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| Vol 4 , Issue 11 | November 2010 | |
Greetings!
I just don't know where November went... This is clearly evident by the tardiness of the newsletter! Better late than never?
In this newsletter, we look at Sandals, telephone travel scams, must see Caribbean beaches and the best bathrooms at sea... Grab a beverage, put your feet up and enjoy... |
| Sandals - the Luxury Included Vacation | |
Wow... Sandals has really upped their game!I recently attended an event called "the Sandals Difference" hosted by the Chairman of Sandals The Hon. Gordon "Butch" Stewart. Butch was quick to remind us that when he opened the first Sandals resort in 1981 the definition of all-inclusive meant having a hair dryer, television, clock radio, local beverages and buffet meals three times a day.  | | Beach at Sandals Antigua |
He quickly learned that his guests wanted more; and he gave it to them resulting in todays Sandals Luxury Included resorts. For example: Dining choices are no longer just a buffet. There are up to 11 restaurants at each Sandals resort. Wine isn't "just local wine" due to Sandals partnership with Beringer Wines, served by staff that have received Beringer's Platinum Wine Certification.  The butler suites come with a butler trained at the Guild of Professional English Butlers. They don't hover over you or follow you around but butlers are available to you by cell phone whenever you need them. How about a private plunge pool? Yes some Sandals suite have those too!  | | Sandals Montego Bay |
Millions of dollars has been invested in the resorts over the last couple of years upgrading the public areas and guest rooms to a new level of luxury. Sandals continues to offer incredible value in a luxurious environment both in their couples only Sandals brand and the family friendly Beaches resorts. For more information on the Sandals resorts, click here. For more information on the Beaches resorts, click here. Contact me anytime to book your Sandals Luxury Included Vacation. |
| Real Sandals Butler Stories | |
Butler suites at Sandals provide an unimaginably supreme standard of service and luxury, where your every need is anticipated. Your Sandals butler has been trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers. Butlers are not intrusive. They are simply there to ensure that your Sandals experience is the best it can be. The butler duties include things such as unpacking, making dinner reservations, serving your favourite beverage poolside or on the beach, ensure your suite is turned down for the night and many more. Click here if you would like more details on the Sandals Butler Service. One of the stories that Sandals likes to tell at events such as the one I attended is the story of a man that wanted to propose to his girlfriend during a private dinner on the beach. As it happens during rainy season, it rained that night. The gentleman had confided his plan to the butler and asked the butler's advice on another suitable place at the resort to propose. The butler promptly told the guest to take his girlfriend out for the afternoon and not to worry... he would take care of everything. During the afternoon, with help from a great deal of the staff, the butler had all the furniture removed from the living room, put down plastic and filled the room with sand, set a beautiful romantic table for two, and ordered room service. When the couple returned to their suite, the butler explained, very apologetically, that he was unable to take them to the beach because of the rain, but had brought the beach to them. Needless to say, the gentleman's girlfriend is now his fiance! If you would like to read some other real butler stories, just click on the "Real Butler Moments" button on this page. |
|
Beware of Telephone Travel Scams | |
Jeanette Phillips - travelinfo.ca
BOTH Air Canada and Transat A.T. Inc have issued warnings on telephone scams currently operating.
It has been brought to Transat's attention that consumers are receiving phone calls, sometimes automated, advising them that they have won a trip with Transat, then asking for their credit card number.
In these cases, the caller is falsely impersonating a Transat representative with the sole aim of obtaining credit card numbers. This is a scam and Transat suggests that recipients of such calls contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or by e-mail at info@antifraudcentre.ca.
In a statement issued by Air Canada, the airline explains that there is currently a phishing scam affecting Canadians to obtain Aeroplan numbers and password.
Air Canada has warned that should any person receive an email claiming to be from Air Canada or Aeroplan that they believe to be fraudulent, they should not respond not to click on any links or open attachments contained within the email.
Suspicious email scams can be reported to the RCMP Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre 1-888-495-8501 or 1-888-495-8501 and/or send an email to them at: info@phonebusters.com .
Additional useful information is available on the RCMP site:
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/phishing-eng.htm |
| 6 Must See Caribbean Beaches | |
By Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times
The Caribbean Sea - with islands that are flat, mountainous, tiny and vast - is specked with beaches that defy tropical conventions. There are beaches with gray sand, beaches with pink sand, those that seem to go on forever without any sign of human life, and others that hum with activity.
These are some of the Caribbean's best beach spots, some sung, some unsung, but all proving that a beachgoing experience doesn't have to always look like what you see in Corona commercials.
 | | Cinnamon Bay - St. John |
Anegada - British Virgin Islands
Pink Beach - Barbuda
Flamenco Beach - Culebra
Grace Bay - Providenciales
Cinnamon Bay - St. John
Anse Chastanet - St. Lucia
To read what Jeremy has to say about these gorgeous beaches, where they are and how to get there, just click here. |
| Who has the best bathrooms at sea? | |
By Gene Sloan, USA Today
There's been a lot of buzz in Cruisedom this year about cruise ship bathroom design, thanks in no small part to the innovative but controversial cabin bathrooms on the five-month-old Norwegian Epic. So it perhaps should come as no surprise that cruise writers were taking a hard look this week at the cabin bathrooms on [try and guess] newest cruise ship, the [come on... try and guess], during a preview tour of the vessel at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.  The consensus among cruise writers: The [did you Guess yet?] cabin bathrooms are winners. Big time.
Nearly all of the 1,250 cabins on the [ship] come with the dual bathrooms, which are shown in the photos to the right. Cruise writers touring the ship this week were impressed with the cleverly efficient, everything-in-the-right-place layout of the bathrooms, each of which has excellent lighting above the sink area and plenty of storage for toiletries.
Each of the bathrooms is closed off behind its own solid door for privacy.
Under construction for more than a year at the Meyer Werft shipyard, the 128,000-ton [click the link to see] is just weeks away from being finished and is scheduled to sail its maiden voyage out of Port Canaveral, Florida, on 26 January 2011. Did you figure it out yet???? To see who and read the full article, please click here. |
| Tidbits | |
Good or interesting information that doesn't require a whole article! It very likely goes without saying...however... there is a travel surge to London England expected for the royal wedding. If you are considering being in London next April, don't delay! Book your travel plans asap.
The story is called Real "Pat Downs" finding humor in pat-downs written by Chris Rodell, an msnbc contributor. A truly humourous tidbit worth reading. I couldn't help but smile as I read it. To read the story, click here
Think of it as fantasy camp for chocoholics: Guests of the new Hotel Chocolat on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia can immerse themselves in a complete chocolate experience. Scheduled to open in March, the hotel is built amid cocoa groves on the Rabot Estate chocolate plantation, where guests can take part in the cocoa harvest, learn about the production of chocolate and, of course, taste the products. |
| Questions & Answers | |  Q - "Do I need a travel visa to visit [insert country here]?"
A - I've had several questions recently about whether or not a visa is required for a certain country. Entry/Exit requirements are at the descretion or each individual country and can vary based on length of stay, the reason for travel and the passenger citizenship. The best resource for information on visa requirements is provided by Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada on their travel information website. There is a drop-down list of countries with a wide variety of information including extry/exit requirements which are listed as item #4 in each country's profile. In addition to visa requirements, there is also information on passport requirements and validity. For example, some countries may not require visas, but do require your passport to be valid for six months after your departure date. You can access the travel information at www.voyage.gc.caSend your questions to Janna. |
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