Monthly Archives: February 2018

Family Travel, Group Travel, travel philosophy, Uncategorized

You don’t always see a monkey in the rainforest.

About twenty years ago, I traveled to Costa Rica with a bunch of fellow travel agents. It was a whirlwind trip – not much more than a long weekend – and we were on a tight schedule of hotel inspections and fly-by experiences. On one afternoon, we had the choice between taking a dip in the hot springs at a volcano or hiking through the rainforest. The hike sounded more my speed, and I had all kinds of romantic ideas about seeing giant snakes (from a safe distance) wrapped around trees. I especially wanted to see some monkeys swinging to and fro.

After a long bus ride to a lodge at the foot of a mountain, we set off into the jungle, as it were, and listened to the guide tell us interesting things about the foliage and the forest itself. I kept my eyes peeled. Sometimes we were on boardwalks, and other times we were on a little worn path on the forest floor.  I walked carefully, but I kept glancing up and around to see if I could spot monkeys.

We went on like this for an hour or more.

I think I saw one or two interesting birds, but nothing I would consider exciting. Certainly no monkeys. I was a little disappointed.

But then I thought cheerfully, I can still say I’ve hiked in a Costa Rican rainforest. And it was beautiful, cool, and damp in there. I learned a thing or two about the forest and the plants. I have met some nice new people here, and I have walked across different soil than my own back home.  Who can complain?

That’s the point, isn’t it? We may have things that we want to see or do and then be disappointed when reality is different from what we dreamed. But we have to be flexible and look at what we did get to do and see. When you set off to see a new place, it may look different from what you expected. That’s one reason we travel: so we can know what it’s really like.

We rode back to the resort, and I felt grateful for all of the experiences I’d had that day. And just as we turned into the gate, the driver exclaimed for us to look up. Guess what was hanging around in the trees? A whole bunch of monkeys! What a delight – I was able to stand outside my hotel room and enjoy them for far longer than I might have on that hike.

I got my monkeys, but they were hanging over a parking lot instead of swinging from vine to vine in the rainforest.

So be cheerful and flexible when you travel. With a good attitude, you may be surprised at the experiences you do have, even if they turn out differently from what you expected.

 

Book your Costa Rica tour or cruise with Azalea Travel.

Attractions, Family Travel, Hotel/Resort, Legoland

Legoland Hotel – Where everything is AWESOME

I’ve had a number of questions recently about the Legoland Hotel in Florida. When we were there last, they were building the Beach Retreat. That’s completed now, and apparently they are really pushing it. I can’t really address the questions about the Beach Retreat fully since we stayed at the Legoland Hotel, but I do know a few reasons why I would choose to stay at Legoland Hotel again.

  1. It’s right at the front gate to the park, and the Beach Retreat is a half mile away by shuttle bus.
  2.  There is a castle in the lobby.
  3.  The elevator turns into a mini disco club when the doors close.
  4.  There are Master Builder classes right off the lobby, and they are free! You just have to sign your child up for a time slot. These may eventually be offered at the Beach Retreat, but I haven’t heard.
  5.  Beach Retreat is a spread-out village of cottages. At Legoland Hotel, though, everything is in one building. There’s no trek to get something to eat. It’s just downstairs.

 

The picture above is the hallway outside our room. I have to say that I was a little concerned that our son would think this was all too young for him, since he was turning 9 the weekend we were there. I was dead wrong. He loved it.

LEGOLAND Hotel is a child’s dream of a hotel. The decor is over the top, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Everything is LEGO’d out, and the children love it! Even the lowest category of room is a suite of sorts, with the children having their own area with bunk beds and a TV by the door. The bathroom comes next, followed by the parents’ area, which includes a king sized bed. The parents’ area is a little more toned down (notice I said “a little”) with fun LEGO accents hanging here and there on the wall. The children’s sleeping area, however, is decked out in its theme.

Here is a picture of the wall opposite the bunk bed in the children’s room:

Even the specially ordered carpet gives you something to ponder. I wondered whether I would be able to sleep restfully with this much stimulation all around. This was one reason I only booked one night. However, I found that, as Emmett says in the LEGO movie, everything was AWESOME. One night, though, and I was thankful to move on to a more sedate and less ornate environment.

Room themes include Kingdom (medieval castle), Adventure (Egyptian/archaeologist), Pirate (self-explanatory), and Friends(the pink and purple girly LEGO characters). My son chose Kingdom theme, so the pictures you see here from our room reflect that theme. Each floor has one theme, so that from the time you step off the elevator, you are in Kingdom mode, or Adventure mode, or whatever.

And the elevator is an attraction all by itself, as I mentioned above. When the doors open, you notice that there is wallpaper of LEGO figures dancing and doing different activities. There is typical elevator music playing, such as “The Girl From Ipanema.” But as soon as the doors slide closed, the party begins! Disco strobe lights flash and songs like “Do the Hustle” or “YMCA” accompany you up or down. You can’t be in a bad mood in this elevator. You must dance, sing, or both. It’s an involuntary reaction. As soon as you reach your floor, the doors open, the overhead light comes on, and the tamer music selection begins again.  It made me laugh every time I rode in it. Best elevator ever.

The Bricks Family Restaurant, adjacent to the lobby, offers a great variety of options on a buffet. Your breakfast buffet is usually included with the price of your stay. The dinner buffet is about $20 per adult and $13 per child, which is a really good value for people who like an “all you can eat” situation. You don’t have to go anywhere, and the food is good. I had a smoked brisket, among other things. The children’s buffet is out in the middle where kiddos can get a plate and serve themselves, while adults can hover around the perimeter and find selections to suit the more grown up palate.

The Skyline Lounge is actually right in the lobby (the lobby being pictured above), and it offers a spot for parents to sit with an adult beverage and watch the children enjoying all that the giant castle has to offer. You can also order from a menu and enjoy table service in this restaurant.

The included activities make this hotel an enormous value. Between being 150 steps from the entrance to the park, having close parking, included breakfast, early entry to the park, and these classes and activities, it doesn’t make sense to NOT stay there for at least the first night. There are Master Builder Classes, a pajama dance party, and other design/build activities going on in the lobby per the schedule for the day.

The employees are so nice and friendly that you will find yourself comparing them to Disney cast members.  The restaurant staff, bellmen/valets, and front desk folks are hard to beat. The characters walking around in the hotel lobby make the experience even more special and fun for the kids.

Your children will be really bummed when it’s time to check out.

Contact Azalea Travel to book your LEGOLAND vacation, and be on the lookout for another post about the LEGOLAND park.

Azalea Travel is a proud member of CLIA and ASTA.

Europe, Literary Destinations

That time I accidentally trod upon Jane Austen

My son found my 6 hour VHS Pride and Prejudice box set this week (you know, the one with Colin Firth), and insisted we watch it together, much to my delight. So each night this week, we watched some of it until we completed it this morning. It got me in the mind of the time I accidentally stood on Jane Austen. In case you’re in the dark, she was the author of the novel, Pride and Prejudice, of which the movie is a faithful depiction.

When I visited England with my family just after graduating from college in 1994, I was particularly fond of all the stops that involved writers I had studied in the course of my English Literature and Creative Writing major. More on those in another post.

But when we visited Winchester Cathedral, my attention was suddenly captured by a window dedicated to the memory of Jane Austen. It’s a beautiful church, to be sure, as are just about all of the old churches in England. I excitedly abandoned whatever I had been admiring and dashed between pews to read the plaque. I looked up, rapt in study, until I was satisfied to step back slowly. It was only then that I looked down and realized that someone was buried under the church floor, as they are apt to do in some European churches. I had been standing on someone’s grave, much to my regret and surprise.

I never know the protocol on this, by the way. If anyone can enlighten me, I’ll be most grateful. I’ve known since I was small that we don’t step or walk upon graves in a cemetery, as it is disrespectful. But what are we to do when someone is actually buried in a floor? Floors are made for walking and standing. Are we to tiptoe around and not step directly on the person’s final resting place? I know not. But my tendency is certainly to err on the side of respect and caution, avoiding the flat stone marking the grave.

But as I stepped back from this particular stone, I saw that it was not just someone buried there. It was Jane herself.  I leapt off quickly, apologizing to her silently. I am sure I was not the first or last to stand on her. But while I am deeply sorry for having trod upon her unintentionally, I am also honored to have been at her final resting place, given my great love for her most famous work.

-Perrin Cothran Conrad, Azalea Travel