found a great blog search site – check it out at http://www.icerocket.com/

wwwislandbreezebargainscom

Well – we kinda got an offer we couldnt refuse. Time to pack the bags cause we are heading back to Mexico. T minus 28 days and counting. It looks like our son gets two stamps in his passport this year. When we told him he would be missing school for a week he jumped for joy. I guess you could say he will be studying Advanced Central American geography for a week. Anybody buying into that theory??  Nah – me either!!!

In this video, my son and I review 3 types of popular Teva brand sandals out on the market and invite viewers to see a more detailed review on my website, http://www.islandbreezebargains.com

from vodpod.com posted with vodpod

Cant wait to show my son kiteboarding down in Cabarete. anybody been there??  Any must see places near Cabarete??

We stayed at a new place called the Royal Cancun. What a great place to stay. I can’t say enough good things about this place but let me see if I can summarize our stay.

Check In:
What a great experience. Having been to other resorts in the Caribbean, this process can be a pain. The Royal Cancun has a great way of making this process mostly seamless. We pulled up in the airport van and the porters were on our bags without hesitation. The first moments arriving at a resort can sometimes set your mood for the entire trip so pulling up to this wonderful entranceway nearly takes your breath away. The wide open entrance with floors made of beautiful marble. The Royal has 4 stations for check in at the main entrance but we did not check in there. One of the first staff members to greet us was Erik. We found out later that Erik was new to the resort (2 weeks with the Royal) but you would not know that from his fantastic demeanor – it’s fairly obvious why Erik is up in front. Erik took us on a short but informative guided tour of the resort and we were checked in on our floor. We were given champagne during check in and that also went very well.

Our Room:
Suite 541 would be ours for a week and it was a Royal Corner Suite. All rooms come with safes and plenty of closet space. The mini bar had everything you need from beer, Evian bottled water, Coke, etc. The mini bar was great and had Vodka, Rum, Tequila, and Scotch. The bathroom had a huge 6 head shower with a seating area in the middle and another shower on the other side. The bed had to be the most comfortable bed we have ever slept in. you also get a pillow menu and we highly recommend the memory foam pillows. Our view was spectacular and it was great to fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.

Food:
We religiously read the reviews prior to booking the Royal and one of our concerns was food choices. Not being a gourmet food person, some of the pictures and reviews made me a bit apprehensive. My feelings were short lived because the food was great. Its all about quality and presentation with the Royal Chef staff. They really know how to feed you. From Spice at breakfast with the buffet style service to Pelicano’s at lunch time with the shrimp cocktail and the scallops the size of silver dollars, everything was top notch. We also ate at Asiana and Maria-Marie and they were also outstanding. We also recommend the Chefs Plate. This is a 6 course meal picked and prepared by the chef and it was wonderful. Book this as soon as you arrive or you will not get a reservation as it fills up very fast. The Chefs Plate has a 6pm and 9pm seating daily.

Pools
The pools were large and the towel game is in full effect so get your spot by about 8am and you should not have a problem (TIP – toss a book on you chair for a little added insurance) About 9am the wait staff starts the rounds and will bring you your drink of choice on a regular basis. We recommend Cesar and Omar as these two guys really kept the drinks coming and always had a smile for us. It was impressive with all the people that they see come and go, they were able to remember our names. Cesar and Omar also served as “The Beachtler” and brought around cold washcloths, would clean your sunglasses, and spritz you with a mineral water-aloe mixture. Try the Hurricane, Mango Tango, Electric Lemonade or my wife’s favorite, the “Sexy Banana”. Basically, there are 2 main pools. Looking out toward the water, the right side is a more quiet side. And from the swim up pool bar at Pelicano’s stretching left is the active side with music. The activities are led by the sports and entertainment team and they keep it fun. From water volleyball (with and without tequila shots if you screw up!!) to cocktail classes, water aerobics, trivia games, etc. Fernando and Said keep the fun going and work hard to make your trip fun.

Nightlife:
There were a few shows at the Royal but not a whole lot, however the Royal is in a great location to visit some of the hottest spots in Cancun which are located about a mile up the strip. If you like clubs, I highly recommend going with the Sports and Entertainment team as you will be looked after and taken care of. It works like this: The team announces where they are going that day around 10 am or so. They usually have an option A and B. (option A gets you a good chance of being with the team). They also secure you VIP seating. If you only check out 1 place, make it Coco Bongo. VIP seating is a good idea here because you get your own server and it’s worth the extra 10 bucks. I also tipped our server an extra 20 bucks and he took great care of us. This place is a riot and its non stop party time with things going on all over the place from start to finish. There are plenty of videos on the net about this place if you want to see it.

Spa:
Way too many choices to list here but what we had was great. We had basic massages but there is something here for every taste.

We travelled here with another couple and they had a great time too. If you are going soon rest assured this is a great place to stay and I recommend it. If you are on the fence about where to stay – book this place, you will not be disappointed.

One more week to go till its “wheels up” and off to Cancun for a week in the sun.  Why is it that the weeks leading up to a vacation seem to take FOREVER!!!

I hope to post a video blog from Cancun if I can swing it.  Not sure about their web availability down there and even less sure about my ability to focus once I am down there on anything other than having a damm good time!!

http://revver.com/watch/435765/flv/affiliate/121694/

In this video, my son and I review 3 types of popular Teva brand sandals out on the market and invite viewers to see a more detailed review on my website, http://www.islandbreezebargains.com. These sandals have worked out great on several vacations to the caribbean and are always on the list things to take on the vacation. If you are as picky about your feet as I am – check this line out.

Recently, we applied for my sons passport. I wanted to post an update so anyone interested would know approximate turn around times for any island hopping they had planned.

The good news is it looks like the backlog and delays on processing are over.

We applied with our local courthouse on October 9th, 2007 and received the passport on October 23rd, 2007. 14 days!!!

So its off to the Sosua in the Dominican Republic for our sons first taste of the caribbean island lifestyle!!

Anybody catch the latest episode of the Biggest Loser? It was filmed on location at the Grand Lido Resort and Spa located on the beach side of Negril just about as far up the seven mile beach as you can get.

http://www.superclubs.com/brand_grandlido/resort_negril/ 

Grand lido is a great all inclusive place. A little pricey – but its worth it if you have the means. Next door to Grand Lido is a huge place they just built called RIU.