Nashville TN

 

This was my first time to Nashville and can’t wait to go back!  4 nights was not enough with all there is to see and do.

 

I flew out of Boston to get non stop flights.  $120 round trip – Jet Blue going and Southwest home.

 

I stayed at the Gaylord Opry Land Resort with Marriott Famtastic certificates. The hotel was $111 a night, plus a resort fee of $20 and then self parking of $29 per day.  They do offer valet parking, which is $36 a day.

 

This resort has just under 3000 rooms separated into 3 different wings. Each wing has a center area that opens up to water and lots of plants, trees, and decorations.  We go there in the morning so as we walked into the atriums it was beautiful.  Then at night all is lit up with lights handing from the glass ceilings or spot lights in the water.  I thought it was impressive during the day but the night was spectacular!  The resort is a destination in itself!

 

They were getting ready for their Christmas spectacular which starts on November 11 through January 3^rd so they had started to decorate.  Next time I want to go back to see this!!!

 

They offer rooms that face the atrium and then standard rooms that face the parking lots or Opry Mills. We had a standard king bedded room that was definitely over sized!  The bathroom has a huge walk in shower, and a second sink outside the bathroom.

 

The resort has live music in the lobby every night from 4pm – 6pm.

 

The concierge can get tickets to shows that are sold out. We got tickets to a show at the Ryman Auditorium 5 rows from the stage less than 24 hours before the show!!!

 

Check in can be delayed so I would advise people of this. This is a big conference hotel as well and even though check in time is 4pm we did not get into our room until after 5pm.  We checked in at 11am.  Not a big deal for us because we did rent a car so we just went downtown.

 

The resort is about 10 minutes from the airport and about 15 – 20 from downtown Nashville.

 

The hotel does offer a 3 day shuttle pass to down town for $40 per person. The shuttle runs every 90 minutes from the hotel and then from 2 designated spots downtown.  We did not use the shuttle because we had a car.  They offer a free shuttle to Opry Mills and the Grand Ole Opry.  The transfer from the airport to the hotel is $19 per person.  I’m sure you can take Uber or Lyft for less.

 

In the fall of 2018 the resort will be opening a new wing with a BIG water park. It will be called Soundwaves.  It will have a slide tower, a double flowrider, a wave pool, a rapid and lazy river, they will have private cabanas to rent, an adults only section and lounge, and new restaurants.  They have started construction and we could see parts of it in the works.

 

When staying at the Opry if you show your room key you can get into Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in the Opry Mills Mall for free.  This was a nice perk – cost is $20 per person to get in.

 

There were a few little museums near the hotel. The first one was a Dukes of Hazard museum which is free to tour.  It was really well done.  There have the General Lee, the tow truck, the jeep, and the police car from the show there also.  They do charge you to take pictures in each of the vehicles.  $5 each but you can take as many as you like with your own camera.  Next to that is the Willie Nelson museum which is $7.50 per person to get into.  The line was too long so we didn’t wait to go in.

 

Parking can be expensive in downtown if you want to park right near Broadway – which is the main strip for the attractions. If you park 2 – 3 blocks off of Broadway you can get a day pass for $20 – $30.  We discover this on our 2^nd to last day!

 

We purchased a Total Access pass which was $75 per person. We were able to pick from 4 attractions from a list of 32.  This also gave us free admission to the Parthenon which is well worth the trip!  The 4 we picked were, The Country Music Hall of Fame – you can go in and out all day until they close at 5pm, Ryman Auditorium tour, the Hop on and Hop off bus which was good for 2 days and made 15 stops, and the last thing we picked was the boat ride through our resort.  Some of the options I would suggest making reservations for.  We wanted to tour the Grand Ole Opry but buy the time we got there all the tours were sold out.

 

One of the stops on the hop on and off is at the Marathon Motor Works. This is the furthest point on the tour and outside the city.  You can spend a few hours here.  There is a vineyard, a brewery, a whiskey distillery, an antique shop owned by American pickers, some history of older cars, shops, and a candy store.  Well worth getting off!  There were a few other stops on the route that are free to visit but we just didn’t have time to get off at but will definitely will next time.

 

Broadway is the main strip in downtown; this is where 95% of the restaurants, bars and shops are. There is live entertainment morning, noon, and night.  I have to tell you some of these bands and singers are so good I have no idea why they aren’t making records.  50% of these restaurants/bars are 2 – 3 indoor floors with a different singer or band on each floor and the there is a roof top bar with another set of entertainers.  AMAZING view at night from the top floor of these bars!!!

We wanted to tour the Jack Daniels Distillery which is about an hour and 15 minutes from the downtown area. You can take this tour with a whiskey tasting or just the tour itself so it’s good for all ages.  We drove all the way there to have the tours sold out also.  The tour is an hour and ½ so call ahead before you make the drive or go first thing in the morning before all the crowds get there.  Also be sure there isn’t an event going on.  There was an international BBQ event going on which of course made getting in and out of there even worse.

 

Nashville was a wonderful trip but like I mentioned we didn’t have enough time.  This destination can be for couples, families, or groups.  I would suggest at least 5 – 6 nights or a shorter stay if your clients plan to go back.

 

Keep in mind when booking clients there is a LOT of walking on a trip like this.  We love to walk so it wasn’t a big deal for us.

 

If you have any questions or need any tips let me know. I also have TON of pictures of the resort, downtown, and the attractions we visited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAM Report     Accommodations: 8 of us were lucky enough to stay at Port Ferdinand Luxury Residences This is located nearby historic Speightstown on the Northwest coast of Barbados. Offering 82 residences and 120 berths, each home has its own uninterrupted view of the marina, with many of the homes also offering direct views beyond the marina to the Caribbean Sea. The villas are decorated with a combination of restoration hardware meets beachy comfort. While it was beautifully appointed, I felt the furniture was comfy, cozy, and laid back. The villas come either 2 or 3 bedroom style, including a fully equipped kitchen with all the modern amenities, the living room and bedrooms are equipped with beautiful flat screen tv’s. Each bedroom has a full bathroom attached as well. The staff was EXTREMELY attentive. The concierge staff is absolutely amazing.   Accommodations: site inspection of St Peters Bay—sister property of Port Ferdinand. This resort is geared much more towards families with larger accommodations, more expansive beach, and a 160 foot lagoon pool. Similar villa style accommodations to Port Ferdinand. Their luxury three bedroom fully furnished homes range in size from 2700 square feet to their expansive 4 bedroom penthouses offering over 6300 square feet of living area. Every home enjoys amazing “picture postcard” views of the beautiful coconut trees, the beach, and the ocean. St Peter’s Bay only dining option is The Gazebo Bar & Grill which offers simple food with a stunning ocean view. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and offers bar service throughout the day. Nothing better than sipping on arguably the best rum punch I have ever had, watching the sunset.

Dining: The resort has 2 restaurants plus room service. A personal chef can be hired too. 13/59 is the fine dining restaurant. Drawing on their extensive knowledge from around the world, they combine beautiful Barbadian ingredients with modern techniques. We had dinner and brunch here and the food was over the top with an array of choices. I had freshly caught Wahoo fish for dinner and chicken and waffles for brunch so you can see the variety there. The Quarterdeck/Pool Island Bar offers full cocktail and lunch service. Food service is also available on the beach from the pool island restaurant. The cost of the food is additional as this is an EP resort.

On-Site Entertainment & Activities Both resorts offer well equipped fitness centers with personal training. Port Ferdinand has a great kids club, all included Port Ferdinand has an “adult games room” fully stocked with card tables, pool table, and a golf simulator, perfect for a rainy afternoon. St Peters Bay has a beauty lounge for salon services but the Sandbox Tree Spa located at Port Ferdinand with its private outdoor showers and quaint, quiet backyard, cannot be missed. The resorts are connected by a quick 10-minute water taxi which not only brings you between the 2 resorts but will stop at a grocery store along the way to pick up groceries for your villa and other local restaurants and shopping. Port Ferdinand is located adjacent to Six Men’s Beach via water taxi or about a 10 minute walk over, guests can enjoy lots of water sports all included (for the time being). I jetskiied, water tubed, and snorkeled all minutes away from my room. Live jazz music fills the restaurants and dockside at Port Ferdinand during most days/nights.

 

General Comments:

• Jetblue Mint service is really a premium class experience for not much more of a cost than economy. In the airport, Mint allows clients faster airport check in, speedy security lines and early boarding. While onboard guests can enjoy open bar, full meals and unlimited snacks, beauty boxes, and free Wifi and DirectTV.
• Both resorts have the added benefit of skipping the customs line when you land in Barbados. With that said, I had landed, gone through customs, and got into my transfer all within 15 minutes.
• Docked right at Port Ferdinand, we boarded Cool Runnings, a private Catamaran for a sunset cruise dinner. It is very popular among guests. Fantastic staff and the food was all prepared by a chef with local ingredients.
• Few local things that are a MUST: Friday nights at Oistins Fish Fry—a small fishing village with a town square lined with little food huts and a big stage where local events are held. Guests come and fill their plates with all the local fixins. Very informal, very delicious! Sunday nights at Raggamuffins—every Sunday the small street in Holetown shut down for a block party. One restaurant stays open where all locals and guests can listen to music and get some drinks. The best part is the VERY low budget drag show at Raggamuffins with the queens in sky high heels singing some of the classics like Celine Dion, Rihanna (obviously) and Tina Turner. The whole place was up and dancing.
• Barbados is known for its rum and it is NOT a myth. The rum punches are NO JOKE. It is part of Bajan hospitality to offer any guests a rum punch and you don’t turn them down.. With local rum and spices, it is perfectly unique to the island.
• Speaking of local rum, the main rum distillery is the famous Mount Gay Rum. However, I was able to tour a smaller, more quaint St Nicholas Abbey distillery, the only rum made from pure sugar cane. Lots of history and education on the distilling process.
• I was also able to take part in an island favorite of swimming with turtles. Couple of the water sports guys took us out on a boat armed with snorkel gear and raw fish to lure the turtles over. Such majestic creatures and such a fun experience.
• The GM of St Peters Bay is super hands on with clients. Him and his family are very active and love to involve guests on moonlight kayaking trips, night fishing, and sunrise hikes. I jumped at the chance to see the sunrise on the last morning and hiked up Chalky Mountain at 5am.

 

 

 

 

FAM Report by Leslie P

Iberostar Rose Hall Suites, Jamaica

 

I had the pleasure of spending 4 nights with my family at this property, our stay was fantastic!

 

Took Exceptional to Logan, please be careful when departing on American from Logan. We were 1^st dropped off at the original American section of terminal B, but we needed to be on the other side where the old USAir flights departed from.  Fortunately an AA rep. knew from our flight number, so we jumped back in car and was taken to other side  – it’s walkable but just a pain if at wrong area of terminal B.   AA flights were all good and on time, non-stop flight was perfect. Cleared customs in Charlotte, on the return (not too long) but that airport seems to get busier and busier!

 

I booked through our TL/ The Resort Collection as they offer each office a 3 night stay.

I stumbled across it on Mercavia: http://www.mercavia.com/Mercavia/Suppliers/Hotels/TheResortCollection/index.htm

There were 2 teens in our room, they were an additional $95 per night, so much for free … darn kids, haha!

 

Transfers: Iberostar did not include transfers.  I pre-booked with Jamaica Tours Ltd, it was $25 roundtrip per person, shared, gave 10% discount for agents.  Took about 40 minutes to get to hotel.

 

Iberostar Suites is a resort within 3. Iberostar Grand (adults only, access to all 3 resorts), Rose Hall Suites (access to Beach resort) and then the Beach Resort (limited to this resort)

 

I have nothing but great reviews, from check-in to check-out, every staff member was accommodating, friendly. The suites offer 2 beds (some a king) and a large sitting area with a pull-out sofa, balcony, garden or ocean view, huge double vanity, soaking tub, stand up shower, in-room WiFi, also at the pool and beach area. The hotel only has two family suites that includes an extra king bedded room (floor to ceiling window – no balcony in the extra room).  They do not sell this room as a category but try to upgrade people with families or more than 1 child.  We were fortunate to get this upgrade.  I highly recommend requesting if you have 2 older kids in the room, but it can’t be guaranteed.  The rooms are on 4^th floor, offer an ocean view but are not oceanfront.The railing of the balcony was so high, when you sat in the smaller patio set, you couldn’t see over it – my only downfall of the room.

Mini-fridge stocked with water, soda and beer, coffee maker. TV with a most movie channels.  Turndown service a pleasure – room feels refreshed when you come back up for the night.  Hotel offers lunch/dinner (not breakfast) menu for room service – took a while, but food was good (kids had to try it of course).

Resturants were all fantastic, but reservations are required. We were not able to get into the 2 nicer restaurants (Mare Nostrum or Calabash) they were either booked or closed on certain nights.  I really didn’t think that time of the year would be difficult but if going at a peak time, they should make reservations as soon as it is open.  The Steak House, Mexican and buffets were all excellent.  We never had a complaint.  Staying at the Suites you can also dine at the Beach Resort restaurants, 4 additional restaurants to pick from, it’s a nice option if you cannot get into the main restaurants but even they were booked on short notice.  Booze was very good quality.

 

The Beach is rather large considering you can walk the distance of all 3 resorts. Water is ok, it’s not the typical turquoise blue clear water, it’s a little cloudy.  Included watersports are really only snorkel or kayaks, limited to 1 hour per day, per room.  There are other activities all at a cost and cannot be billed to the room, it’s a separate company but very professional.  Girls went parasailing; it was $130 for the 2 of them. The activities directors are constantly doing something, the pool area is loud when the typical activities are happening (water aerobics, arm wrestling contests, bingo etc), but there is a smaller pool if you want a little quieter, the lazy river is small – but really perfect!

 

I did a site inspection of the Grand (adults only), amazing property, the lobby, pool and all restaurants are stunning. Pool has a concierge for towels, suntan lotion.  Each room has butler service, stocked mini bar with nips and you can request large bottle of booze of the smaller nips.  All booze is top shelf. 24 hour room service including small breakfast menu. The pool area has beautiful beach bed and cabanas that are 1^st come 1^st service, even the beach chairs look more comfortable than the other 2 resorts.  Being adult only – it was MUCH quieter than the Suites or the Beach Resort.

 

The Suites and Grand share the water sport beach booth, and between the two is a circular atrium where the theater, shops, spa (use of the wellness pool, saunas and whirlpool are complimentary for both, not the Beach resort), huge gym with Pilates/yoga classes, casino, shopping center, billiard room/bar and disco are located and all shared.

The shows were excellent and rather entertaining.

 

I would recommend the Suites or Grand to anyone, if not much more the Suites is well worth the upgrade from the Beach Resort, especially for all the added dining options, larger rooms – it’s well worth the upgrade!! The hotel has a shuttle that runs evey hour on the hour and will take you to the shopping center a few miles down the street, it looked very nice, it’s a true shopping center not an outdoor market.

 

We went on a zip lining tour, it was great Chukka Tours, it was $79 per person, we hit about 10 zips, lots of walking and the zillion mosquito bites were at no additional charge, that was after using the Jamaica bug spray too!  Good trip fun.

 

I’m so glad I went to Jamaica, I’ve not been in about 15 years, the island has changed so much. There’s so much to do now, it’s not just Dunn’s River or Negril for tours, lots of parks and adventurous things to do.  I’m eager to return!!!!

 

Thanks! Leslie P

 

FAM Report by Kim Sgambato-Woonsocket

 

Riviera Maya ~ Paradisus La Esmeralda

 

 

Once I took the Paradisus class the company gave me 4 free nights and 1 additional night at an agent rate.  Take the class if you haven’t yet!!!

We flew out of Providence and connected in Charlotte both ways.  Keep in mind customs in Charlotte has changed (for the return).  You will collect your bags, recheck them at the counter, and go through security again.  You need plenty of time for this!

We took Best Day Transfers from the airport to the resort.  Very good company, clean buses, on time, and very polite drivers.  As an agent I also got 10% off any excursions that I booked at the hotel at the Best Day Tours desk.  We took one tour that included Tulum, zip lining, repelling, and swimming in the caves.  It was a ½ day tour that included lunch.  Well worth it if you have never been and want to see the ruins and learn the history and have a little fun all at the same time.

Upon arrival we were greeted with a cold cloth and a purple drink in a champagne glass.  Not sure what it was but hey you’re on vacation right!  We got to the resort about 1pm and our rooms were ready.  They took us in a golf cart with our luggage to our rooms.

This was the surprise to me.the rooms are huge!  What a great size room.  King bed, very large bathroom with a large tub and shower that is separate, sitting area with a couch and table and chairs for 2.  Mini bar was stocked with soda, water, milk, snacks, and beer.  This was replenished daily if you used anything from it.  No additional cost.

 

 

We were upgraded to a swim up room which I did not request but was great!  It is not like your typical swim up room where the pool in front of you connected to the main pool so there was not a lot of traffic swimming by all the time.  It was so nice to leave the patio and go right into the pool.  The staff covered the entire area and brought drinks and food right to you so you never had to get out if you didn’t want to.  This was a great service because we were in a room that was on the far end of the resort.

Here is a picture from the main pool area looking at our patio.  There are 2 tile chairs right in the pool next to your stairs.  Quick in and out!

Once we dropped off our luggage we went back to the main lobby and made our dinner reservations for the week with the concierge.  We were helped by a women named Yasmine she was so nice and went above and beyond to make she we had everything we needed and checked in with us during our entire stay.  She also set up a site inspection for me for La Esmeralda (where we stayed) and La Perla (adults only side).

Here are a few pictures of the lobby area all open aired.  There was a little coffee shop right in the middle that serves cappuccino and express.  They have little treats in the afternoon and in the evening as well.  All included!

 

Dining:

Every night 1 restaurant is closed for a full cleaning so keep that in mind when making reservations.  There are 8 sit down restaurants, 2 buffets, and 1 restaurant that is an additional cost.  Each buffet has the same exact food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  The only difference is one is adults only and the other is for families.  Passion is the fine dining restaurant that is an additional cost.

A few of the restaurants are open aired restaurants and the others are inside with air conditioning.  My favorite meal was at Vento this is a fresh Mediterranean inspired menu.  All restaurants were fantastic we had a wonderful meal every night.  Even the restaurant manager come over to our table to be sure everything was OK and to let us know during our stay if there was something not on the menu that we wanted they could make it no problem.  AMAZING Service again!!!

 

The resort has 1 show a night that changes.  This is on the family side.  The adult side does have an area that has nightly entertainment.  This was a very slow time of the year for them so we were able to take advantage of a lot of the things without it being too crowded.

The beach area if your clients are looking for a fantastic beach this is not the place.  The resort is located in a cove.  Lots of sea weed and rough water.  If could also be the time of the year.  I’m not a big beach person so to me I was perfectly content staying by the pool.

The pool area was great there was a separate pool that had a water slid ship and hippo for the kids.  1 swim up bar that you could not access from your swim up room but that was ok the wait staff come around like I mentioned earlier.  If you want to bring rafts or noodles they allow it of course in the gift shop they are very expensive!!!  Here are a few pictures of this area:

 

 

This resort is a great place to go to relax.  There is not a lot that goes on during the day for activities etc.  That was the purpose of my trip to just relax.  I wasn’t looking for a resort that had entertainment all day.  They did have aqua aerobics every day at noon they would turn up the music but once that was over the music was low.

I talked to a few families that had the concierge family suites and they said for the difference in $$$ that they paid it was well worth the extras they have for their children.  They left them little activates every night in the room.  They would draw a bath and fill it with bubbles and balloons if they requested it.  There was always a special little plate with the cookie of the day as they called it just for the kids.  The kids club was filled every time I walked by it.  One day was face painting, another day they were all dressed up as pirates and walking in a parade through the resort.  The area that was for the concierge families had it’s own BBQ kid friendly food, popcorn machine, cotton candy, and pool toys for them to pay with.

There is a room type at this resort for couples, families of 4, families of 6, and families of 8.  I could not take pictures in these rooms however.  Not sure why they told me no when I asked but they did.

I was told this resort was close to 5^th Ave and I could walk there.  I would not recommend it.  5^th Ave was about a 10 – 15 minute cab ride ($10 – $15 each way) and you are not walking through the best of areas.  5^th Ave is a hopping place at night.  There are so many restaurants and all kinds of vendors trying to sell their goods.  It is nice to take the ride to see but we did not spend too much time there.  We had everything we needed at the resort.  They just opened a new mall towards the end of 5^th Ave  it has all your modern stores that we would have here at home.  It was packed with people.  Who goes to Mexico to shop at Victoria Secret?!?!

If you go and eat at the family buffet you must ask for Mexican coffee we didn’t ask for it and over came the waiter and insisted he make this for me topped with ice cream!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!  What a show they put on when they make it.  Here are some pictures:

 

 

 

All the restaurants for the resort are in the middle of both the family side and adults only side.  They are in the shape of a U so they are easy to find.  What is on the family side is duplicated on the adults only side when it comes to the gift shop, the pool bar, the pool restaurant so you are not having to walk from one side of the resort to the other to get to anything.  The only difference on each side is the decor and the meaning of the resorts.  The adults only side is themed after the sun and the family side is themed after the moon.  The lobbys reflect this if you look up at the ceiling in each!

If you have any questions on this resort please call me!