Winter getaways

[lhbrown]

Last year we spent a week at Antigua's Cocobay Resort, and it was absolutely fabulous. Opened in 2000 or so, Cocobay Resort is a sandy island sanctuary blending privacy with serenity and warm hospitality in Antigua...The views are stunning, the cottages are charming, comfortable and relaxing - a great way to really unwind and enjoy a few days away from it all. Last, and perhaps most important of all, the Cocobay team is full of smiles and truly accommodating.
Message Edited by lhbrown on 12-03-200607:46 PM

[disneygal]

Hi mary-j! We're staying in astandard luxury room - I actually bought the package at another auction website. My sister and her husband were recently at Secrets Capri, which I had also considered. They hada most wonderful time and loved the resort. I believe that Excellence is now under another company, and Secrets is building a new hotel called Maroma. I'll be sure to report back!

[lhbrown]

Hi disneygal - you mentioned another auction website. Could you tell me what that site was? I wasn't aware that there are other luxury travel auctions out there, apart from e-bay. I have had good luck with e-bay in Europe, but mostly only 4-star hotels, rarely 5-star hotels.

[disneygal]

Hi lhbrown. Although of course LL is my favorite, the other site is SkyAuction: http://www.skyauction.com.It'smainstream, rather than luxury. But sometimes there are more high-end options. There are also more fees, surcharges, etc., so reading the fine print it crucial. Still, I was able to get a good deal on the RH in Mexico. Europe seems to be mostly air-inclusive packages. I actually haven't tried ebay for travel, so I'll check that out.

[lhbrown]

Hi disneygal, Thanks for the info and the link. I will check it out. With e-bay it is the same. You will find more main-stream 4 star hotels, but there are a few 5-star hotels as well, especially in the big cities like Berlin, Hamburg, etc. E-bay does not charge any fees per say, but if the item is located in Europe, you pay for the conversion in Euros and they charge a credit card fee, usually about 3.5%.

[curtiejoe]

Hi Disneygal:

Costa Rica's perfect for a fabulous winter get-away! My wife and I just returned from there after a wonderful week in the warm sun and gentle breezes. Having talked to several friends who;ve been before, and after research on the Internet, we decided on Guanacast Region in the north-west part of the country. It has everything: great beaches along the calm Pacific coast, quaint villages and towns, vast stretches of sugar cane fields in the flat farmlands extending back from the coast, winding rivers teeming with fish and crocodiles, and a majestic mountain range with a number of imposing volcanos (most are dormant)running the length of the Central Highlands. Fun activities are plenty, from snorkeling/diving on coral reefs just off the beaches, to zip-gliding through the top of rainforest trees on steel cables, to horseback riding along and through mountain streams, to relaxing in a fabulous hot spring pool after a therapeutic mud bath!

[curtiejoe]

Hi Mary-j

We just returned in mid-November from a fabulous week in Costa Rica. As we found out, there are only two seasons in that fabulous contry: Wet(May to end of October) and Dry (November to end of April). We were there just at the beginning of the Dry, but as it was still "on the cusp", we experienced a good rainfall lasting about an hour around dinner time five days out of the seven. But,this sort of weather was terrific! The rain was quite warm and quite spectacular. It didn't seem to bother or slow down anybody either at our wonderful resort (the Grand Papagayo on the Pacific coast about 30 minutes west of the airport at Liberia) or around the countryside as we thoroughly enjoyed a couple of off-site excursions to the verdant rainforests and the active volcano Arenal. So, by all means, head to CR in October or November as the weather is no proble, at least in the NW part of the country.

[Mountie]

shadow843, why not steal this trip to Antigua before anyone else grabs it:



http://www.luxurylink.com/luxury-hotels/galley-bay.html?pid=2086&oid=222871&cid=mastercard

[travel2fun]

mountie do you realize shadow843 only made a total of two posts in this community and the last one was 12-02-2006. Do you think shadow843 will ever return to the community or have any idea you made the suggestion to take advantage of the Antigua offer through the Master Card promotion?

I do enjoy reading your postings and admire your openness and willingness to share with us. You bring balance and insight at times.

However, this response to shadow843 confuses me. Are you spending time reading through some of the older threads?