Éclat Travel's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘tailor made vacation’

Luxury Villa Provence

Private villas or other vacation rentals are a great alternative to cruises and hotels for multigenerational family groups who wish to stay together when the cruise line or hotel doesn’t offer rooms that accommodate more than three or four guests in a room, social groups or clubs who would like to meet and socialize informally who don’t have a budget for a meeting room, and for small corporate and incentive meetings and retreats where rewarding achievement, building camaraderie, and privacy are important considerations.

Designing your custom vacation, or small group retreat, using a villa rental (or rentals) can offer some great benefits. Among those are space, cost savings on dining out, privacy and common gathering areas. Depending on your budget, you can also locate luxury vacation rentals that include your own staff. Many of them have pools, and recreation equipment such as pool, ping pong or air hockey tables, bikes, theatre rooms and other amenities that traditional accommodations don’t offer.

Vacation rentals are available in many destinations including large cities, country settings and resorts. Finding the perfect villa to rent can be a challenge – there is an awful lot to choose from online. When the real estate market took a dive a lot of people owning second homes, who couldn’t sell them, decided to get into the vacation rental market. Unfortunately, when you are renting online you don’t always know what you are getting until you get there. I’m sure plenty of you have had the experience of booking something that had great photos online, but the place was not nearly what it looked like, or was advertised. That’s one reason to use a group travel organizer.

Villas Sol Costa Rica

Yes, a travel advisor who is also a professional group travel organizer can book vacation rentals and when you book a villa through an agent your chances are much better for getting what you paid for. More and more travel suppliers are offering villa rentals to their guests as alternatives to traditional accommodations and because they do, they are diligent about the quality of home or apartment they are offering.  Group travel planners will also ensure that you know all of the costs involved, such as cleaning fees, additional fees for bedding or maid service, utility fees, etc. And, probably most importantly, a group travel organiser will save you hours and hours of time searching the internet for the right property for your group.

It just so happens that I have many years of experience working with incentive group travel, family reunions and other small group vacations, so, next time you need a professional group travel organizer, let us help you with the details.

Cheers!
Cheryl
Custom Travel Specialist
www.EclatTravel.com

Valentine’s day is quickly approaching, and you are hard pressed for the perfect gift. Need some romantic date ideas? You can come up with a fabulous getaway idea if you put a little effort and advanced planning into it. If you really want to make a lasting impression on the one you love, give them something that will last a lifetime – an experience they will never forget. Creating amazing memories will endear your partner to you (i.e. score big points), assuming of course, you’re not a jerk the rest of the year. Even if the relationship doesn’t last a lifetime, the memory will. Good or bad, I might add.  So make it extra special. Here’s how to plan a romantic getaway.

Meet me at the aiport

First of all – listen! The key to creating a memorable experience is tying the experience to desires or dreams and making them come true.  Absolutely pay attention to what your mate likes or says that they have “always wanted”, “wanted to try”, “places they always wanted to go”, etc. you get the idea. 

When they say something about wanting to try paddle boarding or are thinking about learning to make the perfect calzone, loves Mickey Mouse or romantic comedies, make a mental note. It’s so easy to create the perfect romantic getaway, or memory, if you just pay attention to what someone says. If they like a particular musical artist or group – make a note. If they love to ski, always wanted to drive a race car, or always wanted to see the northern lights – make a note.  You get the idea.

What is their idea of a romantic escape? If you don’t know – ask.  It’s that simple. Yes, you can be sneaky about it and still get a good idea of what they would like without giving away the surprise – if it is to be a surprise.  Some people, like me, like surprises.  Some don’t.  It’s good to know that too, by the way. It’s generally not advised to spring a surprise on someone who hates surprises.  Being able to arrange an outing or vacation that includes elements that they adore will make you a hero.

Notice, I didn’t say, that “you” adore, unless the interest is mutual. This is to be a selfless endeavor on your part. The fact that you went to extremes to make sure that your vacation was something that they would enjoy makes it romantic.

Second, explore your options; play with some of the things you know they would like and see how you can put them together. So let’s say they love The Beatles, night life, and Italian food.  What can you do with this information? You could pick them up at 10, while Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is playing in the car, and go out for a pizza, and then go dancing at your local lounge. Hmmm. OR, you could… (stay tuned for part two).

What is a “custom made journey”? Custom travel, to me, is the ultimate unique vacation experience. When I travel, I like to have choices and flexibility. The creation of a custom made journey is to design the vacation experience around your personal likes, desires, interests and budget. Basically, we are answering who, what, why, where, when and how of travel as it relates uniquely to you.

Camel Trek

Yes, you can just book the package and be on your way. But does that type of vacation offer you flexibility and choice, and does it meet your requirements for a spectacular vacation? For many people it does, and that’s OK. I’m talking about taking your next vacation to another level. It’s the difference between ordering off the menu, or “having it your way.” A little more of this here, and a little less of that there, and your meal is much more to your liking. No pickles for me, thanks.

Custom travel offers maximum flexibility, freedom of choice and maximum control. You decide when and how you travel, what to do and when, where you will go and how much it will cost. How is this different from any other travel?

Any type of travel has its advantages and disadvantages. Custom travel helps you maximize the advantages and minimize the disadvantages. Vacations tailor-made to fit you perfectly. Will you fly

Patagonia Penguin

 (commercial, private, charter, economy, business or first), or cruise to Europe? Will you travel by river boat, camel, or private driver guide? Will you join an expedition to Antarctica or the North Pole, take a culinary class in Brussels, or drive a formula one race car? Before or after you learn to make sake? Stay in a Bed and Breakfast so you can interact with the locals, a private villa, or historic hotel? The choice is yours. A great travel advisor will be able to combine and coordinate all of the right elements of your trip to create the perfect vacation.

TIP: Start with a hobby or something you would like to learn more about. What’s yours?

Cheers!
Cheryl