Don’t let this beautiful resort fool you, this was defiantly one of the rougher trips I’ve taken. Started out with an amazing deal to an all inclusive that me and boyfriend couldn’t say no too. A 4 star resort in Puerto Plata, somewhere we haven’t been so yes we were going. Our check in at Pearson was super easy. We booked with tripcentral and I highly recommend, they gave us emails on our upcoming trip and coupons that we took advantage of. I had originally booked to Playabachata Spa resort, our flight had landed at 9pm so when we arrived we were ready to go to bed it was a long day of travelling with a rough flight. The next day started off cloudy and windy so we spend the next 2 days hanging out in the room. When the weather got nicer we were able to explore more and found out what we were missing. When you go away down south I never go for the food, the food here was so bad I decided not even try to eat. Everything I got was under cooked including the chicken I got at what was supposed to be the restaurant and not the buffet. When we were exploring we meet some people at the sister resort beside us, that had said they were on our plane and at the resort we were at but they upgraded the next day. We decided to upgrade as well and I wish we had done it sooner. On the third day we upgraded and this resort felt like the 4 star we were supposed to stay in. The upgrade was cheap and so worth it, the sister resort just opened 5 months ago, food was sooooo much better and we could actually socialize with people our age. I don’t think I recommend Playabachata Spa resort, take the upgrade and stay at Senator instead. This wasn’t our typical trip but more of a relaxing one. We skipped out on doing anything did the upgrade and slept in. After been to Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, Punta Cana wins for food, beaches and entertainment. Although this was a cheap trip quick get away and I can now say I’ve been to Puerto Plata I don’t think I’ll be going back.

The best trips are the ones you don’t see coming. Me and a friend decided we needed to get away before the long winter ahead. When looking we didn’t know where we wanted to go but then we found such an incredible deal and thats how we ended up in the Bahamas. If you’re wondering what we had to do to get there, the Bahamas excepts both antigen and PCR testing. Travel tip: Always do research even for those last minute trips, (duh) I had been told so many different prices for testing and what would be expectable to enter the Bahamas it was very confusing. We were able get our antigen test for only $17! Most people would have went to the big labs but you can go to Walmart even Costco and its so much cheaper. We love a good deal.

Something we didn’t expect and which was totally sunwings fault was arriving to the airport you had to fill out a visa with all your COVID information, which was very stressful considering we had to wait to be approved for it. Fortunately mine came back within 10min but my friend, we had waited 45min until I had went back in redid her visa and was approved immediately. Defiantly make sure you fill out everything, she had missed something and that put us back 45mins. Also cost us an extra $55, not happy.

We stayed at an Adult only resort called Riu Paradise Island which was about 30mins away from the airport, 5 star and on the beach. I highly recommend this resort not only for their amazing food but because of how close it is to the Luxurious Atlantis resort. You could take a cab over for only $10 to see everything they have to offer without spending all that extra money! We went for the night time action at Atlantis the first full day we were there. The casino, the amazing aquarium you walk under and over to see, the little market set up like a miniature village with shops and parked beside you could look at these amazing yachts lined up on the pier with all the sugar daddies watching the football game on their big screens. (LMAO) This place was like Vegas and Disney mixed into one, beautiful luxury stores inside and all these famous restaurants like NOBO (we tried it, save your money) Definitely have to visit Atlantis even if your resort has it all, this place was beautiful.

I would highly recommend the Bahamas to any of those picky eaters out there that hold food close to there hearts, like dads. Something unique that this resort had was this amazing jerk chicken bar that definitely didn’t disappoint. All of there restaurants had amazing food, something I’ve never had before but is a Bahamas specialty is conch. The way I would describe it is almost like octopus, it was so good! In the short time we were there we drank a lot, soaked up the sun, adventured to a different hotel, walked downtown Bahamas, ate, took a million pictures, Bahamas is a great quick escape. On our way back to the airport really taking in how small the island is, you can see both sides of the ocean when looking out the window which was the bluest water I think I’ve ever seen, stunning. I also highly recommend my Canadians that haven’t had Dunkin before, an absolute must, the best coffee I think I’ve ever had.

Let’s talk Tulum. What an absolute dream vacation, clear water, clear skies and clear tequila! We started off our vacation with a long drive from the airport, Alkaline Tulum is on the bottom part of Mexico so it took us about 2.5hrs to get there with dropping other people off on the way. We stayed in the Bahia Principe Grand Tulum Resort. Travel Tip: The resort has multiple “hubs” defiantly try the other restaurants as well as snack bars, they have different themes for each place.

We decide to take a day trip on the catamaran which I highly recommend, some of the best tequila I’ve ever had was on this excursion on a little Island. You get to taste I think, was 6 different tequilas, the big pour kinda tasting. Mango and coffee tequila for the win. You then get about two hours to eat relax, they also had a DJ and a photographer running around and a little market to shop. After some fun on the Island the catamaran took us to the middle of the ocean where a 25min snorkeling swim took place. This was super fun and all but its now 2pm and we’ve been drinking.. all day. What was supposed to be a 25min adventure swim to see the marine life felt like a swim for survival, the waves plus the drinking didn’t mix well but made it defiantly something to laugh at later. I highly recommend the catamaran trip for any age, there’s music, the crew was amazing and they brought us up to dance, helped when ever needed. We were defiantly down for the count after this long day of drinking.

On the strip of down town Tulum, you have to most stunning restaurants I’ve ever been too. The first one we tried was called Taboo, which my Toronto people, feels like Cabana but the vibe is 1000x better! They had the most incredible food lamb burgers, creamiest goat cheese dip, sweet potato fries drizzled in honey amazing. This restaurant was right on the beach with performers, a DJ, swings, body painting you could even buy hookah. Travel Tip: The portions at this restaurant is huge and they are a little pricy, i recommend shared appetizers and a main. No desert or sides needed.

Later in the week we also went to Gitano, another restaurant located on the other side of down town Tulum, with views of the beach. Gitano’s guacamole, fresh creamy a defiant must try and their churros, dipped in caramel sauce with a splash of tequila.. incredible.

More things to do in Tulum I highly recommend (unfortunately was unable to do because of closures) Visiting Raw love. The photo op their is just unreal, you can also order some really amazing food from their restaurant. Another place to check out is any sort of day trip to the Mayan ruins, the tours do such a good job explaining the history of Mexican culture and how beautiful it is. I highly recommend leaving your resort at any time during you trip to get a authentic experience for the place you came to visit that you can’t get at the resort.

Lets just say I’ve traveled from my bed to the kitchen more times then I care to keep track of. I had one of my biggest trips planned for this year and was heart broken about postponing it. 11 countries in 32 days, the most thought out trip to Europe I think anyone has ever done. I researched for the best deals the best Air BNB’s with the most amazing views, the must see places and must eat here’s. Although I wasn’t able to go this year I’m hoping everyone around the world is doing their part to stop the spread so us travel junkies can venture on. Below is the stops were we planning to go;

Ireland-England-Paris-Germany-Netherlands-Prague-Budapest-Greece-Rome-Spain-Portugal-Home

Budget Breakdown: Flights $1500 Air BNB $1000 Food $800 Spending money/Things to do $1200 Total Budget $4500/person + Emergency money $500

Vegas for the weekend!! There’s so much to do besides gambling, if you’re like me and research the places you visit you’ll find that there’s a lot more to do then just playing black jack. Some must do’s in Vegas; Grand Canyon, Neon Museum, Fremont Street, Welcome to Las Vegas Sign, High Roller Ferris Wheel and of course seeing as many different hotels as you can. A day to the grand canyon is totally worth it, getting out to see the different landscape no matter where you’re from was breath taking. The Neon Museum is like a grave yard for old Vegas signs and its definitely something you need to check out. Fremont Street is a really cool place to get some souvenirs and watch some street performers, not to mention a light show right above you. Hitting the Welcome to Las Vegas is a little tricky but totally worth the wait. I recommend taking the bus or getting a lyft there, there’s not a lot of parking. One of my favorite things was the High Roller Ferris Wheel. Travel tip; find out when the last ride is and go just before then to buy tickets, this way you’re more likely to get a whole pod to yourself. Of course we got the tickets with the alcohol option, which allows you to drink as much as you can until you come back to the bottom. Hit as many hotels as you can when walking the strip each one is fun and unique in their own way. We stayed in The Trump Hotel which was at the top of the strip, I highly recommend. This hotel is one of the ones without a casino and I have to say I’m very glad for that. These casinos go 24/7 so after being out until 4 am it was nice to get back to our hotel room with out the urge of the casino and get some rest. Travel tip; no matter where you stay or where you travel to always sign up for the rewards card. This is a great way to get rooms comped and other goods for free.

This place has its own ice cream shop! This resort has to be so far my favorite I’ve ever been too. Not only when upon arrival were we able to get an upgrade with no extra charge this place has some much to do with the nicest locals. Travel tip; booking vacations on the off season helps save a few hundred dollars, Mexico in October has amazing weather and even more amazing prices. When going away I like to research on must go to places to get the full experience. For Mexico a day tour to Chichen-Itza is a must, not only is it inexpensive but you also get the full experience of how what Mexico looks like outside of the resort walls. If you don’t make friends while being on vacation then you’re doing it wrong. On our third day in mexico we made so many friends, we actually had dinner and went on a night out with them to COCO BONGO. I can’t say I remember to much about that night but I can say one of the coolest things is in order to get into the club you need to do a series of tequila shots… This resort is great for a friends trip, although there is a separate area for kids I found the activities to be more adult related. Amazing food at 7 different restaurants, so many different activities and fantastic staff made this trip perfect.

Talk about the cutest hotel for the on the go traveler. This hotel is in the perfect location to downtown LA, Beverly hills and minutes to the subway to get around a little easier. Hollywood Hotel has the most unbelievable complimentary breakfast a hotel has ever had to offer. Travel tip; we saved so much money on this trip because of the breakfast option, we would fill up omelettes, bagels, waffles, french toast and anything else you can think of. Picking hotels that have this option really helps have a few dollars and gives you more option to do more LA cite seeing. Huge thanks to https://www.thehollywoodhotel.com/ for making our LA trip comfortable and affordable!

This adorable resort is the perfect place for family and friends. Although this is an older resort the upkeep and scenery is amazing. Across the resort grounds there’s so much to look at and do, with so many options you’re never board. Turtles, fish, parrots even flamingos are always around, when you wake up in the morning its like waking up in paradise. The beach services is an amazing touch when it comes to being a lazy beach bum. You can stay at the beach all day without having to leave for anything, nonstop drinks and snacks from burgers to salads with ocean view. We took advantage of the spa coupons they give you on arrival, although you have to pay for some of their services we were able to use the hot tubs and ice baths a defendant must do. Not only does this resort make it easy to book excursions they have their own unique ones you can book. Rent a bike and go into town for a few hours to get a full culture experience. When you go into town make sure you have a bag to take home all you goodies, as well as brush up on you bargaining skills to get the best deals. This resort completes your stress free vacations with so much to do and no disappointments.