An impromptu trip to the Caribbean!!!
We flew down on JetBlue in the early AM. We drove up to Boston the night before and slept at my brothers apartment before heading to the airport in the morning - love the airline - roomy, friendly staff, and free snacks and nonalcoholic drinks. We arrived in St. Martin, and I got whisked ahead of line (thanks baby!) with my husband and lil brother in tow. We waited for the rest of the group on the other side of customs and once everyone was through, picked up the groups bags and headed out. A couple of vehicles were there to greet us and we got brought to the house while a few of the guys went to pick up the rental cars. Once we arrived at the villa, we were shown our room on the lower level - it was spacious, with ensuite bathroom and ample closet space. There was a lovely view of the ocean and it was nice to be tucked away from the rest of the group. We unpacked, put on our bathing suits and jumped in the pool - wading around looking at the spectacular view. The guys and the rental cars arrived a bit later - they had stopped at the Dingy Dock for a drink...or 2 on the way. A part of the group went grocery shopping and we kept relaxing by the pool. We ate dinner at the Villa most of the week Sunday Hung by the pool, picked up some grocery supplies, went for a ride around the island with Dad and Donna, got a drink at Driftwood Monday Hung by the pool, went to the beach, relaxed, Casino Tuesday Mikey went scuba diving in the AM 8-1. We had pastries at the house and then went out for a drive around the island, we stopped in Marigot at the flea market and was slightly disappointed by the lack of originality in the wares for sale - every booth looked the same and was full of cheap crap. We did get a nice homemade passionfruit lemonade however that we took with us on our ride around the island. We drove around, trying to find a nice beach to stop at but were unsuccessful and had to pick up Mikey at 1 so we picked him up. Once we picked him up at the beach, we drove to Loterie Farm, a treetop adventure park with resident monkeys and iguanas which was really cool! We had lunch at the restaurant and then headed back for the wedding, getting stuck in loads of traffic! We did get some coffee and delicious French pastries to bring back however..yum yum. We got back, showered, and Amanda did my hair and makeup for the wedding. The wedding started right around 6pm and they had a wonderful sunset behind the ceremony. We got lots of good photos and ate prime rib with mashed potato and veggies. We sang Karoke and danced into the night. Wednesday Orient Bay - alot of naked people Jet Skiing EL Rancho Jams and stuff Gelato/Macaroons Bay swim Driftwood, takeout pizza for dinner Thursday We got up early and went out on an all day excursion on the Lombarda Catamaran. While waiting to take off we waited on the pier at a Mexican restaurant and got cappuccinos/bloody marys. It was amazing! We were on a boat ride for a little over an hour before arriving at Prickly Pear, an island just off on Anguilla where we snorkeled for an hour...seeing stingrays and barracudas and beautifully colorful fish. We then went up to shore and has a great lunch of Mahi-Mahi, rice and veggies. We got back on the Catamaran and rode on, stopping for a swim just outside of a gorgeous resort - and bobbed in the water for about 45 minutes before heading back. Arden found a sea star and I got to admire it before he returned it to its home. We got back at the house and showered, ate dinner, and then everyone went out. We split up and opted not to return to the Casino - instead went to the Village for the Heineken Regatta - which was really cool! We snuck in through an emergency exit, looked around at the vendors and listened to some live music. We stopped for 10 minutes at a different Casino and Arden and Mikey each spent $20 playing BlackJack - losing it all! We then went to bed and had no idea that the power went off several times throughout the night. Friday We got up, packed, paid $25 to pay off airport employees, rubbed on some aloe, got a couple of plants to take home as well as some baggies of sand. We ate a quick breakfast and went for a ride. We got some gas for the car and then went to Mullet Bay Beach, which was only 5 minutes from the Villa. A local tried to sell us on some beach chairs, $20 a pair (I attempted to haggle for $10 a pair but he wasn't having it -- however he then left us alone so I will count that as a win) We swam and discussed the trip and watched the Heineken Regatta go by - really cool! We later headed back to the Villa, finished packing, took one last dip in the pool, showered/changed and ate lunch. Dad and Donna drove us to the airport, where we met up with Roy - our airport connection. He introduced us to Kimberly - who whisked us through the airport like celebrities. Once on the other side, we spent a few minutes shopping for souvineers before hoping on our flight home. The flight was great again with no issues. We arrived back in Boston, and I got a ride (thanks baby!) and whisked right through customs again. We met up with our ride on the outside, went and picked up our car and drove home, stopping only for a Chinese combo plate before getting home, popping in some laundry, showers, and sleep!!! Costs: Flights: Paid for by our host. We changed to a direct return which was a $150 upgrade so we gave her a check for $300. Villa: Paid for by our host Rental Car: $100 per person = $200 Food: $130 per person = $260 for food at Villa French pastries to share - $25 Tips for staff at Villa - Roy - $100pp = $200 Ben - $20pp = $40 Maids - $3 per day x 4 = $24 Airport buy off - $25pp = $50 Souvineers/Misc. - $80 - 5 Jams from Paris and a bottle of strawberry spirits Lunch at Loterie Farm - $60 Lunch at El Rancho - $40 The Art Box - two prints - $90 Catamaran Day Trip - $120pp - $240 Casino - $100 $110 - Alcohol at airport (gifts for in-laws and co-workers and a bottle for hubby) Driftwood - 2 visits - a round of drinks each time - paid for by dad and his new wife. Sals Restaurant dinner - paid for by dad and his new wife. We brought about $1k in cash and took out another $400 from the ATM and borrowed $110 at the airport. = $1510 - 2K for the spontaneous trip Then we put the news on and the world had changed!
0 Comments
On Saturday morning, we got up early and ate breakfast at Jakes, less than a mile away but the only time we took the car throughout the weekend. With our recent trip driving across England and Scotland, this was a very relaxing shift. Then we went into the festival for the day. We bought many artisan goods including a festival t-shirt and poster, a quilled squirrel picture, and a few Christmas gifts. We saw Pups in the Air - a really great show with crazy talented dogs and handlers, a juggler, and hung out for awhile in the beer tent. Many lemonades later, we stood in line and waited to check in for our balloon ride. They looked up our last name and gave us our boarding passes, and we signed a couple papers releasing the festival for liability. We then met up with our pilot for the evening, Chris Ritland. Chris is a local from Quechee who was inspired at the festival as a small child to take up ballooning. Chris discussed the process and answered any questions we had and then told us it would be awhile until we took flight. Ballooning is really safe, he told us because we cancel about 25% of the flights. If anything seems unsafe, they just don't go. The wind was a little much at the moment, but he expected that in about an hour we would be good to go. We hung out and looked at picture books depicting highlights of his previous flights. At around 7pm, we got to help blow up our balloon with Carolyn and Andrew - the other couple going up with us in the balloon. We were all able to be a part of every step of the process and it was so cool! There was balloons going up all around us and we were in the middle of this magical cloud field full of rainbows of color bursts.
Chris and his lovely chase crew (also his family) helped to pack up the balloon and bring it back to the festival for the evening performance. This time, we got to be part of the action at the Balloon Glow. We enjoyed champagne as well as laughter and for a moment...just a moment...considered remaining in Quechee for much longer than the weekend. Which is what makes a weekend away just so special. Our Airbnb in Quechee: www.airbnb.com/rooms/6575015 - $322.44 for 2 nights
Chris Ritlands website for Ballooning with "Carrots" :www.quecheeballoonrides.com - $500 for 2 Chamber of Commerce Balloon Festival: www.quecheeballoonfestival.com/balloon-ride-registration/ - $15 tickets for the weekend The Parker House - www.theparkerhouseinn.com Simon Pearce - www.simonpearce.com
After breakfast at Augill Castle, we started the long drive to Thornbury Castle in Bristol, England. We only stopped in Stoke on Trent - where there were several potteries. We learned the origin of "pothole" Apparently the earth was so perfect for pottery making that it would be dug right out of the streets - creating "pot holes" We stopped for lunch and went into a couple of shops before continuing on our way. After checking in to our room, we went into town to find a place for dinner - everything was closed (small town) except for an Italian restaurant (which was good). The next morning, after eating a delicious breakfast and taking a walk in the oldest English garden in England, we took a 45 minute ride to Bath to see the Roman baths. We ended up on a one way street and got stuck (the GPS failed us) - which was pretty stressful but the baths were amazing - they are still finding ancient bathing rooms in their digs! We got lunch at the Pump Room (where Jane Austin used to hang out) and then wandered around the shops a bit before heading back to Thornbury for the night. We decided to go to a local pub for a drink before dinner and some locals invited us to sit with them. 5 hours and 5 shots a piece later all the restaurants were closed again and we grabbed food at a food truck and brought it back into the pub. The next morning we drove to Gatwick airport and returned our car (should have returned it to Heathrow - its closer) and took the train into London (the train was great and has wifi) Once we got to London we took an Uber to meet up with our Airbnb host in Little Venice. On that day, we walked to Notting Hill, got pricey Mexican food, then more affordable Chinese food, walked around, and had a drink back at our boat before bed. On our second day in London we had English tea, took a boat ride to Camden Lock, explored the shops and food stalls, wandered around, took an Uber to central London, went on the London eye ($$$$), got some good greek food, walked by the Globe theater, and took another Uber back to our boat. The next morning we took an Uber to the train station and the train back to Gatwick for our flight out. In total this trip cost us $5500.00
I love planning! I am the family planner, the Julie on the love boat. (I have no idea what that means - I am too young for the love boat...my mom called me that on a family trip to Bermuda) Family jokes aside... I really enjoy it, especially when I am planning a trip - almost more than the trip itself. I discovered Next Vacay, a $25 yearly service that lets you know about awesome flight deals from your preferred airport. Next Vacay sent me an email about a great flight to Scotland that lined up with my upcoming April break - score! www.nextvacay.com Next Vacay uses Google Flights to find amazing options for travel - and they promise to only send you to cool places. Looking through google flights, I realized it was the same price to fly into Scotland and out of England - since I have never been to either country and there is only about an 8 hour drive between the two cities, we decided to go for it. Flights: $903.80 for two people DIRECT on Norweigan including cancelation insurance which was $48 each RT. Providence, RI to Edinburgh - $362.00 London to Boston - $541.80 Flying with a budget airline: You may not want to do it - They don't feed you...and they don't let you bring any substantial baggage without charging you a ton of money. They don't even let you pick your seat! It would have cost $45 per person each way to pick our seat. That would have added $180 to our flights. I do not like the idea of not sitting next to my husband and I may decide after this trip that the added cost is worth it... Food: buy snacks and bring sandwiches with you on the airplane. Airplane food is kinda gross - I don't feel the need to pay $45 per meal for crappy food. Luggage: This can be a deal breaker for some people - my mom brings more than this to my house when she comes over for dinner. For us - it is not a big deal! I frequently shop at TJ Maxx and Marshals and they usually have a great selection of luggage (bring a measuring tape - they are about $60 for this size) Since all of our trips max out at a week long - I have found it pretty easy to pack light. Added benefit: We are never going to lose our luggage and we don't have to wait to pick it up!!! Norwegian's Luggage Policy: One carry-on bag included
Edinburgh - Found a great deal on Airbnb for a cute apartment. It cost $218.60 for two nights, it is within walking distance to everything in the city center and has all of the amenities you need for a comfortable stay. www.airbnb.com/rooms/5956098?s=51
Our last stop will be London! I found a really cool looking narrow boat on a river in central London to stay in for $446.17 for 2 nights. Arden and I stayed on a barge on the Seine in Paris and loved it so we decided to stay in something similar on this trip. www.airbnb.com/rooms/7580184?s=51 I still need to book a car for our trip and I plan on picking it up when we leave Edinburgh and dropping it off at the airport before going inside of the city of London - I heard that is not a good idea to drive around in the city. we haven't thought through everything we would like to do over there - so please send me suggestions if you have any.
Total of trip so far: Flights: $903.80 USD Hotels/Airbnb: $1518.23 USD = $2322.03 USD Monday:We flew out of Boston taking TAP Portugal on Monday, February 19th. It was an overnight flight and we had a short layover in Lisbon in the AM prior to arriving in Barcelona. We were really happy with TAP Portugal. We had a really affordable ticket price, and we still got dinner, and they arranged it so that we could sit together - which I had been worried about.
Sunday: Woke up far too early, took a taxi to the airport, had a 9AM flight to London. Once we got to London we realized that the second leg of our flight had been delayed another few hours in addition to the 7 hour layover we had planned on. We ate at Wagamama, Arden took a very long nap in the quiet zone and I shopped at the airport - buying myself a new pair of boots. We had an uneventful flight home with Norweigan (not as accommodating as TAP: no food, uncomfortable seats, and I was not seated with Arden) We were able to convince someone to switch with me though - which was great! Once we arrived back in Boston, my dad picked us up and we met my mom at Fridays for a quick bite to eat. After 24 hours of traveling, I was so happy that I had booked us for dentist appointments the next day and we could sleep in instead of going to work! Costs: Airfare for 2 - $650.00 Airbnb for 2 (shared a 4 bedroom, 3 bath apartment in central Barcelona) - $400.00 we had to pay maybe an additional $25 for taxes for each couple when they checked in Food, Alcohol, Museums, Spa, Day Trips, Souvenirs: $1800.00 Total costs for 5 nights, 6 days in Barcelona, Spain - $2850.00 Lessons learned:
General Tips: In general we walked around the city, which we could have done with two nights easily instead of the three we were there and ate at great restaurants. Their bus system is super clean and has WIFI. We had a red eye flight on the way there and the Geo hotel picked us up and let us into a room early so we got to sleep for 5 hours before spending the day at the Blue Lagoon...we really couldn't beat it. I would skip the Lava restaurant at the Blue Lagoon - too pricey but we loved both the Blue Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon! Also, alcohol is crazy $$$$ so get as many bottles at the airport that you can - we took it easy at the bars and had a bottle of wine back at the apartment every night instead.
Itinerary: Day .5: Drove to the airport, got food from Newbridge to celebrate my birthday and flew from Boston to Dublin Day 1: Arrive in Dublin at 5AM, pick up rental car at airport and drive to The Ballsbridge hotel in Dublin. Got really lost in search of hotel. The hotel staff were very nice and let us into a room early. Nap time! Only 1 night in Dublin so we walked around, went to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour and learned how to pour the perfect pint. Got lunch, dinner, and listened to music at The Brazen Head, Ireland's oldest pub. Day 2: Started driving on the other side of the road towards Kilkenny. Spent the afternoon walking around the adorable town. Went to Matt the Millers for drinks and dancing that evening. Day 3: Drove to Waterford and went on a tour of Waterford crystal. Explored the town and got lunch. Headed back to Kilkenny for dinner and drinks. Day 4: Headed to Killarney. Stopped enroute to Cork, where part of my moms mother's family is from. Relaxed in Killarney at a pub. Day 5: Drove around the Ring of Kerry. Magical. My moms grandfathers family was from Sneem - a very adorable town about 1/2 way through the Ring of Kerry. Stopped there for lunch at the Blue Bull and said hello to the statue of Crusher Casey - a distant relative. Day 6: Drove out of the way to Dingle for lunch and ice cream at Murphys. Delicious and I highly recommend the drive. Continued on to Galway. We had a reservation for dinner but changed it to the next night due to us running late. They recommended a french restaurant. It was amazing! Checked in to the Oranmore Lodge for 2 nights in Galway. Day 7: Drove to the Cliff of Moher - very windy and rainy. Awesome place to buy jam on the way - Clare Jam. This was backtracking. The original plan was to go here on the way from Killarney to Galway but we got pleasantly distracted by Dingle instead. Went to Dela for dinner - very good! Back at the hotel bar, it was very interesting as we happened to be there during the Hunts ball. Got to see some irish dancing in the bar lounge when guests were taking a break from the ballroom. Day 8: Drove to Monaghan and saw where my dads moms family is from. Tried to go to Newgrange but by the time we got there they were closing up. We stayed in Meath at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel and Spa which is located close to the airport. Day 9: Packed up and drove to the airport. Returned our car and got to the check in. Too late!!! Did I mention that today's my birthday? $300 each later and we have a new reservation for tomorrow. Cried...Emailed work...Called mom...Cried...Booked a hotel...took a bus into Dublin and enjoyed our extra day. Went to the Comedy Crunch for a show, got dinner, 15 minute chair massages, and more ice cream from Murphys Ice Cream (they have a Dublin location too!) Day 10: Drove to the airport and checked in 4 hours early. Got stopped by customs because Arden admitted to having live plants in his bag. Waited for about an hour to talk to an official. Our bags came off plane. Our bags were searched. Ardens plants were taken away...there was a lot of plants. Arden picked moss from every part of Ireland to bring home for our garden. Ok- they let us go. Ran to plane - we made it! Flew home...and back to work. Lessons learned: -Get the GPS! It's really worth it when your wifi doesn't work and you have no idea where you are. -Show your husband the rules about bringing things back from other countries - he didn't believe me! - The irish are amazing people and they have a beautiful country. |