I used to do all the planning for our trips myself. In recent years I got away from this and relied on a travel agent to help me. I guess I felt intimidated by international travel and thought that somehow travel agents could get me a better deal. Well, I recently broke up with my travel agent and it was the best thing I ever did.

Travel Agents Aren’t Free

Although you usually do not have to pay your travel agent directly (some agencies do charge a fee however), you are actually paying for the service. I was a bit shocked at how much I saved when I planned a trip on my own. For our upcoming trip, I was working with a travel agent who was farming the planning out to a travel service that has “relationships” with hotels in the area we are traveling to. I thought that meant I would get a better deal. Wrong. Before the break up, this service had almost completely planned my entire trip (based on my requests), so I had a list of where I wanted to stay and how much the service was charging me  in total (and no, I did not use them to get this list – they simply were unable to understand or accommodate the things that were important to us so I had to say goodbye even though the trip was nearly entirely planned and frankly I had to suggest most of the hotels on the list myself). I booked us at many of the places on this list and also choose some hotels that were much more expensive than the ones selected by the service (ants in the beds and rusty shower fixtures don’t work for me – part of the reason their service no longer was meeting my needs) and my total came in thousands of dollars less. Yes, that’s right. I still don’t know how this could be possible, but I assure you our hotels are nicer and we’ve saved a bundle.

 

Travel Agents Aren’t Picky

When you book through a travel agent, it’s unlikely they are going to investigate a hotel as carefully as you might. In fact, you can learn more from a site like TripAdvisor about a hotel than you can from your travel agent. Their job is to find the rate and meet your basic specs, not evaluate whether the staff is rude, how clean the rooms are, and whether the breakfast is any good. I relied on guidebooks and Tripadvisor to narrow down my choices and make my selections. When you use TripAdvisor, read all the reviews but also be sure to look first at the professional photos and then at the traveler photos. If the two sets of photos barely resemble each other, this is a red flag! These photos often will show you problems that will turn you off, such as dingy rooms, outdated decor, and unpleasant bathrooms.

I have a child who is uncomfortable flying, so airplane seat arrangements and positioning is absolutely key for us. Really, the only person who can truly book a flight for us while taking all of our requirements into consideration is me. We have been burned a couple of times and learned our lesson on this one, so travel agents weren’t of much help to me with flights.

 

Go to the Source

When your travel agent books you through a travel service, you’re two people removed from the action and it’s like a game of telephone. All of the information will be muddled by the time it gets to you.

The best way to book a hotel room is directly through the hotel in question. You can go back and forth with an agent about room size, size of bed, location of hotel, what exactly is included, etc. and still never really know what you’re getting. Email or call the hotel yourself and ask everything you need to know. You’re likely to get a better deal if you deal with them directly than if you use their main booking site. Even if you’re traveling to another country, you can still contact them yourself. We have found that email works perfectly well – they either translate it or have someone on staff who speaks English.

The best way to get the details on a flight is to talk directly to an airline. Use booking services to determine the cheapest flight then go to the airline yourself and ask all the questions you need to about seating, positioning, and comfort. Last summer we flew to Italy with metal boxes underneath the seats in front of us – they are part of the entertainment system. I have vowed never to let that happen again – we could not stretch our legs in front of us or stow anything under the seat in front of us. It was incredibly uncomfortable. The airline is the only one who can tell me if the seat I am considering has that issue.

Travel Agents Haven’t Been There

While a lot of travel agents are well-traveled and there are some who specialize in certain destinations they are very familiar with, it’s likely your travel agent hasn’t been where you want to go. Therefore, he or she doesn’t know where the ideal spot for your hotel is, how many days you should spend there, where the seedy parts of town are, and more. You can determine all of this yourself if you read guidebooks and web sites and get advice from people who have actually been there. It’s tempting to feel as though your travel agent is an expert, but unfortunately many are just experts at using booking systems on their computers.

Cut Out the Extras You Don’t Want

When you book a trip yourself, you book only what you want. The travel services who have booked our previous trips were always adding in tours, meals, and passes we didn’t want and didn’t need. I always weeded these things out, but somehow the pricing never really reflected those removals at the bottom line. It is also much more inexpensive to arrange your own transportation. Yes, it’s cute to get off the plane and have someone holding a sign with your name on it, but chances are you can find the taxis yourself, and you’ll pay MUCH less. It’s nice to get a printed itinerary that lists everything you want to do and everywhere you want to go, but you’re paying someone to book those things for you. Book it yourself for much less and type up the itinerary yourself. You can book “skip the line” tours online directly through the place you are visiting or using an online booking service and you avoid paying the middle man.

Trust Your Own Judgment

In the past I accepted some hotel bookings I had questions about because I felt as though the travel service must know something I didn’t. I was wrong. The hotel that I worried was possibly too far from the center of the city was actually an ungodly walk. The hotel that looked a little dated online had beds from the Stone Age (when they were made of rocks, apparently) and extremely outdated fixtures. The limited options I was given for tours was too limited and I would have been better booking it myself with a guide who offered exactly what I wanted. I’ve learned to listen to myself.

Not a Bash on Agents

None of this is meant as a bash on travel agents. I know and respect several, but have learned that for the most part, I do better when I take things into my own hands. If you don’t have the time or inclination to do your own research, definitely use a travel agent or travel service.

I used to do all the planning for our trips myself. In recent years I got away from this and relied on a travel agent to help me. I guess I felt intimidated by international travel and thought that somehow travel agents could get me a better deal. Well, I recently broke up with my … Read more →

Admit it. You’ve stuck hotel shampoo, conditioner, and lotion into your suitcase as you were packing (and maybe a shower cap and sewing kit too). I’m guilty as charged on this one too! It’s not exactly stealing – I paid for the room, right? But then I bring it home and stuff it to the back of the bathroom closet and it never sees the light of day again.

My planned usage for these goodies is always:

a) It’s nice to have some back up products in case I suddenly run out, and

b) They are convenient for packing if you want to bring toiletries on a trip.

Honestly though, they mostly just sit in the back of the closet, taking up space. I’ve hit on a great solution for these.

Donate them to a women’s shelter, homeless shelter, or veteran’s hospital. Toiletries are desperately needed items at these places and will be welcome donations.  Note that domestic violence women’s shelters do not advertise their locations, so you can’t just drop off your donations at the shelter. Check their web site for an administrative site where donations will be accepted.

Admit it. You’ve stuck hotel shampoo, conditioner, and lotion into your suitcase as you were packing (and maybe a shower cap and sewing kit too). I’m guilty as charged on this one too! It’s not exactly stealing – I paid for the room, right? But then I bring it home and stuff it to the … Read more →

Some of the beautiful blooms I found within our resort on St. Martin.

 

 

Some of the beautiful blooms I found within our resort on St. Martin.    

St. Martin is two countries on one island – St. Maarten is Dutch and St. Martin is French. If you want stupendous French food, head to the tiny surprise of Grand Case in St. Martin. This quiet town looks like absolutely nothing when you drive through it. You can’t see the water, and restaurants and storefronts are somewhat dilapidated (they look much better at night!). You might shrug your shoulders and not bother to get out of the car. You must. By night, Grand Case comes alive. The shops open and the restaurants throw

open their doors and windows. If you’re there on a Tuesday, there is a night market and this is THE place to be.

Half of the restaurants are located directly over the beach (the others are across the street with no view at all), so your views are stunning if choose to dine on that side of the street. All of the restaurants are rather small and open air, most of your waitstaff will have French accents, and the food is amazing. The combination of French techniques with fresh seafood will make you feel as if you are in five star restaurants, not wearing sandals and a t-shirt (all of the restaurants in Grand Case are casual – at the most you might want to go with capri pants or a casual skirt, but there were people in shorts).

We did make a reservation one evening, but they seemed unnecessary. There were plenty of tables available.

L’Estaminet

The best meal we had in Grand Case, bu far, was at L’Estaminet. This comfy spot doesn’t have a water view, but it’s still charming. This restaurant is very small (no more than 12 tables) but it offers creative French dishes. They also get big bonus points because they actually identify a gluten-free dish on their menu (a risotto dish). Seeing that, I asked if they had other items that were gluten free. The owner came out to talk to me and walked me through the menu, telling me exactly what dishes could be prepared gluten free. I was so grateful and appreciated the care she took to ensure I had a wonderful

meal. It was clear that it was important to her that all her guests had a good experience with food that is carefully and thoughtfully prepared.

Since my choices were somewhat limited, I decided to start with a cheese plate, which is usually served as a dessert course ( apologized to the waitress, knowing I was making myself look like an ignorant American). It included Camembert and goat cheese as well as greens, pine nuts and a truffle honey. I could have eaten just that and walked away completely satisfied. The cheese was creamy and rich and was complemented perfectly with the greens, pine nuts and honey. It would have been a perfect dessert course as well.

My daughter began with salmon cubed with tabouli and a peanut butter glaze, served with yuzu chips and smoked salt. The peanut butter glaze was a wonderful flavor with the salmon (surprisingly).

For our main courses, I enjoyed salmon stuffed with monkfish, bacon, and a white bean and cashew hummus, foie gras foam, rice, carrots with cinnamon, Creole cabbage, and zucchini with orange. It was a bit salty due to the bacon, but I ate every bite. The hummus was a nice (and unexpected) combination.

My daughter enjoyed half a lobster (spiny lobster) with truffle salt, and truffle butter. You can’t go wrong with lobster and she adores truffles,

so she was in heaven.

We of course had dessert. I had a trio of crème brûlée – vanilla, chocolate, and ginger, all of which arrived at the table flambé! Since I  had creme brulee several times during this trip, I can tell you this was the best version of all of them. Quinne had an apricot cake with salted caramel butter, mint mojito granita, and mint bubbles. The mint bubbles were really fun and a lovely end to the meal.

At the end of the meal, the serve brought a small plate with two round white disks that looked like Tums. She poured hot water on them and they expanded into warm towels to wipe our hands with. It was a very nice touch.

 

La Villa

Tripadvisor names La Villa as the best restaurant in Grand Case, so of course we had to try it. This was also not on the water, but it was a cute little building with gingerbread detailing. We had a bit of a difficult time with the staff understanding us. My gluten issue was confusing to them. I ended up starting with a rockfish  soup, which they promised had no flour or gluten. It arrived and I knew immediately it had been made with a roux, which uses flour. I chose

not to eat that and instead had a salad. Quinne began with crab profiteroles, which were delightful. For our entrees, I enjoyed lobster, shrimp, and scallops with a garlic butter sauce, and she had chicken stuffed with lobster. Everything was tasty and prepared nicely.

We had dessert – pineapple carpaccio with raspberry sorbet and mango tartar for me (a bit hard to cut and eat since the pineapple was so thin) and chocolate cake for her.

The food was nowhere near as creative as L’Estaminet and the service was scattered and tedious. I’m

not sure why this is top ranked on Tripadvisor, honestly.

L’Escapade

This was the only waterfront restaurant we enjoyed in Grand Case and with a table right at the railing and the surf crashing beneath us, it was a stunning setting. As the night grew darker we enjoyed the lights on the sailboats anchored offshore.

The staff here was able to understand my gluten problem. I started with scallop,

mussels and leeks in a foamy cream sauce. I have never tasted mussels so tender and delightful. There was nothing chewy or tough about them. This dish got a perfect 10 from me. Quinne had salmon tartare which she loved. I had snapper with risotto and

a grapefruit sauce for my main course. I am generally not a fan of grapefruit, but it was a wonderful counter note to the fish and rice. Quinne had duck breast with foie gras and a port wine sauce. Traditional French food that she adored. Again, I

had crème brûlée (no other choices) which was average and Quinne had a huge, impressive soufflé with a chocolate sauce that was wonderful but too big for one person.

Talk of the Town

Although Grand Case is known for its French food, right in the center of town are 6 lolos, or barbecue joints. We stopped here for lunch one day, having heard rave reviews.

The lolos are the ultimate in casual dining – picnic tables under a roof, plastic menus, and plastic silverware and paper plates.

We chose Talk of the Town. The menus are not very descriptive and our server was too busy with her teenage daughter who had just returned from school

and a family member with a baby to show much interest in us. I didn’t even try to discuss my gluten intolerance because the communication barriers were huge. I ordered shrimp,  thinking everything there was being grilled. Wrong. It was cooked stovetop and served with a curry sauce, which first of all I don’t care for, and secondly probably contained gluten. So I basically skipped lunch just to be safe. Quinne got a half lobster which was grilled (go figure). Mine also had rice,

corn on the cob, and plantains. Quinne’s came with “macaroni salad” which was actually Kraft mac and cheese, cold, with some vegetables mixed in.  I wouldn’t bother with the lolos again if I returned. It sounds like great local food, but honestly the places were filled with tourists like us and there

was nothing fantastic to be had.

That being said, Grand Case is the place to go for good food on St. Martin. You could dine here every night at a different place and be well-fed. Even at La Villa, the food was worth eating and could not be described as a bad meal.

St. Martin is two countries on one island – St. Maarten is Dutch and St. Martin is French. If you want stupendous French food, head to the tiny surprise of Grand Case in St. Martin. This quiet town looks like absolutely nothing when you drive through it. You can’t see the water, and restaurants and … Read more →

Google recently bought out Frommer’s – the company that creates hundreds of print travel guide books each year. And now they’ve decided to stop publishing any. Here’s the link to the story.

I love books and I love travel, so I am a Frommer’s fan. I don’t go anywhere without buying the Frommer’s and Fodor’s guides for that location.  And I do buy both guides because they have different styles and include different information. Often by cross-referencing the two I can isolate the best restaurants, best hotels, and best things to do if the books agree.

I do a lot of online research before I travel (TripAdvisor is very helpful, as are local tourism web sites), but I find that a print guidebook organizes all of the important information for me in one place. It  has small localized maps that are easy to read. Most online sites redirect you to Google maps, which is fine, but it’s nice to see a map with all the restaurants or sights clearly marked, so you can easily gauge what is where.

I like to have a guidebook in my purse or bag when we are out and about. We may plan to go to one restaurant and get there and find it’s a dump. The guidebook offers a quick way for me to find other restaurants I’ve marked in that area, rather than trying to navigate UrbanSpoon or TripAdvisor for help (and if you’re in a spot with no internet access they do you no good!).

I will sorely miss Frommer’s guides and may now have to give in and buy some other brand (Rick Steve’s, Rough Guide, or Moon – all of which I’ve tried and just don’t like as much as my Big Two!).

What resources do you use to prepare for a trip? Will you miss Frommer’s guides?

Google recently bought out Frommer’s – the company that creates hundreds of print travel guide books each year. And now they’ve decided to stop publishing any. Here’s the link to the story. I love books and I love travel, so I am a Frommer’s fan. I don’t go anywhere without buying the Frommer’s and Fodor’s … Read more →

My daughter and I just returned from a relaxing girls’ getaway in St. Martin for 5 days. It’s a lovely place and I’ll be posting more about the island, what to do and where to eat in later posts (not to mention the shopping!). First things first though is the hotel. And I have a lot to say about it, so I thought I’d do a whole post.

We stayed at the Radisson Blu, in Anse Marcel, on the French (north) side of the island (the southern part of the island is St. Maarten and is Dutch). It is located north of Marigot, the main French town, and very near Grand Case, which is where the best restaurants are. It is also close to Orient Beach, the best known beach on the island.  We wavered a bit about where to stay since this hotel does not offer oceanview rooms. The property backs up to the ocean and the rooms have either garden views or marina views. I generally prefer to have an oceanview when I’m staying in a place that is all about the ocean, but we decided we probably wouldn’t be spending much time in the room anyhow. We reserved a superior room with marina view.

Getting There

The hotel web site provides driving directions from the airport so we brought those along in

case our GPS did not work. When we arrived, it wasn’t working (of course!). I also asked the car rental place for directions. Both sets of directions combined were a bit vague. St. Martin has only a handful of stop signs and traffic lights. There are roundabouts and very few road signs. It is difficult to distinguish a main road from a side road since most roads have no center markings and none are in very good condition  All of this made getting to the hotel extremely challenging! It’s hard to know when to turn when there are no signs. We missed a turn and got a little lost, but finally figured it out.

The next challenge in getting to the hotel is that you must literally go up and over a mountain to get there. The road to the hotel is narrow, very steep and filled with blind hairpin turns. When we arrived it was dark which made it even more terrifying. The hotel doesn’t post signs along this road. There are turnoffs where it would have been helpful to have a little sign guiding me!

At one point, there is a breath-taking view of the cove the hotel is in, but there is absolutely no way to pull over since it is on a hairpin turn. We discovered a spot to leave the car just below this and were able to hike up the hill to get the photo (St. Martin is filled with photo opps like this. You will be driving up a giant hill and suddenly at the crest, you will gasp at the sight below you, but there is nowhere to pull over to get a picture and you are always being tailgated by someone who is annoyed by your driving.

Check-In

We finally managed to find the hotel, which is hidden behind a manned entry. The exterior of the hotel is very pretty  – white with big colored curtains. My photo did not turn out well, but

I’m sharing to give you a sense of it. I pulled the rental car up to the front door and we went in to check in. There was no bellman in sight. The front desk was very busy and the woman who checked us in was unfriendly, soft-spoken, and difficult to hear. Part of our package included membership in the My Time program, which entitled us to perks like a fruit basket in the room and a food and beverage credit during our stay (both of which we did get). We were also supposed to be greeted with a cold towel and a tropical drink. This did not happen. We were supposed to be given a special My Time card to show during our stay. I learned later that the little paper business card with our room number handwritten on it was this card (would have been nice if someone explained this, but I’m not sure what good this card would have done us). The program was also supposed to include a call on the third day of stay to ask how things were. No one ever called.

The My Time program also allowed late check out, but when I asked, I was told I would have to ask on the morning of departure, which defeats the purpose since we couldn’t plan to be able to stay.

On the plus side, we were told we had been upgraded to a deluxe room.

While we were checking in, a bellman came and asked me for my keys since my car was in the way. He moved the car and removed some of our luggage and brought it in.  He did not bring all of our belongings and he didn’t tell me where my car was (I assumed since they moved it, they would retrieve it).  The next morning, my daughter and I had to wander the three parking lots to find our car – there was no accountability for where it had been parked.

About 10 days before we left, I contacted the hotel to let them know I am gluten intolerant and to ask if their chefs would be able to accommodate me. I got an email back saying one of the chefs would be emailing me. No one did. Two days before we left I responded and let them know no one had contacted me. No response.  At check in I asked

again and was told a chef would call me in my room. This didn’t happen. At breakfast one morning I tried to get some assistance and the response was quite poor.

The Room

After the nonsense at check-in, we were happy to go to our room which had a king size Sleep Number bed (you can adjust the firmness on each side), a table and chairs, armchair and stool, balcony, and large bathroom. The room was a soft yellow and very comfortable. One feature I liked was that in addition to a chest of drawers, there were huge baskets under the nightstands for storage, as well as two closets and small storage baskets near the minibar.

The bathroom was huge with two sinks, but it wasn’t very usable since the tub/shower had a glass door and the toilet area didn’t have a door, so essentially only one person could use the room at a time.

I don’t think I would call our view a marina view. I could barely make out some boats through the trees. Despite this, I was very pleased with our room which appeared recently renovated and was spotless. I do not believe the room was vacuumed during our stay however, since the same crumb remained on the floor by my side of the bed the entire stay.

The Resort

I have nothing but glowing things to say about the grounds of this resort. The lobby area was open to the outside and there were many comfortable couches and chairs in the area. There is also a lobby bar. The grounds have beautiful flowering shrubs. There is a bocce ball court and a ping pong table. There is a spa, but we did not visit it during our stay.

The place where we spent all of our time was the beach and pool. The resort backs up to a big

crescent-shaped beach that is shared with several other resorts, however it is not crowded or busy at all. The waves come all the way up to the retaining walls, so there is not a lot of space to actually sit on the beach (and there seem to be no tides, since the water was always up to the edge). On our first morning, there were lounge chairs on the sand, so we sat there. The waves would wash up under our chairs. It was nice, but I was constantly worrying about our bag, which I kept lifting in the air to keep dry. After that morning, no lounge chairs were allowed on the beach, but they were right next to the beach, set up underneath palm trees with a spectacular view. There is a beachside bar with one waiter who makes the rounds. We got one round of frozen drinks and didn’t think they were very good.

The sand is soft and flat with no shells or rocks to speak of. The beach is in a little cove and there are boats anchored there. You can see Anguilla across the way. It is a magical little cove. Be aware that the beach is tops optional! The beach is long enough for a nice walk, which we enjoyed several times. The water had a bit of an undertow, but once you got past where the waves broke it was pleasant to just float in the turquoise water.

I am still not recovered from the glory that was the pool. This was the biggest, most comfortable pool I’ve ever been in. There are 4 sections. There’s a rectangular area where a water fitness class was happening one day. The next section has a sand area next to and no steps – you just gradually walk in like you would at a beach. This was not very deep and was perfect for children.

There was an intermediate area that was a bit deeper, then it opened up to the infinity pool section that was about 5 feet deep. The infinity edge meant that not only could you look out over the ocean as you swam, but there were no waves or splashing, since the water cycles

over the edge of the pool.  It was so big that 4-5 times around this section of the pool

constituted my half hour daily swim.

There were plenty of chairs, umbrellas and palm trees around the pool. There were a few cabanas for rent but really were unnecessary since you could find so much shade. There are two resident iguanas my daughter saw casually swimming across the pool!

The pool bathrooms were pretty dirty and rarely had toilet paper, so that was the only complaint I can offer.

I would go back just for the pool and beach area alone.

The resort seemed to be very popular with families from France. There were also many couples (some young, but many in midlife) who were American. It never felt crowded or busy and the atmosphere was relaxed and delightful.

If you’re looking for a wonderful getaway, you will find it in this resort!

My daughter and I just returned from a relaxing girls’ getaway in St. Martin for 5 days. It’s a lovely place and I’ll be posting more about the island, what to do and where to eat in later posts (not to mention the shopping!). First things first though is the hotel. And I have a … Read more →

 

 

Everyone in this family knows how to fish. A lot of time is spent in the summer with lines in the water. Lake perch and bass are only so exciting however. For some real fishing, we decided to take a deep sea charter from Naples, FL. Captain Tom Robinson took us out on the Sea Legs for a 3/4 day trip (6 hours). Last year we did a half day trip and honestly I wouldn’t waste the money. You spend an hour and a

half getting out to fish and the same amount of time coming back, which doesn’t leave you a lot of time to actually fish.

Captain Tom leaves from the Naples City Dock in Naples Bay. He’s been leading fishing charters for 37 years, so he’s got this down pat. We arrived at the dock at 7:30 am. I brought:

• sunscreen (we applied it when we got there, then again around noon)
• lots of water
• sandwiches and snacks in a cooler with blue ice which then functioned to bring our fish home
• hats for everyone
• a beach towel (in case anyone got wet, but also to cover myself with in the cool morning)
• seasickness patches and pills just in case (not needed, but better safe than sorry)
• cash to tip the captain (although he takes payments with credit cards, there is no way
  

  The beautiful sea and sky

  to add a tip to that)

The drive out from the dock is spectacular because you pass through the most expensive and elite section of Naples – Port Royal, filled with multi-million dollar mansions. Jon Bon Jovi has one of the most remarkable houses.  Once you’re out on the open ocean, you sit back while the boat throttles ahead full speed. We liked Sea Legs because it has an indoors area and it also has a bathroom!

The boat is aptly named, because even though we were out on a relatively calm day, you do need to learn how to move around a boat – mostly this means holding on as you’re moving and if you’re standing to fish, wedging your knee against the side of the boat for balance.

The water was a beautiful color, and we enjoyed seeing the land fade behind us as we made it 19 miles offshore. Once you’re there, all you see is ocean. There’s no land and no boats. It’s just you and the water and the sky. The boat rocks gently and all your worries drop away.

Captain Tom got us started with lines baited with chunks of herring which we sent to the bottom of the ocean (50 feet down) and we immediately began pulling in fish. We caught lots of red grouper (which are quite heavy and a challenge to reel in), but they weren’t in season, so back they went after we admired them. We were able to keep mangrove snapper, lane snapper, and mackerel. All in all we brought home 16 keepers and threw back many, many more. We fished at 4 different spots, all reefs or wrecks Captain Tom had marked in his GPS. The fish we pulled in were so beautiful  – brightly colored and sleek.

The three hours of fishing went by in a blur because we were so busy bringing in fish, one after another.  An exciting moment was when we saw a shark swim by.

The last fish on the lines was on mine and it was so big we had no chance of bringing it in. The fish bit and my pole bent completely over. I knew I had no chance! I

handed the pole over to my son who fought with it for a while, but we had to say goodbye and break the line.

After about 3 hours of fishing, it was time to head back, but as we were pulling in our lines, we spotted a sea turtle. It was a fitting end to our trip. We sat back and enjoyed the ride into shore. When we got back to the dock, Captain Tom artfully cleaned all of our fish, sharing the skin and bones with the waiting pelicans.

If you’d like to take a deep sea fishing charter, inquire about rates. We paid $800 for a private 3/4 day charter (plus optional cash tip), but there are plenty of boats that offer group excursions.  If you’re in Naples, just take a walk down the city dock and pick up the brochures posted by the boats.

The best part of the day was dinner. I cooked some of each kind  of fish we brought home so we could sample them all fresh from the boat. There is no comparison between fresh caught fish and fish you buy in a store. Our fish was sweet, clean tasting, and tender. The fresh fish keeps for an entire week if you keep it in a ziploc bag on ice in the fridge. We also froze much of it for future use.

Next year we’re planning to head out on another charter. I wonder what we’ll catch?

 

Everyone in this family knows how to fish. A lot of time is spent in the summer with lines in the water. Lake perch and bass are only so exciting however. For some real fishing, we decided to take a deep sea charter from Naples, FL. Captain Tom Robinson took us out on the Sea … Read more →

I recently wrote about my top ten travel food experiences. Food is such an important part of travel for me. What have you eaten on your travels that was memorable?

I recently wrote about my top ten travel food experiences. Food is such an important part of travel for me. What have you eaten on your travels that was memorable?

My husband recently went on a 10-day business trip to India. I had fits of jealousy, until he became ill from the food/water on his second day. Once he was feeling better, I was jealous again. He went to the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. He drove up into the Himalayas and had tea at a former British officers’ club. He stayed on the Arabian Sea in Mumbai and spent the day at a colleague’s home on a Mumbai island, complete with aquifer-fed in-ground pool and private chef. He had all kinds of amazing food.  You can see why I was on the brink of divorce over this.

Here are some of his observations:

– There are cows everywhere, and no one comments on them. He saw cows in downtown Mumbai. They’re like squirrels. You wouldn’t remark on a squirrel.

– Monkeys, on the other hand, are also everywhere, but people do comment on them, either to say how cute they are, or to warn you that there is an angry one right behind you (no joke).

– If you think people drive like lunatics in NYC, go to India. No traffic lights, lots of passing, constant honking, yet no one is agitated like they are in NYC.

– There is poverty everywhere, but it was not as overwhelming to him as it had been made to sound.

– One of the hotels he stayed at had a wedding, which is a week-long event. One night, the wedding party was brought into the hotel with a full marching band.

– The Taj Mahal is beautiful. There are passages from the Koran on the walls, inlaid with jewels.

– People constantly offer you tea and drinks, to the point of being annoying.

– In every business meeting he was in, there was a plate of Lays potato chips on the table. Everyone refers to them as “Baked Lays” even though sometimes they were not baked and were regular.

– Thum’s Up is the drink of choice, a cola beverage made by the Coca-Cola company. In northern India Diet Coke is the beverage of choice. Regular Coke is not even offered.

– The flight there was rough, but the one home nearly killed him. 15 hours is a long, long time to be in one seat on one plane.

– One interesting food he enjoyed was like a milkshake which also had nuts, fruit and pieces of noodles in it that you ate with a spoon while also drinking the liquid with a straw.

– On the way into the Himalayas, their car was stopped by armed military (wearing machine

guns) and searched for alcohol, which is brought into the area to bribe people for an upcoming election. Interestingly, the people he was with told him not to worry, if there was a problem, they would just bribe the officers.

– In the Himalayas, he was telling his companions about a restaurant here in Buffalo. A woman nearby overheard him and said “Oh, I’ve been there. We’re from Toronto.” There is always a Buffalo connection. (I was asked for directions in Rome by a woman who turned out to be from Toronto – everywhere we go we meet people from home).

 

 

 

My husband recently went on a 10-day business trip to India. I had fits of jealousy, until he became ill from the food/water on his second day. Once he was feeling better, I was jealous again. He went to the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. He drove up into the Himalayas and had tea … Read more →