Holiday Special for “Guru” clients only!!!!

DOUBLE UPGRADES at El Dorado Casitas Royale
&
SINGLE UPGRADES at El Dorado Maroma

El Dorado Casitas Royale    

Casita Suite to
Swim Up Casita Suite

Individual Casita Suite to
Infinity  Pool Casita Suite

El Dorado Maroma    

Jacuzzi Jr Suite to
Honeymoon Suite

Mi Hotelito Beachfront Suites to
Honeymoon Suite

Jacuzzi Jr. Oceanfront to
Infinity Pool Jacuzzi Suite

Book by:
December 1, 2011 – December 31, 2011

Travel between:
December 1, 2011- April 22, 2012

This special promotion is only bookable through me,  your GI Consultant “Guru”

The only hiccup we had was a small problem with the airline, which had cancelled some of its summer flights out of Austin. We ended up taking a flight out of San Antonio (about an hour away), but Skip reimbursed us for our week long parking and even offered us a hotel (which we declined). This situation with the airline was not Skip’s fault, and he went out of his way to try to make sure we were happy. We understand that sometimes unfortunate situations happen, and knowing that you have someone working for you on your side definitely calms the mind!!!

Thanks so much Skip for everything! David and I look forward to working with you in the future for all of our travel needs!

A honeymoon is a once in a lifetime trip, and choosing a romantic destination requires careful planning. While other trips might focus on an activity, like skiing, the honeymoon is a chance for newlyweds to focus on each other.

Every couple will imagine something different when planning their perfectly romantic honeymoon, but hopefully the destinations below will generate some ideas.

24. Isle of Skye, Scotland

A misty island off the northwestern coast of Scotland, Skye is best for honeymooning couples who might enjoy the sound of rain on an old slate roof. Most villages have gracious inns with big fireplaces, questionable plumbing and plenty of local whiskey.

“The whole island is full of beautiful views, lochs and mountains,” writes Matador member Michelle Waite. “All of Skye is great for walks and lovely drives.”

23. Luang Prabang, Laos

Many travel writers, myself included, have pegged Luang Prabang as the most romantic town in Southeast Asia. A flurry of new boutique hotels and classy restaurants doesn’t detract from the languid charm of the old city.

Don’t miss a day trip to Kuang Si waterfall, or a ferry ride across the Mekong to the village of Ban Xieng Mene.

Matador: The ultimate guide to planning a destination wedding

22. Charlevoix, Quebec

Honeymooning in Quebec is a smart choice for North American couples who are tempted by Europe but lack the time or money to cross the Atlantic.

Montreal is big and cosmopolitan, Quebec City is steeped in history, but my pick for the most romantic spot in the province is tiny Baie St. Paul, the cultural center of the Charlevoix region, with countless art galleries, cozy inns and easy access to spectacular hiking trails.

21. Baja, Mexico

Many honeymooners are looking for sun, sand and value. There are plenty of beach resorts in Baja, and although I usually don’t recommend the resort experience, it’s not a bad choice for honeymooning couples who simply want to bask in marital bliss.

There’s a more exciting side of Baja beyond the resort gates, though, and plenty of deserted lagoons where travelers can find solitude.

Matador: The ultimate Baja escape

20. Dominica, Caribbean

Dominica is known as “the Nature Island” — it’s lush, green and mountainous, with villages hanging onto the edge of volcanoes, overlooking the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. Trails in the tropical forest lead to waterfalls, plunge pools and hot springs. Steamy.

19. Kyoto, Japan

The great travel writer Pico Iyer once went to Kyoto to pursue a monastic lifestyle and study Zen Buddhism, but he ended up falling in love instead.

Like Luang Prabang, Kyoto is dotted with ancient temples that evoke a sense of calm and wonder. Japanese hospitality and grace is unparalleled, and those who can afford to stay in a traditional inn should not pass up the opportunity.

18. Big Sur, California

Big Sur is an epic chunk of sweeping California coastline where lovers can wander for days and weeks between hot spring pools and old growth forests overlooking the Pacific.

Finish off the honeymoon by cruising up to San Francisco on Highway 1 and celebrating with a bottle of champagne and a big Chinatown meal.

17. The Big Island, Hawaii

OK, any island in Hawaii would make for a terrific honeymoon destination, but the Big Island gets my vote because it’s less crowded than Maui or Oahu.

Fewer tourists doesn’t translate into a lack of things to do, however. There’s plenty to explore on the Big Island, including black sand beaches, tropical waterfalls, flowing lava and horse ranches. Don’t miss the sunrise from the summit of Mauna Kea.

16. The Northeast Kingdom, Vermont

Cozy inns, quiet country roads, questionable weather…are you starting to notice a theme?

The Kingdom refers to the rural northeast corner of Vermont, a scattering of communities that manage to be both progressive and conservative, heartily welcoming and fiercely independent.

Instead of choosing a destination for day trips, just get lost on winding dirt roads that always seem to lead to friendly family farms. If you’re planning an autumn wedding, foliage in the Kingdom is spectacular.

15. Wine Country, Argentina

The vineyards of Mendoza and Salta in northwestern Argentina produce terrific red wines against the dramatic backdrop of the Andes.

Argentina is a less expensive destination than wine regions of California or Europe, so couples can take their time, soak up the atmosphere and maybe even sign up for tango lessons.

14. Costa Rica

With two tropical coastlines, pristine rainforest and plenty of spider monkeys, Costa Rica is a great choice for couples looking for a combination of ecotourism, adrenaline thrills and simple relaxation.

13. Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is a classy Southern town on the Carolina coast with cobblestone streets, historic mansions and incredible shrimp ‘n grits brunches.

Sea-kayaking in the marshes, long walks on barrier island beaches and outdoor concerts on summer nights round out the Charleston experience.

12. Provence, France

Eat cheese, drink wine, make love. Oui, Provence!

11. Antarctica

There are moments on an Antarctic cruise that will take your breath away, but there are also a lot of hours to spend keeping warm in your cabin. This downtime will be more like uptime for honeymooners.

10. Rome, Italy

There aren’t many cities on this list, but Rome demands an exception. It’s a city built for wandering between ancient neighborhoods and discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants, live music venues and sidewalk cafes.

If you insist on an urban honeymoon, Rome is a classic romantic choice.

9. Cambodia

Cambodia will tug hard on your heartstrings, but there’s a lot of hope in the country these days that balances out the poverty and the crippling legacy of civil war.

Don’t miss the awe-inspiring temples of Angkor, but leave plenty of time to relax on the Gulf of Thailand in Kep, exploring ruined villas and feasting on fresh crab.

8. Turks and Caicos Islands, Caribbean

Jay-Z may fly private jets to the Turks and Caicos, but New Yorkers can get there easily too, now that JetBlue and Continental have introduced non-stop service between Providenciales and JFK / Newark.

Provo, as the main island is called, is where you’ll find almost all of the resorts, but the islands get more charming as you move east along the chain, culminating with tiny Salt Cay, where couples can walk for hours on North Beach without crossing another footprint.

7. Maine Coast

It’s not the best place for swimming, but the Maine shoreline has rugged charm and wicked good seafood. The whole coast is gorgeous, but don’t miss Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island.

Matador: 7 reasons to go to Maine’s Mt. Desert Island

6. Bequia, Caribbean

Like Salt Cay in the Turks and Caicos, Bequia — part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines — is a bit of a backwater, but the slow pace and easygoing atmosphere is perfect for honeymooners exhausted by the stress of hosting their wedding. Travel writer Eva Holland makes the island sound idyllic in her Complete Guide to Bequia:

“The island is safe, compact and enjoys perfect weather pretty well year round. So take a walk. Take a nap on the beach. Drink a papaya juice and watch the sun go down.”

5. South Africa

The afterglow of the 2010 World Cup might be fading, but South Africa is one of the most culturally vibrant and naturally stunning countries in the world.

Live it up in Cape Town and then head to one of the Singita game reserves to stay at a luxurious lodge and get up close to lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo.

4. Portugal

Tiny Portugal sometimes gets overshadowed by its massive former colony, Brazil, but the combination of castles, beach towns and distinctive local wines is tough to beat.

Lisbon is one of the oldest capitals in Europe and many of the homes are built with thick stone walls, good for keeping cool in summer and toasty warm in the wintertime.

3. Morocco

Morocco is an incredibly diverse country, both in terms of natural landscapes and cultural heritage. In one trip, you can chill on the beach in Essaouira — where Jimi Hendrix used to hang out — see the world’s tallest mosque minaret, and trek through massive sand dunes in the Sahara.

2. Tahiti

Nothing has ever gone wrong in Tahiti.

1. Switzerland

Straight-laced Switzerland might not be a sultry or exotic destination, but honeymooning couples shouldn’t need much extra romantic inspiration.

Switzerland is stunningly beautiful, safe and orderly. Couples can simply enjoy each other — which is really the whole point of the trip.

Take care and happy travels.

Skip-
Thank you so very much for booking our honeymoon trip to Bora Bora for us.  It was absolutely WONDERFUL!  The entire experience was awesome. The resort was amazing, and the staff was excellent.

They took very good care of us; the bungalow was a castle; housekeeping was always making sure the room was clean and that we had plenty of fresh towels.  The snorkeling was out of this world.  We dove off of our platform, and enjoyed the sea life right around our bungalow and the entire area of the resort, there was no need to go out on an excursion.  We did take advantage of the boat transfer to the main island of Bora Bora for shopping and sight seeing, and were so pleased that we chose the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Spa resort!  The seclusion and raw beauty of the resort makes this a crown jewel in our book!

We have already decided that we want to go back there for our 5th Anniversary!

Thanks again-

Amy and Robert Devereaux

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

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

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

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

Take care you guys and happy travels

Hi Skip -

We had a fantastic time!!  Costa Rica was amazing and beautiful!  We got to do some adventure tours and spend LOTS of time relaxing by the pool and on the beach.  The food was wonderful and the service was
great too.

Thank you for setting up a fantastic honeymoon for us.  We could not have done that on our own and your help is greatly appreciated!  If there is a place to write a review I would be happy to do it! 

Have a great weekend!
Sarah

Thanks so much Ashley & Eric for being great repeat clients and for the great pics and testimonials you have shared with me.

Continued happy travels my friends

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Skip has provided us with two great vacations! The first being our honeymoon to St. Lucia (Sandals Grande) and the second to Negril, Jamaica (Breezes.) We are currently planning a third anniversary vacation and could not be happier to work with Skip again! He is so easy and pleasant to work with! He really takes care of you! I highly recommend Skip to plan your Honeymoon or next get-a-way!

St. Lucia Sandals Grande (2009) was absolutely amazing. The views are breathtaking and the resort is beautiful and well kept.  We enjoyed the clear blue water, zip-lining, whale watching and the company of many other honeymooners! Sandals not only had a great beach, they had a huge pool with swim-up bar. The drinks were tasty and the food was satisfying!  Snacks were available all day, as well as room service.  Sandals provided a complimentary photo shoot, which captured many memories of us at the resort. The pictures or a picture CD could be purchased. We love these photos more than our engagement shoot. We could not have asked for a better honeymoon! We definitely want to go back!

Jamaica Breezes Negril (2010) was also a lot of fun, not as beautiful of a landscape as St. Lucia, but just as satisfying.  This vacation was purely to relax and this was the perfect place. Each day, we’d start with a made-to-order breakfast and then enjoy the calm water and sunshine! Our favorite was sun-tanning on the Breezes rafts in the water watching the hundreds of butterflies fly accross the ocean.  Breezes had excellent restaurants and top shelf drinks.  We looked forward to dinner each night and the entertainment.  Our favorite was the Hibachi grill! The staff at this resort really made a point to get to know you.  Many of the staff learned our names! We only left the resort once to visit Rick’s Cafe (on the top 1000 things to do before you die) and experience the cliff diving!  It was awesome! This is also a place, we would go back!

Thanks again Skip for your outstanding customer service!!!

Ashley & Eric Shoesmith