The people of St. Lucia are amazingly friendly, unlike anywhere in the world I’ve experienced. A bus driver bought us fresh fruit & wouldn’t let us pay him back! Pretty much everybody speaks English, and most speak it very well. The people working at the resort take that up even another notch, always wanting you happy. They did a most excellent job organizing my brother’s wedding, even with a party of 26! James, Aaron, Ron, and Burton are all workers there that made our trip oh so enjoyable! Thank you to Orvin for doing such a great job too. I gotta give a shout out to Kashmiere too; she was a great server!

The food is always good, with a huge variety to choose from. There’s pretty much always food & drinks available. The Japanese restaurant (Kimono ?) is as entertaining as the food is good! Eric is an awesome waiter, and Simeon an excellent chef. Make sure to make reservations as soon as you arrive though, as it books up really quick!

There is also people always walking around taking pictures you can purchase. We set up a sunset photo shoot and it was gorgeous! I think Andrew took our pics, but Lugar also did a great job, as did the lady that took pics for my brother’s wedding (don’t remember her name, sorry). Go to www.webshots.com and search for St. Lucia to see lots of pics of the island.

For activities, we went snorkeling (free). It wasn’t as sunny as I’d like the day we went, but it was very enjoyable and professional. It wasn’t a bunch of junk equipment. We also learned how to sail a HobieCat & then took it out on our own. it was a lot of fun as well, and right at the resort (also free). There are free buses going to the other 2 Sandals resorts about every hour.

We spent the money to go on the Rainforest zip line (booked at the resort), and it was well worth it. 5100′ of cable. The last run is 800′ long and 150′ high! It was an amazing experience. Wynn was our “tour-guide”, and he was SO much fun!

We also booked our ATV adventure thru the resort, $140/quad (2 people). It was a little overpriced for what it was, IMO. That said, we made the best of it and had a blast. This is a trip you could easily do if you’ve never ridden an ATV, which was hard for us since we’ve ridden since we were kids. They took us to a VERY beautiful overlook and a nice beach with some big waves to swim in.

My wife and I booked the private tour thru Soufriere the day before we left. This got us our own driver, a tinted-out SUV with 17″ chrome wheels, tickets to the sulfur springs, tickets to the botanical gardens/waterfall (absolutely gorgeous!), and a ride to where ever we wanted to go. This was SO nice, as we could stop wherever we wanted, and stay there as long as we wished, not being rushed to get back on a bus to somewhere. Our driver was Sweebie (sp?), and he is HIGHLY recommended! Turns our we’re both motorcycle guys, and have quite a bit in common. he took us out of the way to the island’s only motocross track and to his boss’s stable of motorcycles. Very nice & knowledgeable. We stopped at many roadside overlooks and souvenir shops. Unfortunately it was Good Friday and all the restaurants were closed, so we missed out on traditional cuisine…We’ll just have to wait until next time.

I can’t recommend this place enough. Even though I want to check out other Caribbean islands really bad, we’ll be going back to this resort in a year or 2. We want to rent our own motorcycle and do some island touring on our own next time, along with checking out another ATV place we saw on the return trip to the airport.

My only gripe, is that’s about an hour bus ride from the airport to the resort. Not much can be done about that, but if you get car sick at all, you WILL get car sick going anywhere on this island. All roads are very narrow & curvy. Not much for complaints huh?

Due to its strategic location in the Pacific, the Philippines has been fought over for centuries by sea-faring peoples. The Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish have all laid claim to these islands. The cultures of those former empires are still very obvious in the architecture, food and art of the Philippines of today.

The islands are divided into three island groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Most trips here begin through the most common entry point and capital city of Manila, in Luzon. Manila makes up part of the Manila Metro area, which includes Quezon City, the most populous city. In Manila are the Intramuros, the ruins of the Spanish colonial capital of the Philippines. Adjacent to Rizal Park, this complex houses old gunpowder rooms, chapels, the Manila cathedral and various museums.

Located across Manila Bay is Corregidor Island, known as “The Rock”. It served as a fortification for Philippine’s Allies during World War II, and many famous battles were fought there.

The islands that make up the Philippines are volcanic in origin, and several volcanoes are still active today. Mindanao is home to Mt. Apo, the largest mountain in the Philippines, and also to a number of nature preserves and outdoor venues. The Davao Wildwater Adventure Park is great for river-rafting and crocodile-viewing and the Eden Nature Park has beautiful flower gardens.

For a more relaxing vacation, kicking back on Sumilon Island in the Visayas Province, provides tropical vistas and soothing breezes. Vacationers can find anything they are looking for on one of the 7000 islands that make up the beautiful Philippines.

Kahala Beach: A favorite wedding spot on the island.  Come and spend the day here and you will often see a wedding.  We have watched as many as four weddings in one day!!  Located at the Kahala Hotel and Resort, it is very near Waikiki and is the only beach on Ohau that serves food right on the beach.  This is an amazing resort, but costly.  If you have a smaller budget, it is a wonderful place to spend the day.  The beaches in Hawaii are all public beaches and you’ll find that the hotel staff is happy to make your day special.

There is just so much to do here…..

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This is the home of Dolphin Quest and a really special place on the island.  Here you can swim with the dolphins, or if you would rather, just watch them do their tricks from pool side.  Visitors are welcome and there is no charge to watch and talk with the trainers.  They always seem to have time for you and have a wealth of information about these wonderful animals.

The beach area here is so relaxing and QUIET!!  I’m not sure what we like the best.  I like to be in the shade with the cool breezes blowing all around.  Stan sits in the sun, and we both can read for hours.  The mountains in the background are an added bonus.  This is a great place to meet friends for the day and to watch the sunset in the evening.

Drive to Kahala Beach and park at the public parking area.  Walk to the beach and along the ocean to the east to the Kahala Hotel area and pull up a chair and spend the day relaxing.  Or if you don’t have a car, take bus 14 from the eastern most area of Waikiki near Starbucks on the edge of the park.

What awonderful beach!!

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Where can the Eurail pass take me?

Eurail works with railway companies in thirty different countries. To name but a few, this includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. It’s worth noting that the Eurail pass does not include England or Scotland.

Customers can purchase different types of Eurail passes. The most extensive pass is the Eurail Global Pass, which allows for travel in twenty countries with one pass. The pass lasts from ten days to three months, and can take its traveler throughout continental Europe and Ireland. The cost of the Global Pass begins at approximately $500 USD.

The Eurail Select Pass can be used in 3 – 5 bordering European countries, and ranges in price from $275 USD to $929 USD. Other passes include the Regional Pass, a Eurail pass for two countries only, and the Eurail One Country Pass. The Eurail Regional Pass prices start at $149 USD, and the One Country Passes start as low as $69 USD.

Benefits of a Eurail Pass

Buying a Eurail Pass is frequently less expensive than buying a train tickets directly from the railway company – this is the primary benefit of buying a Eurail Pass. In particular, when traveling to multiple destinations throughout Europe, the Eurail Pass is much easier than buying rail tickets in each individual company.

In addition to this main benefit, the Eurail Pass often entitles its bearer to discounts on hotels, museums, bus travel, and ferry crossings.