Recommendations for Beach Vacations in 2014

One of my favorite things to do is to travel, so I thought I'd post some suggestions for this year based on my past travel experiences.  I also want to include some tips for the different destinations I've been to.


SAINT LUCIA: I'll start with my absolute favorite!  While traveling is one of my passions, I normal do not like to visit the same place twice.  I feel like it's a waste of travel resources...just my personal opinion.  There's so much to see, I just like to take the opportunity to venture out to see places that I've not seen before.  Even though I normally don't visit a place twice, I did visit Saint Lucia twice.  What a beautiful Island.  My recommendation for accommodations is the beautiful Bay Gardens Resort  Bay Gardens Resort.  It's located in Rodney Bay, right in the Tourist Village.  The resort is right on the beach, and you could literally walk to shopping, restaurants, night life, and just about anything else you might be looking for.  They even have a yoga studio there and quite a few salons for various beauty treatments.  I remember having my locks washed while I was there at a nearby salon.


ACAPULCO, MEXICO: Another one of my favorites, and I have many, is Acapulco, Mexico.  While I was in Acapulco, there was an earthquake that measured at 6.9 on the rector scale, and my cousin and I came out unscathed!  We stayed in the Fairmont Acapulco Princess.

 
This hotel/resort includes two towers that I'm pretty sure I heard were modeled after the pyramids in Mexico City.  One word of caution, this resort did not have coffee makers in the rooms :)  You had to actually go downstairs to the "cafe" to get coffee in the morning, or have some at the breakfast buffet.

If you play golf, there's actually a golf course directly across the street/road from the resort.  Also want to point out that these twin towers are built to withstand an earthquake of up to 9.0.


PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: If you are one of those people who could do without all of the hustle and bustle while on a vacation, and you'd rather relax and do things that are easily accessible, you would love Bahia Principe Resorts. 



This resort is an all inclusive resort that is like it's own magnificent city!  There was a train-style trolly car that you could take around the premises because the grounds were so huge. I had a couple of spa treatments that were excellent - they had more than one spa on the premises.  There's also more than one gym on the grounds, and about 5 or 6 different pools.  There was a choice of about 10+ different restaurants, and most of them were included in the all inclusive package.
You could make reservations at a different one each night.  And if you didn't feel like having dinner at a restaurant (there was a dress code at most of them), then there were round the clock buffets in several different locations.  In spite of my efforts not to gain any weight on the 5 day vacation I took to this destination (I worked out every single day first thing in the morning), I still gained 5 pounds.  I was pretty good with food and portions, but I think it was all the drinks :)




 SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:  OK, when I visited Santo Domingo, I did so on a shoe string budget.  So the experience was a little different than when I went to Punta Cana.  Here, I stayed in a small resort in the inner city called the   Acuarium Resort , but it wasn't a bad experience. We actually stayed in a condo with a full kitchen, etc.  and the supermarket was right down the road.

Even though this resort is not right on the beach, they provided a daily shuttle free of charge that would take guests to Boca Chica, the local beach at about 10am, and then come back and pick them up for the return trip at about 5pm.   At this resort, you want to be careful walking around the area, and be sure to take taxis if you have to go to the supermarket or anywhere else.  Also, directly across the street was a house where the prostitutes worked, but we had already done our research in advance and we knew about that.  I traveled with other adults so it wasn't really an issue, as long as we knew to stay away lol.  There were really no disruptions or problems during our stay, and many others on Tripadvisor had reviewed it saying the same thing.  However, if you are traveling with children, this is probably not a good choice.


PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS:  This was another trip on a shoe string budget, but it was a nice, relaxing trip.  I stayed in a small hotel called the Ports of Call Resort , but it actually used to be a Comfort Suites and was under the Choice Privileges Rewards Program.  Since I traveled there, they have now become independent and are no longer associated with the program.

This hotel, though not directly on the beach, is literally a 5 minute walk away from the beach, and they have the rights to beach access for their guests.  Something really great you want to keep in mind, they have a gourmet market right across the street that is very similar to a Whole Foods.  They even sell wine at this market....some good wines!!


 At the time I stayed there I had recently started my journey of eating well and working out so that market was a Godsend.  Also, there's a gym, The Athletic Club where you can purchase a day pass to do yoga, work out and enjoy all kinds of other classes and activities for the day.

So these are just a few of my favorite destinations, but I have many more in my travel portfolio...Freeport, Bahamas...Montego Bay, Jamaica....Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Please feel free to post comments or ask any questions that you may have about any of these destinations I've posted.

Setting the Table for Your Dining Experience

Often times, when I'm planning dinner parties, I am asked about how the table should be set for a semi-formal dinner. So this blog is dedicated to setting the table.

Here's how to set the table for a semi-formal event, and I'm saying semi-formal because this post will not include certain peices, such as the fruit fork, the fish knife, or the champagne and sherry glasses:

• The dinner plate (sometimes referred to as the service plate) should be placed directly in front of the guest
• The soup bowl is placed on top of the dinner plate
• The bread and butter plate is placed at the 10:00 position
• The butter knife is placed on top of the bread and butter plate, slightly diagnal at the 11:00 position
• The water glass should be located at the 1:00 position
• The wine goblet should be just below and to the right of the water glass
• The dessert fork is placed above the dinner plate in the horizontal position
• The dessert spoon is placed above the dessert fork in the opposite direction
• The dinner knife belongs to the right of the dinner plate, with the cutting edge toward the dinner plate
• The soup spoon belongs to the right of the dinner knife
• If serving shellfish, the oyster fork belongs to the right of the soup spoon
• The dinner fork is placed to the left of the dinner plate, and the salad fork to the left of the dinner fork
• The napkins should be ironed to ensure that there are no wrinkles in them, folded (see instructions below on how to fold), and placed inside the wine glass or on the dinner plate using a napkin ring.

 
Note: The attached photo inclcudes a few additional items that I have not used in this posting.

Folding the Napkin:
Goblet Fan (to be placed inside the wine goblet): Fold napkin in half. Pleat napkin from top to bottom. Fold the napkin back 1/3 of the way on right (folded) end and place into goblet. Spread the pleats out at the top.



Basic Napkin Ring (to be placed on the dinner plate: Lay the napkin flat on the table and pick it up at its center. Once you are holding the napkin at the center point, allow all points to fall into place naturally. Insert the tip of the napkin into a ring and adjust if necessary. Lay the napkin on a dinner plate.

A note about wine glasses
On ocassion, a client may ask me about the difference between a red wine glass and a white wine glass.

The white wine glass has a smaller opening (and has a longer slimmer look) because white wine is served chilled. The smaller opening is designed to keep the wine cool.

The red wine glass is round and full with a large opening, allowing the wine to breathe, in order to create a fuller taste.

I hope this post inspires you to start planning your next dinner party. Eat, drink, and be happy (-: