Faye - Aloha from Sunny Kona

Warm Aloha from sunny Kona,

I hope you had a very enjoyable summer! As your travel consultant I like to stay in touch with you to share important travel news and give you first hand reports of the places I have visited recently. I do this to help you with suggestions of where to go and the best values and experiences offered there. I know how time consuming and overwhelming it can be looking at all the websites and information... after a while they all start to look the same!

Having just returned to our Beautiful “Big” Island of Hawaii after my month long visit to Australia to visit my family, I am enjoying settling back in to island life. (don't miss the Movie "Australia")!

Halloween was spectacular this year and so much fun. A visit to the local theatre to watch a production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and then to the Kona Village Block Party – which is becoming quite an event. Kona Local people tend to be a fun loving group and we certainly had a great time! I am looking forward to next year already!

My passion this year has been Outrigger Canoeing. Three mornings a week I leave my home before dawn to be at Keauhou Harbour to join my paddling team of 7 “Masters” (a mixed group of men and women in their 40’s and 50’s) and be out on the water by 6.30am. It is so beautiful to watch the sun rise over our magnificent Mt Hualalai. We often take a swim from the Outrigger before heading back to the harbour by 7.30am. It is a fantastic way to start the day!

We have been blessed to see dolphins recently and eagerly await the return of the Humpback whales. Kona has near perfect weather year round and even winter time will see us enjoying this amazing lifestyle.

By February our highest mountain (in fact the highest island mountain in the world) will be capped in snow. A local tradition involves filling the back of pickup trucks with snow and taking it down to e beach for snowball fights. We did this last year much to the amusement of beach goers enjoying a sunny afternoon at Hapuna Beach Park. Where else can you view snowcaps while getting a suntan at the beach!
Madam Pele, our resident volcano goddess, is very active this year and we are seeing some spectacular lava flows on our South shore. The Volcanoes National Park has a plume visible in the Caldera of Mt Kilaeua. Helicopter sightseeing is very popular and wonderful way to view the volcano.

Hawaii is very affordable at the moment. The hike in fuel costs put airline pricing to a new higher level this year and this is seeing many Resorts and Hotels lowering their rates to accommodate mainland travelers to offset these higher airfares. There are many great deals to be had. Also the South Pacific Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Cook Islands etc are offering tremendous savings to the traveler from the US due to the exchange rate for instance today $1 USD = $1.48 Australian $1.69 New Zealand and $1.78 Fijian Dollars! Making South Pacific destinations a wonderful idea right now! Don’t wait for the dollar to rise – Book now to get the best deals.

I take my role as your personal travel consultant very seriously, using my resources to “shop” for the best resort options for you and best air fares. This saves you time and money and gives you peace of mind that your vacation will be stress free! Consider me your “ travel advocate” both before and during your travel, as I look out for you every step of the way. Having that assurance is critical these days with rapidly changing events.

I’m here for your last minute and future travel plans, no matter what they are.
McCoy Travel and Cruise is a fantastic company to work for – we have many wonderful contract rates which offer great savings for you. McCoy recently celebrated 15 years in business and is growing stronger every year. You are definitely in good hands here!

We are looking forward to a warm Hawaiian winter with crisp clear sunny days! I hope to see you here at some point in your future travels. Thank you again for your patronage. Past and “future” :)

Warm regards,
Faye


Faye Bartlett
Direct:1-213-784-0210 or 800-588-3454 ext.129

Lori Evans Travel Reviews June 2008

Warm Aloha from sunny Maui,

I hope this finds you enjoying the first days of summer! As your travel consultant I like to stay in touch with you to share important travel news and give you firsthand reports of places I’ve visited recently. I do this to help you with suggestions of where to go, and the best values and experiences offered there. I know how time consuming and overwhelming it can be looking at all the website's and information... after awhile they all start to look the same!

I take my role as your personal travel consultant very seriously, using my resources to “shop” for the best resort options for you and best air fares. This saves you time and money and gives you peace of mind that your vacation will be stress free! Consider me your “ travel advocate” both before and during your travel, as I look out for you every step of the way. Having that assurance is critical these days with rapidly changing events. Both ATA and Aloha Airlines went bankrupt suddenly this year, within a few days of each other. Those who booked their flights on their own suffered the loss as they were left stranded and had to buy new tickets on other carriers. I am happy to say that each of my clients who were booked on those airlines were all reassigned and had little to no loss at all..

While airfares have increased due to fuel costs, the resorts in most destinations are being responsive to that so there are some very good specials for the destinations you would want to visit. Many top resorts in Hawaii, Mexico, Caribbean, Fiji and Tahiti are offering some great packages. There are good last minute specials too. If you haven't booked your Holiday travel yet you need to do so immediately. Call now to talk about your options.

Toll free 800/588-3454 ext.105 Direct: 213/784-6135

Fiji has some really great specials! Some resorts are offering all meals free.
Many are offering multiple nights Free! The famous Vatulele Island Resort , now being managed by the renowned Six Senses Resorts has a introductory special they are offering some two for one nights in their Deluxe Beach bures! Stay for 8 and pay for only 4! Unbelievable! Is Vatulele calling you, now is the time to answer!

A new 5 star resort called Taunovo Bay Resort & Spa on the main island in Pacific Harbor features gorgeous private villas and suites, each with private pools and spa tubs. They have a grand opening special now till Dec 23.. a 50% savings on nightly rates! This 1000 acre property is stunning and convenient to lots of activities..white water rafting and world class diving in the famous Beqa lagoon are just a few.

In April, I visited the beautiful Shangri-la Fijian Resort on the Coral Coast in Fiji. Their new Chi Village Spa is the only one like it in the South Pacific. Their signature treatment is called “Dusk till Dawn”. The name gives you a hint of the heavenly experience awaiting you. You enter your private Spa bure at dusk (5:30PM) and have numerous treatments, are fed a delicious meal and then put to bed afterwards in that same private bure. Talk about sweet dreams! You are awakened the next morning and served breakfast on your spa bure deck followed by a one hour facial. I literally floated out after 14 hours of sheer relaxation and treatments. Oh and the same night I stayed, a couple who had gotten married in the beautiful resort wedding chapel were spending their wedding night with a couple’s Dusk till Dawn treatment. How romantic is that?

I spent 10 days in New Zealand and it was wonderful. If you have not yet visited NZ and have the desire to go..call me. Typically, the early months of the year are the best weather. February and March had exceptionally warm and sunny weather this year.

To see some photos from these recent trips and others please click here.

Thank you again for allowing me to help plan your vacations and finding the perfect destinations for you. Hearing about your trips and seeing pictures is such a joy! Did you know that you can receive “referral bonuses” of $100 in travel credit towards your future vacation for each travel package I help your friends book? Be sure they mention you referred them so the credit will be yours!

Mahalo Nui Loa!


Lori Evans,
Toll Free 866-369-4068 on Maui: 213-784-6143 x105