Category: Helpful Tips

Jan 18

What to take or not take on your next vacation

No I am not talking the latest fashion trends, but rather some of the things you may not have considered. In this article, I will be talking about some tips for you that hopefully will make your travel better and even more rewarding than ever before.

 

travel

Yes, here I am at the end of a long day of traveling. and yes, these are my zippered off travel pants 😉

There are different types of trips and your packing needs will vary depending on the trip. Over the years, my wife and I have decidedly downsized our packing style. Yes, the ladies still have their “things” that need to be packed and fashion dress is important. However, when you get down to the average week long get-a-way to an all-inclusive, you will find that you want to grab those extra ½ hours in the fun having fun instead of going back to the room to get dressed for a formal dinner.  Even if you do, and I will only comment from the man’s perspective here, the dress code can be modified slightly and I have never been questioned at any restaurants for these things.

For example, I have a pair of brown pants that zipper off at the knee. I like wearing these comfortable pants with a nice but casual shirt on the plane. One of the main reasons I like this is that I can convert them to a pair of shorts on the plane before that lovely burst of hot island air hits you when the plane door opens. Yes, many of the smaller islands including the DM still disembark onto the tarmac, and it is blessing for those 4-8 minutes you are on the plane after the door opens.

More importantly, by doing this, I have a pair of short pants for the day excursions and if we go out for a meal where men are required to wear long pants, with a simple zip, I once again have long pants.  Now, I know it is a po-pa and some will say that is just not right but here is the second thing I do. It has been over 10  years since I bothered to pack dress shoes for any vacation to the south. I know some will cringe, but I have to say we need to get over the little things in favor of having a good relaxing time.

Again leaving the cold, I dawn my socks and then put on my sandals. My logic for this is twofold, First, once you are on board, you can ditch the socks as you are “indoors” as socks and dress shoes don’t really work with short pants and two, it is enough for me to wear this when going out to dinner where open toed sandals are not permitted. I have to admit I have gone to the steak house many years ago at one resort when it was very hot and humid where they told me I need at least socks. I was determined not to wear my dress shoes for some reason, I went back and put socks on and then my sandals and never looked back.

I tell you this so that you will see it is more important to bring 3 bathing suits a few tops and go and have fun. We have gone from two suitcases, to one large one to one small suitcase, but we also take more with us then we bring back.

travel

All resorts have staff working in different areas, the question is how much do you tip?

Remember I said it depends on your destination on what you will bring? We like to bring presents for the people that work at the resorts. If you do a little research, it is not too hard to figure out what the local employees would appreciate. For example, we may not realize thisand it will only apply for my readers that are allowed to travel to Cuba, but in this country, even things like tooth brushes and toothpaste we very welcome. Even if they have the money to spend on such things, many times, it would just not be something that is available in the local stores.

Although we do leave money as well, be aware that in many places money is not a tip for that person, but for the workers as a whole. I have heard of some very bad reports including the establishment taking and then giving out after their cut.

Each country will have need of different things. Again in Cuba it is the things that they cannot get their as in basic useful things. I remember at a restaurant one night, the fellow cutting the beef could not speak very good English. Word must of gotten around about us because he asked if we had any “smelly smelly” for his wife and daughter. We did have some things and the next day we happy gave what we had. What I was not expecting was the follow up to this.

I have always found the staff great in the resorts.

I have always found the staff great in the resorts.

I saw him several days laterand he was so happy to see us. Sharing that his family was delighted with the giftsand he asked us to come to his station that night. We did soand he produced a small box of cigars, someone in his family owned this small plantation and he wanted me to have this. I have learned over the years to never say no in this situation as it would be considered an insult so I accepted, but still I think about the fact that I gave him something they could not get, but it must of still cost him a lot to gift back what he could.

To finish with Cuba, other things that are hard to come by are Flip Flops, Kids toys, colouring books and crayons. It is also very important to make up little cards where you say that these things (listing them) are a gift from you and write in the name of the person you are giving it too. Without this management may take these things as well.

In my next post I will look at the very different DMR, things that make great gifts everywhere and some thoughts to make that plane ride even better.

 


Permanent link to this article: https://stevestravelblog.com/?p=190

Dec 19

Comfort Hotel Bayer’s Lake Halifax: What are you looking for in a hotel?

Comfort Hotel

Comfort Hotel

I have worked on this review for a while now because I am comparing different hotels in the greater Halifax area. However, I have decided that it would not be exactly fair to this place to compare it to the downtown hotels. It is like trying to compare and apple to an orange. They are both satisfying, they both serve their purpose, but that is it. We really need to compare different verities of apples to other apple verities to understand which is better.

Can you get a hotel that is more luxurious than this place in Halifax? Yes you can, but at what price and what is included. Will you find something that offers free parking and a free hot breakfast in the downtown locations? For me, I like the super quality mattresses, the large bath areas and other amenities that are available in the more expensive hotel lines. Will I continue to pay for this when there is an alternative like this? Time will tell.

For now, let’s look at this location, on its own and not in comparison to other locations.

Comfort Hotel - Welcome Gift.

Comfort Hotel – Welcome Gift.

1. Value: It is easy to see why this is the number one choice at TripAdvisor. The value is here. I have said it before, and I will say it again. The best value you can get in a hotel is the staff. Here, the staff, are all great.

I was met with a smiling face who has the name of Klong. He made the check in process a breeze, as it should be, and went on to describe what this hotel offered and where everything was located. As well, he was sure to point out the operating times of such things as the indoor pool and dry sauna and the hot breakfast that included scrambled eggs and pancakes. They also had multiple catalogue books where you can choose from their large collection of Blu-Ray movies.

I was also introduced to Nimfa Bautista, the General Manager that happened to make my hotel arrangements. She too wanted to make sure that all my needs were looked after and gave me a warm welcome. She was talking to someone at the time and as it turned out, it was the Owner, Stephanie. Instead of being above the guests, she too was welcoming. You can tell when the good training comes from the top down and it does here 100%. I failed to note the kitchen staff names, but they interacted with the guests and made it a very pleasant part of the hotel experience.

Comfort Hotel - Room Interior

Comfort Hotel – Room Interior

2. Comfort: The room I had was 417. One of the business suites which by looking at the floor plan means it is the larger size rooms. Not a unit with a separate bedroom. The king size bed was comfortable, but they have some type of waterproof covering on under the sheets that well, creaked if you rolled over. I know it must be for sanitary reasons, but not the best idea in my opinion. I minor point, but the microwave and coffee maker were nice and clean. The room over all was a little sparse from the doorway in. It was large enough and could have used a table and chairs for eating in that end of the unit.

The bathroom was functional, but the tub/shower area was small and lacked modernization. They have installed the curved shower curtain, but that was it.

3. Amenities: The TV was a larger flat screen that has multiple inputs. A HUGE point for the traveler as I use my computer to feed to HDMI to watch the shows I want to watch in HiDef. The room also does have the blu-ray player but I did not use this. I am still surprised that it is still the norm to have no HiDef channels coming into the room. Nothing against this hotel as it is that way in most hotels I stay in.

They did offer me 10% off the restaurant and a free drink that included alcohol, but I was out for dinner and did not get to take advantage of this. However, later in the evening I was hungry so I did order room service. The late night menu really pushed their pizza’s and when I called, they stated that this was a popular item. Well, I really could not eat the crust. Yes, it was that bad. The toppings were good but not worth the price tag. If you want a late night pizza, I would recommend you order out.

Comfort Hotel - Room Interior

Comfort Hotel – Room Interior

4. Hotel features.: The hotel did have a nice pool area. Sort of a different location as there are windows through to the eating area. I suppose some parents might head to the kitchen while kids are in the pool, but I would suggest that this is not a great idea. I did not take pictures of the pool since the tile lining was a very dark blue and I know they would not look good. The water was conditioned well and was at an excellent temperature. If you enjoy a pool, this is a good one to do a few laps or just relax.

The dry sauna should have been a nice experience. It was until I looked at the heater or rather the floor area surrounding this. It is a dry sauna, but people still bring in water from time to time. In this case, the area surrounding the floor had black dots where people splashed something. I welcome the comments from the hotel on this as it looked like possible mold and I left the sauna area.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience here. Again great bang for the buck. More so if I was travelling with a family as all the perks would be multiplied. It is in the Bayer’s Lake area so, lots of shopping, eating and movies to entertain you. It is only 10 minutes to the downtown area, but you will still have the downtown parking and other expenses. If you are coming to Halifax for the Bayer’s Lake shopping, I would recommend this location to stay at.

It is interesting and always a treat when I post a review on my Trip Advisors page and the staff reply to my comments. I take this as a response that means the owners / managers care about the feed back and take the concerns to heart. Here is the reply I received.

…

Stephanie G, Owner at Comfort Hotel Bayer’s Lake, responded to this review

1 week ago

 

Dear Valued Guest,
Thank you so much for your wonderful, detailed review. We truly appreciate the comments on all aspects of your stay. It is through this type of feedback that we can work on maintaining and improving the level of excellence that we want our guests to experience.
I am delighted you appreciated our staff, value, amenities etc. 
I will take this opportunity to comment on some of your valuable feedback and recommendations.
 
a) Our waterproof mattress coverings. Yes Steven, we have placed them for sanitary reasons. They are there to protect our guests. During our 2 1/2 years of operation we have had a couple of comments regarding creaking noise and most do not notice it at all. I have been trying to source something as effective but of a different material. No luck yet. It is something though that I will keep looking into.
b) In regards to the lay out of our Junior suite. I sincerely appreciate your recommendation for more furniture. I am on it!
c) Our phone and tv channel provider, had informed us before the summer that many channels were to be converted to High Definition. They have some technical issues in implementing and we are still waiting.
d) I have spoken to our Kitchen Manager regarding the pizza crust. He will definitely work on improving it and discussing with the rest of the cooking staff, so there will be consistency.
e) It is unfortunate that you did not enjoy our dry sauna. I had a close look at the spots you were referring to with my housekeeping manager. They are the result of natural residue released from the heated stone. Even though the sauna floor is cleaned daily, getting rid of those, required a stronger chemical agent. Thank you for bringing it to our attention, as it can be confused for mould.

I hope you will visit us again when you are in Halifax!

Kind Regards,
Stephanie G
Owner/General Manager
 
 


Permanent link to this article: https://stevestravelblog.com/?p=180

Dec 02

Canadian Travel Cards, The Good, The Bad and Everything Else

 

Canadian travel Card
Canadian travel Card

 There have been a lot of changes in the Travel Card Industry, and if you like to collect points, you really have to keep on top of which is the best, for the next two years or more.

Now, we need to cover a few basic things before we get into this. First there are three main types of points to collect in Canada.

  1.  AeroPlan by Air Canada. Yes there are other airlines, but none that are National and apply to all Canadians flying.
  2. AirMiles is a private point collector that has successfully crossed the product line barrier and has been accepted by many store brands as well as Credit Card Companies.
  3. Credit Card Companies. These cards need to be broken down into sections.
    Canadian travel Card

    Canadian travel Card


    1. Traditional cards where they add to your AeroPlan or AirMiles points and

    2. The newer style cards that have their own travel point systems.

 One important point here when we get into the Credit Card systems. I do not endorse or recommend that anyone get a credit card that cannot say they would never, ever carry a balance. The whole point of saving money on travel gets destroyed if you do not pay the entire balance off each and every month and end up paying interest charges. You have been warned and I say this because the newer bank driven travel plans are, simply put, great.

I can remember when, AeroPlan was really the only card and way to get travel miles. Yep, I go that far back. But, over the years, things have changed a lot. Do I still have an AeroPlan account and do I use it? Yes, but no longer for my “basic” travel.

To choose the best card for you depends on 2 things.

 

  1. The travel points and how much you have to spend to get free travel and
  2. What are the soft costs that still have to be paid to get that travel?

 This second item is a really big point with the newer bank reward systems. With plans like AeroPlan and AirMiles, after you save for a long time to get your points, you still have to pay the taxes and fees. In many cases this can be over $200 per person travelling. A family of four spending $800 in travel frees is not exactly a free plane ticket.

To combat this, Banks started offering their own reward system that could not only be used for air travel, but any kind of travel including Hotels and All inclusive travel packages. This was good, in that, it offered a product outside of the plane travel, but it used to take far more points per dollar value then AeroPlan did.

 

Canadian travel Card
Canadian travel Card

 Are you confused yet? The 1990’s was a confusing time for travel points. The good news is that Banks have caught on to this need, more and more banks offered their own reward systems and it is getting more and more competitive. This means better and simpler choices for you, the consumer.

There are programs that offer great point value on economy flights and the same points for separate great value on vacation packages. In fact, I have just used up my AirMiles travel points and have basically stopped collecting them through Credit Cards. Yes, I will still use my AirMiles card when merchants offer this. I would be silly not too. But, not for collecting via Credit Cards. The New generation of point systems are just too good. For example, my local grocery chain offers 95 AirMile points when I buy a $200 Gift card. So, we tend to spend a little over $400 a month and by getting two gift cards, I gain and extra 190 AirMile points plus the $400 in points on that Credit Card.

AeroPlan is getting to be the same with one MAJOR exception. For flights 3 hours or less, I don’t mind Economy, but, when I travel for longer time periods I want to be in business class. AeroPlan is the best and really only choice if you want to travel Business or Executive Class on a reasonable number of points. I have never seen a card that has polarized itself quite so badly as this one. I find for any reasonable short-term reservations, booking my travel in less than a month in advance, I really have a hard time getting classic seats in economy and my newer card offer better value in any case. However, the point system leaves everyone else in the dust on Business class seats.

If we speak of AeroPlan Classic Rewards, one long haul ticket is 25,000 points. One business class is 40,000 points. Yes, these levels are changing in 2014, but I see for the small point person, it gets worse, not better. So, 15,000 points to upgrade to Business class. So a 60% increase in points.

Now, all the newer cards are based on the real cost of the tickets. So I looked up the cost from my airport (East Coast)to Vancouver (West Coast). The best Economy price was about $1,500 and the corresponding Business Class (Executive Class Lowest) was $3,500. An increase of $2,000 or a whopping 130% increase. So for any point system that uses the airline ticket price to figure out the points used, they don’t hold a candle to AeroPlan Business Class points. But again, this is the only exception that I can find.

Another way to look at this is you will need to spend $40,000 in purchases for this ticket in AeroPlan plus say $200 in taxes and fees. On the norm for leading bank cards, you would need to spend about $175,000 to $350,000 in purchases to get the same ticket. Again this really only applies to business class travel. Long story short, AeroPlan is still a good choice for those looking for long haul business class flights.

There are features I like in 3 of the newer plans, but really, it all has to come down to, Which plan will me, for my travel needs, travel sooner.

 

  1. If you are going to be traveling economy, I would recommend a travel card like the new CIBC Aventura MasterCard since they offer special point pricing on airfare only. Unless you live outside of a major metropolitan area like I do. In this case most tickets are over the allowed maximum price.
  2. I do really like the Scotia Gold American Express Card since it is the only one that allow you to book on any site, I.e. Air Canada or Expedia or directly with a hotel, use this card to pay and then call and have them apply the amount to be paid in points. If you hit a great seat sale, you might cash in with this card. My 2 draw backs are that for most purchases, it is still a dollar spent for 1 point and it is American Express. I still find many places that do not accept this card since they have higher costs to the merchant.
  3. But for “package travel” the all-inclusive that so many of us use, right now the choice would have to be the BMO World Elite MasterCard as they offer 2 points instead of 1 for each dollar spent and for packaged holidays, cars, hotels etc. It is a penny a point on all for redemption for mast cards with the exception to the CIBC airline system, so, about 1/2 the points needed from the Bank of Montreal Travel card.

 I am building with BMO for now, being very specific on target amounts going on the card and as these approach, I will once again check the murky waters to the Travel Card business.

I am hoping that the next big card out there will offer 2 or more points on ALL purchases, be a Visa or MasterCard product and allow me to book with anyone and charge it the points on the card. This last point is really huge and will be the next game changer since it is the one thing that will guarantee us that we are getting the best price possible and using the least amount of points to get it. The last thing it needs to have a point for point transfer without penalty to AeroPlan so if you want to be in Business Class … you can.

Hey, this is a travel article, so I am allowed to dream.


Permanent link to this article: https://stevestravelblog.com/?p=164

Nov 28

Review of Radisson Suite Hotel Halifax

Excellent Staff makes an Excellent trip

 
Review of Radisson Suite Hotel Halifax
1649 Hollis Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1V8, Canada
 
 radissonEvery hotel I stay at, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt.  After just returning from a trip to the states, I was at this place and I thought, “Here we go again”. There were some minor things wrong like a dirty fridge, a dead remote and a left over wire hanger on the shower from someone else’s dry-cleaning. 
 

But, the response from the local staff to these concerns was fantastic. After years of travel, I should be the first to say, every hotel cleaner is going to have an off day. Sure there are checks that can be in place but from time to time, these can get missed and in my case I had an early 1 PM check in to boot.

I want to congratulate the front desk team and especially Jessica who went out of her way to make sure that a tired travel writer’s or guests concerns were addressed professionally and promptly. The fridge was sparkling when I got back to the room, and I settled in for the later evening. I was a tad hungry and ordered a basic “Duffy’s Classic Burger” ½ hour before the service ended for the night. Again it did not seem to be my night as the burger came with the burger warm, but the blue cheese slice was cold and un-melted on a cold bun. Along with this there was no salt for the fries and they were very bland. This meant the ½ way finished; I just could not finish it.

The next day, I had multiple staff contact me to make sure that things were looked after correctly. The restaurant staff, I am sorry that I did not make note of her name, called and apologized for the meal and offered to make it right. I had just returned from a meal at my daughters choice of restaurants, “Henry’s House” and had even brought back desert. Thinking quickly, they offered a complimentary specialty coffee, which I thought was a touch of class. 

Jessica caught me earlier in the lobby and personally apologized for the problems I had at that point and again offered to make it right which, through herself and the GM Jamie Bolduc, did so. Absolutely wonderful service and that personal down east caring that I never find elsewhere. I am sure it was Jessica that contacted the food staff to get sure i was satisfied. What great service.

I think I was in the same room as I had a few years ago and the renovations are first class. I love the suite design which is the same as before, of course, but they updated everything on the interior. The hardwood flooring is nice, still keeping carpet in the separate bedroom. The TV’s accept HDMI so I can feed my Google movie’s which is a plus and the overall design was excellent. 

As far as the room itself,  many resort level has never been this good. The bed was excellent. Multiple pillows on the a first class mattress, made for a great sleep. The bathroom had two doors and offered a TV in the mirror and a shower that had a huge shower head and still had plenty of pressure. Large enough that you could step in and out of the water flow as needed. Simply a wonderful start to the day. My only note on this is that if you like a cold drink, the ice machines are only located on the even-numbered floors. Knowing this ahead of time means you can simply ask one of these floors to make life the small bit better.

I guess my overall feeling this trip was this; could it have been better? In on sense, yes, since I had a few minor things go wrong, but in the greater sense, no. What really matters to me is the staff. If they care and look after you like they did here, then you could not ask for a better stay. 

I tip my cyber hat and fully recommend this establishment to one and all. 

Oh, I did not get the opportunity to use the pool / hot tub and exercise room, but I did go there and it looked very clean and welcoming. The exercise room had a number of elliptical machines which are my fav. 😉


Permanent link to this article: https://stevestravelblog.com/?p=152

Nov 22

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — A slice of Paradise

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana -- Awesome Resort

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Awesome Resort

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana, Bavro Beach, Dominican Republic

I have tried very hard to figure out how to describe this resort that was by far the best that we have ever stayed at. Was it the quality of detail, the majestic care of the resort? How do you describe a resort that goes above and beyond? A resort that not only gives you everything you would expect but so many things that you would simply not find anywhere else, period. How would you describe a resort that should have more stars than allowed?

Elegance. In this case Majestic Elegance. Can you tell we were impressed by this resort? Truly we were. Okay, this may sound over the top, but I have struggled for days on how to describe this place.

I am torn between writing this as praise to the staff and management and trying to convey how you too can have a wonderful vacation at this 10 star out of 5 star resort. I have to admit that at other resorts, we have always had a great time. My business is property management and real estate sales, so I am used to asking people their names. In this case, I think that this is part of the great service. The simple caring about others goes a long way. You go, you are open happy and meet new people and have a blast.

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana -- Buffet Staff

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Buffet Staff

But the difference here is the staff, no, not just the staff. These folks have received great training and support from great management. I watched the management level personal walk around and interact making sure all is well. At restaurants, and the buffets, they are there, somewhat in the background greeting people and making sure that you are satisfied and happy.

I do want you to say hi to these great staff people but, I really did not find any staff that was not super friendly. We were in the club section so the staff included Clora, Ysandra and of course Felix and Mariano. Like in the restaurants, the staff at the bars and on the beach were never far from a supervisor / manager that was also making sure you had a great time.

DM 2011 014

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Staff on the Beach

 

 

Check out the photos of my wife, Judy on the beach. She wanted to get one picture of a staff and others literally RAN to get in the photo that turned out to be a series of 4 photo’s with Judy being lifted up by the girls. Again it all comes to great management that produces and maintains high standards that translate in to the great staff and a great experience for you.

I booked the plane separate from the resort. This was to be a special trip for our anniversary and I wanted to fly business class and to have an excellent Club room. (A post on travel points and flying business class verses pre-packaged vacations will be posted soon, if not already)

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana -- Raul Garcia Carpintero, Room division Manger

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Raul Garcia Carpintero, Room division Manger

I did have a few questions and needed to arrange for transportation to the resort from the airport. I wrote to the resort and Raul Garcia Carpintero, Room division Manger promptly wrote back with everything arranged. When we landed, we had a driver with a sign for the resort with our name on it. After a quick smooth drive and no stopping at multiple resorts as on a bus, we were greeted by Junior, our butler who looked after our check in and took us to the bar for a relaxing drink. While there, several management personal were there and one made a formal introduction to me to Raul. What a nice touch to be able to shake the hand of the person that personally made me feel comfortable about coming to this resort.

The surprises just kept coming. Our door had a Happy Anniversary banner on it and chilled bubbly was waiting inside our room. Needless to say, we felt like we were in a little piece of paradise from the moment we arrived. I don’t want to make this a huge report, but the level of quality was perfect. We took a walk through paradise down to the Club Pool where they had Canadian Club (A blend of Canadian Rye Whiskey that is usually never found in the Dominican) there for the asking. Then off to rest in the sun and pool.

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana -- Bailey Beds by the pool

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Bailey Beds by the pool

We could have reserved a Bailey bed and a few did that week, but there was no real need. In fact we went to the same spot all but one day as there was an ample supply. You could move the wicker pool beds around to get the perfect sunshine or let the palm tree leafs flicker over you in an extremely comfortable Bailey Bed. It was not a tough week. My hat is tipped again to the great staff who were on a constant walk up and down the pool either as a waiter delivering drinks or as management making sure there was nothing else you need. To give you an example of this, we brought a pool float and left it by the pool one night. The next day it was gone, but Benny walked by and in a flash he retrieved it from somewhere safe.

If you only go to the buffet, you will not run out of choices as the variety of food changes and all are delightful. This may sound like a broken record, but again the staff was great and management was there making sure all was perfect. Now, I do want to take a moment here to say, that this is a wonderful country, and the people working here as in any resort have families to feed and a small dollar tip goes a long way to help. So, yes, we tip with joy and gladness. It is our easy way of blessing the staff that work so hard to give this level of

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana -- Staff

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Staff

over the top service. I urge you to tip all the people who you come into contact with, up front, not at the end of the meal. A dollar to the greeter, a dollar to the waiters with coffee and water. Three or four dollars and you have made an impact on the lives of 3 or 4 people who are giving their all to you. Also if you can learn just a few key Spanish phrases you will make their eyes light up. To say good morning instead of Hi or when they ask how are you to be able to answer them very good is a game changer. The greeter at the buffet lit up when we came through the door each day. I am so sorry that I do not remember her name, but she asked me in Spanish how I was after I answered her English question the first day in Spanish. She remembered that little detail and was delighted that we tried.

Of course, go to the other restaurants as well. The steak house was great. Look at the pictures to see how great the staff was here and yes I am a steak lover and it was extremely good.

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana -- Resturant Staff

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Restaurant Staff

My wife is a seafood lover and the lobster tail was far better than expected. (Remember we are from the east coast of Canada and get Rock Lobster cheap. This was warm water spiny lobster (no claws, really a different animal) and I was not expecting much, but the chef prepared this in excellent fashion.)

We spent days lying in the sun, walking the beach for what seemed like miles, meeting new friends, and just hanging out around the pool. Once we were relaxed we went swimming with the sharks which was fun, but did not compare to this resort. We were booked for another excursion the next day and we cancelled. Drive on a bus or stay in paradise, … real tough decision.
One of the reasons we booked the transportation separately is that on the day we leave, we like to enjoy the resort, not the airport so, we always end up taking a taxi to the airport as the buses leave way too early at all resorts. We got up, ate, went to the spa where my wife got her nails done and I relaxed with a full massage then we checked out of the room at noon, enjoyed a nice lunch and then went to get our cab. As we were leaving the staff and management were doing a professional photo shoot so they are all there to thank and say good-bye to. As we got in the cab, it just happened that all the management were out front talking. We waved good-bye and the entire management waved back. Knowing the level of care that Raul put into our trip I have to wonder …. Was that planned as well??

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana -- Club Entrance

Majestic Elegance Punta Cana — Club Entrance

Go to the Majestic Elegance; if you are a couple 100% do the club (Adults only). It is worth the upgrade many times over. There are so many perks from free internet in the room to the managers party to the premium drinks, to the extra relation you will only only only find in the club section.

Please let me know if you found this review helpful. Look at the pictures, they do tell a story and feel free to contact me with questions, but really why ask me when the management makes it a point to write back look after your needs even before you book the trip. Cheers.

Room Tip: If you stay in the Club, ask ahead of time for the left side of the resort. This is where the management dinners and other club events take place. No biggie as it is only a 2 minute walk around the seafood restaurant.

Ask for Raul. Tell him I sent you and recommended the resort. So far, I know of over 40 people who have been here.

Permanent link to this article: https://stevestravelblog.com/?p=75

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