Best of the Best

Being a travel agent and one who is fortunate to travel a lot I get asked questions all the time, what is your favorite place, beach, all inclusive, island, etc. They are hard questions to answer.  Every place is different and offers something special. It's hard to find that one spot that has it all and that being said everyone has their own idea of what makes something the best or their favorite. I find my favorite spots or places are the ones that have left me with fond memories and experiences that have left a lasting impression.

Sitting on my patio in Punta Cana sipping a glass of wine George & I got into just this discussion, what was our favorite beach, the place we had the most fun, where were best sunset, most delicious meals. I thought it would be fun to put together a list of our favorites. These are based on our personal experience, likes, & dislikes. Love to hear feed back on some of your favorites.

The beach @Zoetry Agua #PuntaCana

When you are in resort there are 2 kinds of people those that love the pool and those who love the beach. Not to say they don't enjoy both but its where they spend the majority of time. 
I think of myself as a true beach girl, I spend most of my life trying to get to the beach and when there I never want to leave. I love everything about the beach, the sun, the water, the feel of my toes in the sand, the sound of the waves, palm trees swaying in the breeze, birds, you name it I love it.  In choosing a resort the beach is very important to me. When vacationing to a beach destination I spend most of my day in the ocean, so much so people have commented about the amount of time I am in the water. I have been asked if I am part fish.
 

Caoo Cave excursion in Punta Cana

One of the activities that is included when you stay at Zoetry Agua a excursion to Caoo Cave. 

You get picked up right at the resort & it is only for people staying at Zoetry. No long ride picking up other folks from other resorts with this excursion. The day we went there were 3 other couple which was perfect. 

   Willis was our tour guide and he is extremely knowledgeable in the history & people of the island. 

  First we are taken to a area to get a glimpse of how many people live in Dominican Republic. 

Having your own Butler Zoetry Agua #Punta Cana

 After spending a day on the beach we came back to our room to find a surprise gift from our butler, Willyn.
  

Palm trees made of chocolate. This was just one of the many surprises he had in store for during our stay.

 At first I was not sure what I needed a butler for but it nice having him check with us daily making sure everything was okay or if we were in need of anything, plus enjoying the little surprises.

Welcome home @ZoetryResorts #PuntaCana

"Welcome home," that is the greeting you receive as you step into the beautiful lobby of Zoetry Agua Punta Cana. You are entering a place of peace, relaxation, beauty, & luxury. The front desk quickly checks you in, while  you are offered a warm cloth which feels wonderful and a glass of champagne. 

We are next introduced to our butler for the week, Willyn. While taking us to our room he provides some information about the resort. 

Trip to Punta Cana @FlyFrontier

Last spring my agency, Wings Travel group along with Apple Vacations had a contest 2 free airline tickets for the agent with the most clients booked with Apple during a certain time frame. Thanks to my daughter and all the Penn State spring breakers I won 2 round trip tickets on Frontier to either Cancun or Punta Cana. Having been to Mexico many times and Punta Cana only once 10 years ago, Punta Cana it is. 

   Picking a resort wasn't easy since there are so many great ones to choose from. Having stayed at Zoerty in Rivera Maya and loved the whole experience that was my first choice.  Lucky they had a room available booking so close to departure. 

Air booked, Resort picked, and off we go. 

Frontier is a nice airline to fly. They offer a premium plus package for $25.00 giving you priority checkin, priority line at TSA, stretch seating in the front of the plane, a meal, & 2 free drinks. Just having the bigger seat is well worth it. The crew was very friendly & happy to help you.  I would fly them anytime. Great experience.

 

Breakfast

Dublin's Hop on Hop off Bus is a Great way to see the city

A wonderful way to get to know a city is taking a tour.  In many European cities they have the hop on hop off buses, Dublin being one of them. It allows you to sights see at your own pace which is exactly what I like. We got a 2 day pass which was great, hopping on and off at all the different pubs along the way it took us that long to do the whole loop, 23 stops.

Our first stop was just one stop after we got on for a beverage and a bit to eat at the Porterhouse.

The race to the top of Blarney Castle

Traveling with George is a bit like being on the amazing race. Not only on travel days does he have me racing through airports but many times our tours are like this. In Paris we went to Notre Dam Cathedral, where he walked in looked around for 1/2 a second and said "I'll be buying the postcard outside." But nothing compared to the race around the Louvre Museum. In his defense we did have limited time but it was crazy how fast he had me moving around the museum. It was a quick blur of art but I did see the Mona Lisa & ancient statue of Aphrodite, Venus de milo.

That brings me to our recent trip to Ireland and the Blarney Castle. Our tour group arrived first thing in the morning so for a few minutes we had the place to ourselves. We had a tour guide who talked to our group for just a few minutes about Blarney Castle, the history, and the gardens surrounding the castle.

Ireland

Last year when they announced that Penn State University would be playing their first football game in Ireland, I couldn’t think of a better reason than that to plan a trip around the game. Here we are now in Ireland with just a few Penn State Fans. 

The wait is over, baby Diamondback terrapins are now starting to hatch. #LBI #TerrapinNestingProject

The first nest was laid June 8, 2014 and typically the turtles start to hatch about 60 days later. It can be as long as 90 days but in years past its never been more than about 75 days. The temperatures this past summer have been very mild low 80's and high 70's along with a bit of rain making the nesting season a little longer then in years past.

Diamondback Terrapin's in #LBI #TerrapinNestingProject

During the months of June & July is the height of the nesting season for the Diamondback Terrapin's here in Long Beach Island, NJ. I enjoyed volunteering and learning about the terrapin's. My job was simple spot a turtle, follow it,

Terrapin Nesting Project #LBI

For the last couple of years I have been reading articles and following on facebook the Terrapin nesting project. They need volunteers to help and this summer I have the time to do just that. I went to the meeting where Kathy Lacey, the women who founded this project explained just what we needed to do. It seemed fairly simple, you walk up and down a few blocks of the island looking for the female turtle or as Kathy calls them the “girls” to come out of the Barnegat Bay to nest.

My first day I walked for an hour or so no turtles but it was a nice walk along the bay. There is a schedule of times but really it is when you have time. 

The second day I went with some family members and we did find 2 nests that had just been laid. One the eggs had already been eaten but the other had a few in it. We got to save 6 eggs.  

All good things come to an end - #BVI @CoolRunningsYot

There always comes a time when the vacation is over and its time to say good bye. Today is the day we have to leave this wonderful sailing life and go home. We take back with us so many wonderful memories. The Cool Runnings Catamaran was just perfect for our family. We felt at home and comfortable from the moment we arrived on board. Bambi and Geoff could not be more accommodating. We can not thank them enough for providing us with a carefree week of sailing, snorkeling, relaxing, and spending time together.


  There were so many highlights of our trip, swimming with turtles, snorkeling Monkey Point, dinner at Anegada, Mexican train, and of course every meal we had on board.

A day at the beach, White Bay Jost Van Dyke #BVI

Today was our last full day on Cool Runnings. The day started as most, coffee, a morning swim, snorkel, and a wonderful breakfast waiting for us once we were done, boy I am going to miss this.

After breakfast set sail for White Bay where we spent the day and night.

White Bay is another one of my favorite spots. It is just so beautiful here with the white sand and colors of the water.

Diamond Bay, Jost Van Dyke #BVI

One of the best parts of chartering your own yacht is the freedom you have to pick where you want to go and when, no itinerary is set in stone. You can wake up in the morning, decide where today's sail will be and where the night's anchorage will be. This is exactly what we did. After leaving Anegada our plans were to go to North sound Virgin Gorda and then on to Jost Van Dyke which would give us 2 long sails and only a half day at white bay. I really had hoped to have a full day there. At breakfast Geoff suggested we skip North Sound and head straight for Jost Van Dyke, stopping at a few places to snorkel giving us a full day at white bay on Saturday. Perfect. Our first stop was Monkey Point, which is an excellent place to snorkel and have lunch.

Bambi does not only cook wonderful meals but the table is always set so beautiful. It are these little touches that make each and very meal a dining experience.

From there we went to Sandy Spit, a tiny little island right off  Jost Van Dyke.

Snorkeling Monkey Point, Guana Island #BVI

One of our favorite spots to snorkel is Monkey Point, Guana Island.

 

 Here are just some of the many sites around Monkey Point

 There are just so many bait fish and large Tarpon swimming all around us.

A day in Anegada #BVI

Today we set sail for one of my favorite spots in the British Virgin Islands, Anegada.

What makes it one of my favorites is the color of the water that surrounds the island, the fresh lobster, the snorkeling, the simplicity of the island.

5 star dining on the Cool Runnings Catamaran #BVI

Spending a week on a yacht sailing around the many different coves is a great way to experience the many islands that make up British Virgin Islands. There is much to do and see that a week is not nearly enough. This is my 4th sail and even though I have been to some of the places before each time it's a totally new experience.
Choosing Cool Runnings with Captains Geoff & Bambi was an excellent choice for our family vacation.

A day snorkeling and relaxing on the Beach in the #BVI

Day 3 - Norman Island, Caves, Indians, & Peter Island

Waking up to the sounds of the gulls & feeling the breeze coming through the windows is a very peaceful way to start a day.

This morning we wanted to get a few snorkel spots in early so while we had our morning coffee Geoff moved the yacht to the Caves for a before breakfast snorkel.

Day 2 - St Johns to Norman Island, #BVI

Coffee followed by a morning snorkel is a wonderful way to start the day, which is just what we did. We snorkeled around Watermelon Cay and saw many different types of fish. Tori has wanted to see a turtle for a while now. We have done a lot of snorkeling on our trips but have yet to see a turtle. Today, that all changed, we saw two green sea turtles and got to swam along with them. It was amazing just watching them on the bottom eating and then coming up to take a breathe.

They swim so gracefully along  Tori was extremely happy swimming along with the turtles.

The British Virgin Islands aboard the Cool Runnings #BVI

For the next week we will be exploring the British Virgin Islands aboard the Cool Running's, a 45 ft catamaran. Upon arriving in St Thomas we took a short taxi ride to the marina where we were greeted by Geoff, who along with his wife Bambi captain & own the Cool Running's.

Once on board Bambi had a delicious lunch prepared for us, spicy chicken salad with grapes & apples. 

Look what arrived in today's mail -

The Drinking & Eating Guide to the B.V. I the 4th edition.

 Yes, it can only mean one thing it is time to set sail around the British Virgin Islands for this years family trip.

Dining around #BocasdelToro

There are many dining options in Bocas del Toro and most all of them come with a view. There are no chain restaurants or fast food of any sort. If you are staying in the town of Bocas most restaurants can be reach my walking or a by taxi which is only $1.00 per person to go most anywhere. To get to restaurants on other islands you go by water taxi. That is also true if you are staying on one of the other islands and want to eat in Bocas town. Water taxi’s range from $4.00 per person to $10.00 pp, at night.

Most restaurants offer what a basic meal, which is chicken, beef, or fish served with coconut rice & a vegetable or side salad. You can get this with either coconut curry sauce or creole style,onions and peppers  for about $7.00 - $9.00 depending on where you go. There are always daily specials as well. 

Some of the Nature around Red Frog

Red Frog Resort, Bastimentos Panama

Since we love the beach so much we wanted to spend the end of the stay at a beach location. In doing   some checking I found villas located at one of the best beaches here in bocas del Toro, red frog beach.

 The place is called red frog resort which is a bit deceiving calling it a resort as it is only villas at the moment. If you know that in advance which we did you will have no issues.

The villa they put us in is huge, on top of the hill with lovely view of the ocean & canopy below. We come to enjoy bird watching over the last couple of years making this perfect for us.

Monkey's and lots of them @redfrogbeach #bocasdeltoro

There are plenty of white-throated Capuchin monkeys in and around red frog beach.

We have seen a few everyday. We watched this group eating in the trees for about an hour. I just love watching them.