Follow my journeys around the world….
July 2020
Another resort in the AIC Hotel group. UNICO is named for its latitude and longitude, is adult only and it one of the hottest new resorts!
I love the beautiful lobby and the lobby bar!
Very modern and expansive pool area.
There are many gorgeous and luxurious room categories at UNICO.
Love the lobby bar!!
Dining is top notch at UNICO. Mi Carisa is my favorite!
September 2020
Back to Cabo and excited to experience the luxury of Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos!
July 2020
First trip out of the country since Covid was different! I was so impressed with the safety protocols at the AIC Hotels.
Flying out of Tijuana, crossing the border from San Diego
Welcome to Cancun
Resort is beautiful and huge!
Look at all the safety protocols in place.
Inside the resort is just as beautiful as the outside
Dining is great, so many choices and delicious food!
Included water park is so much fun!
Woodward is great with skateboarding and all kinds of activities
Our last party on the private rooftop terrace.
August 2020
Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara are new resorts in the beautiful gated community of Cap Cana. It’s not far from Punta Cana in the gorgeous Dominican Republic. The two resorts are mirror images of each other with one being adult only and the other all ages.
I am here for the VIP Agents event.
The beaches are spectacular!!
Take a look at the rooms, pretty, spacious and comfortable.
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Tonight was our Culinary Experiene at Hyatt Zilara, it was amazing!
More room types
Lots of great restaurants at both resorts
Pools are all over and beautiful
There is a huge water park here that is included with the resort.
Tonight’s event was over the top!!!
Cocktails to start 🥂
The entertainment was so good!!
Look at the spread, there was so much that I couldn’t try everything.
The entertainment tonight celebrated all the holidays we missed in the US due to Covid, I had tears in my eyes!
August 2020
Sooooo excited to go back to the Dominican Republic! It’s been a while and I do miss this gorgeous island! Thank you Playa Resorts for this opportunity to experience your resorts in Cap Cana.
Cap Cana is a whole gated community near Punta Cana. There is a marina with yachts from all over the world, a few luxury upscale resorts, shopping, fine dining and residential areas.
Sanctuary Cap Cana is a luxury boutique resort that is for adults only. The accommodations are plush, the dining is excellent and the resort is beautiful.
My suite is very beautiful and spacious, I love the soothing beach colors.
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My view is amazing and the tub right there is perfect!!
Room service is different, everything is sealed and in biodegradable packaging.
The lobby is beautiful
There is no more buffet, it is now assisted service.
The Spanish Colonial architecture is beautiful!
The Castle Suites and area of the resort are pretty too!
I love the Blue Marlin, fresh seafood on a deck over the beach.
Look at all the peaceful spots to relax.
Look at these beautiful private villas!
February 13, 2020
We left the Shangri-La Fijian this morning and headed towards the Mamanuca island chain.
Not my photos but too good not to show you how beautiful it is! But before all this we drove one hour to the port of Denarau.
It was a little rainy when we left the Shangri-La Fijian, first rain we’ve seen since getting to Fiji. The South Seas ferry to Castaway was a little over an hour.
Just a reminder of where Fiji is in the world.
Now zoom in on Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu to the right in the pic. The Mamanuca Islands are off the west coast and this is where Castaway Island is.
The ferry ride was beautiful, we saw a bunch of other island resorts that were just beautiful.
Here we are approaching Castaway on the small boat that they picked us up in. They come out with two boats to meet the larger ferry, one for the luggage and one for the guests.
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You have to see the water to realize it is even more beautiful than the pictures!
We were brought to our home on Castaway, a beachfront bure. These stand alone units, or “bures”, are nestled in the among the trees with beautiful views of the water. They give you plenty of privacy, are spacious and have a great front porch to enjoy the surroundings.
Let’s take a look inside the bure
These front two lounge couches can be beds for two kids or a great place to sit and relax in the bure.
The king sized bed has a separate room with sliding doors to close off the front area.
Rowan chose his bed. Look at the beautiful gifts and welcome from Castaway Island Resort!
The bathroom is a good size and has a separate shower to the left and toilet to the right, both in a separate room.
My favorite part of the bure is the handmade panels on the walls and ceiling! These are hand painted on bark by Fijian women. Each bure had some different patterns and designs but all equally beautiful.
I’m in love with our bure!! It’s perfect and has such amazing touches, I love the coconut body lotion they provide, the panels on the walls, the porch out front, the water bath for sandy feet!
Just a walk around the grounds…
We might get some more rain today, the sky looks so pretty.
The beach on the other side of Castaway from our bure. Inside the bar there is the paddle from the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks.
We spent the day settling in and exploring the island. The resort is small so it is very easy to get anywhere. Our bure is the farthest back and to get to the restaurant, reception, shop, water sports is about a 3-4 minute walk.
We found the family pool and took a swim. They also have a counter here with food, drinks and ice cream. You can have a late breakfast and lunch here.
This area of the pool is very shallow, it’s is about 2 feet and perfect for little kids.
The waterfall is a favorite no matter how old the kids are!
Water toys for pool fun 🏐
Walking back to our bure in the late afternoon.
This is what I love about the porch, watching the sunset and the kids in the water.
Just love the panels! The view out to the ocean isn’t so bad either!
What a welcoming sunset tonight! It was really hot and humid, just sitting was uncomfortable with the still air. I was trying to enjoy dinner but wishing for a cooler place! Dinner was amazing and I forgot all about the weather. This pork belly was amazing as were the other courses but my pictures didn’t look as good.
February 14, 2020
We slept great here, it was quiet and peaceful. We were so excited for our first full day here at Castaway. Rowan wanted to sail so after breakfast that was our first thing to do.
Breakfast, so happy they had congee, Rowan and I ate it every day. Plus the fresh fruits were so tasty. I don’t eat papayas at home, they never taste the same way they do in the tropics!
Excited for the day!
I managed to relax in the hammock for a little while after breakfast.
Rowan making friends already. Mary is awesome and helped us at the water sports hut.
We took out a catamaran and just zipped around. We’d stop and jump in the water to look at the coral and cool off with a swim.
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Castaway Island is so beautiful!
Every day there was a list of things you could do if you wanted. Today is Valentines Day so there was a nice dinner planned.
The food here is delicious, for todays lunch I had the grilled fresh caught fish and a fresh green salad.
Rowan was enjoying the sea life, especially this big curry fish!
Grant strolling along the beach with a coconut 🥥
Setting up for the Valentine’s dinner.
It was a beautiful evening!
Deconstructed Prawn Kokodo Salad, then Beef Tenderloin, it was an amazing dinner.
This area is where the buffet is served, breakfast every morning and dinner sometimes. High season it’s available every night as a dinner option, low season it’s every few nights.
The adult pool looks pretty lit up in the evening.
February 15, 2020
Another gorgeous morning in Fiji. This has been my favorite part of the day, having coffee out on the porch listening to the birds and the waves, it’s so peaceful.
Rowan and I walk along the beach to breakfast.
Beautiful view from the restaurant. Today’s activities are on the board. We decided to go to Cloud 9 today, a floating restaurant/bar in the middle of the ocean.
Castaway has a speed boat that takes us there, it’s about a 15 minute ride and we were able to see other islands and resorts along the way.
There it is, all alone out there!
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This was the favorite thing to do, jump off the second floor to do flips into the stunning water.
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I preferred to relax and enjoy a drink in the sun.
This is the second floor, lots of places to lounge. Those steps are what you use to jump off.
Rowan making friends with everyone. Especially the pizza guys, I’m sure it had something to do with him wanting to try all the different toppings!
I enjoyed some snorkeling too, there’s a reef right off Cloud 9. There was a pretty strong current so I didn’t go too far.
Representing Dream Vacations!
Family photo 2020!
We spent about 3 hours at Cloud 9 before we called to be picked up, it was a lot of fun, glad we went.
A walk along the paths of the resort, they are so pretty and lush!
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This is a great spot, above the water sports hut is the pizza place. They make individual pizzas that are really good! I was surprised to find good pizza in Fiji! Anytime I couldn’t find the boys they were usually up here, not sure how many pies a day they ate but I’m sure it was a few.
I always ordered the make your own, creamy white sauce, cheese, and vegetables.
That’s a Captain Cook Cruise ship, they make 3, 4 & 7 day cruises to the islands from the mainland.
The Castaway staff welcomes everyone who comes to the island, they sing, it’s really nice.
Rowan tossing a rugby ball with a friend.
The quiet pool is really pretty, there’s even a massage cabana right there for impromptu massages!
Grant and I took a walk along the beach looking at shells, sea life and talking.
Time for another beautiful sunset.
February 16, 2020
This morning a took a walk and saw many of the areas I haven’t yet. The island isn’t that big but still fun to explore.
Today’s activities on the daily board. Look how pretty their money is, Fijian Dollars.
The spa at Castaway Island is all open air and tucked away in the jungle. You wouldn’t even know it was there as you walk past it.
More of the grounds.
I found Rowan on the beach!
Tranquility
The front desk/reception area
The dive center
Restaurant
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Time for lunch!
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Rowan gave me a flower just like my fake one!
Time for a swim in the family pool
Fun with my boys
Our last sunset!! 🙁
Enjoying the sunset with the family
Lingo became a good friend, we enjoyed talking to him everyday.
Yummy lunch!
Steven, the General Manager of Castaway Island
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Nooooooo, I don’t want to leave! Such a beautiful song, made me teary
Slight flight delay at Nadi Airport, everyone is waiting to board.
There’s our plane
Goodbye Fiji and wake up in the USA
Home Sweet Home 🇺🇸
Before Castaway we stayed at the Shangri-La Fijian. Follow our journey by clicking here:
http://travelwithlorifoster.com/2020/02/07/shangri-la-test-2/
February 8, 2020
We are very excited for our first trip to Fiji! Have the whole family with me this time and what a perfect place for a family trip…the happiest place in the world!
Here is where Fiji is on the map
Not a good idea to sleep on the way to an 11 hour redeye!
Ready to brave a few hours at LAX
Ready to board Fiji Airways LAX to NAN
No business class this time 😞
Good old economy class…..
Always fun to fly on a new plane, they acquired these about a month ago.
Fun to watch takeoff on the screen
Love finding 3 free seats, looks like I will sleep well tonight! Our flight left LAX at 10:30pm Saturday night February 8th and lands in Fiji at 5:15am on Monday February 10th.
Dinner wasn’t all that bad, coconut curry chicken and rice. Then off to sleep 😴
February 10, 2020
We lost a day flying over the International Date Line, we left on Feb 8th and arrived on Feb 10th. So we will have never lived through Feb 9th 2020!
I slept about 6 hours and didn’t want to get up but I also didn’t want to miss breakfast and coffee, my stomach was starting to growl.
Breakfast wasn’t that good but enough to keep me from starving. Not sure why they serve it so early, we were done and still had two more hours to go so I went back to sleep.
We started our descent into Nadi International Airport.
This shows how close Fiji is to Australia and New Zealand.
Landed safely
Beautiful new Airbus A350-900
Welcome committee in the airport, Fijians are famously friendly and always have huge smiles and heartfelt bulas (hello)!
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Traditional Fijian songs welcomed us to their country.
It’s a beautiful morning in Fiji
Grant loves finding strange flavored chips in different countries, this one is chicken flavor potato chips.
The ride to our resort is about an hour along the south coast of Viti Levu, also known as the Coral Coast.
Driving is on the left side from their British colonial past.
Rowan is enjoying watching the chickens and petting the feral cats.
Our first glimpse of the resort as we drive into the entrance.
I love the welcome! Bula is their greeting.
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We have adjoining rooms and they are comfortable.
But it’s the view that is spectacular, located right on the water.
We were here so early we went to breakfast! The restaurant is right on the water and they had live local music that made it so special.
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We got settled in the room after breakfast then went straight to the beach.
The water trampolines look like fun
Jeff and Rowan ready to jump. Then Rowan in mid flip.
Lazy day on the beach
Happy boy getting back to nature
Afternoon relaxing on our balcony
We took naps even though we probably shouldn’t have but I was sooooo tired I didn’t think I could make it to dinner! A half hour really helped.
Swordfish carpaccio was amazing!
Dinner was delicious out on the water with a beautiful breeze.
After dinner we went right to bed, we’ll explore the evening entertainment tomorrow.
February 11, 2020
After falling asleep at 8:22pm, I slept solid until 3:37am, over 7 hours but not enough! I wanted to watch sunrise but realized it was still night so I went back to bed and woke up at 4:53am, checked the time and finally at 5:45am I got up. Grabbed a coffee and went outside on the balcony. It was warm and humid, I miss that smell since we don’t have humidity in SoCal.
Sitting with my coffee enjoying the serene view.
The same picture but about 15-20 minutes in between each one.
I took a long walk along the beach from our room. It was so quiet and I felt like I was the only person there. This led to the adult only area of the resort that was quiet and beautiful.
The quiet infinity pool could be my place!
We love the Beach Bar & Grill, fresh seafood right on the beach and near the pool. So we had lunch here each day.
Kokoda is their version of ceviche, fresh fish, chiles, and coconut milk right out of the shell – makes such a difference in the taste!
February 12, 2020
Another day in paradise…I love the colors in the morning. I took a morning swim and enjoyed the peacefulness.
Feb 13, 2020
We were sad to leave the Shangri-La Fijian this morning but excited to see a different part of Fiji.
We woke up to our first rain while in Fiji. Guess it was a good send off!
The ride along the coast back to the port in Denarau takes about an hour.
Oh yum!!! Meat pies! Guess they have them due to the large amount of Aussie tourists? I was starving and sooo happy to grab a few before we got on the ferry to the Mamanuca Islands.
Continue to follow our journey in the Mamanuca’s at Castaway by clicking here:
http://travelwithlorifoster.com/2020/03/01/castaway-island-fiji/
Inaugural Cruise December 2019
Fall 2019
Headed over for the ASTA, American Society of Travel Advisor’s Destination Expo in Israel.
Air Canada generously donated our flights so we had set dates with two days before and two days after the Expo. We are going to Jordan before and exploring more of Israel after.
November 7
Travel Day
I stayed overnight at an airport hotel so I could sleep longer before for my 7am flight to Toronto.
The Maple Leaf Lounge at LAX was clean and comfortable.
I had some oatmeal and relaxed but should have checked the monitors before I headed down to the gate. There was a delay of about 40 minutes and crowded down there.
Looks like I didn’t make the cut…
A Bloody Mary and a nap will be perfect until I arrive in snowy Toronto 😬
Well I didn’t sleep, only nodded off a few times before someone came barreling down the aisle and my aisle seat vibrated with each hoof stomp. I knew I should have chosen the window seat, thankfully I have one for the 10 1/2 hour flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv and I’ll finally sleep!
I started watching Cafe Society, I love Woody Allen movies.
I am so excited to see my dad, he’ll be waiting in the Maple Leaf Lounge when I get there, he arrives from New York about 45 minutes before me.
It was lightly snowing in Toronto, can’t see by this picture but it was so pretty in the sunlight.
I ran into my dad at the passport area! I thought he’d be far ahead of me. So we walked to the Maple Leaf Lounge together, I was starving!
It was much larger than the one in Los Angeles. Too bad I didn’t have enough time to enjoy everything. I had a really good Thai Chicken Curry Soup!
We finally found some from our group and sat with them until it was time to board.
We are flying an Air Canada 787 Dreamliner and it was another full flight.
We had snow on the wings so we had to get them de-iced before we left.
November 8
Israel and Jordan
I was so happy to sleep for 6 hours, I really needed it because we land at 10:30am local time with another flight and a full day ahead of me.
I could have passed on breakfast but not sure how long I have until the next flight and if I’ll have time to eat regular food. As the coffee cart approached I was happy because I needed a cup but right then we hit some turbulence so they stopped serving, ugh!!
We arrived in Tel Aviv and went through passport control, baggage claim and customs. It was very long and very thorough.
We headed over to the domestic terminal to get our flight to Eilat. There wasn’t much to eat, just packaged snacks and refrigerated sandwiches that didn’t look good so I passed. Even though I slept six hours, I’m tired…
We landed in the desert, very stark and tan. We are actually in the middle of the Rift Valley that extends from Turkey all the way down through East Africa.
Some check points along the way, the city of Aqaba in Jordan to the left and the city of Eilat in Israel to the right – both on the Red Sea.
Lots of date farms along the way as we approach this southern border crossing to Jordan.
We had to clear the Israeli side first, then walk along over to the Jordanian side.
We made it to the Israeli-Jordanian border pretty quickly. The security was impressive, I haven’t been through anything like that in all my travels! But I didn’t mind at all, I like that they keep their borders secure.
Our driver and guide picked us up on the Jordanian side and off we went towards Aqaba. Look how beautiful it is, the colors of the mountains as the sun is low in the sky.
We headed straight for Aqaba, Jordan, a port city on the Red Sea
We were all starving so we stopped for shawarma. It was soooo good, much better than the kind we have in the states. Buts that’s no big surprise.
The town of Aqaba is really cute, there are lots of little cafes and people walking around. It’s right next to Eilat, Israel and not far from Egypt and Saudi Arabia – they all share the Harbor.
We arrived at our desert camp in Wadi Rum after sunset so we couldn’t see what it looked like and if it really looks like Mars.
We did make it in time for dinner! They were cooking meat in a pit in the ground and when we arrived they were taking it all out and it smelled amazing! We went in for dinner and it was a great spread!
Our tent was simple and comfortable. I couldn’t wait to get into bed!
November 9
Jordan
After a great night of sleep I woke up excited but still tired. We were headed out to the desert for sunrise and dune bashing. I was excited to see the camp when I looked out of the tent!
Ready for sunrise in the desert!
On the back of the truck enjoying the chilly morning air
We explored and stopped to look at different animal tracks in the sand and watch the sun rise higher.
A stop to stretch our legs and look at some of the ancient writing on the rocks
We stopped at a Bedouin tent for some tea. There was a beautiful tent set up that had pretty carpets, brightly striped seat cushions around the edge, a fire in the middle and a man making tea over the fire.
The tents are made out of a woven goat hair material because it doesn’t burn so they can cook and warm the tent with no worries. It was very cozy and I was excited to have tea. They make it sweet and serve it in small glasses without a handle so you have to carefully hold it by the top rim. It’s such a small glass that it’s gone very quickly. For our second glass they put a few cardamon pods in the glass then poured the tea over them. It gave off a wonderful scent and tasted great.
We got back to camp and were able to see how pretty it was in the sunlight. There are a bunch of dogs who live there too and this one was so cute and playful!
Our tent in Wadi Rum and a well earned breakfast of local delights
We left the desert camp and were headed to see the Lost City of Petra today! On the way we stopped to see a refurbished locomotive from a bygone era in the middle of the Jordanian desert, the Hejaz Railway. It has been restored and you might recognize it from the movie Lawrence of Arabia, it was filmed in this desert.
These steam locomotives and train cars were built in the early 1900’s and used during the Arab Revolt.
Some fun pics with our guide “Mike Jordan”
Look at how the landscape is so desolate, we were getting hungry again and decided to have lunch before we got to Petra.
This was a very welcome site, the chicken smelled delicious!
Real plastic straws!! LOL
First was a stop at the new Petra Museum, learning about the history of the area was perfect as a primer for what we were going to see. Our guide walked us through and explained the history and the people who built Petra, the Nabatoeans.
Here we go!
It was about a mile walk in the canyon. A pretty cool meandering path with some things to see along the way. But it’s mostly just anticipation building!
Can’t believe I’m here!!
You just keep staring at it from all angles! Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains with many passages and gorges. It is one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites and has been something I have wanted to see since I was little.
The Lost City of Petra was empty and near ruin for centuries until the early 1800’s when it was re-discovered. It was once a thriving trading center and the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 BC and 106 AD. The vibrant red, white and pink sandstone facade of the Treasury is the most recognizable structure and the site for many films. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and more recently one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Petra was everything I imagined it would be and even better!
Our guide dropped us at our hotel in the town of Petra after dark and told us that we would wake to a surreal looking landscape. Wow was he right! It looked like a planet in Star Wars.
It was cool and very windy this morning, other-worldly…kind of strange!
To continue the journey with my to Israel, go back to the Menu, Blog, Middle East then Israel or click here:
http://travelwithlorifoster.com/2019/10/15/israel/
Sept/Oct 2019
Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta
So excited to board the beautiful Crystal Symphony in Los Angeles! I’ve been on this ship many times and absolutely love it but have never cruised on it!
