Hi All

We are new members and this is our first Geo vacation and are very excited !

We will be in club fun tropicale from Jan 12-19 celebrating our wedding anniversary and were wondering if anyone has any tips and want to share their stories on fun things to do there.

Also we are debating if we should choose the all inclusive or rather shop there and buy our own food/drinks

thanks !

We had an absolutely marvelous time.We had not been to Florida in 30 years and the last time was to the Tampa area.We went to wonderful restaurants in the area and enjoyed food I had never eaten before,like Dolphin done in almonds.The beach's were clean and so was everything else.We went to the Kennedy Space Centre,Miami and fantastic plaza's.Sometimes just sat around the pool enjoying the sun talking to wonderful people from all over the country,US and Canada.We were sorry we had to leave.We will be back in the future.

Dear Betty,

John and I had a wonderful holiday! The Camelback resort is very nice and out unit is lovely. Thank you very much for you help! With out you this holiday wouldnít be possible! We are very grateful!

J. Tomkins & J. Struss

Hey Fellow Travelers,

Well, just booked into the little “Gold Crown” close to Ottawa for a month.  We are going to use it as a base for skiing and hanging out with some friends – don’t know how we will feel after 4 weeks in the place but we will see – consider it a get-away experiment!  If it works, we will do it again another time.  If not, lesson learned.

For those who are not familiar with the Calabogie area, it is one of the better choices for downhill skiing in the Ottawa area but is a hill, not a mountain.  In other words, if you are looking to spend more time on the hill then in lines or on a lift, head to Tremblant or the States.  With that said, for casual skiing or if you have kids, it is a great location for some good clean family fun. 

There are two principal resorts at Calabogie.  One is the red-roofed set of buildings which are advertised on the Club site – there are many weeks available to members at this location under the “Options” Resorts or through other means.  This location is situated right on a bay of Calabogie Lake so great access for skating and ice fishing, if you are into that.  There is a nice little restaurant on site as well as a heated indoor pool and sauna/hot tub. The units are nice, well equipped, ski chalet style places similar to the Geo Premiere structures at Lac Morency.  You are about 3 kms from base of ski hill.

The other location is Calabogie Peaks which is an Interval resort so not available through RCI but there are occasional Peaks units that appear under the Club “Options” Resorts.  The Peaks units vary in standard with the newer of the 3-4 buildings having very nice lock-off units and the older of the buildings being similar to the other Calabogie resort above in style.  Amenities are similar at both locations, though the lake is a further walk from the buildings at the Peaks.  The big plus for the Peaks location is that you are at the base of the ski hill so can essentially ski in/out.  Great for lunches etc.  In the summer the Peaks has a little exec golf course too and rents non-motorized watercraft and bikes etc.

I will post some pics of the Calabogie resort when we get back later in February.  First though, we are off for 3 weeks to Florida for our West Caribbean cruise and land vacations (though nobody offered excursion suggestions, we found a couple of great shore excursion companies so hopefully things work out great).  Will post some pics of the cruise/land trip too when we get back in early January.

Have a good holiday season everyone…..

TB  :)

Where oh Where are all the Club Members???

Does anyone out there travel?  Why not share your experience so we all can learn from each other about favorite destinations, club resorts, and area attractions?  I have to say that with so many members registered, I am disappointed at the lack of member input to the forum…..

We have just returned from another 12 days in Orlando – stayed at the lovely Summer Bay Resort again, this time in the Villas.  We were fortunate to receive one of the newly updated units so it was quite nice indeed (certainly great value for the points expended – even though it was prime time).

Anyway, I have already written about Summer Bay and the other Orlando resorts we frequent so no more on that.  What I did discover though, that I wanted to share, is how great Universal Studios is, and in particular Universal, Islands of Adventure.  I had been to Universal when I was a teen and recalled it being fairly plain (and spread out), especially in relation to the Disney Parks – the truth is, I still feel that way about Universal Studios itself.  You only need 1-1.5 days to see everything and hit the good rides a couple of times (Back to the Future, MIB Alien Attack, Fear Factor Live, Shrek 4D to name most of them).

However, Universal - Islands of Adventure has a fresh, Disney-like feel to it and is located adjacent to Universal Studios itself so you can jump between both parks easily (with City Walk (shops and restaurants/clubs) in the middle joining the two parks) and is packed with great thrill rides like the Hulk, Spiderman (the best 3D movie I have seen) and Dueling Dragons – two wicked roller-coasters where you are suspended from the rails.  The dragons, Fire and Ice they are called, are a great ride!  The boutique shopping is also WAY better at this park than the Studios.

The best part of all – right now you can buy a 7 day pass on the Universal web-site with Park Hopping privileges and access to City Walk in evenings for only $85.  You read that right – not $85/day (the one day ticket is close to $70) but $85 USD for 7 consecutive days.  GREAT value!

So if in the Orlando Kissimmee area in the next little while – give Disney a break and hit Universal and Universal – Islands of Adventure.  You won’t be disappointed….

TB  :)

P.S.  To whoever reads this from the Club Admin – I have sent 3 emails over the last couple of months that have gone unanswered related to getting tips or better tools to post pictures up on the forum portal.  Responses would be appreciated.  thks

Im having fun here,... and I like travel ... anybody likes ?

We stayed at the Tilsitt in September 2006. We were pleasantly surprised at the size of the one-bedroom apartment - by far quite large according to European standards! Although not luxurious, it is quite comfortable, clean and best of all well-located. Staff were helpful and welcoming.
The best location to explore Paris on foot. Around the corner from the Arc the Triomphe and Les Champs Elysees you can practically visit all the main sites of Paris, on foot. Restaurants, famous boulangeries and pastry shops around the corner not to mention excellent shopping!
 
We would go back there in a flash.
;)

Maritza,

I have just returned from my 2.5 weeks vacation in Kona. I had a great time. I would like to Thank You very much for helping me out with the last minute changes from Brisbane to Hawaii due to my employment changes.
Both resorts were wonderful. Being golfers, we were especially happy with Paniolo Greens as we got a very good discount on green fees at the local Golf Course. Plus the resorts were at opposite ends of the Island so we got a flavour of the separate areas.

Thank You again from making our Holiday Perfect.

Best Regards,

Wayne Robinson

Last April 05, we stayed at the Jockey Club in Las Vegas.  We'd been to Las Vegas before, so the gambling was not the draw.  We used the Jockey Club as a base for exploring the area around Vegas.
Red Rock Canyon is only 15 minutes outside of Las Vegas and it is wonderful!
The rocks are massive and pictures we took of people hiking down the trails, look like ants!
Death Valley is truly a trip to take.  Map out the drive to Badwater (215 feet below sea level and walk on the salt lake.  Unbelievable.  It's like being in another world.
The Jockey  Club is situated beside The Bellagio Hotel & Casino and if you can manage a room higher up facing Bellagio, you can see the dancing waters
at night.  We found the Jockey Club to be comfortable and spacious with a small store inside for milk etc, but no restaurant or groceries as such.  The walk to the street was "interesting" as there was quite a bit of construction around.
The driving in Las Vegas is not for the faint of heart, their left turn lanes are ok once you realize they veer off to the side!  Get familiar with the hotel drive ways because you will use them to make your turn arounds!!!
When we were there, the concierge was giving everyone coupons for free shows and free dinners etc, but the catch was to sit through a "shpeel" for Timeshare Ownership.  you can alwasy say no. We liked the Jockey Club, a small oasis of peace in an otherwise crazy city.
Mauri

I am enclosing some pictures of our stay at beautiful Viva Maya and Viva Azteca, Playacar, Playa del Carmen in February 2006.

We stayed one week at each of the resorts, which are a five minute walk apart. We had a wonderful time, the staff were friendly and helpful, the food bountiful, and the cafe latte was excellent. Entertainment nightly at Viva Maya was excellent.

Suzanne Gumpert