Keep Calm and Call Your Travel Agent

(A little piece of my history and how I got into the business everyone thought was dead)

When I decided to open up my own agency, people couldn’t believe it. Travel agent is a thing of the past, everyone books online, people were shocked. I was the first one that booked online and with the amount of travel I was Expedia Elite Plus. And everything is fine as long as things go smoothly, but one thing you can predict in travel is that it’s unpredictable, things will happen and if you can’t go with the flow, you better have someone in your corner. 

So I booked a trip for 6 in 2 suites in Roatan Honduras 4 adults 2 little kids. My little girl was 3. When we came into the hotel, it just didn’t look kept up. They gave us our rooms where the air-conditioning was leaking, and the glass door for the shower was broken and had jagged glass. How fun was that  for a 3 year old! So I asked for a different room, it took hours but I got another room, with non broken shower door. However, the mattress was full of sand fleas, we looked like we had chicken P-O-X and when I turned on the water in the tub some green sludge started coming out instead of water. That was it! I was not staying there. Expedia Elite Plus has a special customer service number - as a matter of fact here it is:1-702-939-2635 you call internationally. 40 minutes on hold (with the charges per minute from the hotel (no cell signal) that ended up being a $78 phone call (never reimbursed). I was told there is nothing they can do because they can’t get a hold of the hotel management, they are closed. I told them I’m not staying there it’s not safe, they told me they can’t put me somewhere else until they hear from the management. So in the morning my husband took a taxi and found a great place we paid $2800 for the 2 suites and decided to deal with the Expedia later. I tried calling them twice more to let them know I checked out after 1 night (less than 24 hours) and I expect a reimbursement for the 6 remaining nights, they said I checked out on my own and they are not sure what can be done.

this is a photo of my little girl once we moved into the other hotel but you can tell a major bite mark on her chin by all the bugs in the other place 

(by the way I wear OFF-Deep Woods as my Caribbean perfume because there are just bugs, this was infestation)

This is my baby sleeping in a clean bed, free of  fleas

I decided to enjoy myself, stop wasting $$ on the phone calls that won’t result and to deal with it when I get back. To this day Expedia offers the same hotel in it’s inventory and my incident happened a 4 years ago. (I will name names if you comment or message me.)

When I got back it took 27 phone calls average call lasting about 90 minutes, I didn’t think I was out of line asking for the 6 nights back I was perfectly willing to pay for the one night I was there even if I didn’t spend 24 hours there. I received a partial refund after 8 months. Of course they offered it in Expedia credits which I refused and that delayed the refund another month for the corporate approvals. There was also some threaths on my side as I had a producer friend on the local news that wanted to do a story.

So after my little adventure, I decided I can do this better. I have opened several businesses before, did very well and decided to apply my know how to my passion. So my Cosmopolitan Travels, Inc. was conceived and born in 2010. 

this was the smile I wanted to see on my customer's faces, not bug bites and cries and misery

I decided to specialize in what I love: Caribbean, South Pacific, Hawaii, Mexico, Europe and definitely cruises and the newest most popular form of travel river cruises. I am also a romance travel specialist and can arrange destination weddings. I’m about to start including South Africa as my area of expertise soon, as well, because bucket list travel is getting more and more popular. 

I take about 6 business trips a year to inspect the countries, hotels on my agenda and to become one with them, because once I see it and get a vibe I can match it to the perfect consumer. The hotel in Roatan was not for me and not a family place, even though at that time (not now) Expedia had ‘family’ listed on it. I was lucky to have a credit card that I can just charge a whole another $2800, but what if the family that saved and sacrificed ended up in that hotel? And couldn’t afford to pay for a whole another vacation? I used to take a minimum of 2 vacations a year, so my tolerance was higher. Can you imagine the disappointment and devastation if a family is on the nightmare holiday and have no idea when and if there will be another vacation next year. That family was the reason I got into this business, as I’m determined to do right by them. Of course I have favorite suppliers, hotels, but I’m not paid by any of them to promote them as my top pick and push the product. I don’t have 10,000 people clicking on my website daily, my customer is personal and I want him/her back. It’s a relationship like you have with your dentist, insurance agent, lawyer, doctor - except mine comes with a lot of fun attached. Trust is important to me.

Contrary to popular belief Travel Agents do not charge a fee. We are paid by the supplier, the same way an internet booking site is paid. Chances are we will cost about the same. I have been able to even be lower. And one of the very cool things hotels cruise lines love to work with us, as we are the ally, we will help if there is a problem. If we have close relationships they will even upgrade our clients for free, because they want more happy people. Chances are if I sent them I picked the right property and with a happy traveller we are all happy. 

So now that the summer is over what should you do? Several very exciting news are on the horizon for our LA area. Princess Cruises is finally back in our port and has sailings to Mexico 3, 4, and 7 days. It has a 15 day sailing to Hawaii visiting all the islands, and I even have a family Spring Break Group on the Crown Princess sailing to Mexican Riviera Puerto Vallarta and Cabo April 12-19, 2014.  

Mexico is another destination people ask me. “Is is safe? I’m afraid to go.” This year alone I was in Mazatlan in January, Puerto Vallarta June, I just returned from Cancun and Riviera Maya, going to Cozumel end of August and again to Puerto Vallarta in October. 2 of those trips I am accompanied by my little girl and I feel perfectly safe. If I can put it in the plain English - any country has dangerous areas. I know I’m living in LA now for 25 years, but I really haven’t been visiting South Central a lot and some places in the Valley I have reservation crossing Sepulveda. 

Mazatlan, Mexico January 2013

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico June 2013

getting ready for a sunrise swim Cancun, Mexico July 30, 2013

Riviera Maya, Mexico August 3, 2013

and how great was this a world class chef Julio Gomez-Fraile and a world class sommelier Paul Sykes personally cooking for you at a Culinary Theater Experience at El Dorado Royale less than a week ago August 2013

I was walking the streets of Jamaica with my 6 year old and felt perfectly safe. Jamaica has changed a lot in the last 5 years, the roads are better and if you just saw it as a stop on a cruise ship you haven’t seen anything yet. Of course, I know I have no business in Kingston, and I would be as reluctant to visit Kingston as South Central. So I stay where I’m supposed to stay. I don't just check in the resort and don’t leave, I want to go and see the stuff around me. I love street food (but as I have a weak stomach I try to eat it just the last day - just in case).

my little girl in Jamaica April 2013 in a hummingbird sanctuary 

What do you do when you are thinking of a vacation next year? My best advice is book early! A year in advance is nothing. Deposits are small and refundable in full for a long time. You can make payments if booking with an agent, I even have bridal registry for honeymoons, and I can take payments for your reserved trip from your friends and send them gift certificates to present to you as birthday, anniversary, holiday gifts. Wouldn’t you rather have that then someone adopting a star in your name?

And most of all - SAY NO TO STAYCATION (when you take time off work and clean your garage or just stay home). This is the only life you have and it goes as a blink of an eye. I’m about to loose my father to Parkinsons and cancer. My heart is full that I took him to San Francisco (his favorite city in the world), Grand Canyon, Greece and Turkey even when maybe my money could have been better invested, because for the last 4 years he couldn't travel - now, when I’m in the position to show him the world. 

my father at his last trip with his one and only granddaughter 2009 Antalya, Turkey. Priceless. 

(Do you really want to clean your garage and mow your lawn during your vacation time?)

I will never regret taking him everywhere even when I couldn’t really afford it because I know that is what he will remember forever and so will I.

How can I make your dream come true? 

www.cosmopolitantravels.com

800-303-7901

310-490-1893 cell (txt OK)

Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/cosmopolitantravels

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/CosmopolitanTr1

My feet have been everywhere!

This is just something that started developing about a year ago. I travel a great deal for work, of course, but I do get some leisure time, as I should experience some things my clients do.

One of my favorite activities is having a drink in a lounge chair on the beach/by the pool. I am a professional, if I say it is an activity - it is. So then I rented a private cabana last year in May in Jamaica and snapped a photo of my feet overlooking the ocean.

This one:

I loved it so much that it became my FaceBook cover page. It truly represents a saying 'picture is worth a thousand words", because you can feel how fluffy were those terry sheets covering the beach mattress, the breeze from the ocean and you can almost smell salty air.  It was several months later that I took similar photo.

This was Turks & Caicos in November 2012.
In the meantime I was in Mexico Cancun August 2012, Turks & Caicos end of August, back to Runaway Bay, Jamaica September 2012, but it didn't occur to me to take 'the feet photo'.

Then I started thinking that feet were not enough. There was always a tropical cocktail in my hand.

and I decided to instagram it. (Drink there is Yellow Bird, one of my favorites). And still the whole idea of every-view with feet and a drink didn't quite crystallize in my mind, so the trip to Mazatlan in January - there was no feet photo.

Then came Hawaii in January, and I took this photo. Our beach was too cold for my blood, so we did the pool, and a friend commented on this photo: how you can totally get the feeling of relaxation, and that is when it became a thing.

I even took a photo by the pool at my Country Club, when I was with my daughter and a friend with her little girl.

Then came Jamaica April 2013, when I took my little girl with me and this one was again with the yellow bird.

and the blue drink after a spa appointment in my robe.

and a waterfall pool view with a yellow bird, also Jamaica.

same thing with my daughter on a floaty on Instagram.

Puerto Vallarta, Secrets pool with a colorful drink. I asked them for something that will photograph well (but it was delicious).

and a best pina colada ever (same pool).

and a swim up bar with a view to the beach (also Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) beginning of June 2013.

this was last week in St. Lucia, couldn't decide on a drink.

and one of my favorites - St. Lucia Sandals Grande beach, sand-covered toes next to the yellow bird.

This thing just got serious. 

I'm off to Cancun next month - look for more feet, drinks, beaches and pools from me. 

Find your own thing. Look at something that interests you. You'll be surprised how much you'll like it when it becomes a collection. 

As travels are the bookmarks of my life, these photos are so precious to me. 

Happy Travels!

Spring Break 2013!

Woo-hoo! Its' that time again - time to start hounding parents about Spring Break!

Well we thought long and hard and we prepared a great trip to 

Grand Pineapple Beach Resort in Negril, Jamaica 

March 23-30, 2013.

This charming property gives you authentic Negril experience, as it is walking distance to the heart of Negril.

Of course, being in Negril the beach is a true Caribbean white sand-turquiose water beach. 

We have following options:

• $899.10** per person in Gardenside Manor Building
• $930.40** per person in Beachside Manor Building
• $961.20** per person in Beach Cottage Building

all prices are based on double occupancy, prices subject to change until secured with deposit. Airport transfers, travel insurance and airfare not included.

All-Inclusive value:

• Accomodations 
• All Meals 
• Unlimited Drinks
• Watersports (snorkeling, kayaking, sailing & winsurfing)
• Entertainment 
• Tips & Gratuities

We are also offering an optional pub crawl excursion that includes drinks and food so that you can immerse yourself into local culture.

And for our certified divers we have an option to do a 1-tank dive for $50 including transfer to Sandals Negril and equipmet (BCD, regulator, fins, masks, weights and tanks). For non certified divers there is a $80 resort course that includes 1 tank dive and transfers. All additional 1-tank dives are $50. And I'm talking expert staff, Newton boats and professionally maintained equipment. 

(this is a photo I took snorkeling in Negril 2005, way back when I still used to snorkel)

So if you have been nice - ask Santa for a Spring Break Trip and call us at (800) 303-7901 or e-mail us. And parents, if you have a student at home who has been good, this is a gift they will remember forever.

See you in Jamaica!

Happy Travels!

Runaway Bay Disappointment

All of you that know me know that one of my greatest loves in the Caribbean is Jamaica. I'm always excited when I fly into Montego Bay.

I just got back from Runaway Bay, Gran Bahia Principe hotel that really disappointed me.

I didn't expect a lot. Sandals, Beaches or Couples - Bahia Principe is just not, but there was a lot wrong with this hotel. Let me just qualify this by saying I had a great time! It's not where you stay it's who you are with and I was there with 90 ladies and had a fantastic time.

Part of the hotel was under construction, I really don't mind construction, it didn't disrupt peace and quiet, unless you were in the spa and wanted to have a treatment with the background of jackhammers. I personally didn't have problem with my room, I was in a single occupancy so king size bed was fine with me (when the group first arrived there the hotel assigned king size beds to everyone, which was a bit awkward as that was one of the first requests made to Bahia Principe - double beds, and it took a few hours and some serious phone calls to get that changed). Pillows were a bit stone-like, but for the price point we coupldn't really expect pillow menu that one gets at El Dorado and Azul properties. 

My biggest problem was the food. For me Jamaica represents and orgy of flavors and distinctive cuisine. When I was in Jamaica last in June when I toured all Beaches and Sandals on the entire island, I didn't have one meal in 9 days that I wasn't making 'mmmmm' sounds. Breakfast is breakfast - same everywhere - omelet stations, toasts, mimosas... But lunch and dinner - ouch! Unless you are in the mood for pasta, lots of colorful stuff - but nothing really of substance. Jerk chicken and pork at the beach were as my friends said "good", but I ate jerk pork at Scotchies on my way from the airport. I had really good food at Couples Tower Isle, where I was invited to lunch after a property inspection. When one stays 5 days or longer at Bahia Principe they are entitled to 2 specialty restaurant dinners. Our 1st one was at the steak house that actually ran out of steak  (yes, you read it correctly the steak house ran out of steak). Let me not even mention that getting the reservations are close to impossible. And soups - beautiful Caribbean seafood chowders, bisques, creamy vegetable soups never made their appearance anywhere on any menu. Curry goat was an insult to curry and to the goat.

Bahia Principe was chosen because of the price point, as it was reasonably priced, but there are other hotels in a similar price range that would have been a suitable choice for our purpose. It's only saving grace was the pool. I personally don't do very much pool, as I have it at home, I'm in the Caribbean to experience the sea. 

The beach was definitely not white sugar-like sand we are all used to in the Caribbean, it was more pebbels the size of rice and peas, but a good water shoe solves that problem. I really liked the calm water without a wave, and you can see fish right there and snorkel right off the beach. Lots of ladies didn't even want to get in the water because they didn't want to buy water shoes, the sea grass about 2 feet in was grossing them out, which is really too bad. Not the greatest beach, but in my mind much better than 80% of Cancun beaches.

The staff was also not happy. As much as they were doing their job, there was hardly any trace of the Jamaican smile and hospitality. Management was obviously doing something wrong. 

As everyone knows by now, I live to breathe bubbles, so diving was a mandatory activity. I booked 4 dives (multiple package for $200), but my dives were on the annoying side. Nothing to do with the staff (great staff), but there was a couple that just got their PADI open water certification, and absolutely had no underwater etiquette. Especially the wife. She was so close to me that my fins kept hitting her, and it was very distracting. On the 3rd dive it took her 17 (SEVENTEEN!!!) minutes to get to the 45 ft. depth. Considering that the whole dive lasts about 35 minutes, that was an outrage. Divers always know that safety comes first so if something is not comfortable the dive should be aborted as not to keep the other divers from enjoying their well earned dives. The dive masters are excellent, boat drivers are great, but the diving boats are in bad shape, paint peeling, far cry from Newton Boats of Sandals and Beaches, dive staff that actually has separate boats for beginners and more experienced divers and those dives are free. My dives were still very enjoyable, in spite of my underwater company.

So Gran Bahia Principe - unfortunatelly thumbs down. 

Happy Travels!

p.s. I was very kind and mild in this post I could have been a lot more detailed and graffic.

Only in Jamaica...

I have just returned from an amazing trip from Jamaica - went to Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Savana La Mar and Negril, and it has changed so much from the last time I was there. I'll write more about it, but I had to share an experience that can only happen in Jamaica: Pelican Restaurant in the middle of nowhere in the Caribbean Sea:

I loved it so much that I changed it to my profile company photo. What a great place. It's called Pelican, and from Sandals Whitehouse (which is about 1 hr from Negril, and about 90 minutes from MBJ Montego Bay airport) it took about 40 minutes on a catamaran (with a little snorkeling exursion on the way).

How great is this place! Ladies, no hight heels, and there are no bathrooms (it helps if you get there on a yacht or a catamaran so you have a bathroom access - I always try to travel in style)

So when we got there the first thing we did is order food as they prepare it on the spot for you. My dear lobster, you will be my lunch today. It was so delicious and super tasty. 

Super small place, with lots of locals, and some souvenier stuff. I bought seashells for my daughter.

this is the guy that had all the seashells.

And of course, it was an amazing day. As much as I am a diver and would do anything to breathe bubbles, I had a choice visit this place or go diving. I can go diving anytime anyplace, this was such a unique experience. Highly recommended - it even hit my bucket list. 

Happy Travels!