Travel

Discovery Trip to Grenada

January 2025

Spice Island

The Country - Grenada is a West Indies island. Affectionately known as spice island (nutmeg to name a few). The island is humid and tropical. Dry season is from January to May. Rainy season is from June to December. The island follows the Atlantic Time Zone which is 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

The Island - The islands terrain is a result of its’ volcanic origins. Has a rugged interior and a coastal area. Consists of mountains, valleys, crater lakes, coastal plains and mangroves.

The Airport - Maurice Bishop International Airport is the local international airport. The airport is small in size. Not an airport where you can sit down and have a nice meal. More of a pick up quick snacks and go type environment. Since it is a small airport you will less likely have to deal with a lot of hustle and bustle.

Lodging - We decided to stay at the newly built Six Senses La Sagesse. The resort is a beautiful resort which opened April 2024.

Resort Highlights - This is a resort that focuses on wellness. It is smaller in size to some other resorts with 56 pool suites and 15 villas. All suites and villas have some sort of water view (lagoon, bay, ocean). All suites and villas have a separate shower and tub. Golf cart transportation is provided for movement throughout the resort. Rooms contain mini bars that are fully stocked with local beverages (with no artificial ingredients) and homemade snacks. The are several dining choices. You can choose from Farm-to Table all day dining, seafood restaurant, pool bar and grill and in room dining. Sustainability is a key concept throughout the resort with very lottle use of plastics or materials that caannot be recycled. There are lots of activities (for both Adults and kids). Two pools, aside from the private pools each suite and/or villa has. There is also a multi-villa spa where guests can book amazing treatments. Cultural experiences (offsite and onsite) can be arranged by staff at the resort upon request. There are a number of kids areas and programs to keep ht eyoung people active. The resort offers a variety of transportation options to and from the airport. I often book my own transportation through connections I’ve made over the years. In this case I would recommend guests book theor transportation directly through the resort.

Final Thoughts - I’ve traveled many places in the Caribbean, but this was the most amazing country I have visted thus far. Grenada truly is one-of-a-kind and I’d recommend that travelers put this destination on their list of places to visit.

Recommendation Score - Highly recommended for families, couples and singles.

Resort Rating (1-10, 1=lowest, 10=highest) - 9

YouTube video coming soon! Check back periodically…..

Travel

UAE Adventures

February 2025

United Arab Emirates

The Country - Emirates, is a West Asian country, located in the Middle East. The UAE is made up of seven emirates. Abu Dhabi is the capital. The country has the 4th largest economy in the Middle East. following Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The Airport - Dubai in particular has two major airports. Dubai International Airport (DXB), is the primary airport. As of 2023, the airport was the busiest airport for international passenger traffic. Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC - Dubai World Central) opened in 2013 to passenger flights and is quickly expanding.

Transporatation to and from the mall is easy. You can either take a metrorail or Uber. We chose to use Careem, the Emirates version of Uber. Uber is available, however Careem is less expensive. The metrorails can be tricky as there are rules that apply. I would liken this part of the trip to that of Japan. Everyone follows the rules and both countries are spotless (no trash, litter, cheing gum, etc.).

We flew Emirates simply because they have direct flights without layovers from where we live. I prefer non-stop flights unless there is an airport I want to spend a little bit of time in it. By the way DXB is one of those airports. The airport is a shoppers paradise!

Lodging - We chose to stay at St. Regis Dubai the Palm. At the time the hotel had just started taking reservations. This was during the height of the COVID-19 epidemic. This highend hotel is definitely worth the cost. I’m a very picky traveler so where I lay my head is one of the most important parts of my travels.

Resort Highlights - The location of rhe resort was perfect. It is located on The Palm (a manmade island shaped like a palm tree). While the hotel has two restaurants, and a beach club of its own, the island is sprinkled with several equally as nice hotels and restaurants.

Conveniences:
The hotel has two 50th floor pools (one gets sun most of the day and the other gets shade most of the day). The hotel is attached to Nakheel Mall, which offers additional eating options, a grocery store, shopping, movie theater, drug store, currency exchange, and quick access to the metrorbail.

Local Transportation:
Did I mention metrorail? Yes, The Palm has its very own metrorail, which made getting around on The Palm a breeze! The amazing thing is that the metrorail is so refined that you won’t hear or smell fumes from the metrorail. Its actually a pretty amazing sight to see! The cost to use the metrorail was very minimal. Multi-day passes are available and what we opted to purchase.

Culture:
The country is unlike any other country that I have visited. While it is a Muslim country, it is nothing like one would expect if you have never visited. While as a visitor you should definitely do your research, following their laws is not optional. Women are not required to cover up completely. You will see many of the Emirate women wearing burkas and all of the Emirate men wear kanduras or dishdasha. Refrain from showing your shoulders, chest area, and anything above the knees. This is not one of the Caribbean islands after all…….

Shopping:
I live in an area that pretty much has access to anything imaginable in terms of shopping. Dubai is similar with a number of highend malls. The Dubai Mall is by far the largest and is well worth a trip. While beautiful, I found the Dubai Mall to be a bit overwhelming in a good way. Interestingly enough while Emirate men and women are covered up in public they are a stylish group of individuals. Something only shared with spouses and family.

Traditional souks are plentiful and are great places to find unique gifts and memoirs. Be prepared to haggle though, as it is a part of the culture. We visited the Gold and Spice souks along with some smaller souks we saw during our travels.

Food:
While Emirates are the natives, Dubai is comprised of people from literally everywhere. If you take the time to talk to and get to know some of the locals you will quickly figure this out. We met people from all around the world that now call Duabi home. It was one of the dopest parts of the entire trip. That being said, as long as you are an aventurous eater you will find something good to eat! The variety of food options was another highlight of the trip. It is a foodies paradise!

History:
If history is your thing (and it really should be since you are visitng another country), you will definitely have plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in it. We took an evening desert safari tour with Platinum Heritage. We chose this company because they are sustainability conscious, care about animal welfare, and offer a more upscale experience.

Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) is another popular activity that we participated in. To be honest while beautiful, I would only recommend if you like to capture amazing photographs during your travels, otherwise I would skip this.

To keep the review on the shorter side, I’ll stop here. Rest assured there is plenty more to do. We’ll post some photos in our gallery and more indepth videos on our YouTube channel.

Final Thoughts - If you have never been to the Middle East we would recommend that you go! Forget what you have heard and go experience the country for yourself. We will definitely return for a second trip, sooner rather than later. You definitely need to be an adventurous person and willing to step out of your comfort zone.

We traveled in August. Honestly I would never recommend ANYONE travel to the Middle East in August and this is coming from someone that LOVES HOT weather. I’ve never felt anything quite like the HEAT in the Middle East. Babbyyy we were not ready for it! The good thing about this time of year, is there was NO RAIN in sight. A trip to the Middle East is best for adults or teenage and young adults. I couldn’t image going with smaller kids (there are always exceptions).

This is a trip you definitely need to plan ahead and do plenty of research. It is also a trip you can easily plan yourself. No need for a travel planner or a travel agent. Google is your friend!

Recommendation Score - Highly recommended for families (without small children), couples and singles.

Resort Rating (1-10, 1=lowest, 10=highest) - 9

YouTube video coming soon! Check back periodically…..