El Dorado Royale Vacation: Dennis & Terry

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Skip Neal

Dennis and Terry have been friends of the Honeymoon Guru for about 15 years.  They are such great people and never take time for a vacation, but I finally talked them into one and they agreed that El Dorado Royale would be a great fit for them.  Sounds like they loved it and I couldn’t be happier.  Thank you guys so much for the great comments and for being such great friends.  Don’t wait so long for the next vacation :)

Happy Travels.

Hi Skip
Dennis and I just want to let you know how much we enjoyed our time at the El Dorado Royale in Mexico.  The Restaurants were great. The food was so attractively displayed and tasted as good as it looked.  The people and the service was wonderful.  Dennis and I enjoyed talking to the other guests as well.  We met and talked to other couples from Texas as well as couples from all over the world.  The view and the grounds were fantastic.  I just have one question.  How did you manage to get the weather so perfect for us.   A little bit of light rain, a few clouds and a breeze to keep us cool while we walked on the grounds and enjoyed the beach and just enough sun for me to get a tan. You are definitely a miracle worker. What more could we ask for. Our vacation was perfect and we owe it all to you.  
Thank you so much.

Dennis and Terry

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Dreams Villa Magna: Jackie & Allan

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Skip Neal

Jackie & Allan have been clients of mine for several trips now and they have been great to work with and have really enjoyed customizing different trips for them, since I did their honeymoon.  As sometimes happens, I get new honeymoon clients completely spoiled and for some reason, the trips after that are hard to add up to the honeymoon trip, but they always have a great time and it does match exactly what they want.  I’m so glad you guys did enjoy Dreams Villa Magna, but I’m not surprised at the comments as El Dorado Royale is a favorite of mine and they do a fantastic job.  I look forward to customizing your next get-away..   Happy travels.

 

Skip, you did a good job of picking out a place that fit what we asked for, but I
must say…we were spoiled by El Dorado Royale that you did for our honeymoon and were a little disappointed by
the Dreams Villa Magna Resort.  The beach and grounds were beautiful, and we liked the
layout of the modern rooms, but the food and restaurants did not even come
close!  We decided that next time we would rather spend the extra money for
the nicer resort, and are already thinking about where we can go next time.
We met a few other couples who had also been to El Dorado Royale and felt
the same way.  We were really glad that we went with the ocean view room,
and we were able to watch the night-time shows from our balcony.  We also
liked that they offered entertainment a little earlier, since we don’t stay
up that late.  It was neat that they played the first game of the World
Series at the roof-top bar and had a spread of traditional ball-park food.
The staff were nice and attentive, and overall we had a great time.  We
don’t have many pictures of us because the heavy sun exposure caused me to
break out in cold sores, and I was a little under the weather while we
there.  That’s probably too much information.  :)   They also have fairly
inexpensive wireless internet, which was nice because we both needed to
check-in on work stuff.  I noticed that they had a great kids program, which
kept the kids away from where we were most of the time…which was nice.

Anyway, I know I’m rambling.  It’s been a long week back.  Feel free to
paraphrase what I have to say.  We will definitely be utilizing your
services for our next trip.  It’s great to have everything planned out and
not have to worry about booking airfare and transfers and all that.  The
travel bag also came in handy!

Talk to you soon!
Jackie Collett

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Valentin Imperial Maya Honeymoon: Chris & Amanda

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Skip Neal

Chris & Amanda

Thank you so much for the kind words.  You guys were great to work with and so glad to hear that the honeymoon went well.  Take care of yourself and thanks so much for keeping the Guru in mind for future travel.

Skip

Planning our honeymoon we wanted to make it something to remember and hearing about Skip, we decided to leave it in his hands.  We gave him a simple list of the things we wanted and simply said,” He delivered with perfection!”  Our honeymoon to the Valentin Imperial Maya resort exceeded our expectations. The resort was everything we hoped for from the room/view, FOOD & DRINKS, and overall friendly & welcoming.  As they said when we first arrived,”Welcome home!”  Working with Skip will indeed be in our future trip planning, not only based on his services, but on his attention to detail and constant follow ups to make sure everything was perfect before and after our vacation.

Sincerely-
Chris & Amanda Neelley

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El Dorado Casitas Royale: Greg & Shalise Pratt

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Skip Neal

Greg & Shalise were great clients of mine and I really enjoyed help customizing a great 15th anniversary trip for them one of my favorite resorts (El Dorado Casitas Royale).  Glad it all went so well and thank you both for the kind words and I look forward to helping you with your next get away..

Hi Skip,

“We were looking for a romantic resort to celebrate our 15th anniversary.  Skip made several resort recommendations based on our preferences for resort size, dining options and activities.  We have a lot of specific criteria we wanted in a resort, and Skip patiently listened to all our requests.  Skip answered all our specific questions about each resort, and we felt with his first hand knowledge of each resort, we were able to make a very informed choice.   We chose the El Dorado Royale Casitas resort and had a wonderful time.   The resort had all the amenities and variety we were hoping for when we first spoke to Skip.     We booked a swim up Casitas, and luckily got the end individual Casita (room 2825). The location was perfect since it was right next to the beach and had its own pool access.  The beach bar was only 20 steps away!   The location was also right next to the Kampai restaurant which we loved.  It was open all day and really was “Gourmet Inclusive” as they advertise.  Yummy!   The pools, the staff, the grounds, the food, and service were all first class and wonderful.   We even were able to use our spa credit which Skip included through his service to enjoy a sky massage on the beach together.  Thank you Skip for your help and for a wonderful and memorable vacation!  We will certainly be contacting you in the future for our next romantic vacation. Greg and Shalise Pratt”

Hope you have a great summer and thanks again for all your help!
Greg and Shalise.

Categories: All Inclusive Honeymoon, El Dorado Casitas Royale, Mexico, Testimonials | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

First time Maui & Oahu: Sherrie & Randy

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Skip Neal

I have known Randy & Sherrie for more than 15 years now.  They have been great friends and we lost touch for a few years, but have been able to reconnect and we picked up right where we left off.  They had contacted the Guru a while back and needed to take a trip to Maui to attend a destination wedding for some friends and wanted to see if I could help customize the trip for them since they had never been.  They were somewhat hesitant at first because they usually like to plan everything on their own, but after speaking with me, Randy knew from my experience traveling there a lot and having a satellite office in Maui, he trusted me to send them in the right direction and make sure they had a great customized trip.   I am so happy to say that the trip went very well and they had a great time on both islands and really enjoyed the visit to Pearl Harbor as well and Randy got in a great game of golf at the Plantation Course on Maui where the PGA guys play and needless to say, Randy shot a 64!!!!  Way to go Tiger….

Thanks guys so much for the kind words and I really appreciate your friendship and all the great feedback..  Rest up, because you are going back to Maui very soon..

Skip,

Sherrie and I wanted to thank you for putting together a great first time trip to Hawaii!  We didn’t know what to expect and leaning on your expertise went against our nature, but trusting you was the very best decision we made!  We told you we were willing to make our own breakfast and lunch while on Maui and you found us the Outrigger Condo on the Kaanapali Royal course and just a 5 minute walk to the beach!  It was PERFECT!  When we return to Maui, we want to stay there again!

Then, you set up a second island visit to Oahu!  Staying at the Waikiki Parc with that incredible view made the trip!  You set up everything for us to do and with your contacts, made everything SO much easier to deal with!  Visiting the Arizona Memorial was a very moving moment which all Americans need to experience one day.  But, for me, the one event that made the trip was the Dolphin Encounter out of Waianae Bay.  Oh my, swimming with Spinner Dolphins and Sea Turtles is one of the top 5 experiences of my life!

Thank you again for putting together such a wonderful trip to Hawaii… it will not be our last!

Randy Nutt
Round Rock, Tx.

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Complimentary Triple Suite Upgrade

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Skip Neal

Bookable only through the Honeymoon Guru!!!

 

Casitas-Royale-Free-Triple-Upgrade

How-It-Works-Free-UpgradeBooking Window: July 25 – September 23, 2011
Travel Window: August 1 – October 31, 2011


Excludes the Presidential One Bedroom Casita Suite. 5 night minimum stay.
This promotion can be changed, withdrawn, or modified at any time without written notice.
Valid for USA & CAN bookings.
This offer is combinable only with the Blowout Savings promotion (package and land only). Not valid for groups or weddings.

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Secrets Sanctuary Cap Cana: Roger & Courtney Honeymoon

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Skip Neal

Well the Honeymoon Guru is back to posting and I thank each and everyone of you who has been keeping up with me as I have been traveling so much and keeping time between Austin, Maui and Brady, which is going great, but very time consuming and I am so glad to speak about a great couple I just worked with, which was Roger & Courtney.  They were so easy and fun to work with and I was so happy to help customize a great honeymoon for them to Secrets Sanctuary Cap Cana.

Thank you guys so much for the kind words, pictures and being so great to work with.  Take care and happy travels in the future :)

Skip,
Roger and I wanted to thank you for planning such an amazing honeymoon for us. We were overwhelmed with where to go and once we met you, you made it such an easy stress free experience. The Secrets Sanctuary resort in the Dominican Republic is top notch! The resort was beautiful and has so many options of things to do. With several restaurants on site, beach access, several pools with swim up bars,  a day trip concierge and a fabulous entertainment we could be as lazy or busy as we wanted. The staff at Secrets Sanctuary was amazing and kept the week upbeat and fun. We played beach volleyball every day, beer pong, went on a buggy ride which included a kayak and horseback riding stop and had entertainment/dances every evening. The beaches were pristine and the resort was impeccable. We could not have been more impressed with the resort and will definitely frequent another Secrets Sanctuary soon. Our only complaint is that we couldn’t figure out how we could quit our jobs and move! Thank you Skip for such an amazing trip, including all the added “honeymoon” perks you arranged, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. We have enjoyed working with you and will definitely turn to you when planning our next vacation!

Thank you,
Courtney and Roger Lasater

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Duchman Family Winery; Wedding/Event Coordinator Appreciation Luncheon

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Skip Neal

The Honeymoon Guru was invited out last week to Duchman Family Winery to participate in their Wedding/Event Coordinator Appreciation Luncheon.  This was the first time I had been out to the winery and I was so “stoked” about this place.  It is absolutely beautiful at the winery inside and out and their hospitality is amazing.  And probably most importantly, their wines are amazing.  Everything is Texas grown there and they have nothing shipped in, so it is a true Texas Wine.  Everything we learned from Dave Relly was so interesting and my knowledge in wine has been kicked up a notch or two :)

There were over 30 coordinators from the area.  Some new, and some old faces, which made it a great gathering.  I would like to thank Melissa Hale and her team for doing a great job and for the invite to participate with the other vendors.  Also, Royal Fig Catering by Dan & Kristen was to die for…  All I can say is that Dan prepares a magnificent Beef Tenderloin on top of Lobster Grits.  Need I say more.

Thanks again to all the great vendors I got to work with.  I would highly recommend any of those great professionals to help with your wedding or professional event.   And of course, if anyone is looking for a honeymoon travel agent, look no further than the Honeymoon Guru :)

Austin Wedding Photography

Dragonfly Designs

Royal Fig Catering

Groove Labs

Stella & Dot

Stardust Pastries

Full Spectrum Ice

Premiere Party Central

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Weekend at Kauai with friends..

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Skip Neal

Well, I have had a lot of people contacting me wanting to see how things are in Hawaii and they couldn’t be better to be honest.  The weather is great and of course the scenery and tranquility it offers is fantastic.  I wish you all could experience this with me :)

I spent a weekend recently with some new friends exploring more of Kauai by land and water and it is absolutely amazing as it always is.  I was over in Kauai back in October for a work trip, so didn’t get to experience all the island has to offer, but was able to do this personally a few weeks ago, by taking the quick interisland flight from the Honeymoon Guru domain in Maui…  So nice to be able to do this in 20 minutes, instead of 8.5 hours!!!

We drove up to Waimea Canyon which is said to be the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and as you can tell by the pictures, it is!!!  Also spent some time on the water going around the Napali Coast with a boat rental from Captain Andy….  Again, words can’t describe the beauty and peaceful feeling it provides.  I will let the pictures do the talking.

Take care everyone and happy travels.  Thanks so much for all the positive feedback, support and love you guys send my way… Life is amazing :)

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Lacey & Robert: Honeymoon at El Dorado Royale

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Skip Neal

Robert & Lacey.  The Honeymoon Guru can’t thank you guys enough for the great feedback.  I am so glad to know that you had a great time at El Dorado Royale.  It is one of my favorite places as well…

You guys take care and happy travels :)

Hi Skip,

I was meaning to email you and let you know how fantastic everything went. We honestly had the time of our lives! I can say we were nervous at first and didn’t know what to expect (since it was Mexico and our 1st time out of the country) but the experience at the resort was beyond our expectations! All we could say to each other was “we’ve got to come back, we’ve got to come back”..lol..The service, the restaurants, the people and just the all around experience was so amazing! We were not ready to leave!! So, next time we might have to stay 2 weeks, because a week was not enough time to enjoy all the choices that were made available to us. We ziplined, horse back rode and just RELAXED!!! We will definetely will be contacting you after the holidays to book with the Karisma chain once again . We will also upload some pics for you when we get a chance. Talk to you soon….and thanks again Skip, you made the honeymoon planning so easy for us. We appreciate your professionalism and suggestions.
Thank you,
Lacey and Robert Wadkins

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