caribbean

Good afternoon and Happy Spring!

I have been a very busy travel agent, booking loads of honeymoons for happy brides and grooms. I am very honored to be a part of such an important vacation for all these wonderful couples. With that, I want to thank Jessie, the Editor-in-Chief at Beautiful Bride for giving me the opportunity to write another honeymoon article. It was great fun to write about honeymoon destinations that are inspired by the cities where the magazine is published (Las Vegas, San Diego, Central Valley, Cincinnati, Orlando and my town of Atlanta).

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Look for it at your favorite bridal boutique, on newsstands at Albertsons, Vons, Smiths, Target, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Borders, CVS, or Walgreens, or click here to read it now :) HoneymoonDestnations

Happy Travels!

Melissa
My Traveling Panda

The Beautiful Bride, Summer 2013 covers

Categories: caribbean, cruise, honeymoon, vacation, Vegas | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Getting to La Romana Just Got Easier

The opening of a new road may not be the most exciting announcement in the world of travel; however, in this instance it is very good news! The 90 minute drive from the Punta Cana airport to the La Romana area is now cut in half! Dreams La Romana

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I had the great pleasure (or displeasure) of traveling via motor coach from Punta Cana to La Romana, before the new road opened. I think everyone on the bus was feeling the effects of the bumpy, winding roads. Needless to say, no one was excited to get back on the bus to head back to Punta Cana; we knew we had to endure the car-sickness inducing roads. But, no more! The new highway with smooth roadways in now open and, the commute is cut in half to just 40 minutes! http://www.dreamsresorts.com/drelr/highway.html

This is wonderful, as now more people can enjoy the wonderful area of La Romana and glorious resorts,; such as Dreams La Romana, which is one of my favorites for family vacations and destination weddings.

Bon Voyage!

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Champagne Flights from Atlanta, Cincinnati & Nashville to the Caribbean!

Ask Melissa at My Traveling Panda about Champagne Flights to the Caribbean on Sunwing.

End of the school year is upon us and summer holiday time is quickly approaching.  For those of you who live in Atlanta, Cincinnati or Nashville, you are in luck!  What better way to start your vacation than with a Bon Voyage glass of Champagne.

Sunwing Airlines offers non-stop Champagne Service flights from Atlanta, Cincinnati and Nashville to Cancun, Jamaica and Punta Cana and also include fabulous amenities such as a hot meal or snack on-board and up to 44lbs of checked luggage per person!  I am going to experience this airline in June from Atlanta to Cancun, so I will report back on the service firsthand. 

If you would like more details and pricing on Sunwing air for your summer vacation, contact me at melissa@mytravelingpanda.com

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YouTube

Hello Fellow Travelers-

I recenlty started dabbling in Videos. I have a few posted to YouTube. Enjoy the videos and subscribe to my channel for future travel videos. Enjoy and Happy Travels http://www.youtube.com/user/MyTravelingPanda/videos

Categories: caribbean, honeymoon, travel, vacation | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Honeymoons and Destination Weddings in The Dominican Republic

Recently, I had the good fortune of traveling to the Dominican Republic. I knew it would be beautiful there, but I must say, the destination exceeded my expectations. Each reosrt I visited was more beautiful that the last. The crystal clear water of the Caribbean was stunning and the destination wedding locations were breathtaking. Take a look at the article I wrote for the Winter 2011 issue of Beautiful Bride and Las Vegas Bride to learn more about what the Dominican Republic has to offer both brides and honeymooners.

LINK TO ARTICLE
Honeymoon and Destination Weddings in The Dominican Republic

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Beautiful Bride- Honeymoon in Mexico

Our most recent publication is in the Fall 2011 issue of Beautiful Bride Magazine.

CLICK HERE to read about Mexico as an ideal honeymoon destination!

Thank you to Heather Rogers and Andrea LeClaire Kuhn for your contributions, to Jennifer Florendo for being a great Editor-in-Chief and to AM Resorts and Karisma Hotels for the wonderful photos!

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My Traveling Panda is published in Beautiful Bride Magazine- Summer 2011 – Las Vegas & Orlando

Bridal magazines are a wonderful thing. I think I had a stack about 3 feet tall by the time my wedding date came. I do not buy as many wedding magazines now that I am married, but this one is special, I have an article published on Page 80 of the Summer issue of Beautiful Bride. It is published nationally (Las Vegas and Orlando), so pick-up a copy if you can. Here is a link to the website: http://www.beautifulbridemagazine.com

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Off to the Bahamas

I am getting Excited. This time tomorrow, we will be in Charleston, getting ready to board our cruise ship. My husband and I are going on a five day cruise to the Bahamas with some of our friends. We plan to relax, go horseback riding and take a powerboat to Exuma. I will post some pics and more details once we start our journey!

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Mother-Daughter Weekend at Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica

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Earlier this summer, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go on Girl’s Trip with my mom.  I gave her the choice of any Sandals or Beaches Resort in Jamaicaor The Bahamas.  After careful consideration, she choice Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaicahttp://www.sandals.com/main/whitehouse/wh-home.cfm?WT.srch=1&utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=sandals_white_house&utm_campaign=US_Sandals_Destination&esv_ppc

We leftAtlantaon a Friday morning and by lunch time, we were at the Resort, enjoying lunch on an open-air patio with gorgeous vistas of theCaribbean Sea.  The shuttle ride to Whitehouse fromMontego Baywas quite an adventure; I have never seen so many potholes!  But, we had a skilled driver who was able to maneuver the roads and we arrived safely.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted with a chilled wash cloth and a delicious beverage.  Then, we were escorted to our suite.  We had the pleasure of enjoying an upgraded suite with Butler Service!  One of the great things about Sandals Whitehouse is that all the rooms face the ocean, but the upgraded penthouse suites practically hang over the ocean.  We had gorgeous views of theCaribbeanand the mountains.  Plus, the Butler Service made us feel likeQueens.  Joy and Kamar, ourButlers, took great efforts to attend to our needs.  In fact, we were given cell phones, so we could give them a ring, whenever we needed anything.  Some of my favorite services included the fact that they reserved prime beach chairs for us.  The chairs where made up like beds with cozy towels and a cooler full of our favorite chilled beverages was left on the beach for us as well.  Additionally, theButlerswould make dinner reservations for us, ensuring we had the best seats in the restaurants and they would add our names to the snorkel and glass bottom boats rides.  On a few occasions, we needed take-out from a restaurant, and theButlerswould deliver the orders to our room, it was lovely.  Plus, they would surprise us with treats delivered to us on the beach.  Joy brought us fresh coconuts, tropical drinks, Jamaican patties and more, it was devine!

So, what else did we do, besides get pampered?  My mom and I woke up in time to enjoy the sunrise; this was spectacular.  We were virtually the only guests on the beach, so we felt as though we had the entire beach and resort to ourselves.  The sunrises over the mountains were gorgeous, so worth the early rise!  Once the sun was up, we patronized Le Cafe de Paris and ordered lattes and fresh pastries.  We loved this coffee shop and visited it countless times during our stay.

We made good use of the sun and enjoyed walks along thelong beach, I went snorkeling, both at the resort’s shore and on the snorkel excursion provided by Sandals.  I really enjoyed this and saw numerous starfish and found lovely shells as well.  I attempted some of the other activities provided by Sandals including the sea Kayaks and knee boards.  Each afternoon, we had rain storms; during this time, I visited the spa to try the sauna, steam room and plunge pools.  It was very relaxing and I highly recommend it.

We tried all the restaurants for at least one meal.  From Italian to Asian, toIslandand seafood, Sandals Whitehouse offered cuisine that fit nearly every palate. Our favorites wereNeptune’s, Bluefield Beach Club, Cafe De Paris and Jasmine’s. 

Although I was traveling with my mom, I can highly recommend this resort as a romantic escape with a significant other.  Since the resort sits on such a large stretch of beach, you feel like you have your own private slice of heaven.  There are numerous little nooks and crannies sit and relax where you can enjoy privacy.  From beach bed cabanas to hidden benches and couches, to floating squares in the sea, there are plenty of places to have peace and quiet. 

So, not only did my mom enjoy being pampered and treated like queens, we created new memories, spending quality time together on a long weekend, mini-vacation inJamaica!  I can’t wait until our next mother-daughter getaway!

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Multi-Generational Holidays

Traveling with multi-generations of the family is a great new trend in vacationing.

I recently went on a long weekend trip with my husband, sister and her kids and husband, her in-laws and my mom and step-dad.  My nephews enjoyed spending time with Auntie and Uncle as well as Grandma and Grandpa!  It afforded us all an opportunity to spend time together and to make memories with the newest members of our family.

A friend of mine recently returned from a two-week stay at Dreams Palm Beach Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  She traveled with her mom and young son.  While there she was able to relax on her own, while Grandma played with her son.  Additionally, her had mother-daughter bonding time with her mom, while her son made new friends at the resort’s kid’s club.  And one of their best memories from the trip was that her 3-year-old son finally learned how to swim and he learned in the Caribbean Sea!

Here are some images from Dreams Palm Beach in Punta Cana

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Multi-generation holidays offer wonderful experiences to the most senior members of the family, all the way down to youngest children!

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