Our sailing trip in the Greek Islands

 

It has been such a busy year in the travel world, that I have been negligent in posting any blog articles about my own travel this year. My trips have been amazing - and I particularly wanted to share some insight into a unique sailing trip that I did with a small group of friends this summer. We took a 10 day sailing trip on the "Star Flyer", which is one of the beautiful "Star Clipper" tall mast ships. If you like adventure - this cruise line may be of interest to you.

The decor on our Star Clippers ship was reminiscent of the legendary era of sailing ships with a traditional decor with teak decks and lots of brass - but with modern amenities. The ship is 379 feet long with just 166 guests on board. The decks were quite spacious - and the sails were absolutely magnificent. We enjoyed wonderful food on board and great service!

One of the features that I really liked is that Star Clippers ships run on high quality, low sulphur gas oil. They were the first ship in the world to be awarded the "International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate".

Star Clippers offers many different itineraries - our particular trip started in Venice and then we sailed down the coast of Croatia, visited 4 different Greek Islands, and finished in Athens. If you would like more information on Star Clippers please contact me - I would be happy to tell you more about our incredible experience!

Have you been to Primland Resort? (Did you know it's PET friendly?)

I had the pleasure of spending a couple of nights at Primland Resort, which is now an Auberge Resort, in late November. My stay was nothing short of absolutely spectacular! 

Nestled just 90 minutes away from the Piedmont Triad in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this resort is a wonderful weekend getaway. Even better, you can also take your furry family members! Jackson and Charlie had a great time!

Primland is situated on an 12,000 acre estate in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. The views are absolutely amazing. There are different types of accommodation, including the main Lodge and tree houses. We stayed in one of the cottages since they are "pet friendly", and it gave us lots of room to spread out. Jackson and Charlie loved it! In addition to the spacious sitting room, there were two bedrooms on either side with gorgeous decks. We loved relaxing on the deck and enjoying the incredible views.

This resort is popular year round with lots of available activities. Golfers will love the picturesque course, which looks quite challenging. It is ranked as one of the top 10 courses in the US by "Golf Digest". There is a spa in the main building, as well as a fully equipped gym, tennis courts and daily yoga classes. Kids of all ages love the indoor swimming pool. The hot tub is perfect for a relaxing end to the day. We had an amazing time horseback riding, as you can see in the photo. You can try your hand at archery, axe throwing and shooting.  Adventurous guests will enjoy hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing and all-terrain driving. One of the most unique features is their on-property observatory for star gazing!

Then there is the FOOD that was fabulous! There are different farm-to-table dining options, including fine dining in their Elements restaurant, a more casual pub style option and a family-friendly option called Stables Saloon, which features southern style cuisine and country music. We ate at all the restaurants and loved them all. Here is a photo of our meal at Stables Saloon that everyone really enjoyed.

Please contact us if you would like more information. Pick a weekend to make memories at Primland Resort. We are now part of the Signature Travel Network, so we can often get some additional amenities for our clients. For example, each guest can enjoy the Signature Travel Full Breakfast with a daily $100 resort credit, per room, per stay.

Norwegian Cruise Line's new ship Prima

 

I was fortunate to be able to experience the beautiful new Norwegian Cruise Line's "Prima" on an inaugural sailing last November as part of our Cruise Planners convention, and I'd like to share my experience.

Overall I thought that the ship was amazing with a modern design - it is visually appealing with soft restful colors. The cabins are very nice and spacious. There is lots of outdoor seating on this ship and relaxing areas to kick back and read a book - the observation deck is really lovely.

I would NOT say that this ship is a good fit if you are cruising with young children - but teenagers will love the high tech fun with their virtual game zone. This ship even has a go kart area - but please note it is very popular and does require reservations! We all enjoyed the food - and the Hudson main dining room is absolutely gorgeous! This is a picture of what I ordered for lunch with was absolutely yummy!

If you are interested in cruising on the NCL Prima and have questions - please reach out to us as we would be happy to help you!