May 26, 2011

I just wanted to let you know that we received our cheque from RBC Insurance to cover the expenses incurred because of the trip interruption. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this was! When I’d called the toll-free line from the Toronto airport, the guy I spoke with was extremely comforting and helpful which I don’t necessarily expect. Especially in the middle of the night. And I didn’t have all of the receipts I’d needed [Geoff misplaced his flight change one] and declined to complete all of the form [I didn’t see the need to include my credit card information]. I provided a few hand-written explanations and then, no questions asked, there’s our reimbursement! I honestly didn’t expect that. I expected a call or letter saying ‘we need this and this’ or a deduction from the total I’d calculated. Very nice!

I tell you so that you can feel confident that, as always, your advice is great. I’d have no hesitation in recommending RBC Insurance to anyone who travels. In fact, given our experience, especially now that I’ve seen how smoothly it can all go, I positively harass people to get insurance.

Enjoy whatever season we’re in the middle of and whatever follows. And thanks!

Rekha
- Rekha and Geoff - Sunwing and RBC - February 2011

Hi

Just wanted to let you know Tara and I had a great time at the Barcelo Solymar. It was very clean, nice room, beautiful grounds, easy access to beach. There were no problems w food- lots of food stations - no wait in buffet. I noticed at this resort people didn't have expection of tips like I've seen in other resorts - you didn't feel like you always had to have hand in your pocket.

Thought I'd let you know we were very satisfied with our choice.

Michele


- Michele and Tara - Barcelo Solymar - Varadero Cuba - Jan 2010

Hi Diane,

I've been meaning to e-mail you since we got back, just never enough time. We had an awesome time!!! I would for sure recommend this resort. It is just what I thought resorts in Mexico would be like. They are Villas that have 8 rooms 4 on the bottom 4 on top. The rooms were very clean and the staff was great! The grounds are beautiful with flowers growing everywhere. The entertainment was not professional, but very fun as they quite often involved the audience. We went on 3 different excursions (very busy, but FUN). We went to Chichen Itza which is one of the 7 wonders of the world, it was great. We also went to Chicken Ha (something like that) where we took part in a Mayan ceremony, went Zip Lining (scary, but fun), swimming and snorkeling in the Cenotes, biking through the jungle, and were fed a Mayan lunch, it was an Awesome day, we also went snorkeling in the ocean another day I really, really Loved snorkeling I can't wait to take my kids one day I know they will love it. It is a trip I will always remember and I want to thank you so much for making all the arrangements. Everything from the plane ride to check in went so smooth all because you looked after every detail. I want you to know Diane I have recommended you to everyone and I hope they all come to you for their travelling needs. I will always come to you when I am planning a trip!! Thank-you. Thank-you, Thank-you!!!!!!!

Cherie-Lyne and Danny


- Cherie-Lyne and Danny - Ocean Maya - Mayan Riviera - February 2010

Hi Diane

Just back from Punta Cana the resort was great. No bad blogs here,thanks again.

Wade
- Wade and Michelle - Punta Cana - Bahia Principe - 29JAN10 -

Hello Diane

Thanks again for everything!!! All the travel arrangements went excellent!!! We had beautiful weather for the two weeks that we were there. There were a few windy days, which there is all over in the world. You can't change the weather. The hottest day was actually the day of our wedding and it hit 32!! Good thing we were wearing white!! Sarah did a wonderful job and the resort was an excellent place to stay!! Food, people and trips that we did were all super!! This was our second time in Cuba and we will defenitly go again someday. So many of our friends came up to us and said besides their wedding, ours was the most beautiful, and also what a great place to have it. Great choice on the resort. I never heard one complaint from any of the attendants. They all said that they are looking forward to going again soon. We cannot thank you enough for helping us make our wedding trip run so smoothly. Especially stress free. It's nice that we knew we could trust you on helping all of our family and friends that came.

Thanks Again Diane - Take Care

Chad + Micheal

- Chad and Micheal Abrams - Destination Wedding - Breezes Jibacoa, Cuba - January 2010

Hi Diane,

We're back (unfortunately!). We had a fabulous time!! Thank you so much for getting us such a great deal to a wonderful resort and taking care of all the details!!! We were able to use the Candlelight Dinner and massage coupons. The Candlelight Dinner was the best meal we had there (and that was hard to top considering every meal was so good!). We had the massages on the beach on Kim's birthday which she loved. She said it was the best birthday ever.

We definitely recommend the resort to others in the future. The food alone is worth the trip never mind the beach, pools, bars, friendly staff, beautiful rooms, the list goes on! Thanks again for everything! We look forward to more vacations in the future.

Thanks!
Erik and Kim

- Erik and Kim - El Dorado Royale - WestJet Vacations - January 2010

"We were hosting a large workshop with over 30 people coming in from all across northern Canada and they all needed flight and hotel arrangements.
The task to make all the travel arrangements was made easy and economical by hiring Diane from TPI to take care of it all. She did an amazing job and was a great part of our team. She was efficient with the arrangements, communicated with us on a regular basis, patient and courteous with our participants' many travel requests, and responded to our emails promptly. We gave Diane the budget and she contacted the participants and did her best to accomodate all their travel requests while working closely with us to keep the costs on budget. The participants were in Winnipeg for four days and had great feedback on the whole experience. We know Diane was an integral part to the overall success of this workshop. Thanks Diane! You're amazing at your job!"
-Shaunna Morgan, Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources

- Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources - NOV 2009

Diane we want to thank you again for arranging our California Coastal tour with Globus . It exceeded all our expectations . It was just WONDERFUL If you want more information about the trip give me a call when you have time. I would not hesitate to recommend it . Thanks again

Marlene

- Marlene and Bert - California Coast - Sept 2009 - Globus

Hi Diane!

Just a quick note to let you know that our trip to Cozumel was fantastic!! The Occidental Grand was everything we hoped it would be. We thought it was just beautiful. The staff were incredible, it was immaculate there, and we really enjoyed the food! Honestly, we don’t have one complaint! I thought you might like to know, in case you are ever sending others there. Our boys had a great time – there were lots of activities for them, but it was also good if you just wanted to relax on the beach.

Thank you again for all of the help you provided – you did an excellent job, and we will definitely contact you the next time we are planning a vacation!!

Diane

- Diane (Group of 19 Family and Friends) - Cozumel, Mexico - March 2009 Spring Break - Occidental Grand Cozumel

Hi Diane!

Hope you are doing well. It’s taken a while for life to get back to normal here but I think we’re finally back into our regular routines. The honeymoon was great! Everything went smooth with the travel and shuttles. The boat was awesome, very luxurious. We had lots of fun, really enjoyed all the stops too. We rode ATV in Cozumel and stopped at some caves which was really cool, it got a bit dusty/dirty but all in the name of fun.

Thank you for all your help with the booking and answering our many questions!

Charles & Leticia
- Charles and Leticia - Ruby Princess Cruise - February 2009

Just wanted to let you know how our trip to Cuba went.

We ended up leaving 5 hours late from Winnipeg due to a snowstorm in Toronto as this is where the plane was coming from, which made us get in to Varadero around 5:30 AM, so we were a little tired on Saturday.

The Arenas Doradas in Varadero was not what we consider a 4 star hotel, as it was definitely not kept up in repairs - curtains hanging askew, closet door broken and not closing properly, shower was barely a trinkle and actually had no water one day for at least 10 mins. while I was trying to shower, and we were chasing the maid every day for toilet paper. Quite a difference from our experince in Puerto Plata last year which was quite an impressive hotel.

The food is also not as good, as a lot of it was prepared with peppers which neither one of us eats, but it was just a matter of picking what we could eat and there was always something. The lobster at the a la carte was really good. The other thing we noticed is that they run out of certain things and it doesn't get replenished, such as the grille. Tried to get hamburger and fries one afternoon, and we got two little hamburgers, only to be advised they were out of fries - two hours before closing. They offered us hot dogs which was a little dinner roll with half a wiener split in two. It was quite the experience.


We did make the best of it though, as the beach is fabulous. White sand, warm water and the weather was beautiful the whole time. We had a great time and just adapted to the different surroundings. We did two day trips, one on a Catamarand, with dolphin swimming, coral reef diving, and lunch of lobster/seafood on a beautiful island with sand and beach even more beautiful than Varadero. We also did a Jeep Safari tour thru the back areas which included, visit to a farm/plantation, coral reef swimming, cave swimming, lunch on a farm with horseback riding, and boat trip. Very interesting day and would highly recommend both those day trips.

As a consolation, everyone we talked to and we talk to everyone, they all said the same thing that they hotel rooms and food were not the greatest and they would drop the rating by at least 1 star . But all in all, everyone said the same as us, they still had fun.

We felt very safe the whole time, took various types of cabs/buses into Varadero to the markets and also did some walking along the road with no problems.

All in all it was a great trip.

Michele and Denis
- Michele and Denis - Arenas Doradas Varadero - February 2008

Hey Diane,

feed back are you sure?

the first week was a bust. It was cool and windy. 2 days after we got there Ernie got very sick then I got violently sick about a day later. I ended up having to go to the hospital because I was severely dehydrated, let me tell you hospitals in Cuba are very bare bones and my stomach is still not right. but....I did get to ride there in a 1950's pink Cadillac.....

The hotel considering it was only 2 years old has some issues....the room was not too bad, but I thought I saw a cockroach sneak in under the door. The bathroom set up is not so good...the water from the shower went everywhere and the fixtures were not fixed down, the tub had no supports under it...so it was dicey if we would go through or not. Neither my husband or I could sit in the tub because it was probably 3/4 the width of my home tub, and there was a wooden step to get in the tub not good for me as I have bad balance. There was mould on the wall outside of the bathroom where the shower was probably from the leaking.

There were long line-ups everywhere....and because the resort is sooooo big there are electric carts once in a blue moon to get you around, it would not be good for elderly or disabled persons.

The food was not good, even in the specialty restaurants (which you could only go to 2 a week). The food at Holguin was much better. And everyone expects tips for everything...even at the buffet, where you basically serve yourself. Tipping has become an expectation rather than a gratituity for good service. The Cuban Tourist Peso is the same exchange rate as USA and there is an 11% extra charge if you use your credit card.

The beach was better about 15 minutes away on the main Varadaro strip, so we got good walks (after we perked up). And the second week was sunny the whole week, so that was nice.

There was 2 pools, one with lots of action and one quiet one, the later we liked. They give you pool towels, which there is a $40 charge if they go missing, well wouldn't you know it, one of our towels went missing, as did many others...not so sure but we thought it was a scam by the guys working at the pools.

We did book a trip to Havana and that was great, really enjoyed it.

I would have rated that hotel at a 2 1/2 or 3 at the highest not a 4. Too many problems.

Your services however are 5 star...thanks Diane!

Tia

- Tia and Ernie - SIRENIS LA SALINA VARADERO - January 2009

Hi Diane!

The holiday was WONDERFUL! The resort was amazing, even though it was pretty big and took me a few days to get around without getting lost. The staff/rooms/food were top-notch; I would definitely go back! I went to Playa Del Carmen for the day on Saturday and got my shopping fix, there were tons of people there, wow!
All in all, a great resort and trip. I've started saving already for next year and look forward to talking to you then!

Thanks for everything, you've been great!

Take care,
Teri : )

- Teri - Bahia Principe Coba Mayan Riviera - February 2009

Hi Diane,

Thank you so much for the lovely flower arrangement. That was very nice. It looks great on our kitchen counter!

Our trip was amazing. We had such a great time and evverything turned out even better than we hoped. Getting upgraded to the river suites was as you know a dream come true. The room was amazing!!!! And the butler service was great, we didn't use the butlers as much as we could have as we were always busy with all our friends and family. But, the butlers managed to get us away from "the group" on our last night and served us a private dinner for two in our suite. We had lobster and champagne is was wonderful!!

Couples was very, very different from Sandals. It was very calm in comparison. Not that sandals was loud or noisy or anything, but couples reminds me of a "hippy" resort. Pot smoking, free love that kind of thing. lol The food at couples was great probably even better than sandals. The beach was amazing, alos probably better than sandals. So, if someone wants to go where the beach and the food are incomparable this is the place for them. It just doesn't have the same level of service or finish as sandals, the pools are worn out and peeling, the rooms are in dire need of updating, basically the resort just needs a renovation to bring it into this millenium. But, having said all that, being in the river suites at sandals definatley tainted our opinion of couples!

Overall, it was a great trip and we don't regret any of our decisions.

Thank you so much for all your help!

Julie

- Julie and Andrew - Destination Wedding - Sandals Negril - Honeymoon - Couples Swept Away Jamaica - February 2009

Hi Diane,

Once we got there, we had a really nice time, weather was fabulous and we enjoyed our stay. The flight was really, really delayed, by about five hours. We should have checked the airport website before leaving but unfortunately we did not so we had a long and boring wait before leaving. All was fine once we got there though, RIU Jalisco is probably the cleanest resort hotel we have ever stayed at, everything was always spotless, you could not walk 20 feet without bumping into someone cleaning, doing maintenance etc. Very nicely decorated, beautiful buildings, very well maintained. I heard some people complain of hard beds, we did not find them to be a problem, maybe our beds at home are hard! The pools were clean and nice, the beach was very nice (especially for the Pacific side of Mexico). The kids pool was frequently visited by iguanas, they were a big hit with most people. The staff was friendly and helpful and most issues (some small repairs in the room, like burnt out light bulbs and a broken hair dryer) were fixed when we asked. We did have a small theft incident, which unfortunately soured me a bit. My husband and 7 yr old son went to the sports bar for a snack and then went back to the room forgetting my son’s Crocs and a couple other items of clothing. The went back almost right away, stuff was gone, my husband asked the bar tender if anything was found and he said, no nothing found. My husband could see right behind the bar where he had put the stuff, minus the Crocs. He got the other stuff back but the Crocs never re-appeared. Another patron of the bar said he saw the clothes with the Crocs on top and they had definitely been there. We complained to the mgmt and they sympathized but didn’t do anything about it. At the end of the day it was just a pair of sandals that were almost outgrown anyway but it was a bit annoying. So I would caution anyone not to leave stuff behind because they probably won’t get it back. Food was quite good for an all inclusive but I do think that one week of it was enough. I think that would be the same for any all inclusive though, we have pretty adventurous tastes. The shows were not really worth staying up for, we have seen better entertainment in Cuba. But I’m not going to Mexico for the entertainment so I didn’t really care about that. On Superbowl Sunday they set up a big screen and showed the Superbowl, complete with snacks, my husband enjoyed that. One night they set up a screen on the beach, set up loungers in front and showed “Mamma Mia” That was fun, lying under the stars watching a movie on the beach.

One day we went whale watching on a catamaran, that was a big hit with my son. We also did a dolphin encounter which I particularly liked. All in all, we would go back to this hotel but again, not longer than 7 days. It was quite a way from the town of Puerto Vallarta, my husband and I used to go there a lot B.C. (before child) and if I we weren’t travelling as a family we would probably stay closer to P.V. since I like all the shops and art galleries that P.V. has to offer, but when your main goal is to spend a week relaxing, this place was fine.

We will certainly keep you in mind for our next trip!

Ingrid


- Ingrid,Allan and son William - RIU Jalisco Puerto Vallarta - January 2009

Hi Diane !

Glad you liked my pics!

Everything went really smoothly on the trip - was only delayed coming home from Veradaro as Toronto had really cold weather and the lavatories on the plane had frozen so they had to wait before leaving Toronto till they could get them serviced.

I am planning on going back AGAIN so keep your eyes peeled for me.....

One thing I wanted to mention that you might pass on to your clients is that I had trouble at the resort changing canadian money into Cuban pesos that had any writing or tears/rips in them. I was pretty disappointed as I was unable to use $140. My friend Erik had no trouble changing them in the bank but as our resort is about an hour from any bank - people may want to make sure their bills are 'unmarked' when they get them from the bank.....I don't remember having any issue last year. The marked ones were usually from someone writing numbers on them.....

The weather was not too hot - just perfect for me actually and I was able to snorkel the 3 days that I hung out at the beach. Some of the pics that I will post you can see that there is not another soul around - so much room and we were all really spread out.

I found the people at the resort 'older' this year and all was very quiet. There was a large group there that were all about 60 or older and they were part of a choir that was practising at the resort and then was going to go around cuba for a few days giving concerts. I think some of the entertainment staff were a bit frustrated as not a lot of people participated in the programs they offer. Everyone was quite content to just veg around the pool.

I was surprised to learn that 5 of the male staff I had met last year were either engaged to or already married to Canadian women and were just waiting for their paperwork to leave Cuba.....me? I came home single - just incase you were wondering ;) ;) I have some great friends there though and am looking forward to going again and visiting.

Thanks for all your hard work for me this year Diane I really appreciate it and hope to keep recommending you to family and friends for their travel needs !

Keep in touch
Heidi

- Heidi - Cameleon Villas Jibacoa Cuba - January 2009

Hi Diane

Jamaica was everything you said it would be and more!!! Thank you for suggesting it to us. We had a problem in the beginning of our trip. Our flight was delayed by 1 hour due to mechanical problems so we missed our connecting flight to Jamaica. But Air Canada booked us on the next flight which was the next day leaving at 8:30 a.m. A/C took care of our room, food and transportation and even contacted Sandals to see if we could have an extended day, which was "no problem mon!" So it was a little upsetting until we did receive confirmation from Sandals but all was good when we landed into Jamaica. Rick and I loved it so much we are starting to save up for the next holiday. I think we are hooked.

Thanks Diane for all you did for us!!

Ann and Rick

- Ann and Rick - Sandals Grande Ocho Rios - January 2009

Hola! We are having a blast in Sunny Mexico. Although there is a hurricane warning in effect, it appears that the storm is moving toward Texas and away from Mexico. We had a couple of lovely rainy nights and all sun yesterday. I got a little pink from the sun but so far the fake baking I was doing back home has been helpful. So, the hotel. Everyone needs to stop what you´re doing right now and book a room in this place. It is like being in a crazy dream where all of your wants and needs are met before you even know about them. The food is fantastic, the drinks are delicious the room is incredible and all the stuff at the hotel for tourists to do is pretty excellent. All included! no money has changed hands except for this access to internet. Pretty cool. Andrea and I are already thinking about another trip to an all-inclusive, this time with maybe about 8 friends. That would be a wild party. Weçve met some lovely people out here also, even the americans we meet are ok. The disco the other night was the first time I actually felt drunk, despite drinking pretty much since we got here. We have also been taking advantage of our 'honeymooner' status and got some nice things for ourselves (like a complimentary bottle of tequila!) and a great dinner in the french 'a la carte' restaurant yesterday. Tomorrow we are plamnning to actually leave the resort to go to Playa del Carmen to check out the town. I would also like to visit some cenotes (underwater caves) that are quite close by. We cançt spend all our time at the pool bar... or can we? All in all this is a waking dream! As I recommended earlier, stop whatever you´re doing and get going to the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya resort in Cancun. Maybe we can even meet up before Andrea and I leave! Seriously check it out on line and then multiply what you`d expect by 100! Anyway, I hear a mojito calling my name from the lobby bar... and what´s that?... oh a Piña Colada is calling me also from the beach bar.

Joe
- Joe and Andrea - Honeymooners - Grand Sirenis Mayan Riviera - July 2008

Hey Diane !

I HAD A FABULOUS TIME !!

I found everything to be satisfactory and I was really well taken care of.

I remembered requesting from you to have a room away from the Disco and the funny thing was I was at the disco EVERY SINGLE NIGHT !! So much fun ! We got to know the entertainment guys quite well and even hired the DJ to take us on a tour of Havana. We rented a car and he had his drivers license and he gave us a personal tour. He took us to meet his mom and dad and sister that live in Havana as well as to his home in Santa Cruz to meet his wife and five year old daughter. I really enjoyed this as I felt it was the REAL Cuba and not just the touristy places. We did go to the famous Cemetery for a while as well as to the markets for souvenirs. So if anyone asks you please send them to Erik the DJ. He loves to do it and it is a great way to earn a little extra cash on the side too.

I also went on the Catamaran tour which I really enjoyed and had my first experience up close with a dolphin. I really wanted to go on the excursion for the snorkelling but the day we went there was an undercurrent and there was no fish to be seen. So that was disappointing but the tour was worth every penny. We had lunch on Cayo Blanco beach and had time to suntan (or in my case BURN) and frolik in the ocean before heading back.....so nice.

The snorkelling at Cameleon Villas is AWESOME !!!! The fish were amazing ! I am hooked !!

Because the resort is so small you really get to know the staff. I had my favorite pool bar bartender and he took really good care of me. He knew I didn't like a lot of alcohol so I didn't even have to watch him that closely - he always made it to my liking....some of the others just make them the way they want even if you request 'poco rom'. The waiters at the buffet were awesome too and we even had a lobster meal made special for us one night by one of the cooks. It cost us 12 pesos but was worth EVERY PENNY and I would have paid more if he would have asked ! There again it is a way for them to make a little cash on the side but everything was hush hush so they don't get in trouble with the government.

Thanks so much for hooking me up on this holiday. I remember not being sure at first because of the distance from the airport but it was just fine. Following the ocean and the hills on the other side makes for a great trip and after seeing resort on resort on resort on the way to the marina (in Varadero) for the catamaran tour I knew that I was in the right place. So quiet (except when I was in the disco - ha ha) and friendly.

If anyone asks I highly recommend it. There was more of an 'older crowd' but there were families with kids there too and it looked like everyone had a great time.

Ciao
Heidi

- Heidi - Varadero, Cuba - March 2008 - Nolitours - Cameleon Villas Jibacoa 3*

Hi Diane,

Everything went wonderful. The weather was perfect, the setting, the beach. Our wedding coordinator was fabulous. I would not change a thing. Grand Sirenis was awesome. The people are so friendly. Thank you for the Welcome home and all your help booking us on this wonderful holiday!!!!

Mandy

- Amanda and William - Destination Wedding - Grand Sirenis Mayan Riviera - January 2008