Trip Review

The Feltman Family of 5 (with young adult children ages 20, 22 and 24) from Plano, Texas celebrated a college graduation and acceptance to medical school with a family trip to Spain and Italy. They began their trip in Barcelona where they spent a few nights in a two bedroom apartment at Apartment 64 on the Passeig de Gracia (where Mindy also stayed with her family). They loved the spacious accommodations and central location. Their itinerary included a segway tour which was a great city orientation, a tour of the Sagrada Familia, a Runner Bean Tour of Gaudi (these are free tours operated by local college students), a visit to Camp Nou (the famous soccer stadium and home to FC Barcelona, the worlds’ number one soccer team in the world) and a visit to Gaudi’s Casa Batllo across the street from their hotel. From Barcelona they flew to Naples, Italy where they stayed overnight before meeting a private guide in Pompeii. This was one of the highlights of the trip. Following Pompeii they drove to Positano for a 3 night stay at Covo dei Sareceni in suites facing the ocean. They loved the views of Positano from the beach and from way up in the hills where they dined most evenings. They also took the hydrofoil to Capri for the day. They moved onto Rome for a few nights staying in another apartment hotel, the Internazionale Domus, near the Spanish Steps. They loved their private tour with ICON of the Vatican, Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel and the VIP underground tour of the Colosseum. They also spent one full day touring Rome in a golf cart with our local guide, Roberto.

Travel Tip

Our favorite Eyewitness Travel Guides from DK Publishing are now available in a new family series! Currently eight books have been published for Rome, London, Paris, France, Florida, New York City and Washington, DC. The books include great text and photos and make a nice souvenir of your travels. Plenty of maps, highlights of local sights, dining recommendations and more.

Travel Tip

Want to speed up your time through passport control when returning from an overseas trip?  Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Though intended for frequent international travelers, there is no minimum number of trips necessary to qualify for the program. Once approved, you will be able to enter the United States by using automated kiosks located at select airports. Just present your machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place your fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk will issue you a transaction receipt and direct you to baggage claim and the exit.  You must first be pre-approved for the Global Entry program. All applicants undergo a rigorous background check and interview before enrollment and families can apply.

Check out http://www.globalentry.gov/howtoapply.html for details.

Trip Review

The entire Nagin clan gathered in Scottsdale, AZ from Los Angeles, Orange County, Boston and Washington, DC last month to celebrate Jerry’s 80th birthday at the Westin Kierland Villas. Grandchildren ranged in age from babies to teens! The villas provided each family with spacious one bedroom accommodations with kitchens.  Jerry let us know that the rooms were nicely equipped, well laid out and most of theirs had lovely views. The villa’s variety of pools provided a relaxing gathering space for all with a waterslide, shallow pool for the toddlers as well as a quiet pool. At the Westin Kierland Resort next door, the group also had access to a lazy river pool with wave machine and also a lap pool. There was plenty of dining options by the pools and at the villa’s main building with decent prices to match. The families also thought the villa staff was helpful and accommodating. They celebrated Jerry’s birthday at North, a local restaurant just across the way from the property with an outdoor patio that proved ideal for this large group. One of their favorite finds of the trip was Perks Eatery, a nearby restaurant that served a reasonably priced breakfast just a few blocks from the villas. The place was recently featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”. Other dining recommendations are the Citizens Public House in Old Scottsdale, Zinc Bistro, Binkleys and Sweet Republic Artisan Ice Cream. Three culinary schools in the area help staff some great restaurants!

Travel Tip

Here are some tips if you plan to use a supervised children’s program:

• Call ahead and speak to the club’s manager if you have any special needs or interests in the program.
• On the first day drop into the club to meet the staff, get a schedule of activities and take a look around at the facilities.  Ask questions as needed before your child is enrolled.
• Confirm what is included with the program and the hours.
• Review staff training, pool safety rules and staff-to-child ratios.
• Confirm if you must stay on property while your children are in the club and how they will make contact with you in case of issues.

Trip Review

The Grabowski family, avid cruisers from Tampa (2 adults and 3 teens), recently sailed on the new Celebrity Reflection out of Miami to San Juan, St. Marteen and St. Kitts. They said that the cruise was fantastic and the ship absolutely gorgeous. Their connecting balcony cabins were very spacious (with a connecting balcony as well) with the largest bathrooms they’ve ever had on a ship. They liked the stateroom TV’s that are powered by Apple technology and have special music channels, movies and even their cruise photos available for order. They really enjoyed the public spaces on the ship. The Hideway, a new venue with the feel of an upscale, avant-garde tree house, was very popular for teens and others and includes a coffee station. The game room was very unique with electronic gaming tables that allowed one table to play against another table in hangman, Pictionary and the like. The grassy area for bocce was also really nice. They wish they would have booked a cabana in the nearby Alcoves before they got on the ship because by the time they got on-board, they were all booked. The cabanas can be booked online for a fee for full-day rentals from 9 am to 9 pm or even for the entire voyage. Mom really liked all the different types of seating around the ship; hammocks, couches, lounge chairs and alcoves. The Sunset Bar on the aft of the ship was also a highlight and also the highest point on the ship. They really enjoyed the martini bar which had a frozen bar top. They said the food was fantastic, but didn’t try any of the specialty restaurants. Their port highlight was the incredible canopy tour at Loterie Farms on St. Martin. There are 32 stations of zip lining, hanging bridges and such. Once you were locked in on the first zip line, you moved forward at your own pace and completed the course as fast as you felt comfortable. The staff was always right there to give helpful advice.

Travel Tip

Here’s some great tips for renting a car abroad:

• Put a local newspaper on the dashboard and put away the GPS when you park.
• Keep your luggage in the trunk.
• Review local road signs in advance.
• When you head out for the day with your car, always let your hosts know where you expect to go and when you’ll most likely be back.
• Always check to make sure your rental car has a spare tire, and before you set out on your trip, make sure you know how to change it.
• Confirm if an international driver’s license and valid credit card (rather than a debit card) is required for the rental.
• Always over insure rather than under.  We sell collission insurance for rentals for as little as $9/day.

Trip Review

The Nunes Family of Boston celebrated a special and surprise birthday celebration of  Joan’s (mom) birthday at the Ritz Carlton Cancun this month with 23 family members and friends in attendance. A special adult-only birthday meal was arranged by Paul  (dad) in a private room at the hotel’s Fantino restaurant while a relaxed group meal for all was organized at the Sushi and Ceviche Bar. Overall the families  were all thrilled by the hotel’s service, attention to detail, quality of food  and dedicated staff. The group enjoyed a variety of activities and adventures including a dolphin swim at Dolphinarias, Wet ‘n Wild waterpark, snorkeling in Puerto Morelos, mangrove boat expedition and fishing. Other meals were also enjoyed by these foodies especially the hotel’s amazing breakfast buffet with fresh squeezed orange juice, dinner at nearby Destileria and even the iconic Hard Rock Cafe. Adults particularly enjoyed the hotel spa, tequila tastings and  cigars on the terrace. The children especially professed to having a blast!

Travel Tip

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has relaxed airport security screening procedures for children and the elderly. The new policies allow children, age 12 or younger, to go through airport security without taking off their shoes. To minimize the need for pat-downs, children are now allowed to go through metal detectors and body scanners several times to clear any alarms. Screening changes for passengers who are 75 years or older are similar to the screening process for children. Elderly people will also be able to go through airport security without removing their shoes. They can also go through a security checkpoint without removing a light jacket. To minimize pat-downs, the elderly will be able to go through the metal detector and body scanners several times to clear any alarms.  The TSA has also debuted a new program to help frequent travelers move through security checkpoints faster. The program is called “TSA Pre” and is available in more than 30 US airports to frequent passengers of a limited number of airlines, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, USAirways and United Airlines. Travelers who enroll in the program do not need to take off their shoes and belts while going through security, can keep their computers inside their bags and can go through security without taking off a light jacket. To enroll in the “TSA Pre” program, visit GlobalEntry.gov.

Trip Review

Mindy’s family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teens ages 15 and 13) spent their winter break exploring the beautiful Central American country of Belize.  They started their journey in the jungle near Belmopan about an hour from the airport.  They enjoyed the small, intimate atmosphere of Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, an adventure resort which offers a variety of accommodation options.  Mindy’s family stayed in a Canopy View Tree house which sit 200 ft. (and 400 steps to reach) over the river.  Guests come to Caves Branch to experience the flora and fauna of the jungle, the incredibly diverse cave system and for adventure.  There are no TVs, radios or phones.  Just conversation with other families traveling from all over the world with meals at communal tables.  The staff is amazing.  The tour guides visit each family at dinner to see what activity you want to do the following day.  The adventures range from fairly easy to hard in terms of physical activity, but they all require that you lose your vanity and be comfortable being muddy, soaking wet and up to a challenge. At the end of the day, the outdoor shower and jacuzzi in Mindy’s tree house had a wonderful appeal.  Mindy’s family really enjoyed river tubing and learning about the geology and history of the caves and their importance to the Mayan people. They also went ziplining and visited the Belize Zoo (the best small zoo they have been to anywere) where they got up close and personal with the jungle creatures.  The guides were incredible and had a wealth of knowledge about the birds, animals and their habitat. On their way from the jungle to their beach accommodations, their driver gave them a nice history lesson on Belize, the only English speaking country in Central America.  Along the way they saw lots of rural countryside filled with orange and grapefruit groves and pineapple farms.  They stopped to pick some fruit from the trees which is actually allowed (just don’t take too much).  At the beach they stayed in a two bedroom at Chabil Mar in Placencia, a sleepy village of thatched huts, several good dining options and white sand beaches.  The resort staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating.   For every meal you could order what you wanted from the menu and then let the staff know where to have  it served- in the villa, on your patio, by the pool, on a beach lounger or on the pier.  On their first night, they enjoyed a private family dinner on the pier.  It was wonderfully intimate and delicious and the atmosphere could not have been more delightful. Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world right off it’s coast; so diving, snorkeling, fishing and snuba are all superb.  During a fishing trip, pods of dolphins joined them alongside the boat.   The fish were jumping out of the water and by the end of the day, they caught several varieties of snapper, jack and mackerel; enough to feed the entire resort.  The catch was prepared for dinner that night. The next day the family went to a private island for a snorkel trip.  The snorkeling here was by far the best they had ever experienced.  They also went on a tour of the Monkey River where howler monkeys live and breed. Along the way, they also learned of the medicinal values found in the jungle.  They were offered a chance to try nuts, berries and drink water from vines along the way and even offered live termites!  On the return boat ride they were able to get up close to the manatees who live near the mangroves.