Janet Loves To Travel

Check back shortly for Janet’s report on her May 2009 trip to Ireland.?

3 days independently in Dublin and area, followed by a 7 day Irish Highlights First Class coach tour.

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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If you and your gang would like to plan a dive getaway,? contact Janet at info@janetlovestotravel.com

As an experienced diver, Janet knows what makes? the underwater experience you want. Janet has connections with dive shop operators, tour packages and charter packages to Belize, Cuba, Honduras, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic and many more. ?

If you are in Edmonton, contact Jeff and Carol at AquaTek Scuba. 780 484? 2780 or www.aquatekscuba.com

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? 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…)

Visit Oscar Wilde’s Trinity College in Dublin and the Irish National Stud in Kildare, enjoy an afternoon at Rathbaun Farm and the scenic Ring of Kerry.
Dublin and the scenic best of the Irish Republic await you on this beautiful eight-day journey, a top seller for years.

In Dublin you will enjoy a visit to Oscar Wilde’s Trinity College as part of guided sightseeing around this vibrant city. A scenic ride through horse-racing country leads you to Limerick, the setting for Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes.

Next, savor the breathtaking views of the Cliffs of Moher and the Clare Coast. Enjoy Irish hospitality at Rathbaun Farm before taking a ferry across the Shannon. A panoramic drive takes you around the stunning Ring of Kerry and onto the world famous Waterford Crystal Factory. Ireland’s oldest handweaving milll at Avoca, Glendalough and the scenic Wicklow Mountains conclude your Irish journey. This vacation is good for first-time visitors to Ireland with only a little time.

Included Visits & Attractions

DUBLIN Orientation drive, visit Trinity College; welcome drink
KILDARE Guided tour of the Irish National Stud
LIMERICK Orientation drive
CLIFFS OF MOHER Savor the spectacular views
CONNEMARA Visit a marble factory
RATHBAUN FARM Visit and afternoon tea
SHANNON Cross the estuary by ferry
RING OF KERRY Scenic peninsula drive
BLARNEY Visit the famous woolen mills
WATERFORD Guided tour of Waterford Crystal factory
AVOCA Guided tour of the handweaving mill
GLENDALOUGH Guided tour of St. Kevin’s center of Irish Christianity

Meals Included: 6 Full Irish Breakfasts, 3 three course dinners with choice of menus and coffee, and a welcome drink before dinner at your hotel in Dublin.

Priced from just $919 per person, this tour is an affordable, first class introduction to Ireland.

If you have been to Ireland or have travelled with Globus , post your comments for all of us to share.
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As a Vacation Planner, my personal experience can make the difference between the trip of your dreams or your worst nightmare! Early in September 1999 I travelled to this fascinating part of North America on a Holland America Cruise/Tour educational trip for travel agents. This gave us an opportunity to experience the region and the travel products so that we could better advise our clients.

We arrived in Whitehorse on the now defunct Canada 3000 airline in the late afternoon. After a short bus ride we checked into the hotel and headed out for the evening’s entertainment: The Frantic Follies. http://www.galenfrysinger.com/whitehorse_follies.htm This was a light-hearted comedy imitating the styles and antics from the Gold Rush era. The following day consisted of a coach tour from Whitehorse to Carcross Junction, passing the endless evergreen forests , sparkling waterfalls and emerald waters of the region’s lakes. http://www.galenfrysinger.com/carcross_yukon.htm
Carcross Junction is a town with many souvenirs from its early days as a supply post on the Gold Rush Trail.

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/carcross_yukon.htm

Just outside the town, we boarded the White Pass and Yukon Railway for a breathtaking journey to Skagway. This narrow guage railway uses antique passenger cars (with a modern diesel engine) to transit a torturous route through the mountains to the sea. Crossing several elevated trestles with nothing on either side but a thousand feet of air, the passengers gaze down at the thread-like trail of the Yukon Gold Rush Trail used a century ago by prospectors seeking their fortunes. (more…)

Attention all divers who like great visibility, warm water and spectacular dive experiences…..If you haven’t been to the Turks and Caicos Islands, you are missing out on one of the world’s best scuba diving destinations (well, OK , I am a little biased). http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com

Have you been to the Turks? Share your diving experiences with us – post your comments now.

Reefs, walls, wrecks – it is all there waiting for you to discover. (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…)

? Varadero, Cuba

This relaxing 4.5 star resort offers something for couples, families, honeymooners and singles.? Finished in 2001, the Tryp Peninsula is part of the Spanish Sol Melia family of resorts.

Every room is a junior suite, meaning one large room with king or 2? 3/4 beds, couch, coffee table, ? worktable and chair, as well as enclosed dressing room/closet (drawer space is minimal). The tub has a hand-held shower hose (European style) and a good sized shower in its own stall.

? The property is large, with rooms in 2 or 3 storey buildings clustered around the pools and throughout the? grounds.? (more…)