The Finishing Touch Wedding and Event Planning

Mexico ~ Part Dos

 

We welcome you all to read the final details of Nicole's recent trip to scope out the Riviera Maya/Cancun sections of Mexico.  Be sure to click the link to read the first part below if you missed it the first time.

On our third day after arriving in beautiful Mexico, we drove into the heart of Cancun to visit NH’s sister hotel, ‘NH Krystal Cancun’. Located in prime location on Cancun’s strip, the rooms overlooked the most beautiful views of the blue-green water and reefs.  Even better, this NH hotel gives guests the option of going all-inclusive or a la carte while offering many of the same delicious restaurants as NH Riviera Maya does. The hotel offers 325 rooms, specialty restaurants and four banquet rooms that are able to accommodate 90-420 guests.

 

 

Our group enjoyed lunch at El Mortero, a Mexican restaurant which was themely decorated and offered the best margaritas in town! Lunch was brought out on numerous ceramic pigs that hosted as mini-grills roasting shrimp, lobster, beef, chicken, scallops and pork. Their family-style meals and festively decorated interior provides a great venue to host a rehearsal dinner for your guests. Afterwards, we toured the hotel’s sleeping rooms, banquet rooms and outside terrace & pool area which featured 3 different mock wedding tables along the railing of the ocean. While past hurricanes have wiped out much of their beach, NH is actively restoring it with large sand bags and boulders. The upside of having no beach is you are literally on the water; the ceremony area is conveniently situated right on the coast with the waves crashing beneath you!

 

 

After dreaming of perfect waterfront wedding, we then traveled downtown to do some local shopping at the large outdoors market where we found souvenirs, clothing, jewelry and food to bargain for. That night, we returned back to Riviera Maya and enjoyed a full-course dinner at NH’s gourmet restaurant, ‘Senses’.  We were treated to the best Asparagus & Cream Soup I have ever tasted, yellow-tailed tuna and a full sized wedding cake created by their talented outsourced cake designer.

 

Once Thursday rolled around, our wonderful hosts wanted to take us off-site to visit what Mexico has to offer and we were excited to be joined by our Association of Bridal Consultant president, David Wood. Our Cancun DMC drove us about an hour away from our hotel to Tulum, home of the Mayan ruins. I have to say, it felt like a party bus as we were offered waters, sodas, beer and wet hand towels on our trip over! Upon arrival, we had our own personal tour guide who guided us through the ruins as we got to experience one of the three most visited archaeological sites in Mexico and one of the best preserved coastal Mayan sites. Our next stop was Xel-ha, a natural aquarium that hosted numerous water activities such as a Lazy River through mangroves, swimming with dolphins, scuba, snorkeling and natural cliffs to jump off or swing from ropes. Xel-ha is extremely accommodating as they offer an all-inclusive package of $120 which allows you access to most activities, lockers, a wide-array buffet AND drinks! The resort is a perfect choice for a day-trip with your family and friends.

That night, we had our bon voyage dinner at their Italian restaurant, ‘Cinque Terre’. We all exchanged contact information and sipped on champagne as we said our final goodbyes to the friends we had spent so much time with over the past week. ABC’s president, David Wood, thanked our hosts of NH with a brand new ABC-logo’d umbrella for all.

NH provided each consultant with a hard-copy information booklet informing us of all the options we can offer our brides and grooms in the future. NH hotels, featuring locations around the world, offer a great way to vacation in style. If you are interested in hosting your destination wedding at any of their resorts, please ask us for more information as we would be happy to provide!

Click here to read Part I

Hasta leugo!

Nicole

 

Exciting News for All!!

 

The Association of Bridal Consultants has recently paired up with NH-Hotels to provide us with exclusive discounts and deals for our brides and grooms. Having over 340 locations around the globe which are ideal for honeymooning, NH-Hotels expand to include South Africa, South America, and throughout Europe.

To kick off this fabulous relationship with the ABC, NH Riviera Cancun in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, invited 20 bridal consultants from the Americas to join them for a week of touring of the sites, learning about Mexican culture and what it has to offer and of course, some fun in the sun. Cancun DMC, a transportation company, joined NH Riviera Cancun to provide for our transportation needs between the airport as well as our off-resort activities.

 

I was lucky enough to fly to Mexico this past April to learn of this great new opportunity we are able to extend to our couples. Upon arrival, David from Cancun DMC was front & center waiting for me with a bottle of ice water and a cold wet hand towel. Believe me; it was well needed with the Mexico sun! Only a 20-minute ride from the airport, I was greeted and taken to my ocean-view suite. A modernly decorated room complete with a huge marble waterfall shower, a Jacuzzi with views of the ocean, a stocked mini bar, plush white bedding and a plasma T.V., I felt incredibly comfortable!

After spending a couple hours under a tiki hut on the beach, while being brought ice cold margaritas (hey, I had to get in the spirit of Mexico!) and enjoying the crystal blue waters, I showered and arrived at the front lobby to meet my fellow ABC group. I met with bridal consultants from around the nation, as well as Argentina and Mexico. We enjoyed the resort’s buffet restaurant which conveniently offers a side room which can be closed to the public for private events, such as welcome lunches/dinners for your guests or even as a rehearsal dinner space. The food was delicious and offered a wide array of items to suit anyone’s taste.  The resort’s event coordinator, marketing coordinator and general manager provided us with a warm welcome and were honestly the friendliest people willing to assist with any requests.

 

Tuesday we began with a site inspection of the hotel and the abundance of rooms they have to offer.  With 2,640 feet of crystal white sand, 27 acres of lush Tropical grounds and 12 premier restaurants & bars, it felt like Heaven on earth. As an upscale Luxury All-Inclusive resort, it featured 550 suites divided into two categories: Junior Suites and Paradise Club. The Paradise Club is for adults only and is carefully designed with suites and select amenities. The great selling point for their resort is the fact that they are all-inclusive (if you so choose). Nothing seems better to me than to eat and drink my little heart out, without having to worry about racking up my room bill or pulling cash out at the dinner table; I simply wore a colored wrist-band (which I made sure to move around while tanning to avoid the band line!) and gained access to all the resort’s offerings.

 

We visited their incredibly large theatre with a 550 person capacity, which can be divided into three separate sections, depending on the size of your event. As for outdoor locations, which of course are more ideal, we attended two mock weddings that evening. We first experienced a ceremony set-up on the plush green grass overlooking the ocean with an altar in-between two perfectly positioned palm trees. A second option consisted of having a ceremony upstairs on a large balcony under a large wood arch-like structure overlooks the beach, ocean, and has a perfect view of the sunset. There is also a conveniently located outdoor bar which could be closed for private parties and perfect for cocktail hour.

 

Tuesday we were also treated to mini massages at the resort’s spa and I have to say, it was one of the best massages I have ever received. The staff was extremely professional and friendly and their spa was state of the art. Included with my body massages, I also gained access to their sauna, steam room and hot tub. Great news for our couples, the spa offers generous discounts to our brides and grooms.  In the evening, our group was treated to the resort’s semi-outdoor Asian restaurant where I tried sushi for the first time and loved it!

Stay tuned for more details of my Mexican trip soon…

 

Click here to read Part II

http://www.nh-hotels.com/

Happy Traveling,

Nicole

Across the Country in 10 Days-Part III

 

Welcome back again for the conclusion of my road trip across the country!  In case you don’t remember, we were on day 7, 10 states deep and just leaving Denver to head to….

UTAH!  The drive through the Rocky Mountains was majestic.  Pictures and words cannot capture their true beauty.  I think it was the first place we actually had no cell phone reception.  J  I definitely understand why people live in Denver; a combination of city life and nature all rolled into one. 

We did not have much planned for Utah except for Arches National Park in Moab.  This national park boasts the most unusual rock formations.  Although we did not get to see many arches, we did see some beautiful scenery.  Unfortunately, we were not really prepared to hike through the park.  While you can drive through it, as we did, it probably would have been more beneficial to have hiked.  It took roughly 2 hours to drive the park and stop at the different lookout points.  There were definitely some fascinating structures to observe along the way and we felt satisfied with our time there.  

 

After gassing up and leaving Moab, we decided that we would do our best to make it to our next and final stop for Chelsea and me.  Las Vegas was about 5-6 hours away, but I was determined to get us there.  Melissa and Chelsea had never been to Vegas before and although I had been twice, it was my first time driving there, and my first time going there in over 10 years.   I began the final leg of my trip keeping in the back of my mind that I wanted Melissa and Chelsea to experience Vegas for the first time at night. 

It was about 1:00 am when we crossed into Pacific Time, where it became midnight again.  Much to our disappointment there was no sign this time.  But our phones changed, so at least we had an indicator.  Anyway, at about 12:45, still in pitch black we climbed a small incline.  We reached the top, and all of a sudden in the distance miles of lights could be seen. I realized that flying over the strip is nothing like driving into Vegas at night.  We were clapping and cheering.  Of course we had a playlist ready on the IPOD for our entrance to the strip.  What better song than A Little Less Conversation, (theme song for the show Vegas)?  Followed by Tom Jones of course! 

 

We started at one end of the strip and drove down and back.  It was so much fun being in the car with Melissa and Chelsea as they had their first Vegas experience.  Several of the hotels were new to me, but I was more excited watching the two girls look up in awe.  I was sad to be in my last city, but I was thankful that I had 3 nights to go with Melissa.  We spent the daytime touring the casinos and in the evening we tried to experience some of the nightlife.  The fountains show at the Bellagio Hotel was definitely our favorite.  We watched about 4 shows in a row!  If you think Vegas is just about the gambling, you really can go there without losing a dime. There are so many hotels to tour, restaurants to try and shows to attend.  The top of the Stratosphere Hotel even has 3 terrifying rides!  That was the only activity I did not partake in.  Instead, I took pictures of Melissa and Chelsea.  (I took one for the team!)

 

We stayed at the MGM Hotel, towards the end of the strip.  We had a great view of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and the Sphinx at the Luxor.  The first night we did a little bar hopping and tested out the scene at Coyote Ugly, located in the New York, New York Hotel.  Melissa and I were dancing on the bar with minutes of walking in.  We stayed for a short time there and then headed towards Caesar’s Palace to hit up PURE Nightclub. It was packed and the music was pumping.  You kind of forget that you're out on a Tuesday night.  It's pretty easy to forget what day it is when your're in Sin City!  We hit the dance floor for a while, and by the time we left our ears were definitly ringing.  We returned to our hotel where I taught Chelsea how to play Roulette, and she walked away $200 richer. 

 

 

 

Chelsea had to return to Virginia the next day, but Melissa and I had still had one more full day and night ahead.  We toured more hotels, such as The Mirage, The Venetian, Paris, and The Wynn.   It truly is incredible to see these creative spaces.  I even had the chance to see the Devils first playoff game on a huge screen! (That made my day!)  After a full day of walking the strip, we decided to stay close to home on our final night and we went to Studio 54 located right in the MGM Grand.  The music was great, and the club was awesome.  They have dancers to entertain the crowd high above the dance floor.  The outfits don’t really leave much to the imagination, and they have costume changes throughout the night.  Definitely not what I’m used to seeing back in Hoboken!  Overall, we had an absolute blast, and it was a great way to spend our final night in Vegas. 

After 10 days of travelling, I am able to say that I was in 13 states, 7 cities, and 3 time zones…and I did it all with the 1 friend who is most dear to me.  Saying goodbye to Melissa was probably the toughest day, however we promised not to really say goodbye…but “see you later.”  I gave her about 5 hugs, each one filled with tears and I walked into the airport.  Within 10-15 seconds we were already texting each other.  I knew that she would never really be far from me.

 

 

 

This vacation was definitely one of my most exciting and memorable times.  We laughed, we cried and we simply enjoyed being friends.  Nothing compares to this experience and I feel so fortunate I had the chance to drive across this beautiful and diverse country.  If you ever have a chance to take your own road trip, do not pass it up.  I cannot tell you enough times how incredible it was.  Just find the right person to go with, and you can’t go wrong!

If you liked this story…hopefully you’ll love the sequel…the road trip to move Melissa back to the East Coast.  Don’t worry…you have a couple years before that one is released.

 

Click here to read Part I

Click here to read Part II

 

 

Signing off,

Leah

 

Across the Country in 10 Days-Part II

 Welcome back to my cross country trip!  Just to recap, we were on day 4 and just leaving Memphis.  Were you trying to guess our next destination?

If you guessed St. Louis…you are correct!  Although the drive from Memphis to St. Louis was not too long, we got a tip from a friend of mine to stop at Lambert’s Café in Sikeston, Missouri.  The line was out the door and into the parking lot, but Melissa and I could not figure out why this place was so popular.  We went inside to see what the fuss was all about and it wasn’t long before we realized why it was jam-packed.  The restaurant, which looks like an enormous warehouse, has rows and rows of large picnic-style tables, and benches with very high backs.  Behind us, servers wheeling out carts of hot rolls began walking around and yelling out “HOT ROLLS!”  To our astonishment, hands darted up in the air from the benches and the servers actually throw the rolls.  If you put up your hand, be ready, because a hot roll will be tossed your way.  And believe me…they are HOT!  Sometimes, they launched these rolls across the entire room.  We had never seen anything like it.  Melissa and I were standing along the perimeter of the dining area, but we put out our hands and sure enough we each caught a roll.  They were tasty too!

  We left Lambert’s after being mesmerized for a few minutes and continued on our way to St. Louis.  As we approached the city, the famous Arch began to appear in the far distance, and we began cheering at how close we were getting.    We entered downtown St. Louis and apparently took the scenic route through the city to our hotel.  But, we realized that it was all part of the fun.  No GPS system, just old school paper maps!  We had the chance to drive by a fountain where the water was orange!  We might not have seen that if we had gone the direct route!

 

  

 

As we sat in our hotel room (with an awesome view of the arch) we tried to figure out what would be considered a local activity.  We were too late for the St. Louis Blues game or the Cardinals game, and we had done enough karaoke for one trip.  After a little research though, we learned that the International Bowling Hall of Fame had just closed its doors in St. Louis in November of 2008.  We figured, if we can’t visit the Hall of Fame, we should at least honor it.  We asked our hotel for a famous bowling hot-spot and found ourselves taking to the lanes at Flamingo Bowl.    After taking enough pictures of each other and enough self-portraits for one night…we befriended our “lane buddies”.  It’s amazing how many people want to hear about a cross-country trip.  They were intrigued and asking us all kinds of questions.  It was then that we realized how fortunate we were to have this opportunity, and more importantly, to be doing it together.

 

 

 

 The next morning, Melissa’s cousin Chelsea flew in from Virginia to join the fun.   Our first order of business was to visit the Arch.  We were astounded at the magnitude of the legendary structure. Words cannot describe how massive it feels in person.  It was truly breathtaking.  Known as the Gateway to the West, the Arch stands at an impressive 630 feet high and is the tallest man-made monument in the U.S.  (See…the trip was very educational)  We took the tram ride to the top, which we equated to squeezing 5 people into a phone booth; probably not recommended for people with claustrophobia.  I was really proud of Melissa for going up with me considering she is not a fan of confined spaces.  It was a magnificent view of the city and the Mississippi River and definitely worth cramming into a tiny space.

 

 

 

Following the Arch, we toured the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.  It is an incredible facility and believe it or not, beautiful.  Even the famed Clydesdale horses can be seen there!  I would not consider myself a big beer drinker, but the tour is still fun and educational.   I learned that if you wanted to drink the contents of a vat of beer you would have to drink one beer every hour for 24 hours, 365 days a year, for 137 years. WOW!  Of course there were a few males on the tour that claimed they could “totally do it!” 

 

 

 

We were sad to leave St. Louis, but excited to resume the excursion.  We drove through Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas (yes…the same city crosses 2 states).  At that point our state count was up to 9.  I wish I had more to say about the drive from Kansas City to Denver.  Let’s just suffice it to say that the most exciting parts of the trip were the immense windmills and the Oz Winery billboards.  Melissa, Chelsea and I waited the entire 9 hour drive across Kansas to say… “We’re not in Kansas anymore!”  Everyone told us that part of the trip would be painfully boring, but even that was an understatement.  (Sorry to any readers from Kansas)  Eastern Colorado was not really much more interesting, but as we approached Denver our excitement returned.

 

What a beautiful city Denver is. It’s amazing that you can be in a downtown urban area, and see mountains at the same time.  We walked around the city briefly that evening and sat down for a nice dinner with a group of friends.  Denver was interesting for the three of us to visit together because we each had a friend who lived there!  I only wish we could have stayed longer.  However, the mission had to go on and we got up early the next morning and continued on our way. 

We began heading towards…sorry you’ll have to come back next week to see how our trip concludes!  

 

Click here to read Part I

Click here to read Part III

 

Until next week,

Leah

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Across the Country in 10 Days - Part I

 

Ok…so maybe it’s not quite like Jules Verne…but driving across the country was an experience like no other.  My best friend, Melissa, of 25 years, decided to take the plunge and move out to San Francisco.  While I was not ready for her to leave, I knew the best way to accept it was to just bring her myself.  We jumped into her car (AKA Haley), the trip began, the photos commenced, and the rest as they say...is history.

The first day was a big undertaking, but we decided to do our best to drive down to Nashville, TN.  With our adrenaline pumping the first 5 hours flew by and we had already crossed 4 state lines!  We made our first stop at James Madison University in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.  Unfortunately, we could not stay too long so we drove through and continued onward.  I learned that Virginia has free-standing Chick-fil-A’s.  While I’m not a fast food junkie, I can make exceptions for this place.  It was there that Melissa taught me that during a long drive it’s important to stretch out and get the blood flowing.  Therefore, she came prepared and in the middle of the parking lot we actually took turns jumping rope.  And to think…that was only 5 hours into our drive!

 

 

 

As our first day continued, we realized that this was going to be the trip of a lifetime.   After refueling with dinner in Knoxville, TN, (and refueling Haley) we pushed forward.  About 35 miles past Knoxville we let out high-pitched yelps as we crossed our first time zone and entered Central Standard Time.  Our friends told us there would never be a sign for that…but to our excitement they actually do post signs on the side of the road when you cross over.  Granted the delirium had started setting in…but it was really awesome.  That burst of energy kept us going, along with Raffi (Don’t deny it, you know who he is) and we even drove right past our exit!  However, we did make it to Nashville late that first night; found a Comfort Inn and slept like babies.

The Opryland Resort was our first destination in the Nashville area.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but it was really beautiful. It was as if we were in a rainforest with waterfalls and foliage everywhere.  There was even a boat ride inside one of the 5 lobbies!  That night we decided to do what was native to the local culture, which included visiting bars and listening to live country bands.  I never thought I would enjoy country music, but hearing it live is a very different feeling and I found myself completely entertained.  At Cadillac Ranch we were even pulled onto the stage by a cowboy!  Karaoke was definitely a popular activity, so we finished out our night with a rendition of These Boots Were Made for Walking.

 

We waved goodbye to Nashville and headed towards Memphis.  The famous Corky’s BBQ restaurant was apparently a must.  So, we put on our bibs and had a great taste of Memphis! 

 

 

 

But of course, you can’t go to Memphis without visiting the King’s house, so we headed to Graceland after lunch.  Talk about tacky!  Hard to believe he actually lived with green carpet on the ceiling.  That night we went down to Beale Street where you can actually walk up to a window, purchase beer and walk down the street with it.  Quite a novelty for us.  Once again, the most popular thing to do was Karaoke, so we did a tribute to the King and sang Suspicious Minds.  The karaoke host sang Walking in Memphis for the crowd, and we finally had the chance to make sense of all the words! 

 

 

 

My dad’s college roommate lives in Memphis, and he was kind enough to provide accommodations and give us pointers.  He insisted that we visit the Peabody Hotel to see the famous ducks. (For those who watch Jon & Kate, you know what I’m talking about)  We piled into the lobby of this hotel where they laid out a red carpet, and made an announcement that the Peabody Ducks were about to enter.  They prepare the ducks to come down from their penthouse suite (yes…they actually live in the penthouse) and they march down the red carpet and into the small fountain situated in the center of the lobby.  The process is incredible to watch and the amount of people on a Friday morning would blow your mind.  You couldn’t find a spot to stand! At least we can say we did it!  We made a quick stop at the Civil Rights Museum, the former Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was shot so we could pay our respects.  We then had to continue on our journey.

 

Our next stop…will be revealed in next week’s issue… Hope you come back to read more about my road trip!

 

Click here to read Part II

Click here to read Part III

 

All the best,

Leah

 

 

 

In Two Places At Once!

This weekend I found myself in two places at once!  Seriously, you can do that when you stand on the Prime Meridian of the World found at the Royal Greenwich Observatory outside of London, UK.  As you can see here I have one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and one in the Western.  

 

The Observatory is also home to the clock indicating Greenwich Mean Time and the Red Time Ball which I was told falls at 13:00 local time everyday and is one of the world's earliest public time signals.   Ironically enough I found myself in the courtyard looking up at the ball as it fell, exactly at 1:00 PM, just as they predicted.  

 

 

In addition to the Observatory, Greenwich is home to the National Maritime Museum, the Old Royal Navel College and the Cutty Sark, an old tea clipper.   Although we enjoyed the history and the many interesting shops in town, the best part of the day was spend relaxing in Greenwich Park with its beautiful view of The Queens House and the site of the old Palace of Placentia, where Henry VIII was born!  I think that guy is somehow connect to every major site in the city.  All in all it was a great day. I encourage you all to visit when you get the chance.  

 

 

 

Happy Travels,

 

Candice

 

Dining on the High Seas

Last week I had the pleasure of having lunch on The Moshulu at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, PA.  This 125-year old boat has had a very interesting past from working ports all over the world to serving as a floating warehouse and surviving a fire.  Now its a AAA Four Diamond Award gourmet restaurant. 

Besides the very interesting and unique setting, the food was awesome.  For an appetizer, I had the hands down best bruschetta ever.  It was on grilled ciabatta bread topped with some of the best fresh mozzarella I have ever had, grilled onions, and giant slices of red and yellow beefsteak tomatoes, drizzled with aged balsamic. 

The sandwiches they have for lunch are huge and I should have shared mine as I did not even eat 1/2 of it.

Dessert was the piece de resistant.  I had the Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches and Cones.  There were 3 homemade mini ice cream sandwiches - Oreo White Chocolate Raspberry, Chipwich Butter Pecan, and Graham Cracker Apple Crisp.  Each had a hole in the top that had a mini cone in each topped with 3 different flavors of water ice.  Adorable!!

They were setting up for a wedding while we were there.  What a unique spot for an event!  

I would love to go back there one night for dinner since lunch was so good.  It would be nice to have dinner and then go up to their deck bar for drinks.  I need to make plans to go to one of their Mojito parties on Saturday nights soon.  :  )

All the best,

Priscilla

Lobster Fest

Wow, what a busy summer. Like most of you, we at The Finishing Touch do as much traveling as we can during the summer, soaking up the sun.  I had the pleasure last weekend of returning to my roots and enjoying yummy Maine Lobster at the 61st annual Maine Lobster Festival.  (www.mainelobsterfestival.com) 

 

 

Our trip to the festival has become a yearly tradition for me, my mother, and my grandmother and starts with Thursday night in Freeport where we stay at our favorite Bed and Breakfast, The Kendall Tavern Inn.  (http://www.kendalltavern.com/)   Kendall Tavern Bed and Breakfast is a lovingly restored early 1800's farmhouse in Freeport. The Inn offers 7 cozy guest rooms - all with private baths and air conditioning. The uncluttered décor, antique furnishings, and authentic period details that transport you back to a time of simplicity and contentment.  Each year, Tim and Loree welcome us back to "our" room and make us feel truly at home.  Freeport is full of shopping, including the world famous LL Bean - open 24 hours, so we always leave with a lot of shopping bags.  Before heading north on Route 1 to Rockland, we enjoy a homemade breakfast at The Kendall Tavern.  This year Tim made stuffed french toast with fresh fruit which did not disappoint.  

 

 

We spent the next two days enjoying the atmosphere, the parade, live country music and of course the seafood!  Found in the "1000 Places to See before you Die" book, the festival is one you should not miss.  You will find nine tents, the world’s largest lobster cooker, a sea goddess, a big parade, top notch entertainment, an international crate race, fine art, talented crafts people and vendors, US Navy ship tours, all you can eat pancakes, US Coast Guard Station tours, professional and amateur cooking contests, marine heritage, road races, kids events and MOST importantly over 20,000 pounds of lobster!!  If you aren't a huge seafood fan like I am, there are fair grounds as well so you can help yourself to any variety of greasy deep fried food - I even say a deep fried Twinkie this year - scary!  

 

  

We also are sure each year to enjoy the town of Rockland and visit the shops along Maine street.  You will find some wonderful art galleries in addition to all the creative wares that us Mainiacs love. 

Overall it was a great trip and I am already looking forward to next year's trip.  I hope to see you all there!

Happy Travels,

Candice

 

 

Cruising

I just got back from an 8 day cruise to Bermuda.  I am much more relaxed but a little sunburned and about 5 pounds heavier.  :  ) 

We sailed on the Norwegian Dawn departing from NYC, through water that was the deepest blue I have ever seen, to the absolutely gorgeous island of Bermuda.  The cruise was fantastic.  I don't think I would go to Bermuda any other way.  The ship was beautiful and very clean.  The cabins were surprisingly not as small as I imagined they would be.  I would suggest though spending a little extra and getting a balcony cabin since they are a little roomier and have bigger bathrooms. 

The entertainment on the ship was amazing.  There was so much going on that we did not even see 1/2 of the entertainment that was there.  They had the Jean Ann Ryan Company on board that did 3 different Broadway and Cirque de Soliel style shows.  The Second City improve troop was also there.  They were the training ground for many of the members from Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show including Bill Murray, John Candy, John Belushi, Mike Meyers, Steven Colbert, and Steve Carrell.  They also had various other musical acts all over the ship and a great stand up comedian.  Most nights were themed - 70s, Monte Carlo, Las Vegas, Western, All White night - which was fun.  The cruise director and his staff were amazing and kept the party going through the whole cruise. (The picture above right is of my son dancing with the crew staff by the pool).

The great thing about Norwegian cruises is that they are "Freestyle" cruises which means you can eat whenever you like and do whatever you like.  You are not stuck picking a dinner time and are not forced to dress up or sit with people you don't know.  There is food EVERYWHERE you turn.  The food on the cruise is included in the price but that only includes the galley restaurants and the big buffet which are good.  However, if you want to spend a little extra, you can pay the $10 - $25 a person cover charge at the gourmet restaurants on board where the food is amazing and you can order as much on the menu you want.  This is so worth the extra charge.  We ate at the steakhouse twice and one night I ordered 2 different appetizers, salad, soup, 2 entrees, and dessert which included jumbo shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, and jumbo crab legs for an extra $20!  (This is why I am 5 pounds heavier).

 

We spent 2 1/2 days in Bermuda and visited Horseshoe Bay, Hamilton, and the Royal Naval Dockyard.  Horseshoe Bay is the most beautiful beach on the island with its almost fake looking turquoise blue water and coral pink sand.  Hamilton has gorgeous top name shopping and tons of restaurants.  The Royal Naval Dockyard is where the boat was docked which had shopping and the Snorkel Park within a short walking distance.  The Snorkel Park (while not as pretty as Horseshoe Bay) is a lot of fun with its water slides, kayaking, jet skiing, snorkeling, and beach bar. 

 

I have to admit that I was pretty depressed when I woke up on the last morning of the cruise to see the green gray water of the Hudson River (it did not help that it was also raining that day - yuck).  I would definitely go back on a Norwegian cruise.  I have been eyeing up the 14 day western Caribbean cruise...hmmm...maybe next year... :  )

All the best,

Priscilla

Natural Beauty and Beaches in Hilton Head

 

I had the pleasure of spending a fantastic week at Hilton Head Island earlier this month.  I absolutely love it there.   Everything is so perfect.  The town has ordinances that do not allow development that affects the existing foliage.  Because of this, the island has its natural beauty intact and has some of the most amazing tress I have ever seen.  The Spanish Moss trees create a breathtaking canopy over many parts of the island.  They also have these trees (that I do not know the name of) that have horizontal branches which make them perfect for climbing.  The picture below shows a tree with my son, Matthew, standing on one of its branches (little boy in blue shirt).

 

We stayed in a condo in Shipyard which was a great location to stay at.  We were a 10 minute walk to North Forest Beach and a 5 minute walk to Coligny Plaza which had great restaurants and shops.  We would hop on our bikes each morning and ride down to the beach.  You can ride bikes on the beach there since the sand is so compact.  It is also the perfect consistency for making sand castles.  Below is a picture of my husband and Matthew riding the bike on the beach.

For great coffee and just a nice place to hang out, be sure to stop by Java Joe's in Coligny Plaza.  For  upscale, gourmet dining with an amazing view of the ocean check out Aqua Grill and Lounge.  Oceanfront weddings can also be held there on their 2nd floor.  For casual island fun, visit the tiki bar at the Big Bamboo Cafe .

If you are not opposed to eating kind of early, you can get some awesome deals on dining.  Almost every restaurant on the island has an early bird special which is around $18 and usually includes 2 or 3 courses and sometimes also includes a glass of wine or beer.  We had the early bird dinner at The Topside at Quarterdeck located in the Harbour Town Marina next to the lighthouse which was fantastic. 

Free entertainment abounds on Hilton Head.  Almost every restaurant with an al fresco patio area has some sort of musical entertainment.  For the kids, take them to see either Greg Russell perform under the Liberty Oak Tree in Harbour Town or Shannon Tanner who performs in Shelter Cover Marina .  Both children's musicians have been performing their family friendly concerts nightly during the peak seasons in Hilton Head for over 20 years and are local celebrities.   

The week went by way too fast.  I can't wait until our next trip there.

All the best,

Priscilla