Dreams Riviera Cancun

5th – 7th September

Steph at Dreams Riviera Cancun

After a long but pleasant flight with Thomas Cook we arrived at Cancun airport at 2pm, we were greeted by Jumbo Tours and were taken to our first resort, Dreams Riviera Cancun. Upon arrival our luggage was taken care of and we went to the reception area to check in. The reception was breathtaking and we were amazed at the outlook all the way down to the sea.

We were directed to our room, which had a very authentic & stylish feel with an inside Jacuzzi and a balcony with an amazing view of the garden and sea.

Once at the room we rested for an hour then decided to have a walk around the hotel. We had a look around the pool and ended up on the beach; everywhere was immaculately clean, the white sand beach and the turquoise blue sea were beautiful. When the sun had gone down we retired to our room to shower and dress to dine out.

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In conjunction with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation

Following our trip to St Kitts & Nevis, we boarded our Private Charter flight to Anguilla.

The flight was approximately 40 minutes and the flight path took us over some breathtaking scenery including the islands of St Barts & St Martin.

Anguilla is the most northern island of the Leeward Islands, less than 9 miles from St. Maarten and 150 miles east of Puerto Rico, two of it’s major gateways. It is flat, low-lying and is envied for pure, pristine white sands, wrapped in brilliant turquoise-coloured waters.

Accompanied by our host from the Anguilla Tourist Board over here in the UK, Mekesha Mussington, we were warmly greeted at the airport by members of the local Tourist Board before being transported the short distance to our hotel, Paradise Cove.

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In conjunction with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation

Marriott Resort

Our flight to St Kitts & Nevis was with British Airways and operated via Antigua on both routes. The stop-off in Antigua is a “technical” one and does not involve leaving the aircraft.

The “base” for our 4-night stay in St Kitts was the impressive St Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino, a mere 10 minutes transfer from St Kitts airport.

Overlooking the emerald green Atlantic Ocean on the Windward side of the island, the hotel provided us with a high standard of accommodation and an ideal location from where to begin our exploration of the island.

St Kitts

Brimstone Hill

St Kitts boasts a significant history. Christopher Columbus first discovered the island back in 1493 when it was populated by native tribes but it wasn’t colonised by the Europeans until the British arrived in 1623. It’s strategic location and valuable sugar trade led to an advanced and luxurious development that was the best in the Colonial Caribbean.

We were hosted by Jennifer Hensley from the St Kitts Tourism Authority in London. Jennifer’s love and passion for her homeland was infectious from the outset and her knowledge and that of our locally-based guide contributed significantly to making the whole experience a very special one.

On the first morning of our stay in St Kitts, we embarked upon our Island Tour, taking in some of St Kitts’ most breathtaking scenery and panoramic views.

Among our stop-off points was the famous Brimstone Hill Fortress & Heritage Park. This is one of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas.

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2^nd October 2011

Coconut Bay

After a pleasant flight to St Lucia, we arrive at 2pm local time. We swiftly make our way through passport control and head for our 10 minute transfer to Coconut Bay Resort and Spa. We were greeted upon arrival with a cool towel and a fruit punch, very refreshing after an 8 hour flight! We quickly check in and head to see the rooms that we have for our 2 night stay at Coconut Bay. I was lucky enough to be accommodated in a Harmony Deluxe Ocean View Room. The room was very spacious; it came with a king size bed, flat screen TV, and had a very modern feel to it. One of the great features to Coconut Bay is that it is split into 2 sections; you have the Splash side which is the family-friendly part of the resort, and the Harmony section, which is the adult only part of the resort, so it has the best of both worlds. In the Splash part of the resort you also have a water park with slides for the children (and grown-ups too!) The hotel also features a brand new Kai Mer Spa, and its own Water Sports Complex featuring Kite Surfing.

On our first evening in St Lucia, we dine at the Calabash Restaurant which is a Caribbean specialty restaurant showcasing Creole and Caribbean cuisine, and then its straight to bed as we have a busy day ahead tomorrow! continue reading…

Click here to book Excellence Punta Cana from only £919pp

Arrival

Excellence cocktails

We touched down in Punta Cana in the late afternoon after a smooth flight from Manchester on Thomas Cook Airlines. We were welcomed by bright colours, traditional Merengue dancers and beautiful music – a real Caribbean ambience. This being my first visit to the Dominican I was extremely excited at the prospect of staying here for two weeks. We collected our luggage and made our way to our private transfer provided by VIP Tours. The VIP representatives were very helpful and escorted us to our transfer straight away. The private transfer was much more comfortable as we were able to travel to our resort directly without the hassle of dropping off other passengers at different hotels.

Resort

The main pool

We arrived at Excellence Punta Cana a mere 40 minutes later and we were greeted by an inviting smile, an ice cold glass of champagne and a cool flannel; which I must say after an 8 an a half hour flight was perfect! We were then taken to our own private check in, in the Excellence Club area of the hotel where we were also given a short tour of the Excellence club facilities. Being a part of the Excellence club allowed us direct access to the executive lounge, which hosted a relaxing environment to enjoy a variety of refreshments throughout the day, as well as unlimited access to the internet and satellite television. continue reading…