A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

[manurespreader]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

A couple of items for those that might be going overseas. Your passport is valuable on the black market. Be careful with it, and make a photo copy of the first page with your picture and keep that copy separate from the rest of your documents. then if it gets stolen, you can go to the American counsel and get a new one quite quick. this is important at times.

second,
second make sure someone knows where you are going to be and put contact information inside your bags.

Third, if you go to Holland. a coffee shop is where you go to buy weed, not coffee or food. A cafe is where you go to actually eat.

If you go to Greece, sometimes the cabs do not tell you how much they charge and it's kind of more than you thought when you get there. Get the hotel guys to find you a cab and negotiate the fare for you ahead of time.
Also if you rent a car in Greece, the gas stations out in the rural areas often do not take credit cards. chip kind or otherwise.

The biggest crime in Europe is pick pockets. it's worst in crowed places. the Agora shops in Athens, the subway in Amsterdam, London, Paris, anywhere in Naples. you get the picture. Also if you like art, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is fabulous.

[goldy_331]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

A couple of items for those that might be going overseas. Your passport is valuable on the black market. Be careful with it, and make a photo copy of the first page with your picture and keep that copy separate from the rest of your documents. then if it gets stolen, you can go to the American counsel and get a new one quite quick. this is important at times.

second,
second make sure someone knows where you are going to be and put contact information inside your bags.

Third, if you go to Holland. a coffee shop is where you go to buy weed, not coffee or food. A cafe is where you go to actually eat.

If you go to Greece, sometimes the cabs do not tell you how much they charge and it's kind of more than you thought when you get there. Get the hotel guys to find you a cab and negotiate the fare for you ahead of time.
Also if you rent a car in Greece, the gas stations out in the rural areas often do not take credit cards. chip kind or otherwise.

The biggest crime in Europe is pick pockets. it's worst in crowed places. the Agora shops in Athens, the subway in Amsterdam, London, Paris, anywhere in Naples. you get the picture. Also if you like art, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is fabulous.

So where were you when your passport got picked out of your pocket? Sorry that it happened. Did you at least get some good weed?

[Biddco]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Wife and I planning on taking our very belated Honeymoon to Juneau, AK. Any tips or suggestions? We are hoping to do whale watching and take the plane to the Taku Glacier Lodge. Our Lonely Island book is a big help but wondering if anyone here has some first hand experiences.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Well, after a lot of searching and several locales seemingly being the choice, we have decided on St. Lucia. Of all the places I looked at - and I looked at literally every single island in the Caribbean - I kept coming back to St. Lucia.

Had a conference call with the fam tonight and now it's just a matter of choosing the rooms and paying the deposit. Will be staying at Anse Chastanet which is right near the Pitons (with a view of them!!!) and right on a marine preserve.

It's a 600 acre property with a few restaurants, two bays/beaches, a spa, onsite dive shop, quality snorkeling from the beaches, private mountain bike trails and private hiking trails.

This resort was one of my first choices, but I thought the price tag would scare some off. To my surprise (and delight), everyone is on board and excited.

Just under a year away!


Just under a year away... sigh.

[Biddco]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Well, after a lot of searching and several locales seemingly being the choice, we have decided on St. Lucia. Of all the places I looked at - and I looked at literally every single island in the Caribbean - I kept coming back to St. Lucia.

Had a conference call with the fam tonight and now it's just a matter of choosing the rooms and paying the deposit. Will be staying at Anse Chastanet which is right near the Pitons (with a view of them!!!) and right on a marine preserve.

It's a 600 acre property with a few restaurants, two bays/beaches, a spa, onsite dive shop, quality snorkeling from the beaches, private mountain bike trails and private hiking trails.

This resort was one of my first choices, but I thought the price tag would scare some off. To my surprise (and delight), everyone is on board and excited.

Just under a year away!


Just under a year away... sigh.

That's a long time to plan a trip.

Although we are already planning a trip because we wanted to do a tropical trip during the winter but it didn't work out. Our next time will do that.

[jmh]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Well, after a lot of searching and several locales seemingly being the choice, we have decided on St. Lucia. Of all the places I looked at - and I looked at literally every single island in the Caribbean - I kept coming back to St. Lucia.

Had a conference call with the fam tonight and now it's just a matter of choosing the rooms and paying the deposit. Will be staying at Anse Chastanet which is right near the Pitons (with a view of them!!!) and right on a marine preserve.

It's a 600 acre property with a few restaurants, two bays/beaches, a spa, onsite dive shop, quality snorkeling from the beaches, private mountain bike trails and private hiking trails.

This resort was one of my first choices, but I thought the price tag would scare some off. To my surprise (and delight), everyone is on board and excited.

Just under a year away!


Just under a year away... sigh.

Fantastic choice! The Pitons are truly breathtaking. I have plenty more to add if you're curious.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Fantastic choice! The Pitons are truly breathtaking. I have plenty more to add if you're curious.

Yes please!

Deposit made yesterday (half )... we're really going!


My push for this place was so that we'd have a view of the Pitons every day instead of maybe seeing them one day on an excursion. In addition, the best snorkeling is right at our resort and the best diving is in the vicinity (reportedly-multiple sources on both).

Like I said, was looking at this place from the start (3-4 months ago). Very pleased that everyone was/is on board.

[jmh]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Yes please!

Deposit made yesterday (half )... we're really going!


My push for this place was so that we'd have a view of the Pitons every day instead of maybe seeing them one day on an excursion. In addition, the best snorkeling is right at our resort and the best diving is in the vicinity (reportedly-multiple sources on both).

Like I said, was looking at this place from the start (3-4 months ago). Very pleased that everyone was/is on board.

Awesome. OK, so a couple of thoughts...

I'm not sure why this is the case, but all beaches on St. Lucia, even those that "belong" to specific resorts, are open to the public. This being the case, for a cool different angle on the Pitons, I recommend the beach in Pitons Bay at the Viceroy Sugar Beach. The first hotel we stayed at (we split our stay between two) was up in the hills and didn't have its own beach but provided a shuttle down to this one, and the location is awesome. It's between the Pitons, practically right at the base of Petit Piton, and the view looking upward is really cool. The hotel staff will try to get you to pay to use a fancy beach chair, which you can if you feel like it of course, but it's quite lovely if you just throw a towel down on the sand too. They also have a beach bar that I would describe as "good enough," though the drinks probably aren't as good as what you make for yourself.

The mud bath at Sulphur Springs is cool too. It's literally a drive-in volcano. I don't know if the mud bath actually makes your skin any better but it was a fun experience. If you're going to do it, pack crappy clothes that you don't mind getting ruined because that stuff stains. If your hotel offers it as a tour or spa, go with them; the water gets really hot and it's maybe not safe to explore by yourself.

Reiterating what I said upthread, go to Hotel Chocolat and do their plantation tour and chocolate making experience. It's educational and a lot of fun. The way ours was set up, the tour was in the late morning and while we were waiting for our self-made chocolate bars to set, we had lunch in their restaurant, which we also liked a lot. They put chocolate in EVERYTHING. So, I guess, not a great pick if you don't like chocolate, but if you do...

Let me think about it. I'm sure there's more.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Thanks!

We looked at Sugar beach. I think we might even be able to gat a water taxi to their beach. Definitely want to see that view.

I believe the mud baths are right near where we are staying and I've never seen anything that is active in a volcanic sense, so that's a sure thing. Resort has guided excursions.

I'll look into Hotel Chocolat.


This is the fun part after the stress of trying to make a good decision choosing a place.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Oh yeah, gonna hit Disney for a couple of days on the way down. One last time for the younger boy although the teen is excited for some of it too.

Truth told... so am I. LOVE Disney and the illusion they create.


Drive to Miami from there to catch our plane to St. Lucia.

[Greyeagle]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Oh yeah, gonna hit Disney for a couple of days on the way down. One last time for the younger boy although the teen is excited for some of it too.

Truth told... so am I. LOVE Disney and the illusion they create.

Disney is great; you walk in, give them your credit card, and tell them to take what they want.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Disney is great; you walk in, give them your credit card, and tell them to take what they want.

Yeah, but when the boys were younger, there wasn't much better than walking around those parks with them on your shoulders.


Might look awkward now though...

[JuveGG24]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

I just spend 5 nights on the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica. We stayed in Santa Teresa, which is a expat surfer hangout. Beautiful beaches, really good food (maybe not too authentic, but embracing the wonderful seafood available), and because it's all stoned surfers a very chill attitude. I didn't want to leave and can't wait to go back.

[huskyfan]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Yes please!

Deposit made yesterday (half )... we're really going!


My push for this place was so that we'd have a view of the Pitons every day instead of maybe seeing them one day on an excursion. In addition, the best snorkeling is right at our resort and the best diving is in the vicinity (reportedly-multiple sources on both).

Like I said, was looking at this place from the start (3-4 months ago). Very pleased that everyone was/is on board.

from what I've heard you'll not be disappointed. everyone I know who has been there raves about it. looks pretty from the air.

[manurespreader]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Any one been to Lisbon? Looking at going in July.