Euro Travel & More

Living Social and Beyond Boundaries Travel had a special deal for A 4-Day, 3-Night VIP Trip to Orlando Theme Parks for a Family of 4 – for $875.  This is for the Melia Orlando Suite Hotel at Celebration.  But wait a minute before you book – make sure you read the fine prints.  At first I too thought it was an excellent deal – but luckily I read the fine prints and found out that it was a per person rate and that you have to make good with your book before the end of February 2012.   So when a deal is too good to be true – it is usually not as good.  So make sure you read the fine prints before booking else I would have lost my money for nothing.  When there are so many kind of conditions to the special deal – it’s not such a special deal anymore.

Vouchers cannot be combined to extend stay • Reservations are required; subject to availability and must be made by February 28, 2012 • Not valid on existing reservations • Price is per person; rooms accommodate up to four people • This price is only valid when four people are in the one bedroom suite; voucher can be applied to the trip price for less than four people per suite • Additional fee applies for rooms under 4 people • For 3 people in a room it is an additional $60 per person; paid at booking • For 2 people in a room is is an additional $130 per person; paid at booking • For 1 person in a room is is an additional $350 per person; paid at booking • Taxes and fees are not included and will be collected at redemption • There will be no refunds once booking is made through Beyond Boundaries. Cancellation will result in being charged the full amount • Bookings subject to Beyond Boundaries Terms and Conditions • Airfare not included • All deal components must be redeemed during one stay and by one person • Disclaimer – Beyond Boundaries Travel and Living Social are not affiliated with Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling. This event has not been planned, approved, or licensed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling. Beyond Boundaries Travel do not claim or imply any rights to any Harry Potter intellectual property • HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR.(s12) Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2012 Universal Studios. All rights reserved. These themed tours are not official Harry Potter tours and are not endorsed, sanctioned or in any other way supported, directly or indirectly by Warner Bros. Entertainment, the Harry Potter book publishers and/or J.K.Rowling and her representatives and/or Universal Orlando.Downtown Disney is a trademark of The Walt Disney Company • Other conditions apply• PAID VALUE EXPIRES ON January 28, 2017 • PROMOTIONAL VALUE EXPIRES ON June 4, 2012

When a friend recommended this boutique hotel to us a few years ago, she told me that if you are thinking of partying and drinking – then this is not the place for you.  This place is about relaxation, yoga, healthy eating and lots of sun and the sea.  Children are not encouraged so i’ve heard.   The family cabanas has a kitchenette – so you can cook and bbq if you want, we choose an Ocean view room and it was lovely looking out watching the sun rise and set.  But let me warn you – not to expect too much – there is no cell phone connection nor a phone available for you to call but there is Wi-fi around – but it can get weird and slow at times.  No tv in the Cabanas too – so forget about bringing your xbox 360 with you.

For those looking to revitalize or re-kindle your relationship with your spouse or to find yourself – or direction – this is really a place for you.  The hotel staff leave you alone a lot of time – the maid does clean your rooms but only ever few days but if you needed anything extra – you can always contact the front desk.

Staying at the Azucar is like going back to basics – and if you want to enjoy this dream holiday – make sure you leave your work and home affairs well taken care of – for the duration of your stay there – because you will not be able to enjoy yourself – if you don’t.  This place is powered by Solar energy – pretty neat right? So if sometimes, the power goes off a few times during the day or night – don’t get too upset.  There is no air-con in the room – but there are ceiling fans in your cabanas.

To get to the hotel – it’s about 1.5hrs of driving and I strongly advised you to rent your own car at the airport.   There are  parking space around the hotel grounds – so no worries about that – because the night security will help you park your car if necessary.  there are no restaurants within the hotel – but food is within walking distance – and there are convenient stores nearby too – for you to fill up your fridge and temporary kitchen. Azucar is right in the middle of an Eco village – so like I said – do not expect a lot of high tech gadget – enjoy the sound of the waves – and talking to your partner and fall asleep in each others arms. And yes, there are bugs and mosquitoes – so if they are attracted to you – bring your wipes and repellent.

So it’s that time of the year again – where you see tons of Canadians flocking to the south to the warmer weather – and to our friendly neighbors in the south.  If you ever go to Cuba or Mexico – you would think that the entire population in Canada might have migrated there.  But hang on before you head for the airport with your tablet laptops and 3D cellphones  – what are the laws to bringing them on the airplane and crossing custom?

Like many travelers, we cannot travel without at least 1 of these gadgets – and I don’t blame you because we still need to keep in contact with the rest of the world/work even though we are on vacation.  So I found out a little more about traveling with electronics like cellphones, laptops, your favorite androids, your e-readers, gaming devices and digital cameras.  And it looks like we are all safe with that – all passengers can bring their personal electronics on board but make sure you check with your airline for its restrictions.  But most airlines prefer your carry them with you on the plane – so that they don’t have to be responsible for any damages/lost item.  But you still cannot use your electronic items when the plane takes off and land – so there you have it.  And going thru’ custom with them shouldn’t be a problem at all.   So those escaping the winter – and heading out south – have fun !

While some people say it’s a budget hotel – I didn’t really think it was – rooms were like $200 a night – so I don’t really think it’s budget hotel.  But it sure was pretty sleek looking and almost geeky like inside.

The staff very pretty nice and the hotel lobby and general area were kept clean – and overall it’s alright – but don’t expect any frills even though you paid so much for the hotel.  Now the plus – about Alma Barcelona is – it’s right in the middle of everything within walking distance – so the locality is great.  It seems like a pretty safe neighborhood to stay in and getting a cab is pretty easy and it’s not expensive like most people say about 10 euros. The shops around the hotels are all high end stuff so if you want to shop for more reasonable price stuff head out to Plaza Catalunya.

Modern looking room – clean and comfy and a bit futuristic looking as you can see.

A basic looking bathroom – but adequate.

This is the bar in the hotel but since there are many restaurants and cafes around the hotel, we usually choose to eat out instead of paying lots for the food here.  There is room service but I think they stop at 10pm if I am not wrong.  There isn’t a real concierge in this hotel – and the staff recommendation for restaurants wasn’t the most accurate. Overall, it’s a great place to stay for a few days – and if you are a single geeky male – this place is awesome – and if you are in for the location – great – but for that price – I think I prefer a more feminine hotel and that’s just my perspective – not kid friendly either.

I loved traveling as you all know – but I`m also worried when I travel that I might fall sick or worst – if the kid gets sick and everytime we do stay in a hotel that is dusty I get a very bad headache or migraine. Chronic headache is actually my greatest enemy when I am traveling  – therefore, I never leave home without my travel health kit – and I tell yer – I feel a lot safer when i have all my back up medication and anything that I might need in this travel health kit.   I take a small portion of whatever I need, from tylenol to band aid with me when i travel and of course medication for my headaches/migraine is a must and if I don’t get an attack, it will not go to waste, I can always use it on my next trip.  But of course, I do check for expiry dates and make sure I change them ever so often if I haven’t used them for the last 6 months.  So if you are traveling for vacation or work  – make sure you pack your health travel kit with you – for you never know when you might need it.

For someone who travels as much as I did before – you would be surprised at how much pictures I had printed out during the last 20 yrs of traveling.   20 yrs ago – I wished for a printer that I could carry around with me and print out pictures I liked or had taken with a friend or family members and share it with them immediately but alas, there was none.  As I looked at my Epson TM-T88V receipt printer today – I was thinking about how nice it would have been if I had a printer that was this small and prints as fast but in color.  Of course, they now have portable printers that are small and affordable now – but with digital cameras – one don’t really need to print out all the photos that you’ve taken during a vacation to find out which one is the best.  But it would still be very nice to have a small color printer like the Epson that I have for my store’s receipt printer to use for my holiday pictures.  I really like my Epson printer – it’s small – cheap and definitely ink friendly – now if only some manufacturer or designer can design a portable printer as small and lightweight as my Epson – I’m sure folks like us would love to have one too.

So it’s that time of the year again – where everyone is rushing to go on vacation or getting out of the cold weather into the warm.  Some of you might be going home for Christmas as well or visiting good friends in another continent.  But before you leave home with your kids especially if you are traveling with your kids – make sure you check if there is a nearby doctor or hospital and if you are staying in a hotel if there is an in-house doctor.  That’s what I do everytime I go on vacation with my kid – I remember how flustered I was when my kid had a temperature for days – and the nearest hospital was like an hour away.  Luckily the hospital was well – equipped with medical computer cart and all the medical equipments needed for x-ray and needles else I would be really devastated.   So before you go on your Christmas vacation, check if you can find medical help nearby where you are staying before leaving and take the number and address down – you never know what might come up during your vacation.

A friend who was heading up to Paris asked me where he should go eat – a must eat – in Paris and I recommended an outdoor cafe in Paris called the Au Petit Sud Quest – located at the  Avenue de la Bourdonnais.  If you can’t find your way there – check with your hotel concierge.   The prices range from $50 – $90 per person but it will be one of the best meal you’ve eaten anywhere.

What so special about this little outdoor cafe?  first you can sit indoors if you wished but I always choose to eat outside because of the beautiful scenery and all walks of people come by here.  The service is awesome and they have a very well stocked cellar in the cafe.  I loved the way they are so personable – while everyone says that in Paris – the french just don’t want to speak in other languages – but the owner of the cafe is very nice.  I speak very little french – but they were very kind to us. The best part was that they took time to explain to us about the dish and how it was cooked.  This place is about wine, duck and foie gras  and because I loved mushroom so much – they made a nice crepe with mushroom for me.  For dessert we had the creme brulee – what else!  so if you are headed out to Paris – check out this little cafe/restaurant.

Many years ago before I migrated to Canada – I used to do a lot of traveling for work – little did I know that when the spouse came to visit me in Asia – he too was not really having a vacation – he was traveling to find distributors and suppliers for his business.  Looking for gadgets, bearings , games and any electronic suppliers in Asia wasn’t easy at all, but we did walked the factory streets and went to the more remote factory distributors looking for them – not with a lot of success though.  I wasn’t prepared for all the walking that’s for sure – I was in heels, but if we were to travel for work now – it would be different altogether – for I would be wearing the best flats I can find.   So if we ever go on vacation with the spouse, you can be sure his interest is only to find distributors and suppliers for his work and not for pleasure.

We like resort as soon as we arrived, we were given a warm welcome by the front desk and shown to our rooms promptly.   Only minutes from the airport – this resort was managed by the Hilton group from what we’ve heard.  We had a whole strange of the Ocean view for watching the sunset and sunrise – additionally – there were restaurants, grill and a bar for those who wants to stay in the resort and relax.  About 10 minutes towards Kapaa, you can find beaches you can swim in – so don’t be disappointed that you don’t find one in the resort itself.

We loved the pool and since we didn’t have any kids with us – we were able to sun tan as long as we want.

Beautiful palm trees and lots of greens.

Waterfall by the pool.

Hot tubs and gym were available here – and they weren’t even crowded.

We took morning laps here before breakfast.

The rooms were nice and clean and unlike some resorts in Hawaii – this one is carpeted – I don’t like the ceramic flooring.  A free shuttle service is offered by the resort to the surrounding shopping center – and if you want to drive around the island you can – it’s pretty easy to get around. Parking was a wee bit expensive for a resort – but oh well, it’s better to have our own car since we like to venture out and check out the island.  Live music in the bar for you to end the evening and retire to bed.