Hacienda Tres Rios

This the lobby of the resort. The Hacienda Tres Rios is a 5 star rated hotel.


The Hacienda has two pools and a beach area. The beach really is not impressive. The pools are definitely beautiful.
This is the tea and martini area.
The Hacienda serves as a nature park as well. There are cenotes and bike tours. There is a schedule daily for activities offered.

Photos of the suite. All the rooms at the Hacienda are suites. All rooms have a flat screen tv, wireless internet access, and a private balcony.

I'm not sure at this point in time I would send people to this hotel. The rooms are very expensive for what they are. The food is so-so and not what I would have expected for a 5 star resort. The staff also seemed to favor the timeshare costumers. In three years I think this resort will be the place to go, but for now I have other recommendations :)

Happy Travels,
Carolyn

Cancun, Mexico

Benvenido a cancun. Cancun is the party capital of Mexico and possibly the North Americas. However, even if you aren't down to fiesta until dawn, Cancun offers great day trips, great shopping, and amazing hotels for relaxing. Whatever your interests Cancun can accomidate. Stay posted for my trip to the Riveria Maya this year.



La Isla shopping center in Cancun. It really fits all budgets. From the savy shopper to the high designer seeker, you can find what you're looking and eat some great Mexican food. Trip Advisor rates in #6 in a list of 84 things to visit in Cancun.



These are all images of the Fiesta American Grand Coral Beach. A beautiful hotel with an amazing beach. Its ranked #14 out 167 hotels in Cancun on Trip Advisor. This hotel is checking out if you are looking for a memorable experience.

The two above pictures are of the Riu Caribe. This hotel is rated #24 out of 167 of the hotels in Cancun. I've been there and the beach front is beautiful and the pool area is also inviting.

Cancun is a great place to go and forget about the cold or the office. It has everything to do from ocean activities, to exploring la Isla de Mujeres, shopping, night clubbing, and doing well nothing. You can travel on a budget or go all out. Many vendors and places have places with people who speak English. Let me know how I can help with your trip to Cancun!

Happy Travels or viajes felices :)

Boston Globe Travel Show

Busch Gardens had their animals there, they were so cute! Busch Gardens is great for any type of traveler.
Walking around Europe. As of 2/22 there are some great deals in airfare to Ireland.


Aruba, 90.000 friends you haven't met yet. There are some great hotel deals right now. If you are a fan of the Patriots Cheerleaders, you can hang out in Aruba when they go. Email me for details.
Opening the Travel Show.
Aruban dancers were there to help open the show.
Sneaking pictures. There are so many great deals for travel right now. I got lots of information on destinations. Email me so I can help you book your vacation.

Toledo/Valle de los Caidos

Welcome to Toledo, Spain.
I believe on the upper right that the building is El Escorial. Its a massive building and the history is amazing. The building was completed in 1584 and houses a monastery, royalty, museum and a school. Give yourself at least two days to check out El Esocrial, El Valle, and Toledo.
A gothic church in Toledo. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. The attention to detail though is amazing.
This was the view from our hotel, Hotel Beatriz Toledo. I really enjoyed this hotel, its away from everything. The staff is bilingual English/Spanish.
This is Valle de los Caidos or Valley of the Fallen, a monument memorial for those who fell during the Spain Civil War. The remains of 40,000 lie here and can be found in a registry. It was built between 1935-1955 by Spanish prisoners. 
This is a shot of the dome inside of the monument. What I hope you get to see is how the gold color really shines and is quite beautiful.
Another shot of the entrance, the sculpture is moving even if you are not a religious person.

An open plaza where we ate lunch for the day. Toledo was warm and sunny in July.

Another shot of Toledo as the sun sets. Its beautiful and old buildings are worth the trip.

Happy Travels,

Carolyn

Madrid, Spain

Madrid has some very beautiful gardens and art museums. Unfortunately, most of the museums do not allow flashes so I would recommend you bring a tripod for your camera. For those of you not non-photo types, a tripod will stabilize the camera long enough to get the shot. This allows enough light to come in without the shake of your hands.
A court yard near one of the churches we went into. Some churches allow photography, some allow photography with no flash, and some do not allow pictures at all. Be sure to look for signs, most are translated into English :)
The Royal Palace or el Palacio Real in Madrid. It is used but not owned by the king of Spain. As a visitor you can see 50 of the 2800 rooms. This is the entrance and where I believe you can buy tickets to get it.
Corridor, everything is beautiful and white.
One of the courtyards inside the the grounds.
One of the amazing views, ahh the life of royalty.
There is an armory museum attached to the outside of the palace. There is interesting armor and history of Spain's military. You should check it out while you're at the palace. There is another museum across from the Palacio but I didn't go in, if anyone checks it out write a comment!

These pictures don't sum up the great shopping, art museums, food, or nightlife that Madrid has to offer. Great places to shop include Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti, and El Corte Ingles. I figured no one wanted to see pictures of me dancing, but email me and I can give you names of night clubs or discotecas I thought were a lot of fun. My pictures are all over the place on my computer right now, I'll try to find some more to give you a better idea of Madrid. 

Happy travels,

Carolyn

Santander, Spain

The time I spent in Spain was during the summer. I was there for a study abroad program. This is the town the university was located in. Aside from school, during the week the only other thing we did was spend time at the beautiful beaches located below.

The picture above is la playa (the beach) Primera de El Sardinero. There are two Sardinero beaches, this is the larger one. This beach has a beautiful boardwalk, seen above, and is about 5 minutes away from a casino. 

Another view of Primera de El Sardinero. The weather was beautiful the whole month of July and water is warm for swimming. This is a topless beach, however most women are not topless.

This is, I believe, is la playa de Bikinis. 

Again, another shot of la playa de Bikinis. There are several beaches I visited including la parque de la Magdalena, which has the former summer palace of the royal family. Its more of a park than a beach, but it is still located off the water.

Leave any questions! More pictures to come!

Happy travels,

Carolyn

Why Use a Travel Consultant?

Many people today are using resources on-line to book their own vacations. This leaves many wondering what the benefits to using a travel agent are. I want you to know there are many reasons to use a travel consultant!

What percentages of travelers are using travel consultants? What type of traveling are they doing?

• 87% of all cruises
• 81% of all tours/packages
• 51% of all airline tickets
• 47% of all hotel stays
• 45% of all car rentals

(source Travel Industry Survey/ Travel Weekly)

The Benefits to Using a Travel Consultant:

• We can save you money! We use the latest technology and work hard to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. In addition we do the work for you, time is money. You'll pay the same amount, if not less, than using an on-line service. We can get you packets with information and recommend places based on personal experiences. We know when to travel for seasonal prices, what time of the year is the busiest, etc. 
  
• Who are you going to call when things take a trip for the worst? Often car rental places or hotels will not to anything do help you. You're one guest of hundreds. You can call us and we can talk to management for you! They are more likely to help someone who books trips, because they could lose business if they don't. If they don't listen to us, we can do whatever it takes to find you new accommodations, what on-line service is going to do that?
• We can research trips, things to do, where to shop, where to eat... we have the resources to find out what there is to do with the budget you have. We can make all of the arrangements for you. 

If you have any other questions about why using a travel consultant is beneficial, please email me :)

Happy travels,

Carolyn