hoppetravel.com

Aloha! It’s Karen again. My husband and I just returned from Hawaii. What a wonderful experience!  Each island we saw was just as beautiful as the next!

While in Kauai (The Garden Isle), we visited Waimea Canyon. It was definitely something to see and the drive there was pretty too. We also saw some waterfalls, for which this island is renowned.

Next it was on to Hawaii’s Big Island. We visited the Volcanoes National Park and walked on lava rock that was formed just back in 2003! The volcano is the world’s most active and lava flows from it every day! It was amazing to see the tremendous amount of lava that has flowed from the volcanoes! What a site to see! You can see it like we did… or you could see it by flying above in a helicopter tour!

While on Maui we visited the old whaling village of Lahaina. This is a fun town for shopping and restaurants. While there you will see the giant Banyan tree, which is so big it won’t fit in the viewing screen of your camera! We also visited the Kapalua championship golf course which is where the Mercedes-Benz Golf Championship is held. We also saw many beautiful beaches! In Hawaii they say “Maui no ka oi,” which means, “Maui is the best.”

Our last stop was Oahu, the heart of Hawaii! There is much to do here from the

hustle and bustle of shopping and restaurants in downtown Waikiki and the beach to the tours such as the U.S.S. Missouri & Arizona Memorial tour which is a very moving experience. You may also want to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center to discover history featuring Polynesian island villages and cultural experiences, including a Lu’au dinner and evening show.

Lisa Hoppe Travel Consulting would be happy to help you plan your trip to Hawaii. Visit our website at www.HoppeTravel.com and click on the “Hawaii” link for more information on each island. Call us soon at 800-966-8715 to book your personalized Hawaiian experience!

Mahalo (thank you)!

–Karen

Hi everyone! My husband and I recently visited Sandals Royal Bahamian and had a great time!

The Royal Village includes villa suites in a setting reminiscent of a quaint country village, each surrounded by tropical gardens and dotted with romantic hidden pools.

If you stay in their butler service level suites, you’ll also enjoy complimentary VIP Rolls Royce airport transportation, butler service, 24-hour room service, and exclusive dining privileges at Gordon’s On The Pier.

The ocean is beautiful and there are many water activities to enjoy at this resort. This resort has large swimming pools which include swim-up bars. They also held a bocce ball tournament in the sand! 

If you want to venture out into the city, it is very easy to get around on the bus. You might want to check out the zoo to see the Marching Flamingos or do some shopping in downtown Nassau.

Sandals Royal Bahamian is a great option for travel that isn’t very far from home! Check out the details by going to www.HoppeTravel.com and clicking on the “Sandals” link to learn more about the Sandals resorsts. Give us a call at Lisa Hoppe Travel Consulting - toll-free at 800-966-8715 - if you would like to experience this Sandals Signature Collection Resort!

–Karen

There are a number of new vacation trends we’re seeing among clients.  You are looking for “complete vacations,” services where a travel professional (such as the experts at Lisa Hoppe Travel Consulting!) handles all the start-to-finish details of the vacation.  Terms like ”Girl-get-aways” and “Man-cations” are beginning to describe emerging travel segments.  The details make the difference.  Let us sweat the details while you warm up on the beach!

If you love the snow and have an idle day or two on your hands, we can get you booked to go skiing/snowboarding.  As a general rule, lift lines are short and accommodation vacancies are high before December 25th. In addition, resorts often have incentive packages to get skiers on the slopes before the holiday rush.  We can handle the process for you.   A great resource for checking resort conditions is http://www.weatherunderground.com/ski

We can book your long weekends in the Pacific Northwest and adventures to Baja California, Mexico.  Anywhere you want to go, we’ll take you there!Americans tend to be taking more frequent but shorter duration vacation “get-aways.”  Let us help you minimize your travel time and maximize your “play time.”  Our Girls’ Getaways and Man-cations are designed to provide convenient, on-demand, and hassle-free getaways.  Let us know if you’re interested. Call our office at 414-258-8715 or toll-free 800-966-8715!

Holiday Baggage? Ship it! Holiday Hassle? Skip it!
by John Bordsen
Published in Milwaukee Journel Sentinel
11/25/07

Got a holiday flight comping up? You and 10 gazillion others. Perhaps these tips from Peter Greenberg will help make your holiday trip go more smoothly.

Greenberg is thet travel editor for the “Today Show” and the author of several travel books. This is a guy who defines the art of flying as “geting from Point A to Point B with the least amount of abuse”.

His latest book is “The Complete Travel Detective Bible” (Rodale, $17.95). Work keeps Greenberg up in the air roughly 400,000 miles a year, but we caught up with him last month for a pair of phone interviews. His advice:

• Don’t check your bags - ship them. ”I haven’t checked a bag on a domestic flight in eight years,” he says. “I send them ahead through FedEx, but there are 16 other businesses that do the same thing. Flying round-trip, you will avoid standing in two check-in lines plus two waits at the luggage carousel.” Go to www.fedex.com/us or www.luggageforward.com to get details. Prices depend on weight, distance, amount of luggage, and how fast you need it.
• No checked bags? Now use the other entrance. “Here’s how you also gain by not having to deal with checked baggage: Print out your boarding pass the night before you go. When you get the airport, don’t go to the departures desk - it’s a zoo you don’t want to visit. Instead, enter the terminal at the arrivals area - there’s no traffic, no delay. Just walk up the escalator to security, show them your pass and go to your gate. When you arrive at your destination, just reverse the process. Have the person picking you up meet you at the departures drop-off, not the arrivals pickup. The arrivals area is a refugee center.”
• Need a hotel room? BOOK AHEAD WITH YOUR TRAVEL AGENT!!! [Lisa Hoppe Travel Consulting - www.HoppeTravel.com or call 414-258-8715 or toll-free 800-966-8715!]
• Avoid lost clothing hassles! “How you dress depends on where you’re going. But if you check your bags, don’t put all your clothing in one bag. There are only two kinds of luggag - carry-on and potentially lost. This is especially important with kids’ clothing. The last thing you want to do on a holiday is to have to go clothes shopping. Another tip: Get a piece of duct tape and use it to affix your ownership info inside the luggage. Otherwise, if the outside tag is ripped off your luggage, your bag is truly gone.”
• Avoid traffic tie-ups. “Forget about weather delays. On-the-ground traffic delays are what hurt if you have a departure any time after 8am. Here’s an example. if I’m in Seattle and going to New York, my nonstop flight may leave at 8am - but an on-time arrival at Kennedy at 5pm rush hour is a death wish on every level.  Instead I’d have a nice dinner in Seattle, take a midnight flight to Dallas, get there at 4:45am, leave an hour later, and arrive at LaGuardia at 11am. And that would work fine. Yes, the plane leaves at midnight, but give me a good pair of headphones and an iPod and I’ll sleep fine.”

Scotland and Ireland are hitting the big screen for the 2007 holiday season!

With two films due to be released this week, Scotland and Ireland will be portrayed in its full glory to be the beautiful, enchanting country that it is. ‘P.S I Love You’ (Ireland) and ‘The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep’ (Scotland) are two big screen films set in the Scottish and Irish countryside.

‘The Waterhorse’ is focused on the legend that is the Loch Ness Monster with the majority of the film being shot in the magnificent landscape of the Loch Ness in the highlands of Scotland. The film shows Scotland in all it’s beauty and highlights the natural beauty and spectacular views that fascinates travelers and native Scotsmen alike.

After watching these movies, we know you will be drawn to these spectacular countries. Let us customize the perfect vacation for you! With a number of properties ranging from B&B accommodations to 5-Star Deluxe hotels and castles there is something suitable for every traveler. We also have a number of escorted tours which take you throughout the both countries. Call our office today at 414-258-8715!

Melissa’s Honeymoon!

My husband and I visited the gorgeous islands of Tahiti and Moorea for our honeymoon in August. What an experience!  These islands are definitely like no other; we felt completely removed from the world. 

Greetings, fellow travelers!

Dean and I just returned from an exciting trip to Australia - what an adventure we had!

Greetings, fellow travelers!

This is Melissa and Kati, two of the newest travel agents at Lisa Hoppe Travel Consulting!

We just got back from a whirlwind tour of the Caribbean with Lisa and we’re so excited to share a little bit of our journey with you! This was the first time for each of us to visit the Caribbean and it was amazing! We hope that each of you can personally experience this tropical paradise soon, if you haven’t already!

Call us before Dec. 31, 2007, to book your Sandals getaway to any one of the FOUR resorts in Antigua or St. Lucia… and we’ll treat you to a $100 spa credit, good for any of the Red Lane Spas on these Sandals resorts! (New bookings only!) 

We were invited by Sandals Resorts to come on this exclusive trip and check out the newest multi-million dollar additions and renovations to their all-inclusive resorts in Antigua and St. Lucia. All we can say is “WOW!” 

Read our notes and see a few of our pictures below… or visit www.HoppeTravel.com and click on the ”Sandals” link for more information and pictures on these wonderful properties! You can even book your own Caribbean Getaway online thru our web site if you like! 

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa 

• Did you know there are 365 beaches in Antigua? You could visit one each day of the year!
• The brand-new Mediterranean Village addition to the Sandals Grande Antigua was beautiful! Every room has a wonderful view of the water or gardens. The furnishings are exquisite and even the bathroom is luxurious with the tiled soaking tub, separate shower room, and dual vanities.
• Wiggle your toes in the white sands of the beach! Dickenson Bay was drenched in sunshine with the clear blue water lapping up on shore - no wonder it’s ranked as one of the top 10 beaches in the world! 
• Voted “World’s Most Romantic Resort” for the last 10 years in a row at the World Travel Awards… and we can see why!
• The perfect romantic hideaway! Anyone up for a candelit dinner for two on the beach, or served on your private patio by your very own butler?
• Step into the Red Lane Spa and your world is instantly peaceful and relaxing. Book your trip now to experience the spa for yourself and receive our $100 spa credit!
• Feast on a delicious array of fresh seafood, tropical fruits, and sweet desserts
• As we were getting ready to leave a “sun shower” swept through - a quick rainfall with the sun shining! It left a gorgeous double rainbow over the resort.

 Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa and Beach Resort 

• Nestled on a peninsula that borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
• Overlooks the white sand beaches of Rodney Bay and the lush, green Pigeon Island National Park.
• “Simply Beautiful” is the motto of St. Lucia and it’s quite clear when you look across the breath-taking horizons!
• The epitome of luxury awaits you at the brand-new Rondovals along the beach. It doesn’t get more private than a fenced deck with plunge pool, outdoor shower, whirlpool, and hammock… plus an unobstructed view of Rodney Bay and the hills of St. Lucia. And of course, your personal butler awaits you!
• Float your cares away! Lagoon Swim-up Rooms offer a brand-new romantic waterway that’s just a step off your patio. Throw your towel over the railing and jump in! Just the start of any lovers’ retreat!
• Why not treat your sweetheart to one of Sandals’ romantic packages - anything from an in-room dinner for two served by candlelight to flower petals sprinkled across the drawn bubble bath? 
• Yet another Red Lane Spa for you to treat yourself to - book now and receive your $100 spa credit!
• Check out The Olde London Pub - an actual pub from London that was taken down and completely reconstructed at Sandals Grande St. Lucian! After dinner, play around in the billards room or dance the night away at the Palladium Night Club!

Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia 
We are excited to announce their plans to completely renovate this smaller, fun-filled property - beginning this November!

• All of the rooms are main floor or second-story at the highest… and all are just steps away from the beach or pools! 
• The rooms are bordered by hibiscus flowers, adding a romantic, serene touch as you relax on your patio. This is a natural, welcoming resort and we loved the charm of it all.
• There’s always fun in the air at the main pool, with it’s swim-up bar. Or stroll through the gardens to the quiet seclusion of the Paradise Pool. 
• Eat in the middle of the Caribbean Sea! We had a special meal at The Pier Restaurant - true Caribbean cuisine with scrumptious desserts!
• Get a massage in the gazebos overlooking the water!

Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort and Spa

If you want some of the best views in the world - it’s worth the trip to the top to stay in the Cliffside Bluff Suites with private plunge pools, whirlpools, and personal butler service! 

• Fore! Play a round of golf on the resort’s 9-hole golf course, complete with pro shop.
• One of the largest, most exquisite freshwater pools in the entire Caribbean!
• Treat your palette to an entire spread of international foods - from Japanese to Tex Mex to Italian - it’s all right here with their 7 restaurants and 9 bars.
• Picturesque white sand beach and the steep green hills of St. Lucia!
• The newest Red Lane Spa in St. Lucia is ultra-luxurious - book now and receive your $100 spa credit!

“Stay at one, play at three!” That’s another great reason to stay at the Sandals Resorts in St. Lucia! You can exchange privileges at any of the three resorts on the island - eat and play wherever you choose! Enjoy all 16 restaurants, 3 beaches, and the various activities offered at the Sandals Resorts! So that’s exactly what we did while we were in the neighborhood!

If you have any questions, or to arrange your Sandals all-inclusive vacation, please call us at 414-258-8715!

Happy travels!
–Melissa & Kati–