Yvette’s Trip to Mazatlan

My family and I have recently traveled to Mazatlan Mexico in March 2010 for two weeks at Spring Break. We booked through West Jet Vacations and stayed at the El Cid Castilla resort. We had a wonderful 2 weeks and enjoyed Mazatlan and would certainly return.

Warm and clean beaches

West Jet Vacations made our trip effortless and stress-free. The flight was direct from Calgary and was only 4 hours, making the flight bearable. We were picked up at the airport and shuttled to the El Cid Castilla. Check-in was fine and a welcome drink was waiting for us. Right after check-in, a lady asked us to come with her for some information, but knowing ahead of time that this was a time-share set-up, I said “No time-share thank you.” She then left us alone. They will want you to go for a 45-minute presentation, (which by the way will be more like 6-7 hours), not the way I want to spend my vacation. The pool view rooms are in an older section and dated, but clean, comfortable and close to everything, the ocean view rooms are newer and offer a beautiful view. The staff at the El Cid was excellent, very friendly and would always go out of their way to please.

There are two pools at the El Cid Castilla with one that has a small waterslide and a rock structure with waterfalls to jump off of. These were fun for the young and the young at heart.

The food was very good and plentiful at the buffets, even the pickiest eaters can find something. The A La Carte restaurants need a 24-hour advance reservation for dinner and you can book each night of your stay if you wish, my favorite was the Italian restaurant, but they were all very good! The A La Carte restaurants can also be dined at for breakfast and lunch without a reservation, a great alternative to the buffet. Senior Frog’s restaurant/nightclub is attached to the El Cid Castilla but is not included in the All-Inclusive. This is easy access for the adults who are looking for some nightlife. I would stay at the El Cid Castilla again, but would upgrade to an ocean view room the next time.

Market in Mazatlan

I went to the new 5 star Riu Emerald Bay resort for an agent visit the second week of my vacation. This resort is very impressive with a beautiful modern décor. I did not get the chance to view the rooms as the staff was too busy but all of the rooms are ocean view. The pool area was separated with small individual pools. One was for activities, one was shallow and had loungers sitting in the water. The one pool that I enjoyed had the swim-up bar and individual benches and tables within the pool, a very fun pub atmosphere. There is a great children’s section with waterslides, playhouses and a small pool located on the right hand side of the resort, many families were taking advantage of this area. For the people who like shade, the pools have plenty of Palapa’s and shaded areas, but there was virtually no shade on the beach. I would stay at the Riu Emerald for one week, tops, as this resort is further away from town, but a good choice for someone who would like to just relax and enjoy the resort.

Always selling something!

There are many fun things to do in Mazatlan. You could take a tour to one of the islands just off of the coast, do some golfing or take a city or country tour. It is easy to get around in Mazatlan with the bus service and many “Pulmonia” or taxis. Hop on one and take a ride down the Sea Wall to town and go to the market, quite an interesting experience. We also enjoyed the many restaurants and shops along the “Golden Zone” resort area, just steps outside of the El Cid Castilla. The highlight of my trip was Deep Sea Fishing with the Aries Fleet. We saw sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, a whale shark and a 101-pound Marlin, which I happen to catch!! What a way to end an already great vacation.

My fish!

I could go on and on about my vacation in Mazatlan and all the wonderful things that we experienced but that would take way to long, so please call or email me if you have any questions, and I would be happy to answer them.

Happy vacationing!!!!!

Yvette Kohut
Travel Consultant
GO Travel & Cruises American Express
Tel: 250-489-4788
Fax: 250-489-4798

~Check us out on Facebook~
E-mail yvette@gotravelandcruises.ca

Carla visits the Boulders Resort in Arizona – February 2010

<

just like the Flintstones

As you drive down Scottsdale Road you wonder if you will ever get there. The streetlamps disappear and so does the traffic. It gets darker and darker, finally the GPS lets you know you are there. Driving at night, this is about the only way you will know. The entrance is unassuming and as you pass through the security gate, the guards take your information and give you a pass and a map…”about a mile down the winding road, you will come to the front entrance of the lodge” he says. Sure enough, the white lights on the palm trees and glowing outdoor fireplace appear and you are there.

So you understand that this place is remote! But it is a luxurious resort, operated by the Waldorf Astoria collection of resorts. Situated on a golf course, with a top notch Golden Door Spa, this place has nice amenities.

And the view! They don’t call it the Boulders for nothing. The setting reminds me of Bedrock City of Flintstones fame. Smooth boulders that look like they will topple over. Great hiking trails and fabulous vistas for photographers.

...more boulders

The property is comprised of adobe casitas which are reachable by walking (you’ll get lost at first) or by golf cart. The staff are friendly and always available. The casitas are well appointed with large bathrooms, large walk in closet, wet bar and stocked fridge, internet and wireless, and comfy fluffy duveted beds. All casitas have a fireplace and a patio with furniture. The resort is in the process of modernizing the rooms. I visited one of the new rooms and jury is still out. I kind of like the rustic feel and look of the property.

The fitness room in the Golden Door Spa is to die for! Top of the line equipment and lots of it. And the view from the large picture windows! And an attendant that is constantly wiping down equipment, replacing towels and just being helpful. The property charges a daily resort fee which includes access to the fitness room and all non-chargeable areas of the spa (pool, sauna, steam, Japanese soaking pool, group exercise classes, lounges), as well as valet parking, internet access, baggage handling and gratuities for those services. Spa services are standardly expensive but the menu is interesting and large.

There is a small bar in the main lodge and a restaurant. The food was creative and tasty. There is a concierge on staff who is always available.

Golf course looks fabulous, though I didn’t golf. The weather was sketchy when I was there and it actually hailed twice – golfers sure scattered when that happened.

The pool is outdoors and there is an outdoor hot tub as well. Beautiful comfortable loungers and full bar/food service.

bit of rain really brings out the flowers

All in all, it’s worth the drive. Tranquility and luxury. Listen to the coyotes howl at night and see every star in the sky. And as always the clear blue Arizona sky, the grey green cacti, and the picturesque buttes and boulders make for a dramatic landscape.

Riki’s Trip to Las Vegas – Jan10

This was our second trip to Vegas and it was nothing like the first. Last time we were constantly on the go trying to squeeze in every last attraction we could find. This time was more mellow and we actually felt like we were on vacation.

We went from January 11 to 15 with Allegiant Air. The flight was pleasant like always and the staff was very friendly and accommodating.  Both times I flew with them they played little games with the passengers to get us excited about going to Vegas. They had a raffle, told jokes periodically, and the pilot regaled us with stories about Vegas and its history. I have been told that Allegiant’s flights are not always like this. It probably depends on the mood of the crew at the time. I also suspect they are going to make more of an effort to entertain you going to Vegas than Denver.We arrived in Vegas shortly before 9pm and proceeded to get our bags. Again there were no problems and our bags were one of the first off the plane. The weather was a tad chilly (10 degrees) but certainly a nice change to the minus 20 degree weather in Cranbrook. We went to line up for a cab but there was no wait and we got a cab right away. Last time we went we had to wait almost an hour in that line.  The cab fare was $10 but the cab driver tried to swindle us and told us it was $13. We weren’t about to be taken advantage of and refused to pay any more than the meter said. The driver gave up quickly and took the $10 (needless to say we did not tip him).We stayed at the MGM Grand for the first time. The lobby was beautiful and spacious but that was to be expected staying in a hotel of that class on the strip. Having arrived so late there was not line up at the front desk. We had two reservations for two couples which were supposed to have only one bed in each room but they had two. So the clerk offered us a free upgrade to their newly renovated West Wing where we would each get a king size bed. We jumped on the offer and happily went off to our rooms. The walk to the room took forever as we had to go to a completely different section of the hotel. When we finally got there we all became uneasy when we entered the hallway. It was very dark and small and it had an old drop ceiling. We began to regret our decision to take the “upgrade”. We divided and went to our separate rooms to investigate. We both spent no more than 10 seconds in our rooms before heading right back out and agreeing that we should go back to the downgraded rooms. The rooms were very dark and smelled kind of musty. They looked old to me but the clerk told us that they were modern. I stole a quick look out of the small window to see a parking lot and nothing more. The blinds were hard to open and it is no wonder why with that view. We took the long journey back to the front desk and asked to be downgraded. The clerk was very nice and admitted that you either love or hate those rooms…and more often than not people hate them. She put us back in our old room category and offered us each a $14 drink voucher for the Rouge Lounge in the hotel. We headed off to our new rooms. These were much easier to get to and we were there in no time. However, much to my dismay our room was not made up and I had to go back down to the desk to request a new room as close to our other party as possible. Thankfully, the hotel was not too busy and we were able to get another room only a few doors down from them.  These rooms were like a breath of fresh air compared to the old ones. They were large and bright with a huge window overlooking the beautiful neon strip. There were four pictures of movie stars in elegant gold frames in each room to complete the ambiance. The beds were very comfortable with down feather duvets and pillows that make you excited to go to sleep. And sleep is just what I did shortly after getting to the room. The other members of my party went to get started losing their money at the slots but I was exhausted after a full day of travel and passed out fairly quickly.

The next few days were spent wandering around Vegas. We went and saw the new City Center which was being built the last time we were in Vegas. I am sad to say that it did not wow me. It was definitely modern but when compared to all of the amazing architectural masterpieces in Vegas, it fell short in my books.One of the nights we attended the Tournament of the Kings at Excalibur. It is a dinner theatre where they put on a show set in King Arthur’s Court. The show was quite entertaining but the food was nothing to write home about. It didn’t bother us too much because we got the tickets on sale at the Tix for Tonight booth and all of us were very happy with the show. We just went to the food court afterwards.

Last time we didn’t have enough time to go to Fremont Street but this time we made a point of getting to see it. We caught the double decker Deuce Bus at Planet Hollywood for $7 round trip each. The ride was a long one because of all the stops. At every stop there would be 20 – 30 more people wanting to get on so it took a while. We eventually got there just in time for the light show which was amazing. It was nice to finally see it in person. It is something that needs to be seen with one’s own eyes to be fully appreciated. We didn’t spend much time in Fremont afterwards. Being the old part of Vegas it is kind of scummy and none of us felt all that comfortable. So we took our pictures of the bright neon signs and went back to the bus. The way back was the bus ride from hell. It took us almost 2 hours to get back due to some construction on the strip. By the end of the ride we all felt quite ill and were ready to pack it in for the evening. But I am still glad we went and got to experience Fremont in person.

On our last night there we went and dined at La Provencal in the Paris hotel. The food was wonderful and not too expensive. We paid roughly $18 per plate which is a bargain in Vegas. For desert we went to a little cafe not far from the entrance where I had the most sinfully delicious chocolate mousse filled tart I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. It was called La Fuille D’Automne and I highly recommend it to anyone going to Vegas. You will not be disappointed. It was so good I got another to take back to the hotel.

The day to go back came far too soon. Our flight wasn’t until 3:30 so we checked out of the hotel at 11 and left our bags with the porter while we spent our last few hours gambling away all of the money we had left…which was not very much at that point.The journey back was uneventful. Wait times were not too bad and security checks were quite speedy. All in all the vacation was quite relaxing and uneventful in a good way. Just what the doctor ordered to cure the winter blues. I just might be able to hold out until spring now…maybe.

Janice’s trip to Huatulco Oct2009

A 5 hour flight from Calgary to Huatulco on Air Transat and we arrived!

Beautiful view overlooking the Tangolunda Bay

Off to Las Brisas, a very large spread out resort.  There is a shuttle to get around, but once we were oriented, you can walk, but uphill all the way to your room! Walking took the same amount of time as the shuttle, as it switchbacked around, and you could walk direct, so good to wear off all the food! Rooms are newly renovated, large junior suites, great bathrooms – marble and tile.  Deluxe rooms have no balcony.  There is however one very large window that oepns and you can sit on the window sill.  Dangerous!  Children or drunken adults could easily fall to their demise!    Rooms are far away from the rest of the resort so very quiet for sleeping.  Friendly staff, good food.  3 beach areas, all in small coves.  A snorkelling beach, an activity beach and a quiet beach.  3 pools but the whole area was blah, just rectangles on cement.  No vegetation, no punch, no shape.  Used to be a Club Med property so it was built for sports.  

The Barcelo has a more Mexican style with tile and colours.  Standard rooms are a bit dated, king and master suites nicer, but still no wow factor.  Pool area is great, freeform with palm trees.  Nice grounds.  Nice walking beach, but after 10 minutes it’s over.  Amazing food.  Small shopping area in the hotel.

Infinity pool at Dreams

Wow – Dreams!  My first choice.  Rooms are deluxe, all the same, only the view changes.  Oceanfront means oceanview really.  3 infinity pools overlooking the ocean, plus 2 more pools at each end of the resort.  Same beach as the Barcelo (right next door).  Buffet was great, as were the alacartes.  Lovely grounds.  No complaints here, but it will be pricier.

Across the street from the beach is the Crown Pacific.  Built on a hill, sharing the same beach as Barcelo and Dreams.  Amazing view!  There is a funicular, stairs, shuttle…very hilly property.  Nice large clean Mexican style rooms, mostly oceanview.  1 pool on upper deck with a wow view, with a bar, and no people when we were there – maybe the walk up was too much for them!  The beach club is across the street, small and compact.  Nightly entertainment is good.  Good budget property.  If  you want a good price and quiet resort, I’d stay there for the upper pool alone!  

The last property I visited was the Castillo Huatulco and I drew a blank because I really couldn’t find anything that stood out to remember.  The beach club is a 15 minute walk or 5 minute shuttle from the resort.  Nice pool area, large restaurant, food was pretty good.  Very basic property, clean simple rooms.  I wouldn’t likely stay here though.   

A beautiful cove in Huatulco

Overall, I really liked Huatulco.  Uncommercialized, beautiful scenery, mountains, ocean, vegetation.  La Crucecita is a small town just 10 minutes away, a $5 cab ride. A typical Mexican village.  Church at one end, town square, shops and restaurants.  The cruise ship terminal is in Santa Cruz, another 10 minutes away.  They are very eco-conscious in Huatulco and have strict building codes and they recycle!  They want you to wear eco-friendly sunscreen and bug spray..didn’t know there was such a thing.  Not great walking beaches if you want to walk for miles.  But still nice.  Lots of excursions to take – mud bath, turtle viewing – are just a couple.  Bring bug spray, it’s pretty tropical.    Airport is small, no duty free.  Safe destination.

I would go back.  My choice would be to stay at Dreams or the Barcelo.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!