Trip Review

The Gaugler Family from Fairfield, CT  spent their President’s Week break at the newly renovated Club Med Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie, FL.  This active family with three teens ages 13, 13 and 15 loved their stay.  They let us know that they really enjoyed the fitness classes (zumba, pilates, stretching and toning), wine tasting, sailing and tennis.  They also had fun playing golf, but didn’t take any of the offered lessons.  Unfortunately injuries kept them off the trapeze.  The teen club also offered a nice variety of activities although their children didn’t partake.  Mom said that the food was absolutely incredible with so many ways of presenting fresh fruits and veggies.  There were so many choices at every meal and there were small portions of dessert that mom said was perfect – you had to really exert effort to go overboard!  The entertainment in the evening was more geared to younger families, but the hotel did offer games you could borrow.  Perfect after an active day.  Their connecting club rooms were large, simple and adequate, but still a little worn despite the recent renovation.  The Gaugler’s said the staff could not have been nicer, more helpful or more fun to talk to and that the Chef d’Village (the hotel general manager) was doing a great job.   Overall, an ideal vacation for an active family.

Travel Tips

are everywhere and the reality in many places we love to travel.  To avoid being a victim, Budget Travel suggest:

• Don’t hang your purse or backpack on a chair in a restaurant.
• Keep your wallet and cell phone in the front pocket of your pants or an inside pocket of a jacket.
• Don’t put all of your most important belongings in the same carrier.  Use clothing that has hidden pockets for stashing emergency belongings such as passports and spare cash.
• Ideally wear a money belt or hanging pouch inside your clothes.  Wrap items in a plastic bag to avoid wetness from sweat. 
• Be careful in crowds watching a street performer where you can easily be distracted.
• Beware of any strangers approaching you who start touching you for any reason.
• Be careful in crowds watching a street peformer where you can easily be distracted.
• Beware of any strangers approaching you who start touching you for any reason.

Trip Review

Lauren and Evan traveled to Punta Cana this month and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  When Bruce Springsteen music greets you on arrival, you understand right away that rock and roll is the theme that drives this popular all-inclusive on Bavaro Beach.  The property is large with nearly 1,800 rooms, but has a wide variety of pools, beach, dining options and other recreation that keeps the guest spread out.  There are 13 pools including active pools with plenty of games and activities; an adult only pool with cool Bali beds and hammocks, children’s pool with waterslides and water play areas and several smaller pools scattered around.  Lounge chairs in the pool is popular here and all pools offer drink and food service.  Recreation includes a huge gym with an array of fitness classes, tennis, golf, bike rentals, small rock climbing wall, 18-holes of minigolf, huge spa, large theater, big casino and tons of shops.  Horses are kept on property for beach riding excursions.  The beach is wide, but windy while we were there.  Therefore no watersports and an endless battle to keep the sand from building up along the wall before the pool areas.  At least you can take long walks down the beach.  Evening entertainment was mediocre in quality.  At least no reservations are needed for the many dining options.  Food service was good and food quality on par with most all-inclusives in this price range.  A few excellent meals were had at the steakhouse, pizza and Japanese restaurants.  The resort is still offering $1,500 in resort credits per room which actually makes guests a bit more active with a wide choice of excursions, spa treatments (limited to $300 total), bottled wine, shop purchases, etc.  But it also creates a lot more work for the hotel staff to attend to all the guests scheduling their credit arrangements. All rooms at the hotel are junior suites and larger.  Our Caribbean Suite was lovely.  Very spacious, clean, nicely decorated with a huge bathroom, large balcony and jacuzzi in the room.  Song lyrics prevail around the property to set the “tone” of your vacation and buildings are labeled by musical instrument.  Quite clever.  A shuttle helps those with limited mobility to get around.  Overall a very relaxing vacation.

Travel Tip

Immerse your children in the destination you will be visting before you start your trip. Bring home books of fairy tales from the country you’ll be visiting or age-appropriate novels, set in the destination. Rent movies that feature places that you’ll see. Learn about the local language, food, currency, holidays, history, etc.  By preparing your children in this fashion, you’ll increase their ability to enjoy the destination exponentially.

Travel Tip

The Family Traveler is happy to announce our affiliation with Little Passports, a company started by two moms who created the program to expose their young children to world culture.  A topic dear to our hearts.  Through characters Sophia and Sam, your children can learn about a different country each month and shorter subscriptions are also available.   Little Passports is ideal for children ages 5-10.  Each global adventure package includes a letter addressed to your child from Sam and Sofia, fun souvenirs, an activity sheet, a photo from the country, a passport stamp, a map marker, a suitcase sticker, and a collectible boarding pass to access more online games and activities.  Little Passports souvenirs are fun, memorable and educational. Look for a link to Little Passports on our website soon!

Trip Review

Four generations of the Longwill family from Pennsylvania, Delaware and Florida traveled over the December holidays to the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas.  While the multi-generational family travels together every year in late December, this year was extra special.  The Family Traveler helped to arrange a vow renewal ceremony to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Longwill.   On their exact anniversary date, the family gathered at The St. Thomas Synagogue.  Built in 1833, it is the second oldest and longest in continuous use under the American flag. The Longwill’s were very impressed with the facilities including mahogany pews and the sand covered floor as well the rabbi who conducted the ceremony like a wedding.  The daughters gave away mom and the brother walked his dad down the aisle.  They described the experience as “magical”. While on the island the family rented cars which was great for exploring and going out for meals.  While at the hotel, the children spent most of their time in the water, swimming, and using the non-motorized water vehicles.  The weather was gorgeous and a good time was had by all!

Travel Tip

Arriving early or departing late for a cruise out of South Florida?  Bags To Go offers same day baggage delivery and up to 30 day storage services for Ft. Lauderdale and Miami passengers.  The charge is $10/bag for delivery and $6/bag per day for storage.  You can see more details at www.bagstogo.com.  A great service if you plan to be out and about in both cities before or after your cruise and don’t want to deal with having bags to tow.  They will deliver to hotels and rental car counters as well. 

Trip Review

As another year comes to an end, The Family Traveler looks back and is thankful to all of you for allowing us to plan so many amazing trips for your families.  We are so grateful for your business and for making us your travel agent!  We smile when we think about your families enjoying so many wonderful getaways, both near and far. Travel with loved ones and friends creates ever lasting memories.   With great sadness, we remember four of our dear clients who lost battles with cancer this year.  We hope the next year brings their families great strength as they remember the unique and special experiences their family vacations provided.  Our mom passed recently; so we too look back at the endearing memories created by our own family trips, starting with our laid back Florida Keys vacations and candy conventions throughout our school years, London, Israel, mother/daughter trips to the Greek Islands and St. Simmons, England, France, Italy, California, white water rafting trip for dad and his son-in-laws,  Jamaica, Amelia Island, Naples, New York City, Skytop and more.  So many amazing memories, laughs and shared experiences that help keep our family strong.   Thanks especially to our dad for making it happen.  Rest in peace Rosemary, Staci, Charlie, Mike, and also to Carolyn, our beloved mother. Happy holidays and a healthy and happy New Year to you all.

Travel Tip

Check out KidsGo! guides (www.kidsgotravelguides.com) which encourages your children to get involved in the process of planning itineraries. Aimed at kids ages 7-14, the series recommends ideas that will satisfy the whole family in a voice that directly speaks to its younger members. The first six guides cover New York, London, Bali, Hong Kong, Sydney and Phuket. Each colorful paperback lists fast facts, basic foreign phrases, dos and dont’s and strange and interesting tidbits about the history and the culture of the destination. The guides also include a neighborhood and general area reference map.  The interactive website allows kids to get special tips before the trip and share their experiences and trip photos after they get back. The series also includes iPhone and iPad apps featuring additional content such as hotel information, reviews, maps and games.

Trip Review

Mindy’s family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children ages 12 and 14) headed to Europe in August with an amazing trip to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain and Paris, France.  They loved everything about Barcelona including the people, food, art and architecture and stayed in a centrally located, self-catering 2 bedroom apartment on the Passeig de Gracia.  Highlights of their stay included the unique Gaudi Architecture (90% is located in Barcelona), whimsical sculptures at the Miro Museum, Park Guell, Olympic Village and port, Flamenco show with dinner and Barcelona’s soccer stadium.  While in Madrid, they stayed at the beautiful Ritz Carlton and toured the city with a private guide.  Cultural and historical lessons were learned at the largest food market in the city and at the gorgeous, new train station.   In Paris, the family experienced another self-catering apartment in the Marais (the oldest district of Paris which is also the Old Jewish Quarter).  A nighttime open top bus tour, the Eiffel Tower where they celebrated Max’s 13th birthday at the tower’s casual restaurant (entry tickets and restaurant reservations were booked in advance), shopping, Versailles, a walking tour of chocolate shops and patisseries as well as a hilarious comedy show in English called “How to Be A Parisian In One Hour” were some of the many highlights.  They also met up with friends in Paris including a British family they had met on an Alaska cruise and camp friends.  One unfortunate incident exposed the need to be vigilant with your valuables when a cell phone was stolen at an outdoor restaurant by some crafty street children.