Riviera Maya, Mexico

The Resort - Grand Sunset Princess (All Inclusive)

Picking the right resort is essential when vacationing, and for us the Grand Sunset Princess was perfect. We loved it so much that we recommended it to saw many people who all went there after us.

Right from the moment you walk into the foyer until the time you leave you feel like royalty. First we were greeted with a non alcoholic drink, which was nice and refreshing in the heat, before we even checked in for our room. The initial impression was "Wow".

Important Facts about the Resort:

They have:

12 swimming pools
2 Buffet Restaurants
12 a la carte Restaurants (these require reservations as soon as
     you get there)
17 Bars
Daytime and Nighttime Entertainment
Kids Club - Daytime Mini-Club (ages 4 - 12 years with swimming
     pool, outdoor patio with games, House club)
Kids Club - Night Entertainment for Children, Mini Disco, Mini
Theater, Room with Video games (ages 4 - 12 years)

  

After checking into the hotel, we decided to take a tour. It was beautiful place and so large. The grass was green, the walkways were spotless, well maintained which made the experience so pleasant.

The huts were beautiful. They had little couches in there, great area to chill and relax. The pools were big and clean, with nice palm trees surrounding the water, and best of all, not a mosquito in site.

There are so many restaurants to choose from and the food is great. Great variety of food in the buffet areas as well, as in the a la carte restaurants but you need to reserve at time check-in. Our favorite was the hibachi grill as it was the first time for the kids and my in-laws, so going through the hibachi experience was awesome. The chief was so entertaining. The buffets were good also. The changed up the food daily during dinner time so that was good, but for the picky eaters they did have the standard dishes everyday, which was great especially with kids, if they didn’t like the food at the restaurants then we had options.

 

 

 

Punta Cana - Dominican Republic

​Punta Cana, who would have guessed it would be so scenic. This place is filled with Palm trees and Coconut trees. This was a family trip with our family parents and all for as a birthday celebration for my dad who turned 70. This was a fun vacation for all there, children, us and both mine and my husband’s parents. Everyone had a great time with plenty to do for everything. Since this was a family trip and time for relaxation we mostly spent our time at the resort. We stayed at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe, a great resort for families.

Punta Cana is a place for people who love the outdoor activities. Great activities available for speedboating, catamaran sailing, , deep sea sport fishing, discovery cruises, private yachts, swimming with dolphins, snorkeling cruises, swimming with sharks and stingrays, whale watching, reef exploring and visiting small islands like Saona and Catalina

Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe - All Inclusive

Since this was a family trip and time for relaxation we mostly spent our time at the resort. We stayed at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe, a great resort for families. The pools were beautiful, the beach was fantastic, and food was great, so many options to choose from. Many people I’m sure have destination weddings here. It’s a great place for some lovely photos. We actually saw a destination wedding happening in a little kiosk right in front of the beach. It was so beautiful. The bridal party looked wonderful in matching outfits, I’m sure there pictures come our exquisite.

Also the resort has so many activities for the all age groups. They had salsa lessons, aerobics on the beach (our mothers loved that), a giant chess board alongside the pool, that you can actually play, as well as other various activities. There is a schedule posted in one of the covered hang out activity areas that list what activities they are doing at what time, as well as many competitions you can compete in to win small prizes.

The best part of the resort was the swim up to Bars. Kids loved it because they could go order whatever they wanted and there were so many choices of non-alcoholic cocktails for them, they were in heaven.

Also close to the beach is a little gift shop. Looks like a hut, and very different looking. Great place to buy swim outfits, and beach gear.

        

    

Some of our favorite restaurants the Barcelo Bavaro were Kyoto (Japanese Restaurant that also did Hibachi), as well as Mexico Lindo. They have 2 wonderful buffet restaurants that are open during breakfast and dinner. It’s a great for kids who can be very picky as well as when you need to feed them when restaurant reservations are late.

There is a special kids club at the resort for kids to spend the day especially if you want a break or some alone time. They have outdoor activities and arcades as well as movie time for kids. My kids loved spending the time there. Also there is a water park area with a pirate ship close to the kids club. This is an additional cost (not included in the all inclusive package), if was a little secluded if you ask me, and not many people were there, but was a nice hang out place for a few hours

  

The beach water was nice and warm, only part that I didn’t like was the seaweed. I don’t like seaweed that’s washed up on shore, but once we were past that, the water was clear, blue and beautiful. We got some lively pictures from there, it was lovely. The dock was great too. It was nice to hang out at the end of the dock, and watch the boats go by smell the fresh air.

   

  

Saona Island

While in Punta Cana, we decided to do a full day excursion. After flipping some ideas around, we thought going to Saona Island would be fun. This was fantastic, definitely well worth the money and a day well spent. We absolutely love it. The trip there was on a speed boat, return was on a catamaran. You have a professional photography with you the whole time, and you will have the time of your life. We sure did.

On the way there we did the speed boat. They go half way to Saona Island and stop for people who want to Snorkle to allow them to Snorkle. I personally didn’t do it, but my husband and kids did. They said it was wonderful. They were surrounded by so many different kinds of fish in the water and the water was actually warm, not cold. After spending 30 minutes here, everyone got back on the boat and we moved on. Right before we arrived at Saona Island we stopped again, this time at the shallow turquoise waters. Here the water is literally Turquoise and not so deep. This was different. Here we actually got to see starfish and take pictures with them

  

Saona Island is perfect. You wouldn’t have seen anything like it. The sand is clean and white; the water is clear and blue. Fantastic spots to take pictures and as mentioned earlier they provide a professional photograph who actually take great pictures. I’m far from a model but have to say he took some great snaps.
​Hint: always try and negotiate on the price if you decide to buy their pictures. The island is lovely. They had great people who did great massages, which were very inexpensive. Even the kids got great massages, they loved it.

They provide a fantastic buffet lunch on the island, which was included in the cost of and I have to admit the food was pretty good. The photographer took some great clicks of us, that even though we weren't wanted to buy the pictures, they were so good, we just as too.

They had salsa lessons and performances from people working on the island. It was great entertainment. We had a lot of fun here, definitely worth it. There are some great opportunities for some wonderful photos even if you are not a model.

      

After a wonderful day on Saona Island, the trip back to Punta Cana was the highlight. The ride back on a Catamaran with so many people was so much fun. They served beer on the ride back with music and dancing. They had some great dancers who were awesome and danced with everyone and anyone. Kids had a ball too, they were so happy. The sun beat down on us it was beautiful. Great views of the ocean, with music, such a relaxing trip back to the land. We all had a wonderful time.

I definitely recommend this trip to anyone who is looking for a fun excursion to do from Punta Cana. It was lots of fun, and well worth it.

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New Zealand - The land of the big white cloud

Taken at Lake Wanaka

New Zealand is such a small country with so much to offer. It’s known as one of the most beautiful countries in the world, it’s a shame that so very few people have even heard of it. I'm talking about the country I am from and I call home. New Zealand.

Living in New Zealand, I never really appreciated the beauty I had around me every day. It was just the norm, but after being away for so many years, I realize what exactly I am missing.

While living in the US, I realized so many people had never really heard of New Zealand. It wasn't until the movies "Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit" came out that the awareness grew and the beauty that lay within was seen.

All pictures were taken in December (when it’s summer in NZ), so imagine how it would look in Winter if you love the snow.

Queenstown, New Zealand

     

Queenstown is a beautiful little town at the bottom of the South Island in New Zealand. As tiny as it is, it has so much to offer. It's nice and relaxing as well as full of energy and many outdoor activities. You can surely get your adrenaline rush here.

Compared to USA pricing is a little high for Food and Shopping, but the beauty of it is definitely worth it.​

Queenstown has many things to do. Its the place of beauty and adventure. You can go Bungy Jumping, do the Shotover Jetboating, go see the Lord of the Rings Grenorchy Safari, do a AJ Hackett Swing, Skydiving, Go up the Gondola and see a breathtaking view of Queenstown, or simply hang out in the little town, and eat, drink and be merry. There's also a wonderful Ice bar in town off the dock, that's definitely worth checking out. There is so much to do that the list could go on and on

Milford Sounds    

Milford Sounds is only 3.5 hrs away from Queenstown. There are many tours that go to Milford Sounds or you can hire a car and drive down yourself.

The view is amazing. Even growing up in New Zealand I had never seen anything so beautiful.
The drive to Milford Sounds was spectacular. There were fields of tall greenery and flowers, surrounded by mountains, low clouds and snow covering the mountaintops.

When you take a boat tour over the Lake Te Anau in Milford Sounds, you will see Waterfalls that are 1000 meters high as well as wildlife, living the life on the lake. Check out some more pictures below, to see exactly what we saw. Words are not enough to describe the beauty.

Wanaka

  

Wanaka is a little town about 1 hr away from Queenstown. We did a wonderful day trip there. The town was lovely, and fish and chips were great in this tiny mom and pop store right across the road from the lake. It was beautiful looking at the Snow top mountains in the distance over the lake.

Of course there is plenty to do there, besides the lake, town, beautiful parks. Bungy jumping, and sky diving there is amazing. There are also beautiful walking trails, bike trails and hiking, so if you’re an outdoor kind of person, this is definitely the place you want to be.