachata restaurant is that there is a big terrace that wraps around 2 sides, so that morning we got to eat outside with a view of the ocean. However, in terms of layout and ease of navigating the buffet, the Mambo was our favourite place to eat. We were usually not very hungry at lunch, so we would just snack at one of the beach snack bars. Things that were offered there were burgers and hot dogs (we stayed away from these, because the buns were kind of a weird soft, and the hot dogs were boiled), 2 or 3 pasta options per day, and a couple of protein options like pork or beef prepared in different ways. Dinner was always an event for us at the buffet – lots of choices every night and we left the buffet every night stuffed with good food. The Mexican, Dominican and Chinese theme nights were fun. The Dominican night was neat, though many dishes offered this night were labelled simply "Dominican Specialty," or "Dominican Dish," I suspect because they didn't know how to translate these items. Bit of a mystery, though didn't stop us from sampling these tasty dishes. Chinese night was a bit lackluster in comparison, as they simply added soy sauce to their dishes to ethnic-ize them.

On the other hand, the à la carte restaurants were completely disappointing. We had to reserve these on the day-of at 7 am, either the Italian or the Steak House. It turns out that at night, they use the Beach Snack Bar for the à la carte restaurants, and alternate between the 2 menus every night. Items ordered off both menus were not great. In fact, it seemed that they did better with cooking things en masse, because they still offered buffet items as starters to the meal, and we enjoyed this more than the actual meal on both nights. Something we found amusing was the promise of the lovely-sounding "aromatic potatoes" with all the entrées on the Steak House Menu, because our meals were presented to us with French Fries sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese and we quickly realized that yes, these were indeed potatoes that were aromatic in their most base form.

BARS

There was only 1 Beach bar, and that was located on the Mambo Beach, making it convenient for us. However, this bar only offered beer, and there were no spirits stocked here for the frozen drinks like Piña Coladas. The snack bar was just a few minutes walk from the beach, and you could get any kind of drink here. However, we found the alcohol to be on the weak side at all bars at the Riu. We are a group of people who like to drink, and try as we might, none of us got past a slight buzz for the whole trip, even though we were asking for double/triple shots of booze in our mixed drinks. Sangrias were great, but the house wine was not. We were only able to have mojitos on one night, as they seemed to be without fresh mint for almost the entire week. The bartenders were all friendly and full of energy, and pretty quick to serve you.

BEACH

If you do your research ahead of time, you will know that you will not find white sandy beaches in Puerto Plata. The water isn't going to be crystal clear either – it's the Atlantic Ocean. It was a little pebbly going into the water, and there is a slight drop-off. As well, there was a bit of seaweed and debris washing in, which was not so much of a problem for us because you know why? It's the ocean. It's got living, breathing things in it and is too big for someone to come by daily to skim with a net. Besides, at the Riu, I thought they did a really good job at keeping the beach clean of this debris every day, and if it wasn't for the inconsiderate and lazy smokers who treat the beach like it's their big personal ashtray, it would've been damn near immaculate. Another thing I liked about the beach at the Riu was that there was a breakwall about 500m out, which meant that the waves were calm rolling ones coming into the beach. Probably not so fun for someone who likes to play in more of those aggressive, crashing waves. Our beach at the Mambo was the best one of the three, because it was the widest (I don't know how the small strip of sand at the Bachata qualified as a beach) AND we had the benefit of the beach bar. Another thing to note is that there are only loungers here and no palapas, but there are lots of palm trees around if you are looking for some shade.

POOL

We are beach people, so we didn't spend any time at the pools, which were crowded from early on in the morning with families and young children. Lots of palapas on the pool deck, and it seemed that the pool area was shaded for most of the day. From the looks of it, the best and fanciest pool was situated at the Bachata, and they had the only swim-up bar as well.

NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Because of the stay-at-one play-at-three quality of this resort, we had the choice of three stages at which to watch the nightly shows. A quick check of the activities board daily would determine what we would be doing. The Michael Jackson show did not disappoint, and we were looking forward to it all week — it was so bad that it was good. There was one shared night club, The Pacha, which we visited a few times. The night here would start off with the bartender performing double duty as the "DJ" by playing mixed tapes/CDs which would often skip, and when the music was played out, we all had to sit/stand in silence and wait for him to finish pouring his drinks before he could drop in the next CD in the DJ booth. Once the real DJ arrived is when the true Gong Show would start.

STAFF

The staff is great and very hard working, and always with a friendly "Hola" with every passing encounter. Upon leaving any of the public washrooms or entering the eating areas, someone greeted you with a squirt of hand sanitizer. We found a server at the buffet we really liked, and I really wish I had written her name down, because she was so great and greeted us like old friends every time we came into the restaurant, even if we sat in someone else's section by mistake. The animation crew were lively, and I didn't find them especially intrusive when you wanted to be left alone. There are grounds-people who are constantly cleaning and maintaining the property so that it is immaculate and spotless all the time. I should also mention that our Sunquest rep, Nicole, was absolutely amazing and went above and beyond to make sure we had a great stay and had everything that we needed, doing special favours for us without us even asking.

EXCURSION

We chose to do the Outback Safari and booked it through our Sunquest rep. The cost was $79USD, and the jeep picked us up right from the hotel. We enjoyed this excursion, though the name of it is a bit misleading because you would expect to see a lot more nature, ie. plants, trees, native animals in their natural habitat. Aside from only seeing crocodiles in a pen at their "ranch" we didn't see any other kind of wildlife. However, we thought that it was a good cursory way to see the country and encounter locals and see their way of life. The tour is a full day, and the itinerary includes a stop at a school house to see children in class, a stop at a local's house to see how Dominicans live, stopping at a river for a bit of a swim, homemade-style lunch at the Outback Safari ranch (which was DELICIOUS), and boogie boarding at a secluded beach to end the day. Another feature of this tour is the open bar. The jeep you are on is stocked with rum, beer, soda and bottled water, and they start serving you drinks pretty early on in the day. Julian, our guide, also acted as our bartender, and his skill at fulfilling mixed drink orders 4 at time on a moving vehicle with nothing but crazy, live Dominican traffic behind him deserves special mention. If you go on this excursion, a couple of items of advice, if I may: 1) When they tell you that it is your last chance to use the toilet, do not pass on the opportunity, even if you feel like you don't have to go. The drinks flow pretty freely on this tour, so chances are that your bladder will get full quickly. I didn't take the last washroom stop, and I am not the type person who feels right treating the ocean like it's one big public toilet, so I had to hold it while boogie boarding and for the long, excruciatingly bumpy ride back to the hotel. 2) Perhaps it's because I lack proper experience with ocean sports and didn't plan my outfit properly, but I had a wardrobe malfunction while bodyboarding. So unless you want to treat your boyfriend's buddy to the sight of your boobie hanging out of your bikini top like I did, dress appropriately and wear something that was built for and will hold up to the waves.

OVERALL

For what we paid, we got excellent value for our vacation. Far from being the luxurious, this resort is almost without any frills while not being an decrepit old dive at all. Everyone at the Riu strives really hard to make each individual feel valued as their own guest. For anyone who is looking to get away, spend some time bumming on a beach in the Caribbean while on a budget, I would recommend the Riu Mambo. I personally accomplished everything I wanted to do on this vacation: relax on a hot, sunny beach, eat and drink until I couldn't take it anymore, and simply exist for a week in which I didn't have to make any decisions.

Finally, thanks a million to Leesh and miQ for inviting me to guest blog! Love your blog, and I hope this contribution is helpful.

MUSIC MONDAY: Shelter, Bedouin Soundclash

2010-02-08T18:07:00.001-05:00

Bedouin Soundclash is great to listen to on the beach. Shelter is one song of theirs that sticks out but other songs you can listen to are When the Night Feels my Song and Living in the Jungle.

BEACH GADGETS: HEADPHONIES

2010-02-04T11:12:00.001-05:00

Over the past few years I have collected a number of iPod speakers mainly because I love to play my music on the beach but hate having to wear headphones. There are a number of iPod or mp3 speakers out there and trust me when I say I've almost been through them all.

For vacations, I look for 3 things.

1. Portability (lets face it, a boom box is the last thing you want to pack)
2. Sound Quality (keep in mind I don't get picky on sound on small devices cause it's nearly impossible)
3. Cool Factor (I always have to be different =P)

I will start with (in my opinion) the BEST portable speaker for your iPod on the beach. This speaker fulfills all 3 criterias I look for. Instead of talking about it, here is a video I took of my "Skully" Headphonie on my recent vacation. For more information visit HEADPHONIES

Skully Pool Side from openmiQ on Vimeo.

I can't wait for the next set of Headphonies to come out...my Skully needs a surfer friend (HINT HINT HEADPHONIES) lol!!

ADVICE: Jelly Belly

2010-02-03T10:56:00.000-05:00

On our trip to Cayo Ensenachos, I brought something that I have never thought to bring before. For some reason, I had some jelly bellies lying around the house and I decided to throw them into a ziploc bag and bring along. They stayed in my beach bag the whole week. It was great to have a little sweetness throughout the day, it was a treat after dinner and most of all, it came in handy when one of our travel buddies was suffering from a possible heat stroke. Before we were able to get her into a cool air conditioned area, we gave her some jelly bellies to boost up her sugar levels and some water to hydrate.

These little candies will become a staple now on my ever-growing packing list. Some flavors to give you that island feel - crushed pineapple, island punch, lemon-lime, mango, margarita, pina colada or just pick up the tropical mix.

MUSIC MONDAY: SUBLIME -GET READY

2010-02-01T09:37:00.000-05:00

The first time I ever heard this song, I had the urge to go to a beach and chill. As I listen to this, it just gives me this vibe and when I'm on vacation I get into chill mode instantly once I hear this!

RESORT REVIEW: NH Real Arena

2010-01-26T12:50:00.020-05:00

Trip Date: December 2009

Location: Punta Cana, Domincan Republic

Beach Junkies Rating: (based on 5 stars)

Beach: 5 / Food: 4 / Rooms: 5 / Pools: 5 / Snorkeling: N/A

We went to NH Real Arena from December 18-25, 2009. Yes, we saw all the negative reviews but it did not stop us from booking this resort. Prior to us leaving Toronto, we emailed Roberto and asked him for a top floor, ocean view room with a king size bed. We flew with Air Transat (happy that they now serve hot meals) and arrived on time to a beautiful sunny Punta Cana. A good thing about this resort is that it's only a 20 minute ride from the airport.

CHECK IN

Because we had booked a Mirage Deluxe room with Transat Holidays, we were check in privately. Surprisingly at 12:30 pm, our room was ready. We were given a map, keys and coupons, and were told to see the bell boy to bring us to our room. We had asked about a la carte reservations, they showed us where the desk was and since there wasn't a line up, we booked two of our five a la cartes. We were then brought by a golf cart to our building which was a 60 seconds away from the lobby.

ROOM

Our room (#2441) was in building 2 (I think it's the Punta Cana building) on the top (4th) floor. To figure out where your room is located, follow this: 1st number represents which building you are in, 2nd number represents what floor you are on and the last two numbers is which room you are in. The rooms are very spacious. You have a closet with bathrobes, slippers, iron & board and a safe (you program the code yourself). There is a bathroom with a toilet and shower, the doors are made of frosted glass, some toiletries and a jacuzzi tub. There is a big hole in the wall but that didn't bother us. It's where my husband put his luggage. We had a king size bed. The sheets and duvet are comfy, the bed is on the hard side and the pillows were nice and fluffy but we could have used more than three. There is a fridge (stocked with coke, sprite, water and beer), coffee maker and ice bucket. Also in the room is a flat screen TV, a desk (but no paper or pen to be found), a chair, table and a pull out sofa. The balcony is great. If you are in building 2 and the last digit of your room number is an odd number, then you will have a great view of the pool. If you are on the 4th floor, you will also have a view of the ocean. The rooms are immaculately clean. There was a slight odor near the toilet but we just sprayed with febreeze and it was fine.

FOOD

For breakfast, we only ate at the buffet once and ordered room service twice. Room service is much better. I had read in so many reviews about Felix who makes the best eggs. When we went to the buffet, we didn't see him, probably his day off. For lunch we ate at the poolside grill for most days. Some things to eat - salsa, chips & guacamole, rotisserie chicken, pasta, grilled chicken and fish, hot dogs, hamburger, french fries and paella. Each day there was something new to eat. At Festival Buffet (main buffet), there was pizza, pasta, rice, potatoes, the usual but it was much nicer to eat at the grill where you have a view of the ocean and pool. We ate at the main buffet for the Mexican and Spanish themed nights. I wasn't that impressed, their buffet is smaller than other resort buffets. At the Mexican night, we discovered the beef fajitas. They were delicious. It's too bad that we found them after we had already eaten a lot. We ate at all four a la carte restaurants:

Senses (French) - This was our favorite restaurant. We had a gin mojito granita, a tuna carpaccio salad, red snapper/lobster main entree and a chocolate dessert. This is the restaurant decorated in all red. The service was quite fast.

Shore Grill (American/Surf & Turf) - This restaurant looks like a saloon and is more casual than the others. We had an appetizer platter of nachos & cheese and really yummy wings. After was caesar salad on bread (we thought this was odd but it tasted delicious). My husband had the rib-eye and I got the garlic shrimp. I have to say that I was really disappointed with my shrimp dish. All the resorts I have been to in the past have served jumbo shrimp. This is the first time I received small "cocktail" shrimp. For dessert was cheesecake and a brownie.

Cinque Terre (Italian) - This was our least favorite restaurant. I believe we started off with a soup, then an arugula salad, two pastas (the mushroom fettuccine one was amazing and the olive tomato penne was okay). The mains were seafood gratin or beef encrusted in herbs. The service here was extremely slow. So slow that we didn't even wait for our dessert. We just left.

Asian (name speaks for itself) - Teppanyaki is usually a fun meal with the chef entertaining you. Our chef just did his job, he cooked, served us our food and left. Before having our meal of cooked beef, chicken and shrimp with vegetables and fried rice, we had miso soup, tempura and some sushi. All were very good. After we had fried ice cream for dessert.

Christmas Eve Gala at Shore Grill - For Christmas Eve dinner, the resort was serving the same meal at all the a la carte restaurants and I think they had an elaborate buffet at Festival. We chose to eat at Shore Grill (this is before we knew what any of the restaurants looked like). The dinner was six courses and took us over two hours to eat. Our waitress kept the champagne flowing. Our glasses were never empty. We ate liver pate (I will admit that I would never eat pate, let alone liver pate but I tried it and it was delicious. I ate the whole thing), lobster salad, fish in a pastry puff, gin mojito granita, beef fillet and a double chocolate cheesecake for dessert. We were stuffed.

BARS

There are many bars located around the resort - Alisios Bar in the lobby (never went), Arenas Sports Bar (never went), Olas Bar (good to get limonata- frozen limeade), Wet Bar (we are not pool bar people) and Tanhtra Rooftop Bar. When you are in the courtyard watching the show, the resort has makeshift bars around the perimeter but there are servers taking drink orders. We didn't drink much during the day except for beer at lunch. At dinner, it's either a beer or wine. Their red house wine is better than the white. I also like drinking champagne in the evening while watching the shows. Another good drink is the mojito at the pool bar, it's made with the lime slushie.

BEACH

The beach is gorgeous and no seaweed to be found on the shoreline. The beach chairs are quite different from the usual ones you see at the resort. They are plastic wicker-looking chairs. It makes the resort look modern and classy. They are not that comfortable but I am not going to complain about it. There are plenty of palapas with chairs and tables but you will find that the one closer to the water are taken early in the morning. Don't worry, all those taken spots will be evacuated by 2 pm when everyone leaves for lunch. The activities that I have seen are volleyball and aerobics. When you are facing the water, towel and water activities hut is to your right and to the left is the massage hut. Past the massage hut is a quieter area but you do get the yelling from the vendors asking you to come see what they are selling. But don't worry, there is a security guard there and an invisible line they can not cross.

POOL

There is a large pool where all the activities take place and the pool bar, and a smaller pool where most people go to relax and read. The water in the pool looks green because the tiles are green, not the usual blue. We like this look of the pool, it makes for a unique quality that the other resorts don't have. The same type of wicker furniture surrounds the pool. I must say that this is the first resort that provides tables beside every two chairs.

NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Most shows take place at NH Plaza or in Tanhtra Bar. Both the circus show and the white party are fantastic. Be sure to catch these when they are on. You can check the activities board by the main buffet to see what the nightly entertainment is. Before the main show in the plaza square, there will be some musical act or a giant inflatable screen playing a music concert. On the 24th, a booklet describing their Christmas program was left in our room (along with a little Christmas gift). They had a great program for the holidays (Dec 24-Jan 5) but unfortunately it started on our last day at the resort.

STAFF

The staff are great and very hard working especially when on our last day there was a torrential downpour. All hotel staff were either mopping up water, towelling down the 1st floor rooms, evaluating the pool, etc. Yes, many of them only speak Spanish, but I find that if you try to speak Spanish, they will try and speak English. Please be respectful and learn a few key phrases before you head down. It will impress them. Some of our favorite staff are Ronaldo at the Mirage Concierge, Mirabel at Shore Grill, Henry at Shore Grill/main buffet and Ronald from Senses/Shore Grill. Another person who was extremely helpful was Roberto, who fulfilled our room request. Danny, our rep from Air Transat doesn't work for the resort but he lives there, has to be hands-down the best rep we have ever had.

CHECK OUT

Check out was simple as ever. We checked out at the front desk and then hung out at Mirage Concierge to enjoy the TV and free wifi, along with those delicious mini donuts and Dasani water.

OVERALL

I would definitely recommend this resort to others. I would like to try staying at NH Royal one day (but only if there is another operator offering it besides Sunwing), although I like the pools better at Real Arena. Guests at NH Royal have access to everything at Real Arena. I don't know why people complain about this resort. There is honestly nothing to complain about. I love the modern look of the entire resort and the staff are fantastic. You won't be disappointed. Click here to check out more photos we took at the resort.

Still not convinced? See what others think here

MUSIC MONDAY: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, John Mayer

2010-01-25T09:22:00.006-05:00

I like to nap on the beach and I found that this song is perfect to listen to. There's just something about the guitar rifts and the ocean breeze that puts you to sleep.

John Mayer - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by SemRedeas

ADVICE: Late flight = late check out

2010-01-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

With chartered flights, chances are you're departing either late morning or late in the evening. If you have a morning flight home, you have nothing to worry about. Just check out and wait for the bus to pick you up. However, if you have an evening flight, let's say 9:55 pm, the bus is going to pick you up around 6:00 pm. Sure, you can still enjoy everything the resort has to offer until you board the bus but do you really want to step on the plane smelling of sweat and sun?

You have two solutions: #1 - enjoy your day on the beach or pool and ask for a courtesy room to shower or #2 - ask for late check out. I would go with #2. There is no harm in asking. You will probably have to pay somewhere between $40-$60 for a 4 pm checkout but believe me, it's worth it. On your departure date, wake up early and check with the front desk. If they have availability, they will re-program your card and then you can enjoy your day and be all refreshed for your return home. If you choose to go with #1, no problem. Check out at the designated check out time, store your luggage with the bell boy (remember to lock your luggage and keep your sunscreen & valuables with you), check with the front desk about a courtesy room and see if you can reserve a time to use it and then head off to the beach.

Personally, we like morning flights and we aim to get those flights. We have in the past had some evening flights and we have done everything from storing our luggage and freshening up in our friend's room (they were leaving a week later) to actaully sitting in the lobby all afternoon after checking out to getting late check out. I highly suggest getting late check out, it just makes life so much easier!

MUSIC MONDAY: Paolo Nutini

2010-01-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

It's an essential part of your experience. It helps you relax, get into the mood and it keeps you entertained while you are out staring at nothing. This is music.

Leesh and I thought that we would recommend some great songs and albums to add to your vacation playlist. My first recommendation is Paolo Nutini's first album, These Streets.

ADVICE: How to get rid of that musty smell in your room

2010-01-17T21:58:00.000-05:00

A big complaint that I always see on reviews is a musty smell when they enter the room at the resort. Most of the time there will be that musty smell because of the air conditioning. One great tip we learned from Kathleen & Nancy (Royal Hideaway Ensenachos) is to turn on the ceiling fan (provided you have one in your room). This will circulate the air and hopefully remove the smell.

Other ways to banish the musty smell is to light a scented candle or febreeze your room (yes, I actually pack these with me).

ADVICE: The Perfect Tan!!

2010-01-14T22:17:00.004-05:00

miQ tanning on Bavaro Beach

We all want it! From the second we arrive at the beach, the first thing we think of is a tan! We need the tan to prove that we had gone away and enjoyed the sun, we need the tan to look good and most importantly, we need that tan to look good lol!

Lets face it, most of us roast ourselves to the point where we get burned and from experience, sunburn is NOT comfortable. Your skin hurts all the time. In the heat, in the cold, in the pool, in your shirt, in the blanket, it just HURTS! I had one bad case of sunburn and I never want another one EVER!

this is what you call sunburn

I see a lot of people roasting themselves on the beach. Everyone has their own system and strategy. Some turn on a timely basis, kind of like a rotisserie. Others just lie there and grab every second of the sun at all costs, even if they do look purple. That my friends is NOT a prefect tan. That is skin cancer waiting to happen!!

We have gone many times and I think we have finally perfected how to get the perfect tan. Keep in mind though, this piece of advice works for OUR skin type. It may not work for others. The 3 things you should consider before you head out to vacation is Before, During and After.

Before: If you are fair skinned and get sun burnt easily, maybe tanning isn't the best thing for you. Just accept it and loathe on that 70 SPF and let your pictures do the talking. Another thing you can do is go to a tanning salon to get a base so that you don't get roasted the minute you get there. It worked on me when I first started to visit down south, and I know it has worked for other people as well.

You should also buy all your sunblock before hand. Sunblock is expensive at all resorts because they know you need it and have no other choice but to pay if you run out. Get a variety of SPF's when you do. We normally get a bottle of 45, 30 and 15 preferably waterproof. Make sure you do your research as to which one to get. Some are very hard to apply and some wipe of right after you sweat! The brands we go for usually are Hawaiian Tropic and Neutrogena. You should also buy some after sun care as well as one bottle of spray block. It's good to use on your feet and legs when you don't want to rub the sand thats stuck onto them.

Leesh hydrating in the shade during peak hours

During: The best piece of advice I can give you is stay away from the sun from 12:00 pm-2:00 pm! This is where most people get burnt! The assumption is that you will tan faster this way, which is true, but you will also get BURNT faster! Try to stay in the shade or in the water. Basically, keep your skin cool during these times. You still tan while you are in the shade. The sand and ocean act like a mirror and bounce the rays off to your skin so you can get some decent gradual sun.

If you want to tan faster, my best advice is to be in the water for as long as you can. You can get an awesome tan that way. You still however need to apply sunblock too and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep yourself hydrated all the time with WATER not ~~beer or alcohol~~!

After: After a nice shower, apply a deep conditioning lotion. I use Vaseline Cocoa Butter. It's AWESOME! Only use the Aloe if you are burnt in some areas. This helps cool the skin down but it does NOT act as a moisturizer. You still need something to prevent the peeling. If you are burnt, wear long sleeves to sleep and try to keep your room at a comfortable warm temperature. I find the cold stabs into your skin when it's burnt.

When you get there, people watch. Compare the people that sit in the sun all the time to the ones that do it all in moderation. One normally looks like a nice bronzed healthy person and the other looks like a boiled lobster in the buffet. Take your pick to which tan you prefer.

Here is a rule of thumb...if you think it's too hot for your skin, chances are IT IS!

Happy Tanning!

DID YOU KNOW...Air Transat serves hot meals

2010-01-14T11:17:00.001-05:00

As of December 1, 2009, Air Transat will offer up hot meal service to sun destinations plus, a glass of champagne or a mimosa. Click here to view their announcement. Keep this in mind when you are choosing which tour operator to go with for your all-inclusive vacation.

We have had excellent experiences when travelling with Transat Holidays/Air Transat and now they are improving their service. On our recent trip to Punta Cana, our morning flight offered a choice of a spanish omelette or eggs florentine (we passed on the food because we were sleeping) and on our afternoon flight back home, it was shepherd's pie or veggie pasta. It also included cranberry wild rice salad, bun, fudge and a lindt chocolate.

RESORT REVIEW: Royal Hideaway Cayo Ensenachos

2010-01-13T09:04:00.005-05:00

Trip Date: June 2009

Location: Santa Clara, Cuba

Beach Junkies Rating: (based on 5 stars)
Beach: 5+ / Food: 4 / Rooms: 4 / Pools: 5 / Snorkeling: 4

Playa Megano in the morning

With this having been my 13th trip down to the Caribbean, I would say that this would've been the best beach I've seen yet!

Playa Megano - BEAUTIFUL!! When people say that pictures cannot describe it, they are absolutely right. You can ooh and ahhh about the beach pictures but being there and experiencing it yourself is another thing.

Playa Ensenachos - It was low season when I went so none of the bars or snack bars at that beach was open. We did visit for a bit and the water there is just crystal clear! The beach isn't as wide as the Megano beach but for low season if you want a quiet time with you and your significant other, this is the perfect place to do it. There are no beach loungers though.

Starfish found in Playa Megano

Snorkeling - Great snorkeling at this resort. Best time to go I'd say is in the morning when the tide is still high and I'd say the best snorkeling is to the left of the resort. They do not have any snorkel gear to rent so please bring your own. If you are snorkeling, bring water shoes as I saw an immense amount of urchins near the rocks.

Shrimp Ceviche

Food - I go to Cuba with no standards or expectations. I think once you do, you set yourself up with disappointment. Lunch at the pool snack bar was the best, followed by the buffet then if you are lazy (like me) and don't feel like leaving the beach, they will serve you snacks on the beach. My only recommendation would be to add french fries to the beach.

Room/Concierge - The rooms are HUGE. At least in building 42 they were. It pretty much had everything you needed. Our concierge was not helpful at all. The resort also offered us a $50 certificate per person but she did not give it to us until Thursday (we flew from Sat to Sat) so we didn't have time to use it up. We also checked up on our dinner reservations at least twice a day and she never had it and one time we came back at 6pm to find that our dinner was at 7pm. I think it was just her though. The rest of the people I met at the resort had no problems with their concierge and their dinner reservations were given to them much earlier as well as their $50 credit. They also make it difficult for you to make group reservations. If you guys are doing that, pick the best concierge between your group and book it with them. Ours was honestly totally useless.

If you are flying a night flight like we did, get the late check out. Trust me it's worth it!

This was my 3rd trip to Cuba (Holguin, Varadero) and this was the best trip yet. If you ever want to go to Cuba for the first time, go here. You'll be spoiled for life!!!!

Just want to say a big HELLO to Chris and Karen from BC and Dave and Evelyn from Toronto!! These people made our trip a BLAST!!!

Still not convinced? See what others think here.

ADVICE: Tipping at all-inclusive resorts

2010-01-11T23:25:00.002-05:00

I have been asked many times, how much money should I bring (and to this I always say, bring lots of $1 bills) and how do you tip? This is our scale (mind you, we love tipping)...

Maids - $2 a day
Bartenders - $1 almost each time we get a drink but if there is butler service on the beach or by the pool and if you find that one server comes to you frequently, tip them $5 in the beginning and you should be set. They will probably take care of you for that day and some of the other days that they are working
Servers at buffet restaurants - $1 for breakfast, $2 for lunch and $3 for dinner
Servers at a la carte restaurants - $5
Bell boy - for when they pick up your luggage at the beginning and end of your stay - $5

ADVICE: Winter morning flights

2010-01-10T23:13:00.003-05:00

Leesh straight off the plane

After speaking to our friends tonight about what they should wear on their flight to their island destination, I thought posting a list would come in handy. When traveling from a cold city to a hot destination, you want to make sure that you are dress accordingly for both.

Swimwear - Girls, throw your bikini on under your clothes (if you don't want to be sitting in your bikini on the plane, make sure to pack it in your carry-on) and guys, make sure to pack your board shorts in your carry-on. Your resort will most likely have a courtesy room for you to change in but do you really want to be fumbling around in your luggage looking for your swimwear? You want to make sure you don't waste any time when you arrive at resort.
Flip flops and sunscreen - Pack them in one of the outside zipper compartments or right at the top side of your luggage for easy access.
Sunglasses - Keep them on your head or in your carry on. You can use them to hide your tired eyes (from the lack of sleep due to the excitement of your vacation) and to put on right away when you step off the plane.
Layer your clothes - Ideally, you don't need to bring your winter coat with you if you are getting dropped off and picked up. If you are driving to the airport and leaving your car in the park and fly, you should just leave your jacket in the car. Wear a tank top, then a long sleeve shirt and a hoodie. You can peel off each layer when you start to feel warm. Also, bring a toque, gloves and a scarf (a pashmina can double up as a blanket on the plane and a wrap/shawl on chilly nights). This should keep you warm when you return and need to wait for a cab.

RESORT REVIEW: Occidental Grand Flamenco Punta Cana

2010-01-08T21:25:00.009-05:00

Trip Date: July 2004

Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Beach Junkies Rating: (based on 5 stars)

Beach: 5 / Food: 5 / Rooms: 3 / Pools: 4 / Snorkeling: n/a

miQ and Leesh on Bavaro Beach

There were four of us that went to Occidental Grand Flamenco around the ages of 25-27. We booked a month and a half ahead with Bel Air Travel and got a great price. The one thing that disappointed me before we even left Toronto was that our flight time was changed from 7:15 am to 1:45 pm and also our airline changed from Air Transat to West Jet. I was happy that we would be arriving early in the day to start off our vacation, but instead, we got there at night, arrived late at the Punta Cana airport and had no movie to watch on the plane. No biggie…our vacation was just about to start.

ARRIVING AT PUNTA CANA AIRPORT

Since we were arriving around 6 pm, we were landing during rush hour, so there was a bit of a line up because when you arrive at the airport, they take your picture. Customs was quick but a bit of a wait to get our luggage.

CHECK IN

There were only 4 couples that got off our bus to check into the resort. Check in was a breeze, and of course, we were welcomed with a drink. I had emailed the resort a week before to requested a king size bed and 3rd floor ocean view room. Originally they booked us in a 3rd floor room (they have high ceilings) but it wasn’t ready upon our arrival. We sent our luggage to our room and walked to the building we were staying at.

Grand Flamenco buildings

ROOM

We did get a king size bed on the second floor, facing the next resort. Not a disappointment because I heard the rooms that are facing the pool and walkway was extremely hot coming in the evening because the room is facing the sun. Since we were facing the back, some sun came into our room and the room was always cool even with the A/C off. We were in Building 12, Room 218. The rooms are very spacious and are equipped with all that is needed (there is even a luggage rack, it’s a good idea to keep your luggage on it so bugs can’t get in your clothes). The safety deposit box is handy, $15 paid upon check out. The fridge is filled with pop, beer and a large water jug. Apparently you are not supposed to brush your teeth with tap water. There is hair dryer, iron and an alarm clock. You use your key card that opens the room to keep the power on in the room. In any case, you can always use another type of card or a folded up coaster from your room. It’s not a good idea to always keep the power on all day; this method is used so that power is not being wasted. It is always nice to leave your maid a tip or a small gift on the pillow because these woman work from very early in the morning to the evening. We also found that in some rooms, perhaps the rooms that face the other resort, when you go onto the balcony, the sliding door locks automatically. Be careful.

FOOD

I was impressed with the food at the buffet. I always don’t expect much at the buffet restaurants but this one had a large variety of different kinds of food. It mostly changed each night. The waiter Domingo was very good to us and always helped us find a table during the busy breakfast and lunch rush. We tried the Steakhouse, La Reses, and had the best meal. We tried the Lamb chops, Veal Tenderloin and Pork Fillet (this is the closest thing to a steak), it was so delicious that we ate there twice! We also tried the Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda. Not too impressed with the meal because the portion were too small. The appetizer platter was very good. The snack bar, Home Rum is good when you are craving some greasy food (hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon, fries and onion rings) as a late afternoon bite. Joaquin, the bartender is really friendly and is willing to make special drinks. The only problem is if you are hungry after 10:30 pm, there is no place to get some food. If you are a late night snacker like me, I would bring some chips and cookies from home.

BAR

The lobby bar has the best bartenders, they are fast and entertaining. There is a beach bar (left side of the beach), a bar by the theatre, a bar in the Royal Club restaurant (right side of the beach), the swim up bar and the bar in Home Rum. The Tiki Tiki drink was the best one I tasted but I always like Lime daiquiris.

one of the free form pools

POOL

The pool is a very large free form pool. There are busy, crowded sections, but also quiet sections closer to the beach. There is a pool in the Royal Club area that is used for scuba lessons. While we were there, the pool was going under renovations. There were about 8-10 workers drilling and hammering at the pool bottom to fix it. Our friends brought them beers since they were working so hard. There are plenty of chairs around the pool but it’s a bit difficult to find an area with shade.

BEACH

The beach is absolutely beautiful. The sand is white and the water is always a rich turquoise colour. I did notice that there are people who wake up at 6 am to place their towels to the beach chairs under the palapas but if you go in the afternoon, you will still be able to find some chairs. I find that many people just leave their cups, cigarette butts and garbage lying around, so please be considerate, pick up after yourself and keep the beach clean. There are many activities at the beach. To the far right, you will find the water sports and the beach towel hut. In the middle, you will find the volleyball and soccer courts, and the aerobics. It tends to be crowded here. This is where you can find the henna tattoos and massage hut. To the left of the beach, near the Royal Club private beach, you will find lots of room. It’s quieter and you are right by the bar, another massage hut and the guy that makes the rice necklaces.

RESORT

There are nightly shows that start at 10 pm. I find that you can sit by the pool and watch the show, it’s not the best view but it is cooler with a nice breeze. On Saturday nights, there is a beach party after the nightly show. They bring out a bar, cook some burgers and just play music on the beach. There is also the disco, Mangu, which really doesn’t get started until almost 1 am. You should check it out because the top floor has low couches and tables, even swings on the dance floor. We attended a Manager’s Cocktail reception one night; they set up in the lobby. They were serving champagne and sushi and had a little dance number with the managers. You will find a photographer that takes pictures of you with the dancers, a monkey or parrots; you can then purchase the photos at the lobby for $6 US. This resort is in a great area because it’s close to the market that is located on the beach, maybe a 15 minute walk; and another market just outside of the resort.

CHECK OUT

We checked out of our room at noon. The bad thing was that the bus wasn’t picking us up until 3:15 pm. Along with the 3 other couples, we sat in the lobby for 3 hours, drinking and eating in the heat. Not fun at all. Our bus arrived on time and took us to the airport. I was impressed with the new enclosed air conditioned section at the Punta Cana airport (there’s even a Baskin-Robbins), it was much nicer to sit in this area rather than the open air section.

OVERALL

Before this trip, I only heard good things about the resort and everyone was right. It caters to both families, couples and singles, and each person can find something that they can enjoy, whether it be activities, drinks, even food. The grounds, rooms, pool and beach are well kept. Just remember to say Hola and Gracias, and the staff will return with a big smile because they are impressed that you are trying to speak their language. They work hard all day to make your vacation a memorable one. And also, tipping doesn’t hurt; a dollar out of your pocket won’t break your bank account. It’s just a simple gesture of thanks to those who want you make your stay pleasant so that you will return. And certainly, I will go back and will even recommend the Grand Flamenco to my friends and family. Click here for some of our photos of the resort.

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