This was our first time at a Rui resort, and I must say we were very happy
We stayed at the Rui Lupita in Playacar which was a 20 min walk into Playa del Carmen's 5th Ave.
Upon arrival at the Rui we were greeted with a Welcome beverage and a most friendly staff
Check in was quick.
Our room was behind the restaurant, and next to where the cleaning staff have their supplies.
We were a little unsure wondering about noise, but turned out to be a great location.
We were close to the buffet restaurant, and the al la carte, along with the pool, pool bar an a minute to the lobby.
The room was very clean, the fridge was stocked on a daily basis, I think it was only to be every second day.
Full bar in our room which we didn't use.
Being a smaller resort you had the opportunity to know the entertainment staff and your servers.
The service was great, never did we have a want. once we would sit for dinner someone was at our table
to greet us and take our beverage order. Very attentive.
At the Rui resorts you have the opportunity to take in breakfast and lunch at three other Rui resorts to which we did enjoy.
Dinner was at your own home resort.
There was never a day were there was something missing at dinner.
Two soups, great salad bar, pasta bar, Mexican bar, and endless other dishes, and a dessert bar. Food was very good. Maybe too good.
Every evening they featured a different theme, Asian nite meant sushi...I was in heaven.
This resort is on the golf course, but they shuttle you to the beach club which was a 5 min ride.
They only had one bar which was the pool bar, but was more then adequate. Enjoyed Spanish coffee's in the evening
with an amazing show of making the beverage.
We really enjoyed our stay at the Rui Lupita and wouldn't hesitate on going back.
Thanks again Marlene.
Gerry & Diana
- Diana & Gerry
Marlene,
This is a winner…
Lovely spot, unique accommodations and absolutely spotless. We came back totally relaxed.
The buffet meals were good and the specialty restaurant was thoroughly enjoyable. It was a pleasure to have a decent Chilean wine not only served but served properly.
This one you can definitely recommend.
While some people may want to stay right on the beach, it is no big deal to walk 2 minutes (and cross the street while one of the resort staff stops traffic!) to a lovely beach, where an attendant will place lounge chairs where you want them. This was our first ‘all-in’ where we did not have to fight for chairs. Beach grill and the bar are excellent.
Staff is friendly and outgoing, and make you feel welcome
- Harry & Maureen
Thanks so much Marlene for booking our trip to the Grand Sunset Princess! Before I located your contact information, I had contacted another travel agent to ask about booking our trip. She said that she wasn't sure she could get what we wanted and be within our budget. It took her days to get back to us and she gave us very little in the way of results. When we contacted you, you were very willing to work within our budget and had results for us within a couple of hours! You really worked with us to get what we wanted and in such a timely fashion. We really appreciated that! We had a wonderful time on our trip and the resort was absolutely stunning! We were there only a few months after the explosion, but everything was perfect. The grounds were stunning and I have never seen a cleaner hotel! There were always workers cleaning windows and floors. Our room was confortable and the staff brought us a crib for our daughter very quickly after we checked in and the room had plenty of room for that. We enjoyed the pool and how it weaved in and out through the grounds of the hotel with some noisy areas with activities and then some very quiet areas. Our 10 month old loved watching all of the people in the busy areas and also enjoyed having her own space and being able to play in and around the pool in the quiet spots. There were many restaurants to choose from and we did not get a chance to eat at all of them. The food was good, but not spectacular. I think that would be the only thing we would want the hotel to improve upon. Thanks again for helping us choose this resort! We had an amazing family vacation!
Jen, Roman and Natasia
- Jen, Roman & Natasia
Hi Marlene –
Just wanted to let you know that we made it home safe and sound – barely … the hike in KAUAI was quite dangerous!!! Will be sure to forward on some of the beautiful photos. We had such an incredible time! We can’t thank you enough for once again taking such great care of us. The flights were perfect and the free hotel was beyond expectation.
You’re the best!
- Randy & Melissa
Hi Marlene,
Well we are back now one week and I am ready to go back to the ROYAL SUITES (PUERTO VALLARTA).
Have to tell you the place is beautiful, not too big just the right size. They have a mini zoo there and its just great.
When we arrived we got to our room to find out they gave us two double beds, well Gerry wasn't too happy, we called the front lobby but none were available to maybe the next day. We didn't unpack instead we went for lunch then back to the lobby to inquire. They were very good and said they were sorry, but could offer us an upgrade for $70.00 a day to go to the Royal Suites. We went over to see them and fell in love. So we upgraded. The Royal Suites part was amazing. Hue room, full bar, fridge was full at all times. Jacuzzi tub, separate shower, a butler to accommodate your needs. Private pool, bar and al a carte restaurant. Food was amazing, and the staff was great.
Staying at the Royal Suite sure spoilt us, having all these extra luxuries. We would definately go back to this resort and stay in the Royal Suites.
Even when we went to Bucerious (the town) the taxi from the resort stayed until we did our shopping so we didn't have to get another taxi to get back to the hotel. We thought this was amazing.
We can't say enough about this resort.
Again, Thanks
We are so glad that we found this deal on TPI
- Diana & Jerry
Thank you Marlene, for arranging our great vacation to BARBADOS this
past February. The Accra Beach Resort (Rockley Beach area) was
wonderful- we had a very nice oceanfront room. Beautiful beach, with
a great boardwalk just down from our hotel.
We didn't purchase any of the meal plans (expensive), but there were
plenty of restaurants within walking distance or a short bus ride.
The local people were friendly and helpful. The weather was
consistently sunny & warm all week: 29C during the day,
22C at night. We had some rain on a couple of days, but the downpour
only lasted about 10 minutes. There are many things to do and see on
this beautiful island. We met many repeat travelers to Barbados.
Thank you for all your help and for your fast, reliable and efficient
customer service. Your work ethic is astounding!
Debra & Andrew M.
- Debra
Aloha!
We're back from our trip to Hawaii. We were happy with our United Airlines flight. There were no delays and the flights were bang on time and our luggage wasn't lost which was nice. We have heard of some lost baggage and delays lately with Air Canada flights.
We were pleased with the Marriot hotel as well. They have extra perks which we appreciated. Courtesy freezies at the poolside, free use of their massage chairs, we were also able to store our luggage in their lockers on our last day after check out. At the end of the day we were given access to their courtesy hotel room for 1 hour where we could have a shower and freshen up before our flight home, that was a nice feature. Good hotel.
Our trip was nice. One week wouldn't have been long enough so we were glad with the 14 days. The first week it rained for 4 days but we did have some nice weather. I enjoyed seeing all the trees, hedges and shrubs in bloom. Just the vastness of the trees is something to see. Majestic! Anyway, we got back Friday afternoon and we're still adjusting our bodies back to a routine. Still tired!
Thanks again,
Tracey P
- Tracey P
In January, 2010, after years of dreaming of a trip to ISRAEL my husband and I at long last made this dream our reality. Since we considered ourselves to be savvy travelers we had decided to plan a self-guided adventure rather than be part of a tour. Two sources of information which we found extremely useful were our HP Netbook, which allowed us to easily access info from the Internet and a copy of DK Eye Witness Jerusalem.
We flew Al Italia from Toronto to Rome and there switched planes, and flew on to Ben Gurion Airport. We spent a phenomenal month living in and touring Israel. We stayed in privately owned condos. For 3 weeks we resided in Jerusalem on the very same street as the Israel Prime Minister and then another 9 days in Tel Aviv near Dizengoff and Ben Yehuda Streets. We took two day trips with Ben Herim Tours, first to Massada and the Dead Sea, and the second one from Tel Aviv to the Rosh Hanikra at Lebanon – Israel border, stopping in Caesarea, Haifa, and Acco. Our third trip was by Egged bus from Jerusalem, to the resort city of Eilat. We stayed there for 2 nights and did a day trip to Petra, Jordan.
At first, when we journeyed through Jerusalem we travelled by taxis, but as we became more comfortable and familiar with the city we would take public buses, and walk, as much as we were able to. We explored the 4 quarters of the Old City, journeyed up and down the Via Dolorosa, stood in the square outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, walked through the Cardo and along the rooftops of the Jewish Old Quarter. We were able to explore many of the delightful neighbouring areas outside the Old City such as Yemin Moshe, Nachlaot, Me’a She’arim, Ben Yehuda Market, King George Street with the famous YMCA building and Kind David Hotel, and the German Colony area.
In Jerusalem we toured the Knesset, the Western Wall and the Tunnels below, Yad Vashem, the Israel Museum, the Menacham Begin Museum, went to the top of Mount of Olives, and walked down past the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of Mary Magdalene. It is at the peak of Mount of Olives that we truly understood why Jerusalem is called Jerusalem of Gold. We shopped for prepared food in the local supermarkets and fresh food at the Mahane Yehuda market (souk) and shopped for souvenirs at Mamilla Mall, to mention just a few.
In Tel Aviv we spent an afternoon at the Palmach Museum, toured the Diaspora Museum, wandered up and down beautiful Rothschild Blvd. explored old Jaffa, strolled down the Promenade which borders the beautiful white beaches of Tel aviv.
In each of the major cities we rode the free city tour buses, round and round in order to get a sense of what treasures each city had to offerl
We never encountered difficulties with only being able to speak English. Israelis that we met were always helpful. No where was our safety was a concern. We had the most wonderful exciting time and thus created memories for a life time.
We have produced our own DVD which showcases our adventures in Israel, Jordan and Rome. We have included titles and text, Please feel free to ask Marlene Kosowan if you wish to view it.
- Judith & Jack L
Hi Marlene,
I've been meaning to write to thank you for the wonderful trip you arranged for us. We had a terrific time in Ireland and Spain, and the train from Madrid to Barcelona was amazing - so fast and efficient.
It seems my feet haven't hit the ground since I returned, but I will try to get you some of the pirctures.
The hotel in Madrid was fine - a little bit distant from the downtown area, and not too many restaurants around, but Pat & I found the Metro station only 2 blocks away, and made great use of it. We went to the Sunday "Opera Brunch" at the Palace Hotel - really worth recommending to your clients, if they enjoy opera and great food. A bit pricey at around 75 euro per person, but we thought it was a terrific end to our stay and a wonderful treat. The Prado was amazing, and we enjoyed the hop-on, hop-off busses - took them 2 days in Madrid.
Barcelona was by far my favourite. I would happily recommend the Astoria - a lovely little place, close to the "Diagonal" and within walking distance of the hop -n-hop off bus line. It has a very nice rooftop patio with a tiny pool (more like a grecian bath!), which was a great place to relax and grab a half hour of sun at the end of our day. Around the corner, the street is closed off, and there were 2 very nice restaurants. We quickly found a favourite and had most of our meals there.
We toured the Sagrada Familia, the Batllo, the Music Palace, the Roman ruins underground, the Cathedral in the Gothic distric, walked La Rambla, saw the Picasso Museum and walked the beach, just so I could say I had my feet in the Mediterranean!
A great trip!
Thanks again,
Carol
- Carol
Just a quick update on the vacation at the Iberostar Beach resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica:
This is a fabulous resort! Only 2 years old, it is obviously spotless and beautifully maintained.
Beautiful beach and pools.
The restaurants alone are worth the cost of going there – we ate at the Japanese and steakhouse restaurants as well as the buffet, which changes its’ items daily. Imagine my eyes (not to mention my tastebuds) when you walk into the buffet and you can choose fantastic smoked salmon to start your meal! The bars serve premium brands of liquor and the Spanish wine is not shabby.
For those who are concerned about security – all 3 properties, the Grand, Suites and Beach, are accessed by one main gate off the highway, so this is very safe.
Thanks for suggesting this. We will do this again next year.
Cheers,
Harry
- Harry & Maureen G
Once again we thank you for putting Vancouver & Cuba trips together for us.
Vancouver was a blast .
Going to Cuba by Sunwing was great. A great meal and good seat roominess.
Although the weather was windy and cold, we still had a great time. I recommend to your clients, that a 5 star hotel is the best way to go. We heard stories about the 3 and 4 star hotels were terrible
I also recommend this hotel. but not for a handicap or person who cannot walk. The Marina is a hotel that spans 2 kilometers and walking can be a problem. Great people,great food,great rooms and a great travel agent like you.
Thanks Marlene for your support and fast action to make a great holiday.
- James & Jeannette
We stayed at the Palladium Vallarta in early January 2009 and loved it. We did not take our kids and it turned out to be a fabulous place to go and get away.
Service was excellent, weather was perfect at +30 everyday, water was great, tour options were lots of fun, flights were all on time. Everything was just great. We could watch the hump back whales from the adult pool at the hotel almost everyday! Restaurants were excellent at the resort. Portofino was by far my favourite and I HIGHLY recommend anyone staying at the Palladium to go to the Beach Barbecue which was amazing!! All in all it was a great retreat for us. The line-ups for the restaurants can be long, but you are on vacation so what else are you doing? It is a huge resort so some people needed to relax about how fast the staff could clear tables during the dinner rush. We thought everything was just perfect for us but we were just happy to be gone. Best to get a beach chair in the morning or else you’ll be out of luck for the whole day. The entertainment nightly was great, always lots of fun. We wandered up and down the beaches to collect sea shells and even THAT was excellent. I emailed kids everyday and although dial-up is slow and tedious it was nice to have the option, although I may take a laptop on any future vacations! I had one day when the internet wouldn’t work and it wasted almost all of my paid time trying to load and the front desk simply replaced my time card with a new one. I would recommend everyone learn a little spanish, even if it is just to say hello. They really liked laughing at our attempts to master it. Leaving $2 tip on your pillow every morning ensured extra care to your room and extra water in your fridge!! This was great because it was HOT outside. And the staff appreciate it as they don’t make much. I suppose the only things to remember is 4.5 stars in Mexico is really about 3 to us and life is way more laid back there so you just need to go with the flow of things. I recommend a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your beach bag. You never know what you are touching and you do not always have time to go wash your hands. Do money exchange before you get to the hotel. They will do it at the hotel as well, but the rate is NOT good. It is a convenience thing.
The resort is only a 15 minute bus ride ($1 per person) to Bucerias and they have an awesome flee market and we enjoyed spending the entire day there shopping and eating and just wandering around. We also did a boat tour of Bandaras Bay and saw the whales up close and saw some amazing marine life snorkelling! Didn’t care for the food on that boat trip but it was the ONLY downside.
I would not recommend the hotel to anyone with disabilities or even small kids as there's a lot of walking to do, but for couples or older kids it was perfect. Those wanting close shopping and do not want to use taxis or the bus should not stay either as it is "out of the way" which is why we picked it.
Thanks again Marlene for a wonderful vacation.
- Dave & Renae
Hi Marlene.
Olly & Ernie here, on our return from a most wonderful visit to your lovely Canada.
It started as a complete nightmare as our 4th member Phil collapsed as we were about to book our cases in at the airport, and had to be taken to hospital. Luckily, we had a nephew who lived a short distance away and he met up with him at the hospital to keep us informed.
Eventually, the Dr advised him not to travel. After frantic phone calls to family members, we 3 were virtually ordered to take the flight as planned.
On our arrival at Vancouver, we spoke to Marlene on the phone, who said that she would notify all 8 hotels of our predicaments plus cancelling his cruise tickets. Which meant that we were able to sit back and chill out. and start our holiday the next day in earnest.
Each one of the hotels, which were recommended to us, and booked by Marlene, gave us first class treatment. The Pan Pacific at Whistler even upgraded us to the Penthouse Suite, which was out of this world.
Our second week of four was spent on board the Celebrity Mercury to Alaska. It was a most memorable experience from start to finish, again made perfect by the free upgrades which Marlene negotiated for us. We cannot thank Marlene enough for all her help and guidance. First of all, in the pre-planning and also the aftercare. We have a lot to thank her for.
The trip itself started in Vancouver and the Island for the first week, followed by the cruise, and the third and forth week was travelling to Banff via Whistler, to Clearwater and Jasper. From there we drove down to Lake Louise and Banff, and then to Calgary Airport for our return. A good time was had by all.
Regards. Olly, Ernie and Joan. UK.
- Olly, Ernie & Joan, U.K.
Marlene:- Just wanted to let you know the trip to Jamaica was excellent!
The resort (Sandals) was top notch, the people and the service fantastic, and the food superb!
Sandals Negril sure knows how to make you feel spoiled.
Thank you for a wonderful vacation, I would recommend it to anyone.
Debbie & John
Red Deer, AB.
- Debbie & John
Hi Marlene,
I had a wonderful time at the Decameron los Cocos in Rincon de Guayabitos.
Thanks.
Dave
-
Hi Marlene!!!! I would like to thank you so much for helping us find a great place to holiday in Mexico. The resort was amazing!!!! The Palladium Vallarta is a very beautiful place with lots to do. Weather was great and everything was top notch. We got to do our ceremony on Thursday afternoon. We did it on our own with some new friends we made at the resort, it was perfect!!!! Thank you again, we had a wonderful week.
Mike & Eileen
- Mike & Eileen
Our honeymoon was off the charts incredible. I am so glad we hooked up as I don't know if I would have found that place on my own. Cabo is incredible and I would never go anywhere else in Mexico. The resort was perfect for what we were looking for. Good food, good drinks and a huge suite.
Thanks again Marlene!
Mike & Sheila W.
- Mike & Sheila W
Just wanted to share with you what happened last week. I got a call from a lady very upset and wanting to book something last minute.
Her and her husband had booked a trip to Costa Rica via Sell-Off Vacations a couple of weeks ago. It was their first time booking anything online and they were encouraged to do so by co-workers. The Sell-Off papers they printed off explained their passports had to be valid for one week after returning to Canada. When they arrived at YYZ, they were denied boarding and were told their passports had to be valid for 30 days post-return.
Calls to Sell-Off were unreturned and online they were told to submit their complaint and expect a response in 6 to 8 weeks.
Anyway, they were so upset as they had been looking forward to going away. Not wanting to unpack their suitcases, they found my business card and called. I was able to book them to a 4 1/2 star to Punta Cana on Sabre Vacations for $2400.00 total. They were ecstatic and vowed never to book online again. I think delivering their documents to their door the next morning (I could have emailed them) reinforced the personal touch and dedication.
I hope they are able to recover their money from Sell-Off as their information was incorrect regarding passport validity.
Add this to your list of reasons to not book online!
-
My name is Randy and I work as a management consultant in Toronto. I was introduced to Marlene by a friend over 5 years ago.
I have since travelled to Europe several times as well as South America and Asia. Marlene has been a godsend. She is fast, dedicated and has always managed to find me a flight that is cheaper and more convenient than the best ticket I've found independently.
I got married in Aug of 2008 and asked Marlene to help my wife and I with our honeymoon to Jordan and Turkey. Marlene was able to find us the perfect flight which included a half day layover in Paris; the one thing my wife wanted almost more than the trip itself. The amazing thing is that she did it for a price that was still less than the best alternative I could find
online without the Paris layover. We had the most incredible time and are so grateful to Marlene for her support.
- Randy
