Trekking with Global Sun and Fun Travel

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, St Lucia Resort Review

2011-01-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

The Coconut Beach Resort is an all-inclusive casual Caribbean Resort less than a mile from the Hewanorra International Airport and is one of my top recommendations for family reunion gatherings. This resort is situated along the southern coast of St.Lucia and offers the best of both worlds! How often do you find a resort that can please an entire family? Unfortunately, not often. Coconut Bay has succeeded in this effort by literally offering 2 separate resort experiences at the same resort. They've created a unique design that separates the 254 room property in half. One side is designated for families with children and is called the Splash Wing. The other half of the property is adults-only and is called Harmony. This innovative concept works very well and allows everyone to have their own unique and special vacation experience. The family side of the resort features an array of "child-centered" activities that are perfect for all age groups. There's a supervised Kids Klub for children up to 12 years of age, a paint ball facility, tennis courts, basketball courts, performance stages and Cocoland Water Park. The amazing Cocoland Water Park has the distinction of being the largest water park in St. Lucia and features a lazy river, family activity pool and an assortment of water slides. The adults-only side of the resort is designed for adults seeking peaceful relaxation and romance and it delivers! It's impossible to feel or be stressed when surrounded by intimate cabana beds, a quiet pool bar, comfy chaises, hammocks and the Kai Mer Spa. The resort rooms offer either lush gardenviews or Atlantic oceanviews. The furnishings are laid back and comfortable and all around the resort you'll find areas to curl up with a book, meditate or take a nap. Coconut Bay offers a choice of 4 dining options; the Coconut Walk is the main restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner, an all day Grill and 2 specialty restaurants; Silk(Asian cuisine) and Bellagio(Italian cuisine).

The Coconut Bay Resort is a great choice for a Caribbean getaway! It's designed to please all ages and is a wonderful option for couples, families or singles. It's especially a good fit for Family Reunion gatherings. The resort staff is welcoming, personable, very helpful and always working to ensure that you have a good time. Rates vary depending on vacation dates but are sometimes available as low as $298.00 per night. Why not treat your family to the "best of both worlds" on your next vacation.

Ida Creal

Reunion Specialist

sales@globalsunandfuntravel.com

Sydney Australia - My New Favorite City

2010-01-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Ida and I spent the Christmas Holidays in Sydney, Australia and oh what a lovely city!

We stayed in the Chinatown area which is located near the Central Business District. Sydney is a beautiful tourist friendly, international city. It is however rather pricey, especially liquor, cigarettes or anything considered a "vice". For example, a 24 pack of premium beer cost approx. $50.00 and other alcoholic beverages are off the charts! I recommend that liquor purchases be made at duty free before leaving the airport. Though food is not consided a vice, it too is quite expensive. It was hard to find a meal under $25.00, even on lunch menus. We stayed in a suite with a kitchenette which helped a lot with food cost. If you're planning to visit, having a kitchen to cook some of your meals is a great option.

We spent our days and evenings exploring the city. Thankfully, the city is very walk-able and easy to navigate. Public restrooms were plentiful and easy to find. We walked quite a bit but also used the local buses, taxis and ferry system. In the Central Business District, the city provides a free shuttle that will drop you off at various CBD locations. We took the ferry to Manly Beach which is a "not to be missed" destination. The ferry trip takes about 30 minutes and traverses some of the most beautiful parts of Sydney Harbour. The city of Manly was almost like taking a step back in time. It reminded me of sleepy resort towns often seen in the movies. What I loved most about Manly is that the businesses fit right in with the laid back mode. The streets and beach areas were filled with multi-generational locals - mothers pushing babies in strollers, grandparents sitting with grandchildren having ice cream and young people playing volley ball & surfing on the beach. What a wonderful way to spend the day!

Sydney is a very diverse city and to my delight, the mini shirt never went out of style there. But the ladies wear them in a very natural, unassuming kind of way. The city skyline is an eclectic mix of older structures combined with tall contemporary skyscrapers. At times, it reminded me of San Francisco, New York, Cape Town and Buenos Aires all rolled into one.

The people were friendly, the transportation excellent, the parks are world class and the entertainment first rate! It doesn't get any better than that and I can't wait to make a return visit!

Christmas In Cape Town

2009-09-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Over the Christmas holidays Ida and I visited Cape Town , South Africa. This is a bustling exciting destination, considered one of the most beautiful regions on earth. The city, reminiscent of San Francisco, circles the base of Table Mountain and offers something for everyone. It is a very walkable city with friendly multicultural residents and a good cosmopolitan mix of business and leisure establishments. The V & A Waterfront is the most visited tourist attraction in the city. The Nelson Mandela Gateway is located on the waterfront and is the departure point for ferries to Robben Island where Mr. Mandela was incarcerated for 26 years under the apartheid regime. Delta Air Lines flies to Cape Town from Atlanta, Ga. (with a stopover in Dakar, Senegal). The flight takes approximately 20 hours. There's so much to see and do in this city and an added bonus is that the exchange rate is very favorable. During our visit the rate was about 9.5 rands to the dollar. It's one of the few places where you truly can get more bang for your buck! It's summertime/peak season in South Africa in December. To get the best vacation value, consider traveling during May or September. These are seasonal shoulder months and prices are generally lower.

Ecuador, a Visit to the Center of the World

2009-09-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most enjoyable trips that I have taken was a 4 day trip to Ecuador. We were invited there to meet our tourist industry suppliers, to do site inspections of hotels, tour the city of Quito and meet the friendly people of Ecuador. We had a wonderful experience and plan to return soon. Ecuador sits on the equator and has four distinct regions, the Galapagos - nature at its purest, the Costa - where the green beaches meet the sea, the Andes - the avenue of the volcanoes, and Amazonia - from the Andes peaks to the jungle. The diversity in climate, culture and people is extraordinary. The capital city, Quito is a mixture of a modern settings along side centuries old cultures, churches and museums. Ecuador has a rich multi cultural history of Andean people, Rain Forest People, Native organizations, Spanish and Afro-Ecuadorians.

Annual Friends & Family Cruise

2009-08-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow travelers:

Although we book and attend many travel activities every year, there is none that is more enjoyable than our annual Friends and Family Cruise. This year's special event will be a 7 night Southern Caribbean Cruise departing from San Juan,, Puerto Rico on August 30, 2009 on Carnival's Victory. This cruise is unusual in that there are no sea cruising days. 7 nights, 7 ports of call!

You may follow our progess:

on our BLOG at http://www.globalsunandfuntravel.blogspot.com/

on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Sun-and-Fun-Travel-LLC/93349114780

on Twitter at http://twitter.com/globalsunandfun

or from our web site at http://www.globalsunandfuntravel.com/

Our itinerary is as follows:

Port City_____Date______Arrival Time___Departure Time______Day

San Juan...... .8/30/2009.....................10:00 PM...............Sun

St. Thomas....8/31/2009...7:00 AM..........5:00 PM...............Mon

Dominica.......9/1/2009...10:00 AM..........6:00 PM..............Tue

Barbados.......9/2/2009....8:00 AM..........5:00 PM..............Wed

St. Lucia........9/3/2009...8:00 AM..........5:00 PM..............Thur

Antigua.........9/4/2009...8:00 AM..........6:00 PM...............Fri

St. Kitts.........9/5/2009..7:00 AM..........4:00 PM...............Sat

San Juan.......9/6/2009...7:00 AM...................................Sun

Stay Tuned