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Keep quart-size Ziploc bags in the pockets of all your suitcases. If your carryon Ziplock wears out, or gets a hole in it, you’ll have a replacement. They are also really good for organizing small trinkets you may have bought during your travels, zipping up small toiletries even in checked baggage, and even to carry sunscreen so it doesn’t leak in your purse.
Since we here at Traveling Sisters want to make sure that you are always voyaging in style without breaking the bank, we’re bringing you the first ever Diva Deal.
Now through March 16, RockResorts is having a fabulous sale on accomodations between April and November of this year. Nightly rates begin at $96 and can represent a savings of $200 a night or more at these luxurious resorts. Destinations such as Colorado, Wyoming, and St. Lucia are on sale. Book now and look forward to an awesome vacation.
Travel journals are a great way to keep track of your experiences in new places. You know those sights or funny stories that you think you’ll remember forever? Well, you won’t. They’ll get pushed out by new sights and funny stories. So whether you jot down sentence fragments or Steinbeck-worthy detail, your travel journal will make sure that you’ll be able to look back upon your trip for years to come.
Some of the best I’ve seen are in this set from Red Envelope. It is a set of 12 colorful, silk-bound notebooks that will look as good on your shelf as they do in your bag while traveling.
After much debate, Mike and I chose Little Dix Bay to celebrate our honeymoon. The Rosewood resort is on the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. Outstanding service and unparalleled beauty made our 6-day, 5-night stay there one we would repeat annually if there weren’t so many other places we’d like to stay. We were excited to learn that we had been upgraded to an oceanfront Junior Suite, and we both agreed that it would have been worth the extra money to stay there.
Some LDB tips:
- Fly into Tortola and take the resort’s catamaran “shuttle” rather than flying directly to Virgin Gorda. The boat ride through the famed Sir Francis Drake Channel was a fabulous part of our trip, and the resort’s land entrance pales in comparison to pulling up to the dock off a gorgeous beach.
- Book spa appointments. In my opinion, LDB doesn’t do enough promotion of its world-class spa. My husband and I each had several treatments and would recommend all of them. Plan to get there earlier than your appointment and leave later, because you’ll want to lounge by the insanely gorgeous infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean.
- Be careful in the gift shop. While they have beautiful merchandise, a quick flip of that platter will prove it was “made in Vietnam.” For souveniers beyond the LDB-embroidered golf shirts, wait for the island jeweler who visits the resort several times a week for indiginous stones and lovely designs. Don’t pass up the expensive-but-divine LDB-brand sunscreen – besides needing it in the hot Caribbean sun, it smells intoxicatingly good.
- Little touches abound at the resort keep you remembering your vacation long after leaving. Several evenings, we returned to our room to find amenities such as an excellent bottle of rum, personalized aromatherapy balm, and a pretty blue candle.
- Don’t hesitate to use the toiletries simply because you’d like to take the (8 oz.!!) amenities home with you. It was our experience that the housekeeping staff refilled them on our last day. They smell of lemongrass and grapefruit and still remind me of our fabulous trip.
- Take advantage of the beach drops and picnic lunches. One of our favorite days was spent on a deserted beach, watching pelicans dive and waves crash.
Virgin Gorda tips:
- Don’t miss a dinner at Chez Bamboo, right around the corner from the resort’s entrance. The staff was delightful and the food was inventive and varied.
- Visit The Baths and begin your trip with a drink at the Top of the Baths restaurant. The food and service were mediocre but the views were awesome. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for a hike. The walk down to the Baths is rustic and narrow. There are lockers to rent if you’d like to store your things while exploring the Baths. Bypass the locals selling tshirts and sarongs to the cruise-ship crowd (who, if you’re lucky, have already left for the day). When you get to the beach, take a left and follow the path to Devil’s Bay beach. It’s about a 1/2 mile of varied terrain. It is not a trip for the very out-of-shape. You’ll have to climb ladders and use ropes to guide you. But when you get out to the other side, the experience is thrilling. Just give yourself enough time to get back to the top of the Baths by the time your taxi is waiting for you. If you have time, have a drink at the Mad Dog bar and watch the roosters pecking around the fields.
- Our opinion was that LDB is much better than anything else the island has to offer, with the exception of the beach drops.
- There is a little grocery in Spanish Town near the resort that can be useful for picking up sodas and snacks for in between meals.
Our secluded beach where we had an outstanding picnic lunch.
The infinity pool at the spa. The edge waterfalls into a second pool with a little grotto.
A particularly cute sign at the Mad Dog bar outside The Baths.
