Janet Loves To Travel

Janet has finally decided to check out Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to see what her clients have been loving and hating about the area.

One week at the Grand Paradise Bavaro in the all-new Sunquest Select section? should allow her time to enjoy the facilities and take some excursions while verifying the quality of the beach too. After all, Janet’s job is to make sure YOUR vacation destinations measure up to your standards!!

The verdict: I loved it. Magnificent white powdery sand beaches stretched for miles? so I could walk? until my? feet hurt.? A great way to combine exercise and sun! Lots of huge rolling surf to enjoy too. ? All of the travellers I met enjoyed their resorts and experience, including the majority for whom this was not the first trip to Punta Cana. (more…)

? ? Janet went to Holguin, Cuba in October 2007.? ? It was lovely!!!! Very hot, lots of sun and gorgeous beach to enjoy. Travel in the off season is worth the risk of hurricanes, in Janet’s opinion.

I stayed at the Occidental? Grand Playa Turquesa. It is a? very large resort with all of the amenities. Golf carts were available to take you around if needed, and I could see why. Some folks would appreciate the walking to alleviate the effects of the terrific food, while others would find it too demanding.

The rooms were huge!! The section I was in contained? a series of buildings, each with 4 or 6 rooms set up above the ground. The rooms had 2 beparate beds plus a daybed? along the wall near the balcony doors. The shower stall was a little slow to drain, but certainly not the slowest I have seen! Large counter area in the bathroom and more than adequate shelving and hanging space in the closest.

The beach was delightful- white powdery sand, several large trees (more…)

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Have you dreamed of a horseback riding adventure in the Rockies?? The clean fresh mountain air, rides through uninhabited valleys, magnificent scenery and flower-filled alpine meadows all add up to a holiday unrivaled anywhere in the world. http://www.lostguidetours.com/main.html

Welcome to Lost Guide Adventure Tours. Riding experience is not essential as qualified guides accompany and assist you each day. The horsese are sure-footed and gentle and are assigned to you according to your experience.

Picture yourself relaxing, after a carefully prepared meal that has been cooked over an open campfire, as the setting sun alights the granite in a blaze of orange and dusk envelopes the valley of Ranger Creek.

On the grassy meadow, deer and elk mingle with your saddle horse, grazing contentedly. (more…)

? One week of sun, beach activities, exploring the ruins and practising Spanish the Mayan Riviera in Mexico.

The temperature guage on the dashboard showed 29? C and it was 1140pm! Guess I didn’t need to pack the lightweight fleece I took for the cool evenings…. (more…)

In late August of 2006, Janet travelled into northern Idaho, Washington and British Columbia to enjoy the scenery, sunshine and cycling.

The weather was fantastic- hot and sunny every day, so the numerous lakes and waterways proved a refreshing treat.

Around Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, there are several miles of trails for all abilities. We prefer pavement, so the converted railway lines were a delight. A paved trail runs along Lake Coeur d’Alene through the city, so it is a terrific way to enjoy the water views, see the city and get some exercise. There are several small cafes downtown when it is time for a break, and the large public park at the beach was a perfect place to cool. Lots of shade on the grass, or tons of sun on the sandy beach. The water was clear and refreshing. Hard to leave! (more…)

Egypt Trip Report – Nile Rover by Imaginative Traveller

Style: budget adventure travel 9 days

Day 1. The flight detail screen in the plane read 2027 miles since Paris. We’re a long way from home. This thought was to be reinforced in many ways over the next 9 days!!!!!

I was met by a delightful gentleman from Benu Travel. They provide the airport meeting services for Imaginative Traveller (ImTrav). He was alongside the ramp from the aircraft, so he directed me to the “Visa purchase office” which was a wicket where you handed over your passport and approx $25 US and got a postage stamp in your passport from the Egyptian government. That’s your entry visa. Then we went through customs and immigration to the air conditioned minibus. Our driver, Samir, was courteous and professional. He steered us through the maze of cars which is traffic in Cairo. There are no streetlights and no lanes. It is pretty much a free-for-all but it works. Traffic was very heavy and we witnessed one fender bender which held up traffic for about 30 seconds while the drivers settled their altercation with fists, then hopped back into the cars and sped off.
We arrived at the Hotel Indiana which is on a fairly quiet side street, centrally located. The lobby is heavily decorated with red- marble, carpets, upholstery, walls- all in different shades and patterns. The furniture resembles 19th century style. The elevators were interesting….an actual hinged door which opened out into the hall, banged shut behind you and then locked into place for the ride up or down- no inner door! This was typical of all elevators we rode. (more…)

Our China Trip-Janet’s journal

March 9-21, 2002 Tokyo, Beijing,Nanjing,Wuxi,Suzhou,Hangzhou, Zhouzhuang,Shanghai,Tokyo

March 10. I got off the plane in Tokyo feeling surprisingly refreshed. I guess that is the executive class difference. (We were upgraded as the flight was oversold).
The scenery over Alaska was spectacular-mountains and frozen oceans broken by open water. Flying into Tokyo the visibility was excellent. The ground looked much like England-split by forest and small villages. The urban sprawl of Tokyo was not as evident or as large as we expected. The airport wasn’t as crowded as expected but the immigration lineup was SLOW-50 minutes. It was a pleasant change to get outside after so many hours in a plane. The weather was an unexpected bonus-sunny and 18 degrees C. Much better than the -28 we left in Edmonton.
They drive on the left here and it makes me think of Victoria with the holly hedges and Bermuda-narrow roads on the way to the hotel. The shuttle took a very short time to get us to the Nikko Narita Hotel. The hotel was a disappointment. Someone had told me it was lovely, but at best it was a 4* by European standards, probably more like a 3*. But the beds were comfortable. The toilet and shower were European in style and kind of grungy.
As the airport is about an hour from Tokyo, (more…)

Cuba Tryp Report? ? ?

No, it’s not a typo-we stayed at the lovely Tryp Peninsula resort in Varadero, Cuba for the week.? And oh, what a week…..

Typical daily temperature was 37 degrees C. Sun from dawn to dusk and cloudless, incredible blue skies above the hot white sand and turquoise ocean beckoned . (more…)