Mexico: Andaz Mayakoba

After hotel hopping quite a bit this year, I've come to realize I am alllll about that lobby and entrance to a hotel. You wouldn't know if you walked up to my house and saw the half dead potted plant that greets you, but truly, I live for the wow factor when I arrive to a new hotel. The front desk agent was trying to move forward with their check in process, meanwhile my head was in the clouds. You can't blame me though, because at the Andaz Mayakoba, their lobby is an open air and mostly open ceiling space (not a room). Modern, chic, but understated. It made me curious enough to come back in the evening to see what it would be like with the night sky.  

So with my welcome drink in hand (hibiscus juice with tequila- yum!), me and the front desk agent hopped on a golf cart and she whisked me away to show me some of the property and to check me into my room! After passing the spa and one of the restaurants, you'll round the corner and you'll see the first lagoon on the property. That's where you can find their more upscale restaurant, "Casa Amate". Each time I came to this view, no matter the time of the day, I would stop my bike and grab my camera or phone out for a photo.

Bike? This is one one of the lovely perks of staying at a property in Mayakoba. They leave bikes in front of your rooms, the restaurants, the spa, really everywhere you look you can find one to use. Though I didn't see people biking everywhere while I was there, and sometimes I didn't even see another golf cart on the paths, I had them all to myself! I hopped on the bike when I wanted to go to breakfast, when I went down to the beach and when I went down to the beach area for dinner. The little rides made me feel a bit better about the large amounts of guacamole I was consuming. 

This property is still fairly new, so occupancy was low because people are still beginning to discover it. So go discover it, before everyone else does! But I'm not done filling you in with my "why" list, so hold on while I finish with a couple of other reasons. I'll post a photo of one reason right here:

The beach is pretty darn special. A white sand beach, beautiful water and this cute little bent palm. I walked down to the beach and one of the staff ran up to me, to offer to carry my beach bag to a chair and umbrella of my choice. I think I opened a door once or twice the whole time I was on the property, there was always someone around to assist or ask if I needed something. 

Are you still needing more convincing? My photos aren't enough? So here's where things get exciting, at least this is what did it for me when I found this detail out. When staying at 1 of the 4 properties in the Mayakoba gated community, you can go and dine or visit the other properties. They have complimentary shuttles, either you take a golf cart or a car to the other hotels. Wait, you can even take the boat through the lagoon from certain hotel to hotel. The other hotels are the Fairmont, Rosewood and Banyan Tree. So for someone that needs a change of scenery, go and enjoy dinner at one of the other properties one evening! You'll be happy that you did, they are all fabulous in their own way. To top that off, you can still have that resort feel, don't even fret about bringing your wallet or purse with you, you can just tell the restaurant what hotel & room number you have and they'll charge it straight to your room.

Johannesburg: Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa

Usually when I start a story with “I felt like I was in a movie!” I mean more of the comedy type. This was something else entirely. After a 30 minute drive from the Johannesburg airport, a quick check in with the gate guards, my driver took me up the driveway, through groves of trees, branches hugging each other overhead making the most lovely of entrances. I leaned forward in my seat, peaking ahead, ready to take in the first glimpse of the Saxon. I believe I said “holy…moly.” My driver said, “yes madam, it’s one very beautiful place, I think you will enjoy yourself.” Please read that last quote with the sweetest South African accent possible. Even he was smiling when he said it. 

I arrived early in the morning and the hotel was quiet. I sat out on their terrace waiting for my room to be ready, sipping cup after cup of wonderful coffee. Mostly just because I could and I also knew I would need the energy when trying not to nap later. The staff had come by a second time, asking me if I was sure I didn't want a blanket or a heater nearby my table. I laughed because the weather was absolute perfection. Just a light crispness was still hanging in the air, but you could tell the day was still just heating up. For them, the locals...this was chilly! 

I did a quick 30 minute work out in their beautiful gym, which is not how I would describe the gym I go to normally. Afterwards, I walked passed their pool, which tempted me to take off my sneakers right there and to just jump in. I resisted and checked into my suite. Yes, you heard that right, because The Saxon is an all suite hotel. Each of them have a sitting area with large over stuffed chairs, a desk, a terrace or balcony, large king size beds and the bathroom of your dreams. At least the bathroom of my dreams! 

With this property having a fabulous spa, two restaurants, a bar, the swanky cigar lounge and several different outdoor seating options...I can see why people may just want to add an extra night here to enjoy the hotel and all that it has to offer. 

Though you can get a little bit of an idea of what the hotel and it's gorgeous grounds are like from my photos, what I would really like to shine some light on, is the service level of the hotel. Whoever trains the staff at the Saxon, they do a vey good job, it's something that really stuck with me after I left the hotel. I was always asked if I needed anything, asked if they could assist me with my bags, they even asked if they could carry my drink from breakfast back to my room for me. These genuine and warm smiles from the staff made me settle in very quickly. Staying in a hotel like this, it could easily go on the stuffy side of things, but the servers, the front desk agents, the room attendants, they are the ones to bring life to this property. 

I know some interior designers that would go absolutely crazy for these details- crazy in a good way of course!

The breakfast- which I remember being very annoyed that I wasn't hungry enough to fully enjoy!

This was the first hotel that I stayed at during my time in South Africa. I specifically remember saying to my mom on skype, that this was either the best start to a really good vacation or the worst start, because how could other hotels be as fabulous as this one was to me?! I look forward to sending clients to this hotel and I am confident that they will be well taken care of, just as I was. 

Dubious about Dubrovnik

I wasn't sure I was going to love it, but I was open minded. As the hotel lobby doors slid open, I began walking straight to the back side of the lobby, to where the floor to ceiling windows beckoned me forward. I was halfway there when I realized I hadn't even unloaded my big bag yet, so the view would have to wait just a few more minutes. I decided to quickly check into my room and then go and take the view in afterwards. Fast forward to me running across my room to my balcony, clumsily dropping my bags just past the door when I entered.

From my balcony this was the view to the left of the hotel -->

And this was my view to the right-->

This was the moment that I realized I had overthought things. I completely overthought the fact of what makes this city wonderful-and I hadn't even been inside the city walls yet! I would look passed the crowds, the tourist shops and appreciate what the city is and how it still stands. It's like when people tell me they didn't enjoy Rome...how can you not appreciate Rome?! 

Dubrovnik surprised me. It gave me joy to wander it's streets and it really made me think about the old way of life here. It also made me walk with extreme care- those darn streets are slick, I can't imagine what it's like when it rains there! Something I also underestimated was how big the walls of the town were. I urge you to read up on the history of the walls before heading up to walk the length of them and to circle around the city. They've withstood a great deal and a trip to Dubrovnik requires a walk around on it's walls!

Get yourself to Croatia during the shoulder seasons (April-May and September to November). Timing your travels can save you money and sanity as I tell my clients! My trip was in October and we truly lucked out with the weather, it was phenomenal. I had packed boots, sweaters, tights and even scarves! What I really needed was good shoes, light pants or a dress and just a cardigan. In the evenings it cooled off, but we still sat out in the squares, enjoying taking our time, ordering dessert just because we were on vacation and a bottle of wine, because we had no where to be! 

In the evenings it cooled off, but just barely. We took to the stairs which lead us to the next level of the city and walked the alleyway of restaurants that flowed into the walkways. We went from restaurant to restaurant, reading the menus and waiting until we found the one that most appealed to us. We enjoying taking our time, ordering a local bottle of wine, finishing it slowly- after all, we had nowhere to be! Then somehow we always made room for dessert, our excuse for that, was that we were on vacation (calories don't count). Slow travel is the cool, new, hip thing to enjoy, so slip your phone into your purse, sit back in your seat and take in your surroundings. 

I do wish I had made some time to kayak around in the area. The water is absolutely gorgeous and each day we saw groups of kayakers out and about in the area. 

Some of my favorite photos of the town, yes, two of them involve cats! Croatian cats!

The photo below was just nearing the end of our time on the walls, which was as the sun was setting, the light was fantastic. We saw the people from the Windstar cruises getting back in line to head back to their boat for the night. Things really quieted down in the evenings. Apart from the guitarists that take their stand outside of the restaurants and sing love songs to the patrons, hoping for a little tip to be thrown in their hat after each song. 

I'll end this post with a little game, something that you must find when traveling to Dubrovnik. If you find the strange and oddly placed gargoyle, which is set just a couple of feet off of the ground and on an old wall, here is your challenge: 

You must stand on the gargoyle, facing toward he wall, keep your balance! And take your shirt off. Call me crazy, but legend has it that if you can pull this off, luck in love will follow. Though I'd like to mention that I do wonder when the whole "take your shirt off" thing was added into the legend...