Kind Words from our Vacation Clients!

Hi Maria!

The vacation was amazing :) I wish I was still there! We all loved the resort. It’s super modern and the food was very good – so many options!

It’s a pretty big resort, so I got a lot of steps in every day haha. I loved hanging out on the beach and watching the whales. I also really liked how there were kayak/paddle board “tours” where you could go out and get a bit closer to the whales too.

I don’t even think we ended up going to all the bars/restaurants because there were so many. My favourite bar was the lobby bar because they had so many different spirits/liqueurs/etc. I had too many pre-dinner espresso martinis haha.

My only complaint was that they are very pushy on time share sales. Once you’re over that, it’s all good!

Wishing we were still in the sun!

Hi Maria,

Thank-you!!

Yes, we had a lovely time at the Occidental Grand Xcaret. The resort was beautiful, the staff were very helpful and friendly; it had a lovely beach, great food and we had many fun times at the pool. Also, we purchased a three-day pass at the Xcaret ecological park next door. It was wonderful too!! It included an Aquarium, Aviary, Butterfly Pavilion & lots of different animals in a natural setting.

The beach was wonderful there too; we had a boat ride down their natural river with caves and swam in the underground river. We took an excursion to Tulum & the Coba Mayan Ruins as well. It included an authentic Mayan buffet and a swim in a freshwater lake. I’d say we had a wonderful mix of relaxation, good food, friendly people and a truly interesting experience. It rained a little the first day however after that the weather was great between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius.

Feeling quite blessed as I’ve never won anything exciting like this before. When we were checking out I felt like I had to pinch myself. They had given us a hospitality suite for a 1/2 hour as we weren’t leaving till 4:30 p.m. We could enjoy the beach and restaurants up until the last minute and then freshen up.

We handed in our card for the room and the front desk staff just thanked us for coming and that was it!! Everything was included even the ride back to the airport which was right on time. So wonderful!!

Thank-you again for going the extra mile and making this happen! We truly appreciate it and will tell all our family & friends.

Oh Maria we absolutely LOVE it!!!!

We are fore sure going back there next year!! It is so clean, the Food was great…. The choices of ale la carts !! Mmmm the Japanese was our favorite!! The staff were amazing, the activity staff were by far the best !! We never made it to any of the evening shows but were told they were really good ??!

Can’t even count the amount of people that we met and will be keeping in contact with. Even planning to reunite there next year. Leonard’s Sister, Mom & Step-Dad will also be joining us because we told her that this would be a great one for Mom because she uses a walker to get around and it’s very handy-cap friendly there. Seen many of wheelchairs and scooters.

I think if we had one complaint it would be the bed…. It was like sleeping on a box spring !! But the was a small price to pay for such a fabulous time. Over all we give this resort an outstanding 4 thumbs up !!!

Hello Bill and Maria,

First we have to start off with talking about the Resorts grounds, which was Very lush, with lots of wildlife. Various lizards, crabs, birds etc. I read reports about some mosquito’s, but I never saw a single one until the last night we were there. Pathways are always kept tidy, and they are well-lit (but not too well-lit) for the evening when walking around. There are two pools, neither being very large (compared to some resorts with a lazy river, etc), with one having a pool bar. We honestly never stepped foot in either one. Even though it was low season and not overly busy, the pool bar was always lively so that would be attractive for some.

The Beach was Immaculate! Can’t say enough about it. Soft sand, beautiful warm water. Kept clean. The highlight of the resort and paradise really. Lots of chairs to lay on and plentiful shade. We were there in low season so it may have helped there. Security is always present to handle anyone getting too aggressive selling anything while you relax. For the most part though they stay on the water’s edge and aren’t too obtrusive.

About the Rooms/Room Service. We had an Oceanview Verandah suite, second floor. A tree blocked our view of the ocean, but that wasn’t a big deal. The room is nothing fancy. Someone expecting sparkling marble and a huge bathrooms that you see at some resorts will be disappointed. For us, the bathroom was plenty big, the bed very comfortable and the air conditioner/fan worked excellently. We had no problems with the room, and our fridge was kept stocked. We ordered the Continental Breakfast a few times and it was great (they give you lots of food!).

The Restaurants at this resort were Awesome. Loved them! Won’t go into crazy detail. All are “roofed” open air except Feathers (the “high end” restaurant) which is inside and well air conditioned, and one of the grills is simply
an open air patio. If I had one complaint it would be the buffet, which while large, wasn’t always the best. It wasn’t bad, but just comparing it to the rest of the restaurants it was more average. Still, it didn’t stop me from going for seconds.

About the Entertainment/Excursions/Activities – We aren’t big on excursions. We only did the shopping trip. If anyone is looking for the cheapest Blue Mountain coffee in Negril, it’s probably at the Times Square duty-free mall they take you to. You could negotiate $15 a pound. The airport was three times that price, as was the price in Negril and on the resort. The bus also went into downtown Negril which I wasn’t that impressed with. We went on the sunset catamaran cruise from the resort which would have been better had it not clouded up and started to rain. Can’t blame anyone for that though. Also went on the resort-supplied hobbeykats, which were A LOT of fun and I wish we had gone again.

Did not do any scuba diving/snorkeling, but wish I had. The nighttime entertainment was plentiful. Beach band, movies on the beach, piano bar, night club, talent shows etc… No shortage of anything to do at any time of the day.

Weather – Amazing! It was 30C-33C every day, very sunny and humid. There is always a nice breeze to keep you cool as you lay in the shade. It seems even hotter when the sun goes down.

Staff – Everyone is very friendly. Bartenders, cooks, servers, check in/out, etc. All very personable.

Airport – I wouldn’t mention this normally, but will because of the Couples lounge located there. After security we went to the lounge, had a drink and waited about 15 minutes for the hotel transportation to take us to the resort. One stop was made for a drink/bathroom break. Trip time was about 1.5 hours. It’s a nice drive along the coast and everything went smoothly. Ride back was the same, no stops this time and no problems.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the resort to anyone. Thanks a lot for all your help and sorry about the million emails I sent.

Hey Maria!

We had a wonderful experience at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach in Jamaica- the hotel was immaculate, the staff friendly and welcoming and the food abundant and tasty. The best part for us with relaxing on the beach with our two young children (1 y.o/3 y.o). The beach and water were perfect- lots of chairs to relax on and lots of shade available for breaks from the sun.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Iberostar! It was our third time using this resort chain and we have never had a bad experience. Great service, great food and a great overall experience. Would not hesitate to recommend this resort chain to anyone!!

We booked many months in advance with Sunquest and were very disappointed when a few days before our departure they tried to have us switch hotels due to overbooking for the first night of our stay. Maria and Bill fought for us and with the results of their efforts, we were able to stay at the Iberostar for the whole duration of our trip. We found out from our Sunquest rep at the hotel that they had relocated 90 people- WOW. On that note the Sunquest rep was very helpful, our transfers between the hotel and airport were smooth and worry free and the flights were on time.

We were so grateful to have booked through Maria and Bill they were great to deal with and very understanding of our travel needs. We especially appreciated having them on our side when Sunquest overbooked our hotel and tried to have us relocated. Bill & Maria did not allow that to happen. They took care of everything and all we needed to worry about was making sure we packed enough sunscreen :)

Hi Maria & Bill!

I wanted to send you an email and thank you for everything you have organized for us. Without issue, we set off from Winnipeg and spent an extremely hot but wonderful week in Playa. The resort itself was beautiful and there were lots of different restaurants to choose from. We booked a package with Best Day and took a tour of Tulum and spent the rest of the day snorkeling in the clear waters of Xel-Ha. We spent an afternoon in the town of Playa Del Carmen and shopped at some of the markets on 5th Avenue. We had fun. It was the break we needed after the hectic weeks prior. We wouldn’t have done this without you. Thank you.

If you have any future clients looking at the BlueBay in Playa, I would suggest that they find out what the beach is going to be like during their stay. Unfortunately it was in pretty rough shape with sandbagged walls and murky water. The pool was awesome though. One other thing (something I overlooked), we had the overnight in Calgary. Usually that would be great, but I forgot that the Stampede was going on! Hotels were booked up solid and the only room we ended up finding was in a sketchy hotel that was pretty gross inside. Staying there overnight did make the rooms at the resort seem that much more ‘wow’ the next night though.

Thank you for all of your help and also for putting up with my emails and phone calls! Not sure when our next vacation will be but I do believe we know who we will contact!

“EVERYTHING WAS FANTASTIC!”

We did everything we wanted to do – snorkeling, shopping, sunbathing, wiping out on the flo rider, dancing and the spa. It was our first cruise, and we can’t wait to go on another one.

We were on the Oasis of the Seas, and we both agree that the food really stood out. Our 3 hour meal at 150 Central Park was one of the best culinary experiences we’ve ever had. Royal Caribbean was professional and definitely had our interests at heart. The staff was very pleasant and, more importantly, allowed to have fun with us, which enhanced the party and vacation atmosphere. We have nothing to compare it to, but would definitely book with them again.

Bill & Maria helped us with everything, making for a smooth and worry-free vacation. They strive to give us the best deal, kept us up to date on what we needed to do to prepare for the trip, and arranged transportation to and from the airport. We highly recommend their services, and they are foremost in our minds when we have friends and family who talk about vacations.

Hello Bill,

We just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for all of your work in making the arrangements for our trip to Jamaica and our stay at Hedo II. It was a great week, we really enjoyed the time away from chilly Winnipeg.

The Hedo facility was pretty good…certainly not 5 star or anything like that and it is showing its age a little bit now, but the food was quite good, staff friendly, the beach was magnificent, and the rooms were clean and fairly quiet (believe it or not!)

Thanks again for all of your help…you will certainly hear from us again! Cheers.