Embarrassing but True

This is incredibly embarrassing, but after being married on 11/24/2007, I just ordered a wedding album last week. Yea, that is awful.

Truthfully, I’ve had it made since we got our photos back, but I was a) procrastinating and b) it sort of felt incomplete, but I wasn't really sure why.

I used MyPublisher, and back when I originally compiled it, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea that I couldn’t use color in my album. I am, after all, a person who loves a lot of color (as you’ll notice when you see our location). Finally, about a year ago, MyPublisher came out with a version in which I could add color. Perfect! So, I changed the album to my liking, and then….well, just sat on it some more.

Last week, I got an email from the folks at MyPublisher saying they were offering an incredible deal. They launched a new album cover type (photo finish), and you could have your very own (wedding) album for $20 with unlimited pages! This was a savings for me of $75 per album! With one for me, and one for my parents, that was a total savings of $150; definitely not chump change!

So, I finally ordered the album, and let me tell you—it was worth the wait! The new cover type is my favorite of the cover options (it has a very professional look), and the bold color came out beautifully (and true to what I expected it to be)! (FYI: this deal is on for one more day (ends tomorrow), so you have time to make your own! Use the coupon code “PHOTO20”. )

And, since I was a horrible blogger, and never got around to showing off more of my wedding pictures, here’s the link to my album instead. Enjoy!

Location: The beautiful Compass Point Beach Resort
Arriving via: The super fun Carnival Fascination (no longer docked in Miami)
Photographer: The absolutely incomparable (seriously) Kristyn Hogan Photography

Change

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since I’ve written. Truthfully, due to my lack of involvement, and mostly by default, I had just decided I was going to retire this blog. However, on this rainy morning in Georgia, I felt the need to write, so here I am.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the past year lately, and decided that I missed having the log of my life that this blog represented, and missed all of you. But, should I just come back here? Start something new? Find another way to log my life?

I started thinking about it, and I decided to come back here, but I would expect this blog is going to manifest itself in a slightly different way. When I titled this blog “Life, Love, and the Pursuit of the Next Great Vacation”, I had intended to make this a mix of a blog of my life and, of course, travel. Truthfully, though, I’m not sure my life was quite exciting enough living in small-town upper Midwest, while going to school. School, work, school, work, the occasional vacation. :)

Life has changed a lot, though, in the past year. I graduated with my MBA, and for the first time in my life, wasn’t in school anymore. I moved across the country, leaving behind that small town upper Midwest life, and moving to a former confederate state (talk about a culture shock!) and into a big city. I started a new job, for which I lived out of a hotel for four months, and have been having a lot of fun doing it (the job that is. Not the commuting). I have watched my sister find out she was pregnant, suffer through a BRUTAL pregnancy, and then give us the greatest gift my family has ever received—my sweet little niece. Then, I stood beside her as the matron of honor in her wedding. We’ve visited several countries, cities, and states, and have flown over 32,000 miles in the past three months alone. We’ve met new friends, and set up a little life in this city (well, as much of a life as airline employees set up in any particular city, that is).

This has been a year of change, so I think it’s time for this blog to change a little too. While before my focus was on pretty hotel photos, I rarely search for pretty hotels anymore. Non Rev (non revenue=free travel=employees and their associated family members) travel means booking whichever hotel is available when you find out you’re getting on the airplane at the airport via your IPhone (don’t worry—I haven’t forgone my standards! It’s just that the research is now very last minute). And while I would previously spend months (maybe even years!) researching a big vacation, it’s now “Hmmmm…which flights are open this weekend?”, and then reading a few pages in a guidebook on the flight over.

So, how will this blog change? First of all, it’s going to more of a blog of my life. If you’re thinking “Well, Ashley, what about the travel?” Don’t worry, my friends. Travel is not only a huge part of my life, it’s a part of who I am. Instead of the pretty hotel photos I previously mentioned, you’ll be my seeing trip photos and real life reviews and tips. Additionally, I’ll be posting favorites from my new city (in case you ever visit!), writing about friends, family, every day life, maybe throwing up some decorating photos (another thing I’m pretty interested in), and just generally trying to get back to loving blogging.

If you’re still out there (I’d be shocked if you were!), I hope you’ll stick around to follow things around here. Hopefully you’ll find these changes to your liking, and I’ll be much more active.

I’ve missed you, after all.

http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/5/24/design-can-change.jpg

What Happens in Mexico...

I can't beleive I'm typing this, but with June upon us, it was time to start thinking about our anniversary trip. After being almost 100% positive that we were going to book a hotel in Jamaica, I was doing what I do (looking at various travel sites) and came across a sale for a resort we've been dying to check out.

For this particular trip, we were thinking short and sweet--we have a cruise planned for March and a huge vacation planned for May. Consequently, we were also thinking cheap. I'm not sure this vacation came out to actually be cheap, but we're satisfied with our decision, and I guess that's all that matters. ;)

We'll be spending a long weekend in November at Excellence Playa Mujeres north of Cancun. I've heard nothing but great things about the resort, and am especially excited about our room. ;) We've booked a rooftop terrace suite, which is a 2-story suite. The first story is the actual room with an indoor and outdoor access jacuzzi for two, a walk in closet, and a rain shower for two. The second story is well, a rooftop terrace. But, it's what's on the terrace that is super cool--a private plunge pool with an amazing view! We pretty much plan on only leaving our room to eat--heck, we made not even do that. ;)

The beautiful Excellence Playa Mujeres.

The interior of our room (jacuzzi & verandah behind where the photo was taken).

The private plunge pool on the roof of our suite!

If I do decide to venture out, this is where you're likely to find me. ;)

Or maybe here. ;) (the spa)

And we're back :)

Ok, so not only am I a terrible blogger (sorry about the delay!), I'm a terrible terrible traveler and didn't take many photos on our trip to sin city. In fact, I only took a handful of photos (I do this every once in a while...and always regret it, but can't seem to force myself into the "photo groove"). ;)

My wonderful friend, Rachel , however, took enough photos for the both of us, so hopefully she won't mind if I share a few when she gets back from her weekend getaway. :)

Anyway, first things first (and because it is the only thing I have photos of), we'll discuss our hotel.

When booking this surprise trip for my wonderful husband in January, I knew that Vegas wasn't our "traditional" vacation style (as you may have noticed, we love the beach). With this in mind, I had a "go big or go home" mentality, as there was no guarantee we'd be back to Vegas. After a lot of research and consulting with Rachel & Jack, I selected the Wynn as our home for the weekend.

Overall, we had a great experience at the hotel. The service was great, the rooms were larger, and there was a lot of great food and shopping right in the hotel. Not much more we could ask for. :) The location, while at the end of the strip was still convenient to the strip, and even if we chose to grab a cab, it was relatively affordable to go end-to-end. :)

Would we stay again? Sure. Will we try something else next time (and yes, there will be a next time) we are in Vegas? Probably. While we loved it, there is no shortage of amazing hotels in Vegas, so, at this point, it doesn't have my full allegiance (though we have nothing to compare it to, so you never know what may happen after trying out a hotel or two).

The one and only photo we took together on our camera (as terrible as it may be).

The beautiful lobby of the Wynn.

One of my favorite parts of the Wynn decor were these beautiful mosaics all over the floor.

The infamous Wynn mini-bar. These beauties are weighted, so don't pick up the goodies unless you mean it. ;)

The art work and sitting area in our sizeable room.

The best part of our room--the floor to ceiling windows and the killer view that comes with them.

The decor in the Wynn was very Alice in Wonderland.

The beautiful Wynn waterfall which has free nightly light/water shows.

Coming soon: What we actually did in Vegas, and the great company we hung with in Vegas. :)

I apologize!

Currently, I'm knee deep in "Accounting for Decision Making and Control" preparing for my final tomorrow night (and yes, it is as awful as it sounds!), followed by a paper I have to write for advanced managerial theory (also as awful as it sounds). I will likely be pretty lame on the post front this week, but I do have a suprise trip announcement. :)

My husband and I are headed here this weekend:

I booked the trip as a surprise to my husband way back in January! I finally announced it to him this weekend, so I can finally post about it here. :) We'll have lots of fun stuff for you upon our return!

Sandals Regency La Toc vs. Sandals Grande

One of the many confusing things when choosing a resort in St. Lucia is comparing the Grande vs. the Regency. Truthfully, I couldn't find any "concrete" information, and now I understand why. Besides the pretty big price point difference, these are my thoughts on the other differences between the Regency & the Grande. Hopefully this will help a wayward soul or two make the big decision. :)


We, of course, stayed at the Regency, but visited the Grande, and here are our ratings on what we could personally rate. I’ll also note a few things based on research I conducted before booking the resort.

Pools: In my opinion, the Regency has the better pools, so if you are a pool person, The Regency is probably for you.


Beach: The Grande, hands down, so if you prefer beach to pools, you might want to stay here.


Water Sports: The Grande. Much of the time, the beach was “red flagged” at the Regency, which meant no water sports, etc. It wasn’t a huge deal to us b/c we are not windsurfers and aren’t into hobbie cats, etc, but if you are, you may want to stay at the Grande.


Diving: What I can say from experience was that we felt the dive staff of the Regency were EXCELLENT. One of the dive masters had been instructing at sandals since 1993 and was the very first dm at sandals in St. Lucia. The sites we had proximity to from Regency were great (except for the orientation dive). I cannot speak from experience on the Grande in those two categories, but the Grande does have one advantage in our eyes—you can board the dive boat from the beach, so there are no (sometimes traffic-ridden) rides to the harbor to dive.


Dining: *From research* Much of the research I did, including major guide books/hotel critics indicated that the food was better at the Regency. We dined at Gordan’s at the Grande, and it was excellent, but that is for butler category guests only (unless you want to pay $100 for your dinner).


Feel of the Resort: While the Regency was large, we felt like it felt more subdued and, strangely, more intimate. I guess the sheer size of it leads to the illusion of being only 1 of 50 other people (unless you are at the main pool). The Grande felt more Luxe and was definitely more compact and easily navigated. However, it also felt more crowded and rooms felt very close together in comparison to the Regency. The Regency felt more private, due to the layout of the resort and positioning of the rooms in the buildings.


Nightlife: It seemed to us (and this is from limited experience) that the Grande had a bit more nightlife.


Landscaping/views: The Regency, hands down.


Golf: We’re not golfers, but the course was beautiful, and if you’re looking for convenience the Regency is definitely the place for you (its right on property).


Proximity to town/castries airport, etc: The Regency. The Grande is actually quite a bit further North. I beleive transfers between the Regency and the Grande were about 45 minutes.


Ultimately, we would choose to stay at the Grande next time. Not because there was anything wrong with the Regency at all—we loved it! But, simply because of the dive convenience and beach. :) Personally, though, I do not think either resort well exceeds the other—it’s just personal preference and what is important to you.

Diving

As you probably know, we're divers. And what do divers do? Well, dive, of course. ;)

Out resort required an orientation dive (which, to be honest, was pretty lame), and then we did a two-tank dive on another day. For the two tank dive, we went to the Leslie-Em wreck and then to the South Beach reef. Both were beautiful. The diving was actually quite excellent—lots of life to see and great clarity. Leslie-Em is actually a deep dive, and the visibility was so great that our 75 foot free decent felt more like a 30 feet. :)

All-in-all, we felt like the Regency dive staff was outstanding and we felt very safe. One of the dive masters had been instructing since 1993 and was the very first dive master on St. Lucia employed by Sandals.

Sandals Regency La Toc Tips

A few tips for those going to Regency:

1) If you go to the tour desk, they have door hangers that get you 10% off at the spa. Just bring it with you to your appointment.

2) There are all types of pools at the Regency—if you’re looking for action, head down to the main pool. If you’re looking for UBER quiet, head to the Pitons pool right next door to the Pitons restaurant. I don’t think many people even knew about that pool. If you’re looking for the swim up bars/waterfalls, etc, but still looking for quiet (and proximity to your butler), head for the pool on the bluffs.

3) I really wouldn’t waste my time going into Castries to shop. IMO, St.Lucia is not a shopping destination, and if you’re looking for souvenir/art work type of stuff, you’ll find better stuff from the local vendors that come onto property on Fridays. The only thing that you may want to check out is the duty free mall, but again—most of the time, I don’t go on vacation for the duty free shopping and you are looking at about $20 round trip+tip in cab service, so you’ll need to weigh whether or not it’s worth it to you. Also, if you’re like us and like to buy local hot sauces/foods/liquors, you will probably be able to find most of it at the resort shop. Of course, it’s marked up, but again-it’s $20 RT+Tip for a cab, so you’ll need to figure if you think you’ll get your money’s worth by going into town.

4) Sandals has a program called “Soon Come Back” (yea, we didn’t get it either) in which if you put a deposit on your next visit, you not only get a big discount, but all get extra perks like resort credits. The deposit has the same terms as the deposit if you book through the website, and they will gladly credit your travel agent for the booking. Just an FYI if you are planning another sandals/beaches vacation (but, it’s important to note that you are on your own for airfare, so I might check with my TA before I leave to see if you would get a better deal if you book a package through them or by using “Soon Come Back”).

5) The best place to watch the sunset is on the sun deck just below the pool on the bluffs. Head there for a killer view, and then head to Armando’s for dinner.

6) If you are booking a room with a plunge pool, as to be placed in the cream-colored rooms that are to the left of the bluffs pool. These rooms face west, so you’ll get a great sunset view (as opposed to the colored rooms, which face North). Also, if you’re looking for privacy, request a room in the middle of the block, as the plunge pools in the first few rooms were viewable from the decks on the bluffs pool.

The beach at the Regency as shot from the Bluffs.

The golf course at Sandals Regency La Toc (and some killer light!).

Butch Stewart's greatest contribution to mankind--the swim up bar.

A couple of the many beautiful waterfalls in the pool at the bluffs.

A Sandals Regency vs. Sandals Grande comparison coming soon. :)

The Resort

After arriving by Chopper at the Castries airport, we were picked up and transferred to Sandals Regency via dodge viper. Our driver was terrific, and the transfer was quick and easy. I actually think he provided more information in the 10 minutes we were in his car than we received anywhere else—super cool.

Upon reaching Sandals, we were immediately transferred up to the bluff to meet our Butler. Check-in took place in the room and was quick and painless. The room was beautiful and the view was killer. I believe it was the Romeo and Juliet one bedroom ocean-view suite.
The butler service was awkward at first, but works in your favor—especially when it comes to getting reservations at the restaurants (I think a concierge level room would work in much the same way). Every day, we had afternoon appetizers waiting for us, and it was nice to have someone to deal with cab drivers, etc for you.

The resort itself was GORGEOUS. The grounds were amazing and the pools were some of the best we’d seen. We actually felt that the food was pretty good—not as good as a cruise, in most cases, but really quite delicious. A few of the meals were above cruise-level—Kimonos, La Toc, and Gordan’s at the Grande. We ate at all of the restaurants except for Pavilion for dinner, and we had ZERO complaints—they were all great. Lunch and breakfast were served, either at Armando’s, or at the Pavilion (or of course in your room via room service), and both were delicious.


Service at the resort was great in the bluffs and good elsewhere. We heard many Canadians/Americans complaining, but it’s very important to remember that you are NOT in the US/Canada and not every country has the same culture we do. We actually really appreciate Caribbean culture and find we are much more relaxed when we are down there due to the slow pace of life. However, putting aside the fact that we prefer the slow pace of life, we didn’t find the service to be an inconvenience at all, and felt we were treated well at the resort.

Checking out the sunset from the bluffs.

The view off our balcony.

The bluffs pool,

The beach looking up towards the bluffs.

The Regency at dusk.

Regency tips coming soon. :)

http://www.sandals.com/

Soufriere

As part of a promotion at the time we booked, we got two free tickets to the Soufriere adventure cruise. This is basically a catamaran trip (booze cruise) down the west coast of the island to Soufriere. In Soufriere, you do the drive-in volcano, the botanical gardens/diamond falls, and eat lunch at a local restaurant. As a note, I detest group tours which stems from sometime around 2nd grade and a trip to France. So, keep that in mind when reading the following information.

The booze cruise portion was lots of fun and I would highly recommend it (the Spirit of Carnival), but I wasn’t crazy about the volcano or the gardens tour. The Volcano tour itself was fine, but I wouldn’t do it again, as I didn’t really feel there was much to see and it smelt BAD. Like I was gagging bad. The botanical gardens were SUPER boring, IMO. Diamond Falls was nice to see at the end, but you can’t swim in it or anything so you just walk by it, single file with the other 100 people that are with you. Eh.

Lunch was REALLY good. Local food at a local bed and breakfast—plantains, jerk, rum cake, etc. It well exceeded my expectations. The name of the restaurant was the Qualibou Restaurant & Bar, and you may want to check it out, not only for the local food, but for the KILLER views of Soufriere, the sea, and the Pitons.

I highly recommend you go to Soufriere —pictures do not do the beauty of this town justice and it’s very “classic Caribbean.” If you dig Carib culture, you’ll dig Soufriere. J However, I might find another way to do it. Ideally, I would charter a sail boat down there from Castries down to Soufriere and take cabs to the places I wanted to go. I think it would be a great combo of being able to experience the town, experience the west coast by sea, and skipping the group tour crap.

The hubs and I with the Pitons in the background.

Me in front of Diamond Falls.

The hubs at the restaurant overlooking the Pitons.

The Volcano.

Enjoying the view and the sunshine on the way back to Castries.

It’s a woman’s prerogative…

To change her mind. ;) I completely recognize how incredibly lame my first St. Lucia post was, so I’m going to combine the review with photos. I’ve added some to the Chopper Post.

Next stop: St. Lucia in general.

First of all, let me just say that we spent 22 hours travelling to St. Lucia and 22 hours returning from St. Lucia. We unequivocally thought it was worth it.
St. Lucia is one of the most visually stunning islands we’ve ever been to (and we’ve been to quite a few). Think Hawaii without the development and tons of Caribbean charm. Rainbows, waterfalls, lush mountains, beaches—all of it.

Enjoy some landscapes from beautiful St. Lucia.

St. Lucia Part 1

First up, the chopper ride to Castries. :)

I definitely recommend taking the helicopter one way, but only one way. It was great to see the island from the sky, and super convenient (12 minutes vs. a very windy hour and a half). I only recommend one way, though, if you are a first-timer because there is much to see on the drive. We did the chopper on the way in and the drive on the way out, which worked out really well for us. It allowed us to get to our resort quickly after a long day of travel, and allowed us to have daylight the whole way for the drive.

As an additional note, I’m a pilot and have a four-year degree in an aviation field of study, and can tell you that I felt the operation was very safe. Our pilot regularly used his checklists and followed all ATC instructions. I also found him to be highly professional and knowledgeable in the island.

Check out the aviation geek's gigantic grin!

So Flippin' Excited!

One of the many beautiful panorama's from the sky!

http://www.stluciahelicopters.com/