Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wedding Planning

Because brides and grooms love to travel on their honeymoons, and many couples prefer to plan destination weddings, there are lots of reasons they should be consulting a good travel consultant/agent. Our purpose is to suggest the best itinerary to match the couple's preferred getaway style, take care of the details for transportation (including flights, cruises, airport transfers, etc.), hotel or resort accommodations, special excursions or entertainment packages, and make sure that they receive the most value for their planned budget. We take the stress out of planning the travel related to guests coming from afar, a wedding at sea or on shore, and/or that very romantic honeymoon.

In the same way a good wedding planner reduces the stress of planning the big day, from designing save-the-date cards to addressing thank you cards and everything in between your Suite Romance Travel travel agent will work side by side to ensure that everything comes together beautifully for that wonderful romantic event of a lifetime. If booking a cruise wedding, many of the last minute details are handled on board by cruise line personnel. Your travel agent makes sure they have taken into account all of your personal wishes for your special day.

Monday, September 10, 2012

The Best of Britain Tour - Part I

If you are like many Americans, you have ancestors who came from England, Scotland, or Wales, and their history is our history. Having just come back from the Best of Britain tour from C.I.E. International, I can say that walking around on that ancient land is a thrill for those of us who are history buffs or genealogists. From the streets of London to the Salisbury Plain where Stonehenge stands, from the Shambles in York to Edinburgh Castle, there so many places to see, do, participate in and absorb on this excellent guided coach tour. The C.I.E. coaches are brand new with the most comfortable seating and giant windows that are cleaned before each new day's destination.  Seating was rotated each day so that everyone would get a chance to sit up front, but there was enough room on our 52-passenger bus that all 25 of us could claim the seats we wanted. 

Rest stops are remarkable in that they feature photo ops, good food, and excellent restroom facilities. Our guides were highly educated professionals who are also personable and responsible for our comfort and welfare. David stayed with us for the entire tour, and had a very good grasp of British history, including the Roman and Viking times, as well as geographic and botanic features of the land. Specialist guides Sheila and Sylvia came on board for extra details on Edinburgh and Beatles/Liverpool. At most venues, our group was able to bypass regular queues for entrance to castles and other attractions. Our tour came with an extra day in London with vouchers for the hop-on/hop-off bus, Tower of London (where you'll see the Crown Jewels for the whole of Britain's history) and a boat cruise on the River Thames. For those interested in more current events, there are tours of the Beatles' Cavern Club in Liverpool and Abbey Road in London, as well as the annual Festival Fringe (in August) with street performers, theaters featuring plays and musicals to rival Broadway (we took in an awesome performance of Wicked), the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, and much much more. Our hotel in London was located in Kensington, just a block from High Street, a tube station, 3-story Whole Foods store and Hyde Park. We could walk to Notting Hill where an annual festival was taking place, or to the Princess Diana Memorial Park. We also walked to Royal Albert Hall, found a geocache there, and walked on to the Globe Theater where the Bard's plays were in progress. Our Hotel in Windsor, the Hart and Garter,
was one narrow lane across from Windsor Castle which we toured on our first afternoon in England. After dinner, we walked past Eton College to a meadow and found another geocache at dusk, and said a few words to the Queen's swans paddling on the Thames. After a morning in Oxford, where some of our group toured Christchurch (where some of Harry Potter's Hogwarts scenes were filmed) after a visit to the University at Oxford, we went on to York. What an adorable little village with a massive York Minster! Swinegate is the street where the olde pork butchers worked and you can find bas relief pigs of all sorts hidden in the clay bricks of the buildings on the narrow streets. The Shambles, composed of Tudor-style half-timber buildings that hang over the narrow lanes are these days full of quaint shops selling hats, candies, jewels, and such.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

I found this picture of last year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on Pinterest. I have since experienced the Tattoo myself and it was magnificent! This year was the 62nd anniversary for the Miltary Tattoo, which is an international bagpipe and drum corps competition, and received the "royal" designation in 2010. Held on the esplanade of the Edinburg castle, we saw fantastic light shows projected onto the castle walls and lots of pageantry, music of many genre, and fireworks, followed by the lone piper at the close of the evening. One simply cannot travel to Scotland and ignore the iconic sound of the pipes. Of course, some haggis and at least a wee dram of whisky is in order, as well!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Great Britain's Great Summer

This year is a banner year for Great Britain tourism, and we want you to be a part of it. Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee will be June 2-5, and Prince William's 30th birthday is June 21. The Summer Olympics are taking place between July 27 and August 8, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo will take place between August 3-25, International Beatles Week is happening at The Cavern in Liverpool which is celebrating 50 years of the Beatles between August 22-29. We are currently booking 8- and 9-day tours called The Best of Britain, which include London, Windsor, Oxford, York, Edinburgh, Tintern Abbey, Roman Baths, Stonehenge, several castles, Gretna Green, the Lakes District and Liverpool (along with the Beatles experience). We'll also visit Alnwich Castle(for Harry Potter fans), several gardens, museums, and much more. Starting at $1,968 land only, this great price includes local guides, luxury coach transportation, superior hotels, most meals and more amenities. Call now before this awesome tour is sold out!
  

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Disney's Aulani Resort, Ko 'Olina, Oahu, Hawai'i

Here's a first-hand account of the Aulani resort....Calvin and I were delighted to be able to check it out in December. An Aulani vacation starts with the words, "Welcome home" and includes a lei greeting with a cold drink and personal escort from the port cochere to the reception desk along with a tour of the historically- and architecturally-rich lobby. We found it to be Disney magical, squeeky clean, Ohana-friendly, and, of course, tropical. No roller coasters and flying elephants here. The only Disney characters are Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Stitch who only show up at breakfast and special events like the twice-weekly Starlit Hui. Instead of the typical Disneyana, you will find a beautiful Hawaiian-mythology themed resort with gorgeous architecture, infinity edge spas, pools, waterfalls, a double waterslide that starts from the inside of a Disney Imagineers-designed 'volcano' and a lazy river for floating the day away. There is a safe lagoon for keiki (kids) to snorkel in and a pool where they can feed the rays. All that, before you even get to the beautiful beach on the semi-private lagoon where you can snorkel with wild sea turtles (when they feel like showing up - we found them in the next lagoon over) and paddle-board.


For entertainment, the daily "Ewa" paper lists all the activities for kids and adults, including Hawaiian crafts, dance lessons, star gazing, art tours and the Menehune Adventure Tour. Menehune are mythical (or actual but extinct) little people who populate the resort. We heard there were about 350 of them hiding in the foliage, elevators, under bridges, etc. just waiting to be discovered. The little tricksters can dump water on unsuspecting swimmers, and sometimes you might hear them giggle but you won't be able to see them.   The Menehune Adventure Tour is billed for kids, but we recommend that adults go to Auntie's Beach House and request to play even if you aren't accompanying any keiki. You will be loaned a special iPhone to call Auntie for clues and watch videos as she sends you on 'errands' around the resort. Many of the resorts fun secrets are revealed only by Auntie when you accomplish the task. She sometimes allows you to activate a secret control on the iPhone to create your own Menehune-like trick.


The food is excellent. When we made reservations, we were asked about food allergies. Because my food allergies were noted on our resort hotel reservation, the info showed up on our restaurant reservations. The chef at the Makahiki buffet came out to our table, greeted me, and gave me a tour of the entire buffet to point out the ingredients used in all of the menu items. He told me exactly what was safe to eat, and which items I might be allergic to. This level of service from the Disney Cast Members is what makes any Disney resort special. At 'Ama 'Ama, we had an open-air table right by the 'window' to the sunset. Again, the food and service was excellent, outdone only by the awesome view (you can see the view and our food selections below).

Do you know someone who would love to travel but stays home because of mobility issues? There is a solution: Special Needs Group allows me to arrange scooter, wheelchair and beach wheelchairs to our clients. For a cruise, they deliver the scooter or other equipment directly to your stateroom prior to embarkation, and you simply leave it behind when your cruise is over. It is very simple. Prices are based on the port of departure and length of cruise. For instance, scooter rental for a two week cruise from LA to Hawaii is only $218. The scooter is allowed on board and makes it very easy for our mobility-impaired friends to get all around the ship, from stateroom to dining room to theater.