sun – Snapping The Globe

Christopher Columbus visited. So did John Glenn. Why not Carnival?

Grand Turk, the capital island of the Turks and Caicos is now home to a state of the art luxury cruise ship center opened by Carnival in 2006 and frequented by several cruise lines.

The thirteen acre complex is located at the southern end of Governor’s Beach, the best beach on the island and offers a variety of shops, restaurants, a large pool, cabanas and the largest Margaritaville in the Caribbean. The 3,000 foot pier can accommodate two ships each day and serves as a launch point for shore excursions. Shuttles, taxi, rental cars and scooters are available for those who wish to venture out onto the island on their own.

Grand Turk has the second largest population of the Turks and Caicos and the main city of the island is the historical Cockburn Town, filled with colonial style buildings and ruins. The Turks and Caicos National Museum is one of the highlights of the island along with the lighthouse and popular activities such as diving and whale watching.

Having visited Providenciales a few years ago, we knew what amazing beaches were to be found in the Turks and Caicos and decided that our Christmas Day was going to be a relaxing one, enjoying the sun with our toes in the sand and a drink in our hand.

Once we made our way down the lengthy pier, through the duty free shops and past Margaritaville, we began to search for a good spot to set up camp. Since my son had been here during the summer, he said that the chairs on the last rows were free, but the ones immediately in the front on the water were for rent. We decided that since it was Christmas Day, we wanted to be able to look at the beautiful, turquoise water instead of other people and paid $5 per chair and umbrellas. (Since the trip, I have been reading about scams involving locals on the beach and now I am not sure if these chairs should have been free as well. In the future, I would check with Carnival before disembarking on Grand Turk).

The waters on this beach were pristine and my sons enjoyed snorkeling and swimming throughout the day. After some time, I decided to walk around and get a feel for the property.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus is reputed to have made landfall on his initial voyage to the New World. Almost 500 years later, U.S. astronaut, John Glenn, splashed down near Grand Turk, after becoming the first American to orbit the earth during the 1962 Mercury Space Mission. The cruise ship center showcases a memorial to John Glenn and the historic event featuring a statue, replica of the Friendship Seven space capsule and placarded information.

As I walked to the southern end of the beach, tourists were building amazing sand sculptures in the shape of a turtle and an alligator. A little farther, I stopped to admire the statue of a breaching humpback whale, which highlights one of the prodigious events visitors can enjoy each season, from January to April.

Finally, making my way back to my waiting lounge chair, I took a few minutes to visit the craft market. Necklaces, carvings, paintings, shells and various other items were offered for sale.

Rejoining my family, we hung out on the beach for a bit longer before heading over to the Margaritaville pool. Guests swam and danced to the music while enjoying cold buckets of beer, margaritas and snacks. Many also took their turns on the Flowrider, surfing and body boarding on the jetted water, while others looked on hoping for a wipeout!

Before long, departure time was approaching and while I hated to leave this idyllic island, I really didn’t want to have to run down the long dock to the boat at the last minute and miss its departure.

As we stood on the upper deck, we waved goodbye to Grand Turk as we sailed away into the sunset.

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.

Grand Turk

http://www.grandturkcc.com/
http://turksandcaicostourism.com/grand-turk/

Twenty-four years ago, fresh off a visit to a Sandals resort, my husband and I were lured by the call of the all-inclusive resorts of Puerto Vallarta. Looking to enjoy another comprehensive vacation, we set off from our home to Los Angeles and then on to Puerto Vallarta.

A lengthy cab ride deposited us at our resort and we quickly changed into our swimsuits, eager to enjoy the amenities.

“Oh, you would like to book the dive trip for tomorrow, senora? We are sorry, the boat is broken.”

“Oh, you would like to go to the disco tonight, senor? We are sorry, the disco is being renovated and is closed…indefinitely.”

And the list went on. Nothing worked. Nothing was nice. And the food? Don’t get me started. This was definitely not anything that could compare to Sandals.

A phone call was made to our booking agency that afternoon and we were promised a refund after we informed them that we were leaving the next day.

Three months and the threat of a lawsuit finally got our money back. So, whenever someone mentioned going to Puerto Vallarta…it kind of turned my stomach. Nothing against the city itself. That dreadful resort had just ruined it for me. I had the mentality of “been there, did that” and I never really wanted to go back.

Trying to figure out plans for spring break is always tricky for airline employees as we fly on a stand-by basis and my son has limited time-off due to his baseball schedule. I watch flights for days-on-end, trying to decipher which will end up with seats both to and from tropical destinations. And, though we prefer a tropical destinations, I only told my boys that I would get them somewhere…even if it wasn’t their top choice.

Mother nature, however, had another plan. No one would could have prepared for the weather problems encountered that week, causing massive disruptions to flight schedules. Knowing that we would never get out of our hometown to one of my airlines’ hubs, we jumped in a rental car and made the eight hour drive to Atlanta, where I knew there were many flight originations and many customer’s flights that would not make it the next day due to the continuing cancellations.

My hunch was correct. As I watched three destinations the next morning, all with multiple flights and all with availability at hotels that we had earmarked, seats on those flights slowly began to open up. Quickly, we had to make a decision. We would try one of the earliest, leaving us with other options later in the day. My vote was for Punta Cana, but my boys wanted to try…Puerto Vallarta.

Waiting to reserve the hotel, my husband hit the “Book” button only when we had been given our seat assignments and the door to the aircraft was closed. Whew! We had made it onto a flight! But…what was it going to be like?

Four hours later, I was admiring the blue water and surrounding lush mountainsides as we were touching down at Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport.

A swift cab ride from the airport had us arriving at the Hilton’s Puerto Vallarta All-Inclusive Resort, not long after our arrival and we were lounging on the beach, cocktails in hand, by two-thirty. Sunny skies and blue water! What more could you ask for?

Needless to say, we absolutely LOVED this resort…everything worked, our room was upgraded, the service was amazing and the food and drinks, divine!

Happy to have a resort that met our expectations, there was one other thing…I wanted to see this place that I never really got to see.

The next morning, I decided that I would head into town. Gathering advice and instruction from the concierge, I hailed a cab with my boys and headed to the center of Puerto Vallarta and its Malecón, the twelve-block boardwalk along the waterfront.

The Malecón was renovated in 2011, making it more pedestrian friendly. The waterfront area is filled with beautiful sculpture, restaurants, bars, museums, free shows, duty-free shopping and souvenir shops. As we made our way south, we took lots of pictures, shopped, made friends and visited Our Lady of Guadaloupe cathedral, the city’s endearing landmark with its wrought-iron crown tower.

The area felt extremely safe and was exceptionally clean. The local people were very friendly and helpful…just beware, they might spot your wristband and tell you that they met you the night before at your resort, just to lure you in. I was stupid enough to fall for that one!

Though we only spent about three hours enjoying this area, we agreed to come back and bring my husband so that he could also see what he had missed.

Counting out twenty-one pesos, we decided to take the city bus back to the hotel. I love traveling the way locals do…my children…not so much. Still, it was a cheap way to travel and was surprising easy.

There was more fun to experience later in Puerto Vallerta, but this was a great beginning! So happy that we gave it another chance!

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.

Puerto Vallarta

http://visitpuertovallarta.com/
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/jalisco/hilton-puerto-vallarta-resort-PVRPVHF/index.html
Getting There/Airport-Hotel: Cabs are regulated and can be arranged prior to exiting the airport. Approximate taxi fare to our hotel, in a van for four people, was approximately $30. Return fare from hotel, was $10.
Getting There/Malecón: From the Hilton (near marina) a cab cost about $5.00 US. The cabdriver will give you an amount in pesos and will also give an amount in US dollars. The bus is about 7 pesos (about $.40 US) and though a bit of a rough ride, very safe and easy to ride.

Tag: sun

The Island of Pioneers

Unplanned Puerto Vallarta