Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Lori and Sue in Fantasic Rome 2009 - Perillo Tours

Warm & sunny Aloha from Maui,

Wow! It's that time again... I hope you have had a good year and are healthy, happy and anticipating a joyful holiday season.

Thanksgiving Day reminded me to reflect again on all the blessings I have. Along with good health, I am grateful for a loving family and friends, the personal freedom we have in the USA, and the ability to travel the world. It is priceless to be able to experience other cultures, make new friends and create wonderful memories.

This has been a year of great adventures. Please allow me to share some with you. (pictures)

In April, a friend and I enjoyed a wonderful tour of Rome, Italy with the fabulous Perillo Tours. (they are the experts on Italy and if you have never been I highly recommend going with Perillo as the group size is small and intimate and they get you to the front of the lines. Their guides are personable and really add an insiders flavor to what you are seeing. The cuisine in Rome was "delizioso".

From there, I was off to to Berlin, Germany where my twin daughters are living together and teaching school. I thoroughly enjoyed touring that amazing city with them and the Brauts were great too! The three of us then went to Spain for their Spring break. We visited, Barcelona and also went by train to Valencia. Such fun and so much to see and do. We were on a quest for the best Paella in Spain and consumed much Sangria, and as girls must do, we went shopping! The famous architectural wonders of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona were fabulous. Valencia was lovely, with wonderful historic sites, beautiful parks, and there were those delicious Valencia oranges!

DuavataIn September, I returned to my beloved Fiji with my good friend and fellow dive pal, Rachel, from Maui Dreams Dive Co. Being avid divers as well as gals who appreciate luxury and pampering, we enjoyed 3 glorious nights at Namale Resort and Spa, residing in the breathtaking Duavata Villa. Our last 4 nights were truly heavenly spent at Qamea Resort and Spa. Fiji's underwater world is like watching the movie Finding Nemo. Maui's has great sealife to behold also, but it's tough to compete with sites in Fiji like Rainbow Reef, or the Great White Wall in Taveuni. We came home with huge smiles on our faces!

In November it was a week in Seattle, and a stay at the beautiful Westin Hotel downtown to celebrate with my father his 91st Birthday! He sure loved sleeping in their signature "Heavenly Bed" and so did I, even his snoring right next to me failed to disturb my slumber. My dad attributes his long and happy life thus far to setting goals and then reaching them. One of them was to see all 50 states by the age 75. He accomplished it and has visited 14 countries! His motto is "always have a trip to planned to look forward to" He plans to come back to Maui in March!.
I agree with my Dad and I also believe the slogan "we don't live to work, we work to live"! Traveling to great destinations and learning new things is really LIVING!

I hope you will call or email me and let's plan your next travel adventure, or just to say hello. I would love to hear from you!

I wish you the very happiest holidays and beautiful memories made with your loved ones.
Warm aloha,
Lori




Lori Evans
Direct:1-213-784-6135 or Toll Free 866-369-4068
Lori@McCoyTravel.com