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Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort Revisited (Aruba)
We could have gone anywhere; we chose Bucuti. As soon as my husband and I secured a date to get vaccinated, we meticulously deliberated where we would take our first trip. We had the world to choose from, but the haven that called to us was Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort. Readers of Carrying-On might remember our trip from March 2019, where I extolled the virtues of Aruba as the most revisited island in the Caribbean, Eagle Beach as one of the best beaches in the world, and Bucuti as a phenomenal adults-only paradise. What’s changed in the twelve years since our first visit is that we have gotten to…
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Galley Bay Resort & Spa (Antigua) | Winter 2020
As much as we loved our recent trip to London, it was time to get back to what we do best—chasing the sun. And so we packed our bags and headed to the island of Antigua. A trip this time of year would typically have been to Aruba as in years past, but we were determined to try something new. As usual, I copiously researched a variety of options. My finalists were the Turks and Caicos and Antigua. Turks was more expensive and farther north. In my mind, destinations farther south usually correlate with better weather, and I wanted to be as close to the equator as possible. In Antigua,…
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London Calling (London, England)| Winter 2019
Five weeks ago, I was preparing for trips to New Hope, PA in the fall and Mexico for Thanksgiving, when I received a wedding invitation in the mail. Our friends were getting married in London in December—just a month away. Having never been to the UK, I literally thought, “Is London calling?” I immediately sent a text to my husband who was in the throes of his own year-end business planning. You know you’ve met your ideal partner when you send a picture of a wedding invitation in another country at 3:35 p.m. and the response you receive at 3:44 p.m. is “Let’s go.” Lest you think this spontaneity is…
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Flying Private | Summer 2019
“It’s nice to have friends with toys,” my husband joked as we boarded our Lear Jet 45 for a recent business trip to Omaha. He’s been lucky over the years to have been invited on some amazing sportfishing boats as a guest. I suppose this was not new to him. But for me, this was a totally foreign experience, and if I’m honest, I felt a bit out of my league. Flying private? Though we enjoy the finer things in life, we rarely even fly first class. Enter our friend and colleague who joined two private jet companies in 2018: Privé Jets and Private Jet Services (PJS). Privé Jets has…
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Las Ventanas al Paraíso (Los Cabos) | Spring 2019
Come with me and you’ll be ♫ In a world of pure imaginationTake a look and you’ll see into your imaginationWe’ll begin with a spinTraveling in the world of my creationWhat we’ll see will defy explanation ♫ If you want to view paradise ♫ Simply look around and view itAnything you want to, do itWant to change the world?There’s nothing to it ♫—Willy Wonka Is Ty Warner, the owner of Las Ventanas al Paraíso, the Willy Wonka of luxury resorts? Perhaps. I’m not quite sure whom to give the credit to, but Las Ventanas is the finest resort I have ever stayed in. My comparisons draw from my travels, from…
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Villa La Estancia (Cabo San Lucas) | Spring 2019
The very first vacation my husband and I ever took together was to Cabo San Lucas in 2008. I had previously visited, and I fell in love with the dry climate, beautiful topography, fantastic restaurants and fun nightlife. My husband is also an avid sportfisherman—I couldn’t wait for him to try fishing in Cabo. Fast forward 11 years, and it’s amazing how much has changed—and how much remains the same. Villa La Estancia is that rare gem of a resort that remains consistently good, year after year. The staff care for it so age does not weather it and it has a loyal following of timeshare owners and resort guests.…
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Carrying On in Cabo (Cabo San Lucas) | Spring 2019
Business recently brought my husband and me to Cabo San Lucas. As return visitors, we played hosts to our fellow travelers to some degree. We suggested the resort (Villa La Estancia), recommended the opening night restaurant for dinner (Mi Casa), took a handful of guests to enjoy the sunset and whale watching (Pueblo Bonito Sunset Resort) and even chartered a boat to go fishing (Pisces Sportfishing). Let’s Begin with the Positives There really is something for everyone in Cabo San Lucas from high-end restaurants and off-the-charts-resorts to down-and-dirty cantinas, epic fishing, great golfing, and more. They also do an excellent job with service wherever you go. Unlike in a lot…
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Dining Out (Aruba) | Winter 2019
In the five trips my husband and I have taken to Aruba, we have always stayed at the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts. Breakfast is included—a small buffet with omelets to order and the like. For lunch, we raise our beach flag and eat in our lounge chairs (sand and wind be damned). For happy hour, we saddle up to their beach bar and enjoy two for one cocktails from 4pm to 6pm. Dinner is always the main event. I carefully research options, discuss with the concierge, and book a special place each night. Some are hits, some are misses, but dinner is our time to see more of the…
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Le Blanc Spa Resort (Cancun) | Winter 2019
There’s a reason Le Blanc Spa Resort is consistently rated Cancun’s #1 or #2 hotel on TripAdvisor—it’s really unlike any other place in the region. I have a feeling if my first all-inclusive experience were elsewhere, I would not have given it a second a try, let alone returned to Cancun. If you are skeptical about all-inclusive resorts like I once was, please try Le Blanc. Let’s Begin with the Positives To begin with, Le Blanc really does feel like a spa. The interior and exterior walls are painted white, there is cucumber mint aromatherapy piped throughout, Zen-like music at the pools, and a pianist or other musician playing during…
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Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts (Aruba) | Winter 2019
Ten years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) and I saved our pennies for our annual weeklong vacation. We were only able to take the one week per year, and we elected somewhere warm in February. When I say that our vacation was met with seven days of hurricane-like weather, I am not exaggerating. So when it came time to start planning next year’s excursion, we wanted weather that was as close to a lock as possible. No hurricanes. No torrential downpours. Just sun, sand and blue skies. We eventually landed figuratively and literally on Aruba and have been fans ever since. Let’s Begin with the Positives There’s a reason why…
