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Jane KippJane Kipp
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traveled in 6 countries Read more Hamilton, Canada
  • TravelerCuracao Again
    Day 4

    Sick as a Dog, Even in Paradise

    December 1, 2023 in Curacao ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

    Last night I started to feel unwell around 4 AM. This continued and I was wondering if I had too much sun or if it was something I ate. Well by 7 AM it was full our flu like symptoms. Fever and chills, vomiting and diarrhea. That was my day. Trying to rest in between bought of being sick. I tried to get some ginger ale but after two calls down to the front desk, I gave up.
    We were supposed to go on the sunset cruise but that was a no go. I feel bad for Gabi, since this is the second year in a row that we didn't get to go.

    Next…At 10 PM our air conditioner decided to give up the ghost. We tried to settle down with out it. Two hours later, we are both up due to the heat and stuffiness. The windows don't open and I don't want to open the door because of bugs and lizards. I tried to call down to the front desk but there was no answer. I tried room service, also no answer. So I got dressed and went down to the lobby. No one was around. I found someone who was closing up the bar. He told be to sit and be patient, maybe they went to eat. Really? Only one person for nightshift? After 10 minutes the lady came back looking like she just woke up. She called three different numbers to find someone to send up. The young man came promptly and had to leave. Now at 2:00 AM in the morning, we have to pack up and get reassigned to another room.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao Again
    Day 3

    New Friends and a Relaxing Day

    November 30, 2023 in Curacao ⋅ 🌬 29 °C

    I called down to the front desk for a kettle for Gabi's tea, they said they would have one sent up. I then had to call again half an hour later. An hour later, we are still waiting. I'm not happy with the service on this. I realize that we are on ‘Island Time' however, these kinds of requests should not take this long. Once again, we are greeted to a beautiful morning. No cruise ship yet but sunshine and 27 C (80 F) outside.

    We had another wonderful breakfast in the buffet. Some things were different but they still had all the staples. I try to eat healthy (no carbs, no sugars) in the mornings, it gets progressively worse during the day. After breakfast Gabi and I took a walk around the grounds. We found the kiddy splash pool, the entertainment stage, the dive pier and shop and the beach area. This place was once a fort protecting the island from those pesky British. It was called For Piscaderabay. They had simple batteries built with cannons in place. They were supposed to fortify the batteries with towers but that never happened. In 1804 some English guy named John Bligh landed and took over the place. In 1819 the Dutch came back and retook the island.
    I stopped by the dive shop and asked about getting some snorkel gear. It is available for rent so that might be on the books for Saturday. We then headed over to the pool area and found a sun bed. These are much more comfortable than the loungers and I can get in and out of them unassisted. Whew!

    We met a nice couple named Jason and Kendra, who are from Guelph, Ontario. Neighbours to us in the grand scheme of things. The pair of them are a hoot. Kendra loves being in Curacao and has been a repeat offender for 7 or 8 times. We start to talk about travel and well there goes two hours. We hit it off immediately. Maybe someone to start travelling with? Time will tell if they can handle my kind of crazy. I sent her a link to this blog, so hopefully we'll see them again.

    I took a swim and then Gabi headed back up to the room and I laid around reading. I went back up to the room to get Gabi for lunch and she told me she couldn't get into the safe. Yesterday we couldn't open it, so I called down to the front desk and they sent someone up. Apparently the batteries were loose. I didn't even know they were battery operated. Today, I asked if we could get the batteries changed. After a wonderful lunch, Gabi went to the pool area and I headed up to wait for the safe to be opened. It had no power again and all our stuff was inside. The person who came up had to go and get a master unit to get into the safe. He changed the batteries and everything is good so far.

    We have booked a facial for Saturday at the spa and tomorrow we are going to try to do the sunset cruise again. Last year we went but the boat broke and we couldn't leave the dock. Let’s hope this year is better!

    Gabi and I spent the afternoon by the pool, they have great music going on. Everything from the 70’s, 80’s and 90's. Gabi could name every song and artist with just a couple of bars. Gabi went back up to the room and I spent some time jumping in and out of the water, chatting with Jason and Kendra and reading. This is a very relaxing trip so far.
    After a shower, we head down for a late dinner. Let's try seafood today. Gabi is not really a seafood people but she was a trooper for me. Gabi had the crab cake and lobster bisque while I had the crab cake and the chef’s special which was fish with rice and grilled vegetables. Both were amazing. Gabi was pleasantly surprised that the seafood was something she could like. Gabi had the key lime for desert and I had the coconut layer cake.

    Last night as we were coming back from dinner, they had a parade with drums and horns and people dressed in brightly coloured Mardi Gras costumes. It was fun to watch and listen to.

    Well tomorrow is another day.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao Again
    Day 2

    First full day in paradise

    November 29, 2023 in Curacao ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

    We woke early (for us) around 7 AM. The sun was hiding behind some clouds. Not real heavy cloud but enough to diffuse it. We still enjoyed the view. A little more about the room now. We are in a generous size room with two double beds. It is on the 5th floor and the balcony has an east facing view with partial ocean view. The bathroom is a good size as well with a bathtub this time. There is blessed air conditioning which also dehumidifies the room very well. It is actually very quiet here which is nice for afternoon siestas. The beds are very comfortable with 5 pillows each. I use only 1 but Gabi likes the horde of them. Mine end up on the floor. The room has everything you need from dual plugs (European and North American) and usb ports to coffee maker (but no tea). It doesn't seem fair that I can enjoy a coffee in the morning and Gabi can't have her tea. Today while out here, we spotted a cruise ship in port. Looks like a Royal Caribbean but hard to tell at this distance. There is a very nice breeze which makes the temperature bearable this early in the morning; a mere 28 Celsius or 82 F. The curtains in the room are very good at blocking out the light as well. There is plenty of closet and drawer space, safe and mini fridge filled daily. (Non-alcohol only) The bathroom is well appointed with towels, face clothes (we were missing those last year), shampoo/conditioner, soaps and toothbrushes. Hyatt has done very well here to make you comfortable.
    Once up and out of the room, we head down for breakfast. The buffet is right off the main lobby area, very convenient. They have everything you need for a healthy or less healthy breakfast. They will make omelets or fried eggs as well. They were a little shy on sweet rolls (Gabi’s favourite) but they did have everything else from fruit to meats to baked beans (for breakfast?).

    After breakfast Gabi heads upstairs and I find the nearest place for a Frappuccino. Then I find the nearest pool. I set myself up with a lounger and head into the pool. Ah yes, water. I’m home now. I think I should have been born a fish or at least a turtle. I just am more at home floating around in the water. I did manage 4 lengths of the pool in various forms of swimming which is pretty good for me. The pool has stairs going in and gradually gets deeper, I think I might get Gabi in the water this time! The loungers are comfortable but very low to the ground. There was no way I could get out of the thing without help. I am switching to the sun beds from now on.
    Gabi joins me after my swim because we have the almost obligatory sales pitch for their vacation club. We already belong to the lower level but the upsell to a higher level is obnoxious. It was very good at the first with a review of what we already have and how to use the app more. However, the upsell part is really pushy and the word no is not in their vocabulary. The answer was still no when we left.
    After a wonderful lunch at the buffet, we headed upstairs for a siesta. After which we head back to the pool. I manage another 4 laps, yay that's 8 for me today! The sunbeds are much easier to get out of. We read for a while and people watch. All of a sudden, it’s time to shower up for dinner.
    The shower has dual heads and plenty of hot water. What more could a girl want? The buffet closes after lunch around 3 pm then the specialty restaurants take over. We head to Portofino, the Italian restaurant. It is nicely tucked away in a courtyard with palm trees and twinkling lights. The food was exc ellent. I had the Caesar salad and the linguini with shrimp and salmon. Gabi had the cablese salad with the shrimp risotto. We both had the panna cotta for dessert. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised last night. I went with a glass of merlot and it was very, very nice. Last year as Sunscapes I tried several different wines and could not find one that was palatable. I guess coming from the wine region of Niagara has its drawbacks. However, way to go Dreams!

    After dinner we headed to the Casino. Yes, I try my luck. Gabi of course won, I of course lost. Back up to our room for some reading and then bed time. Tomorrow is another day and another adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao Again
    Day 1

    Here we go again...

    November 28, 2023 in Curacao ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

    We loved Curacao so much last year we are back but in a different resort.

    Our day started back on a cold November morning with Gabi getting picked up by the limo service at 5:50 am. They were at my place by 6:20 am. Our drive to the airport was slow most of the way due to accidents and volume. Surprise. The ride was very comfortable in a Toyota Highlander hybrid. It was -5 Celcius or 24 F for our friends south of the border. Of course, when we landed it was 29 C or 84 F.

    Once at the airport, we were through security in no time. We went to the Maple Leaf lounge to bide our time. However, apparently, we could not enter even if we wanted to pay. I am an Aeroplan member, but apparently, we had to pre-purchase our passes on the phone. Would have been nice to read this somewhere on the Air Canada website when I checked a few days ago. We ended up in the Priority lounge. The food was meh, there was very little service but it was quiet and comfortable for the couple of hours to wait. The flight boarded quickly and we actually left early. Gabi and I had aisle seats, which gave us marginally better leg room. The flight was smooth, the food for purchase in the economy seats was also meh. We were traveling with Rouge, which is a subsiduary of Air Canada. The seats are tight but doable.

    We landed early in Curacao, but immigration and customs took a while. I had booked private transport to our resort and they were indeed waiting for us. It was nice to have a whole van for just the two of us. We could leave immediately and not have to wait for others. We are staying at the Dreams Resort this time. A step up from last year. This resort has one main building with 5 stories. There is an elevator, so we aren't climbing the stairs. The room is nice with 2 double beds however, it is not an ocean view. The young lady that booked us in is going to change that tomorrow. We were given a welcome drink and then shown to our rooms. After we got out of our long pants, socks and shoes, we wandered around to check out the resorts. Unfortunately, we arrived when all the food places were closed so we had to wait until 6:30 to get dinner. It is just a long day without proper meals for us two old ladies.

    Our first dinner was as the Ocean Grille. Here is where our first issue with the resort starts. The lady who checked us in told us to download the app for the resort to get a map and menus for the restaurants. This is easily done. So we ask our server for our choices to find out that the menu on the app is not the correct one. We then had to download another menu. Really? Get it together Hyatt. Our meals were very good. I started with a salad and Gabi had the soup. I had the Maui Maui for dinner while Gabi chose the Surf and Turf. Both were very good. I had another pinacoloda and Gabi ordered a Dirty Monkey. Desserts were also nice and light after our meal. We did have friend drop by to join us for dinner. I'm thinking this is going to be a nightly thing. There are several other restaurants on the resort, so we will have to try them all.

    We headed back up to our rooms after the long travel day. See you tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 8

    From 40 C to 4 C, The Magic Of Flying

    November 25, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Well the day has come when we have to say good-bye to Curacao. We pack our bags and head out for breakfast. After one last omelet for me and crepe for Gabi we head back to the room to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything. We have a later flight so we don’t leave the resort until 1:30. Our luggage is whisked away and we head to the lobby to check out and wait for our bus to take us to the airport.

    We have filled out the pre-boarding on our phones so check in is even easier. The Curacao airport is small with only 8 gates. It is not crowded and is air-conditioned! A nice way to end the trip. We board on time and take off. We have a mimosa to celebrate our trip and settle in for our 5 hour flight. Dinner is good ( I think they have greatly improved air line food since Covid! ) , we both have the ginger chicken and salad. That done we settle in to read or write this blog.

    Our flight is good, some turbulence but that is to be expected. We land around 9:00 PM and debark in Toronto. I was reading an article on line while I was flying, Toronto airport has been voted as the #1 worst airport in North America for frustration level in passengers. As we head through the new security kiosks, I have a tendency to concur. It is crowed, unorganized and a pain in the ass. You still have to go through security anyway, not seeing the benefit to passengers. We get through security, I’m so glad we can skip the luggage retrieval part (yeah for carry-on luggage) and then head out to call for our limousine to take us home. This part doesn’t take to long by 10:00 PM we are in the limo and by 10:45 PM am home.

    It has been a good trip with no major hiccups. I think Gabi had a relaxing time as well.

    Since I took so many pictures yesterday, I’ll include some more in todays blog!    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 7

    Swinging Bridges And Lots Of Humidity!

    November 24, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    It is our last full day in Curacao today. We head into Willemstad for our trolley tour. First, we have breakfast at Di Marino’s and then get our stuff together to go into town. We had a thunderstorm last night and it is extremely humid today. We have had rain off and on this morning but it gave us a chance to check out our umbrellas.

    We take a taxi into town and he drops us off right at the trolley. It turns out that Victor, our VIP manager, has booked us a private tour! We have the whole trolley to ourselves with our own tour guide. Marvelous! Off we go! The lady tells us about the different houses and when they were built. Apparently, many people of the Jewish community came to Curacao to start businesses in the 1800’s, they built these beautiful houses all in the downtown area. They have been handed down to different generations or sold off over the years. Many have been converted into government offices or cultural centers.

    We stop at the Queen Of The Most Holy Rosary Cathedral. We head inside to take a look around. The church is plain but beautiful. The stations of the cross are all paintings done by a Flemish painter but the artist is unknown. The altar has beautiful stained glass but the sun is not shining on us at the moment so our imagination will have to do. Back in the trolley we head to the meeting point which is outside of Fort Amsterdam. We check out the fort where the solders were housed in barracks and protected the island from the British. There's even a cannon ball lodged in the side of the building. Now it is government offices and the residence of the Prime Minister and the Governor General of the Netherlands.

    When we finish with the tour, we head out on our own for a little walk. We check out some of the souvenir shops and back streets. They have unique street art on many of the buildings and that is as much of the culture as the food. They are also decorating for Christmas now as well. It seems out of place to see a Christmas tree in 40 degree weather. They have a street market as well where local people sell their wares along the waterfront. We make our purchases and head back to the main harbour area.

    When we were at the resort this morning, I saw a wonderful 3 mast schooner going by. It was quite hazy but I tried to get pictures the best I could. Well as we head back to the harbour, I see the same schooner parked here. You can check out the two pictures (side by side) to see it at sail and in the harbour.

    We stop at a waterfront café to rest and get something cold to drink and something to eat. The area here has a port area where the cruise ships anchor. There is currently one in port so the main area here is going to be busy. The town is split in two and connected with a swing bridge. This is an amazing engineering design where the bridge will detach from one side (with pedestrians and all) and swing open to allow smaller boats to enter the harbour. They have a warning horn that the bridge will swing and away it goes. I’m not sure of how often it does this but it is kind of unique. We have a nice lunch and some margaritas and watch the bridge swing and the boats come and go.

    After a nice lunch we are ready to head back to the resort. It has been a very hot and humid day today and we both desperately need some air conditioning. We will miss this heat in the middle of February at home!

    We have a rest and then head out for dinner. We head out to Di Marino’s for another wonderful meal. However, we are disappointed when we find it closed. The buffet is also closed. Apparently the buffet is being held on the beach tonight. It is a nice evening so this should be okay. They have tables set up on the beach, however they have crammed 10 to a table which is not doable if they are all adults. We arrive at 6:00 PM but apparently dinner was not ready yet. So, we picked a spot and waited along with everyone else. This of course created a line that wove through the tables so that you waited a good half hour in line to get your dinner. They ran out of plates half way through the line so more waiting. This was badly planned and poorly executed. If this is something they do on a regular basis it should be better planned. The other issue is trying to move your chairs in and out of the table while on sand! The chairs inevitably sank into the sand so you were off kilter. People in wheel chairs and with walkers had even more issues. This wouldn’t have been so bad if they had the other restaurants open for people to choose where to eat.

    Well tomorrow is our last day here. So, I head to the casino and Gabi heads back to the room to pack. At least one of us is responsible!    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 6

    Day At The Spa And A Wonderful Dinner

    November 23, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We have breakfast at Di Marino for breakfast. You can order omelets made to order, fruit plates, sweet breads (breakfast pastries) and such. We both do omelets with a side of bacon, a fruit plate and pastries to share. It is a very nice and relaxing breakfast.

    Today we have booked facials in the spa. They lather, scrub, message and warm towel us until we are floating away in to a land of bliss. They were about 45 minutes long and we come out feeling pampered. I think we have found something that can continue on when we get back home and want to treat ourselves. We spend the rest of the day relaxing and reading.

    We head back to Di Marino’s for dinner. In the evening, when open, it is an Italian restaurant. Unlike the Blue Grille, this experience was wonderful. The service was quick and the food…marvelous. We both had the vegetable linguini with a caprese salad to start. The food was delicious and in just the right amount for portions. The linguini was done with a basil and oil base with tender vegetables mixed in. We each had the passion fruit pudding for dessert. Once again, delicious. This restaurant has redeemed the resort from the other night.

    Tomorrow, we want to go into Willemstad to see the main port area where the cruise ships dock. They have a trolley tour that takes you around the historic city center. I have tried to book this from the first day we were here. There was a tour lady named Abigail, who I think was an Air Canada tour rep. Well, this has been a ridiculous endeavor from the get go. We were going back and forth on WhatsApp planning to meet up and book this tour. Once a meeting time and place was booked, she wouldn’t show or was an hour away. This went on for three days! I finally went to the VIP manager and he graciously booked it for us. I tried to message Abigail back and she still wouldn’t answer. If this is how they operate, Air Canada tours can go fly a kite!

    The manager, Victor (I believe) has been the perfect host. Anything we need or question we ask is dealt with quickly, efficiently and pleasantly. A big thank you to Victor for making our stay here lovely.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 5

    The Cruise That Wasn't.

    November 22, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We both had a nice sleep in this morning. I had a massage at the spa this morning. I haven't had a message in years and wonder why I haven't bothered to enjoy one. The young lady was wonderful and I always end a pile of goo when done.

    I take a nice swim in the ocean and then get ready for tonight.

    We are heading out for a sunset cruise this evening. We head off in the taxi. We arrive at the boat which is a catamaran, my favourite. We all load up and get a rum punch and settle in for our cruise. They start up the engines and then they quit. Oops. Let's try again. They quit again. The crew bounce around and check this and that. They try again and again. Then they cancel the tour. They try to make it fun and offer us another drink and some cheese. After an hour we get back on shore and wait for our transport back to the hotel.

    We get back to the hotel around 6:30 and decide to try out the Blue Grill restaurant. It is like a steakhouse restaurant here at the resort. We have seen a lineup every night so we are curious. We head over and wait in a small line up. We have to put our names down on a wait list and were told to come back in 20 minutes. Off we go like good little Canadians. We come back 30 minutes later and the hostess is nowhere to be found. We wait another 20 minutes for her to show up to her station where the lineup has grown very long again. The frustrating thing here is that we can see at least 6 empty tables but here we wait. We finally get seated and wait another 15 minutes for someone to come and take our drink orders. Then we wait another 15 minutes for them to come back with our drinks and then wait again for our orders to be taken. We both order the chicken florentine with a greek salad to start. We wait another hour for the food to get there. The greek salads come and they must be the Carribean version because in Greece they did come as a lettuce salad with a few olives, onions and cheese sprinkled on top! When we did get dinner, it looked good but the chicken was dry and the three potatoes wedges and couple of flouretts of broccoli were good. So basically it took us over 2 hours to get a meal that took us 30 minutes to eat and it was terrible. Yeah, not doing that again, not even picture worthy. The best thing about the dinner was the view of the water and the nice gentle breezes that accompanied them.

    Afterwards Gabi headed back to the room and I hit the casino. I actually won tonight, enough to cover most of the losses from previous nights.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    Day 4

    Checking Out A Different Resort - Dreams

    November 21, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    A change of pace for today. We are heading over to another resort in the Hyatt family of resorts called Dreams. They have a tour and we get a free breakfast over there. Might as well compare, right?

    The hotel here books us a taxi and off we go. On the way we get to see a little of the city. I love the tropical coloured houses and lots of cactus and plants.

    Dreams is a class above the one we are staying in. It recently renovated and different layout. While our resort is spread width wise and we have quite a trek to get from our room to the food and lobby areas, the Dreams resort is more centrally located with a 5 story main hotel with the lobby and main buffet right on the first floor. Easier to get coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening. They also have an elevator so you don’t need to book a ground floor room to avoid the stairs. Dreams is also set back from the main road so you don’t hear the traffic like we do here.

    The rooms we saw were the penthouse suite, with a mini bar area, sitting area, dual TV’s and a large bathroom with a walk-in closet. We also saw a standard room with 2 queen size beds a nice bathroom and still a large balcony. This is probably the room that we would book being the average Joes. The grounds are nice with all the amenities you would expect: spa, several bars, several pools, beach area, sun loungers, different restaurants for varied food options.

    The food is also a notch above where we are currently staying. They had a better variety for both breakfast and lunch. Presented better with covered dishes, properly labelled and with a better layout and flow. They also had more selections and just looked fresher. The wait staff was more attentive and we felt more valued there.

    I also liked the view a little better. It was tucked into a cove area where you could see another part of the city from the resort. I don’t know if the swimming was better because we didn’t go in the ocean there.

    We didn’t get back until after 4:00 PM and were exhausted! Nap time before we head to the casino and a bite to eat.

    Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerCuracao - Girls Week Out
    11111111
    Day 3

    Relaxing Day Here, More About The Resort

    November 20, 2022 in Curacao ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today we lounge around the resort and enjoy the amenities here. So, I thought today we could show you where we are staying. Somehow, we ended up in a wheelchair accessible room. While this means that there is more open floor space for a wheelchair to move around there are also a few things different.

    We have two queen size beds, which are very comfortable. They are a little high for me but Gabi is used to the height from home. There is a wardrobe with drawers underneath and a nice dresser that has more drawers and a mini fridge stocked with water, pop and beer. This is replenished daily at no charge. Gabi and I only drink the water but for someone who does drink pop and beer this would be great! We have a nice patio area because we are ground floor. There is a drying rack for your bathing suits and a couple of chairs with a table.

    Just a few feet away is the adults only pool which is an infinity pool where you can see the ocean from. Back in our room we have a very spacious bathroom. As I mentioned above this is a wheelchair accessible room, therefore there is no bathtub but a wheel in shower. There are plenty of grab bars and a comfort height toilet. The only issue we have is that there are no counters. The sink is a ‘floating’ sink so a wheelchair can role underneath it. Since there are no counters there is nowhere to put your toiletries. This is a pain for us. I have come up with a unique solution to this problem. Take a look and let me now if you like it! Also, don’t forget this on your next trip if you need extra space. You can adjust the height to whatever you need. I actually got this hack off of a YouTube travel video.

    The grounds here are nice with all the tropical plants you can imagine. The sounds of the birds, the sounds of the ocean and the tropical music all combine for a relaxing atmosphere. There are 5 different restaurants and most are open air. There are also many pools but they all close at 6:00 PM. They also have shuffleboard, checkers and a bean bag toss game for all to use.

    I have a few more shots of the wildlife that is here on the grounds. The birds here are amazing and very colourful. They are also little bandits when it comes to the restaurants. They even steal the sugar packets off the tables!

    All in all a nice place for a relaxing stay by the ocean.    Read more

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