I just returned from an AMAZING Northern Italy experience with Insight Vacations. We spent 2 nights in central Rome which included a VIP Vatican visit with the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, along with a visit to the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and my 1st taste of gelato of the trip(it surely wasn't my last!!). We left Rome for the Umbria/Tuscany region, where we stayed 1 night in a stunning hilltop town of Orvieto, which was so quiet, quaint and just picturesque. We had a private dinner with a pasta making demo with Chef Lorenzo Polegri, where he made fresh pasta with our group, then we got to eat it!!!  We then continued on to Perugia for 1 night, where we also visited beautiful Assisi. We visited the last loom-weavery in the world, with Marta, which was amazing!! I absolutely loved Perguia and Assisi, with it's charm and stunning views. Everywhere you turn there was a "Kodak moment" with beautiful little side streets filled with flower pots and old wooden doorways. From there we continued on to stunning San Gimignano where we stayed for 2 nights, but not before visiting beautiful Sienna which was a marvel in itself. The little narrow streets and the Piazza del Duomo were just stunning. We didn't stay in the walled city, but about 10 minutes outside of it, with stunning views of the city from our hotel. We did a walking tour of the walled city, where we were treated to the best hand made gelato that you can ever imagine. There were stunning views from the towers. While staying in San Gimignano we visited beautiful Florence, which totally "wowed" me. We did a wine tasting at the former residence of Nicola Machiavelli, with stunning views of the surrounding valleys. We returned back to Rome for 1 night with time to explore the Palace Ruins which were right next door to our beautiful Hotel, the Kolbe Hotel. The food, the sights, the views, the wine were all top notch, with the most fabulous tour director that I have ever had the pleasure of having, Jackie. She went above and beyond and made our coach tour top notch. I loved travelling with Insight and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone that doesn't want the hassle of driving/parking (it's absolutely CRAZY in Italy), wants to relax and enjoy the surrounding sights with lots of inclusions, VIP local tours, very comfortable seats with LOTS of legroom with USB ports for charging, plus free wifi on the coach. It was my 1st coach tour in Europe with Insight and it certainly won't be my last, as they are truly an amazing tour company to travel with.

Dec 1st-4th  3 nights at the Gullwing Resort in beautiful Fort Myers with one of the most beautiful stretches of the widest beach that I have ever seen in my entire life. Sanibel Island  The Island Cow restaurant is a MUST when visiting this area. It is located in Sanibel Island and it's one of the funkiest restaurants that I have ever seen. The menu is EXTENSIVE and the prices are super reasonable. The atmosphere is why there is a line-up for brunch on the weekends. Site inspections at the Tween Waters Inn Island Resort with a guided Kayak adventure off the beach at the property, into the mangroves, which was totally awesome. Dinner on the patio at the Back Bay Fish-Tale was really good. The restaurant wasn't that busy and it did take a while as we were a table of 14. Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina was one of my favourites with an AMAZING beachfront setting and a beautiful Marina across the street. Wonderful units, very modern and well maintained. Lots of children's programs. The breakfast buffet was one of the best that I have EVER seen, with such an extensive array of fresh waffles (the best I have ever had and made right in front of you), crepes, fresh fruit and breads. No wonder there was a line-up to get into the restaurant!!! Edison & Ford Winter estates visit was really interesting and the properties are gorgeous, waterfront and used for a lot of weddings. Shopping at the Miromar Outlets was good, just not enough time there. There is a fabulous restaurant called Ford's Garage-Miromar which is really interesting to check out. Sunset at the Outrigger Beach Resort with a wonderful cold cocktail from the fabulous Tiki Bar they have at the pool/beach area. The hotel is a motel-type property, and most of the rooms are pretty up-to-date and decent. There are no private balconies, but a little area in front of your room that you can sit.  Awesome location to watch the sunset at the Tiki Bar and very busy. Dinner at the brand new Coste restaurant, located at Diamond Head Beach Resort, was absolutely AMAZING!! It was one of the best steaks that I've ever had, and we even got to meet the chef!! It's truly elegant with pricing that is normal for a fine dining experience. The day of our departure, from beautiful Fort Myers, we had breakfast at the beachfront restaurant Shuckers at the Gulfshore. 1/2 the place is open air and you are sitting facing the ocean, with the beautiful breeze flowing through. They also have an enclosed area for those that don't want the bar "setting". The food was really good and very reasonable. Dec 4th-8th Our transfer was late unfortunately and the journey took us longer than expected (over 4 hours), which made us miss our dinner at the Sheraton Vistana Village, but we still got to see the property which is totally amazing. No wonder it's a clients favourite. Great children's pool area and beautiful 1 and 2 bedroom units. Our 8 bedroom 5 star home was located in beautiful Windsor Hills Vacation Homes in Kissimmee, which was about 25-30mins from the parks. We had 2 eight bedroom homes on the same street, and they were gorgeous. It had a nice private pool that was fenced in, but we were too busy to get to use it, plus a cold snap came through and it was too cold to swim with a pool that wasn't heated (a MUST in December!!).   We got to experience the Icon Orlando which is a big ferris wheel type attraction that will give you an excellent 360 degree view of all the surrounding areas. It takes about 25mins to do the full turn in the enclosed "capsules". We also got to experience SeaWorld, Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure including Harry Potter with Hogwarts Express. Unfortunately we did not get to see Volcano Bay, Discovery Cove or Aquatica due to the extreme cold temperatures, the parks were closed on those days. Site inspections at the following properties: Doubltree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld..I would totally recommend this property, it's absolutely gorgeous. All the room categories are up to date and beautiful. The restaurant was amazing with some of the best food I had in Orlando. Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal...I can't love this place anymore, as it's totally amazing and the Suites are so ideal for families. Volcano Bay rooms face the park directly. No balconies on any room categories. They have a bowling alley there and a fabulous large pool. I love this property. Solterra Resort..1 home and 1 townhome..I really liked these properties, as they were in a very nice area with mature vegetation and beautiful homes/condos.   Champions Gate...1 home and 1 townhome..truly 5 star, stunning, new, clean, but a lot of construction still on-going as it's a new subdivision. Windsor Hills Resort...1 condo and 1 home (was being cleaned when we were there, so it didn't give us a full "sense" of how nice the home was. Very high security at the gates, as I would go as far to say that they have a bulldog at the gate, so nothing really gets through without thorough inspection!! Paradise Palms Resort...I would give this a 5 star rating and would sell over Windsor Hills. Only 5 mins to Disney's Animal Kingdom gate.  

I visited the Ocean Varadero El Patriarca from Oct 27th-Nov 4th/18, staying in a Deluxe room. The hotel was very accommodating in our requests for our rooms to be close together and all on the top floor, as we had 5 rooms. I found the resort good "for Cuba", with large spacious rooms and a full bathroom with a stand alone shower and a bathtub with shower as well. Lots of closet space, but not many hangers which is pretty standard. They did not have a towel exchange place on the beach or by the pool, instead they are exchanged by the maids, which was really inconvenient in trying to get a fresh towel everyday, as you would be gone to the beach before the maids came to clean the room. I'm not quite sure if this is standard year round, but maybe just in the low season when it's not so busy? The beach is absolutely amazing, very wide and you can walk for miles and miles. There was only around 30 palapas for shade at the beach, which they could use many more!! There was a lot of chairs available at the beach, if you didn't want shade, but to get a palapa you will need to get down to the beach very early. There were lots of chairs by the pool, some with umbrellas. The tiles were very slippery in the pool, and I saw many people slip and fall. The entertainment staff had a couple activities at the pool later in the afternoon, and some at the beach in the morning, but other than that, I didn't find the entertainment staff to be that busy. Maybe it was the time of year, but there wasn't much in the daytime. The nighttime shows were ok, nothing spectacular, and the disco wasn't busy at all a couple times that I popped my head in there. The lobby bar closes around 12am and then you can still get drinks at the poolside bar until later hours, plus snacks as well which was great. There is a band that plays in the small lounge right off the main lobby a few times a week, and they were awesome but never played long enough and finished early. The food was "decent for Cuba" but nothing that was completely amazing. I did enjoy the pizza and hotdogs that were at the poolside grill. They ran out of French fries on day #2 of 8, and never to be seen again for the rest of the trip. The beach grill had really good roasted chicken and the service was really good. The a la carte restaurants are not able to be reserved in advance, and it's "1st come 1st served'. They are really small (maybe to seat 35-40 people) and the food was decent, a bit better than the buffet. Breakfast was my favourite for omelettes and the guys making them were awesome. The staff were really great, trying to help in anyway. The bartenders at the main lobby bar were awesome and worked awfully hard. We always gave our pop in our mini bar to the gardeners, and it was always well appreciated.  Wifi wasn't too bad at all, and it was only 1 CUC for an hour, and you could go on for 5 mins, log off and use the remainder for the rest of the week with the code on the card. They always had CUC's to exchange at the front desk, which was great as most hotels that I have visited in Cuba run out of money at least a few times during the week.  Overall I liked the property and would probably consider going back for a really good deal. It really is a 3 1/2 to a 4 star hotel, as that is what it's rated. 

The renovations to the Majestic Colonial are really great, from new bedding and fixtures in the rooms, to the sleek and elegant upgrades to the restaurants and public areas. I loved the new outdoor terraces off of the lower lobby bar, which doubled the seating area. They have done a wonderful job with the new sports bar as well. The 2 pools in the Colonial Club area still need to be re-tiled, but that is in the works for the next renovations down the road. The majority of the focus on the renovations when they were closed from August-December last year, was to renovate the family section, as it was the oldest. The buffet has more "made to order" stations, with lots of variety in food choices.

I have just returned from a weeks stay at the beautiful adult only Riu Republica property in Punta Cana. The resort is immaculately clean with beautiful décor and modern rooms. The resort is the only adult only property in the Caribbean that has a small water park with water slides. The resort is a big property with 2 buildings, the original in the front closer to the beach and the newer extension in the back of the property with the water park. It's a very active property with lots of activities on-going through the day and into the night. The beach is very wide and big, but you still should get up early to get a palapa for coverage from the sun. I really loved the food here, with the buffet having so much to choose from on a daily basis. The only a la carte that you do order from the menu is the Steak House, which is open from 6:30pm-9:00pm. The other "a la cartes" do not need any reservations, and they are all "buffet-style" so the turnaround time is a lot quicker. I would definitely return to this property again!! 

This has always been an adventure that has been on my bucket list, and I was so very happy to finally check it off!! What an absolutely AMAZING experience to get so up close to the animals in their natural environment on the game reserves. The biggest thrill for me was seeing the Lion Prides, especially the Males. We were even fortunate enough to witness 2 males fighting over a female, right in front of our 4 x 4. Visit Africa was truly an amazing company to experience Kenya with, as they took care of us like royalty. The accommodations were top notch, and we even got to experience a night at the Governors Camp, where they don't have any barriers to prevent the animals from coming on the grounds of the tents (we did have armed guards in the meantime), but looking back at the experience, it was truly one of a kind. We spent one night pre and post in Nairobi at the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel, 2 nights at the Amboseli Oltukai Lodge, 2 nights at the Mount Kenya Safari Club, 1 night at the Mara Safari Club and 1 night at the Governors Camp. I would definitely recommend this amazing adventure to everyone!!!     

I was very impressed by the Majestic Mirage for a hotel that was only opened for 5 months!!! Yes the vegetation will take some time to grow, but the hotel overall is just absolutely amazing. I stayed in the Mirage Club 1 Bedroom Suite and it was the most impressive room that I have ever stayed in. So spacious & clean!! The minibar was restocked daily and had 4 different kinds of beer!! The patio is really big with a beautiful 2 person Jacuzzi. The food was amazing with a lot of "made to order" cooking stations and fabulous a la carte options. My favourite was the Japanese Teppanyaki cooking stations, the beef was falling apart it was so tender. A few things that set this resort apart from the other Majestic Properties that I've visited, is that there is no towel cards at all. If you want 3 towels, you just take them from the various racks around the poolside. The pools are deeper for swimming which is great that it's not just up to your waist. They have an AMAZING 24hrs sports bar where you can order snacks from the menu. There are so many additions to this beautiful property, that I would highly recommend it in a heartbeat!!!

I was so very fortunate to travel with Trafalgar Tours on a 7 night Northern Spain adventure, staying in Madrid for 2 nights initially, then travelling onward to Pamplona, Santander, Oviedo, Salamanca and back to Madrid for our last night. We visited San Sebastian, Bilbo, Covadonga, Zamora & Toledo. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming beauty of this region of Spain. The beautiful churches, palaces, museums and magnificent scenery just blew my mind. The countryside is so diverse from green fields to dry barren land. The tapas and vino were superb and very reasonably priced. My favourite was Salamanca and Toledo, with every turn in the road taking your breath away!!!

I've just returned from an absolutely amazing experience in Vietnam and Cambodia. Our trip consisted of a 2 night land package in Ho Chi Minh City,then a 7 day river cruise on the fabulous AMADARA with AMAWATERWAYS, to end in Siem Reap with a 3 day land package with Nexus Holidays. Both destinations were amazing with so many special memories taken from this experience. From crawling through the Chi Chi Tunnels that were constructed by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War for protection from the air raids, riding on Tuk Tuks & Trishaws, watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat at 5am, visiting the "Laura Croft Tomb Raider" temples, serving rice to Buddhist Monks for lunch, visiting a primary school and the children singing to us, to rubbing a beautiful Elephant and getting selfies with him, it truly was an outstanding adventure!!     

Majestic Resorts April 4th-11th/16 I love the adults only sections on the Majestic Colonial and Majestic Elegance properties, and this visit surely did NOT disappoint yet again. The foam party in the main pool on the Colonial side on Tuesday and Fridays are pretty fun and the staff are always motivating the guests to participate in the pool games/activities. The Majestic Elegance also has a foam party on Friday afternoons as well. The food was amazing as always, with the Japanese being my favourite!! They have completely re-done their buffet restaurants, and the selection is to die for!! If you can't find something there you like, then you should truly stay home..lol. I REALLY enjoyed the new shows that they have brought to the properties, with a Rock Band night which sang so many old 80's and 90's hits, it was truly amazing. Another fabulous show was the Acrobatic show, which was fabulous too. I really enjoyed the outdoor terrace with the live music in the evenings, before the shows started.  They have also added more top shelf liquors to all their bars, including Grey Goose Vodka, Red & Black Label Whiskey, Disaronno and many more!!!

8 nights with G Adventures   2 nights in Quito, Equador 3 nights in Isla Isabella 2 nights in Baltra..Puerto Ayora 1 night in Floreana....Awesome cabins right on the ocean  Excursions included swimming with sea turtles, sea lions, penguins, & white tip reef sharks. Also hiked the Nierra Negra Volcano, visited a giant tortoise breeding centre, visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Also witnessed dolphins chasing our boat from Puerto Ayora to Florena, it was amazing!!!!!    

4 night stay at the brand new Holiday Inn Times Square New York City  This brand new hotel has 35 stories, and it located on 8th avenue, just a few blocks from the centre of Times Square. There are 8 rooms on each floor, and even though the elevators are busy at peak times in the morning, it's really not too bad at all. The beds were so comfortable and the hall noise almost non existent. Free wifi in the lobby and rooms.  The staff are AWESOME, always there to help you book tours, theatre, sporting events. The hotel is not far from the infamous Carlos Bakery (Cake Boss). There are lots of restaurants VERY close by, with a deli/pizzeria/buffet with hot/cold food,  just 1 door down, even if you want to grab just a bottle of water!!! A few of us did the New York Explorer Pass, which gave us 4 entrance fees to some of the top attractions. We picked the 9/11 memorial tour, Empire State Bldg, Rockefeller Centre (top of the rock) and the Sex & the City Tour. We also had a 48 hour hop on hop off tour, which we also used the Grayline Water Taxi to see the Statue of Liberty and tour the downtown areas.  

3 night land package in Plitvice, Trogir & Zadar 6 night cruise around the Croatian Islands of Split, Mljet, Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar & Split.  

5 night stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort Tours including General Jackson River Cruise, RCA recording studios, Music Hall of Fame, Ryman Theatre, Opry show, Home of the Stars tour

I absolutely love this property. I stayed in the Elegance Club, adult only section. Amazing property!!!

April 12th-23rd/2014 3 nights in Beijing 3 night Yangtze River Cruise on President No.7 from Chongqing to Yichang 2 nights in Wuxi 1 night in Suzhou 1 night in Shanghai

I absolutely loved the adults only section at both hotels. The food, service, rooms were amazing!!

This small, contemporary  adults only resort is absolutely amazing!

Sept 28th-Oct 5th/2013 Platinum Suite

San Jose, Tortuguero, Arenal National Park, Monteverde, Manual Antonio National Park, Sarchi Activities included: 1 night accomodations in the jungle, ziplining, seeing baby turtles hatched, catamaran with dolphin sightings, Crocodile farm tour, Tabacon Hot Springs, Awesome volanco viewing, insane wake up calls from Howler Monkeys at 5am, fantastic exoctic bird sightings, hanging bridges, hummingbird santuary, sloths, coffee plantation tour, waterfall hike, amazing vegetation and animals, and so much more. It's really a destination that has to be seen to belive!!!  

April 4th-14th with 2 nights in Venice.

May 6th-14th