Princess at Riu Palace


Last December I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a Love Mexico convention for travel agents to learn and promote Mexico as a wedding destination and/or honeymoon place. This is my second year participating in this event. It’s amazing the amount of information that we bring back home, from brochures, bags, office materials, business cards and much more. All the meetings, the vendors,the conferences, the wonderful meals were excellent. But for me living an experience speak millions of words to my heart. Even if I want to write here about the conferences that we listened to, or mention all the vendors I met, or even if I want to tell you that Mexico have amazing facilities to celebrate weddings it’s hard for me to point out all of them with detail information.

I brought home lots of information, yesterday I filed all out and it’s going to be there if I need it at any moment. There is something that I can not file in a cabinet, but I can share with you. Those were the experiences that I lived over there. The last two days of my Mexico experience, after the conferences were over some of us have the blessing to stay in one of the hotels in Puerto Vallarta to experience Mexico hospitality. Well, I was able to be a princess with Riu for two days. At least I felt like that, first I stayed at Riu Palace in Nueva Vallarta and second they treated us super nicely.

The first night we got there we were able to enjoy the resort at our leisure. I left everything in my room and went to eat at the buffet. There were so many options, so many flavors, colors , smells, desserts, it was really hard to decide what to eat. After my food coma I walk a little bit before going to bed.

I woke up early in the morning, went to the buffet again. We had a full day of activities with the Riu people but we didn’t have any idea how much fun was going to be. We visited the other two Riu’s property in Nuevo Vallarta. Each Riu have its own good characteristics and each accommodate different budgets without loosing luxury and comfort.

Riu Jalisco

Very nice property, all inclusive and friendly for your pocket. Loved the Christmas decoration!

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Riu Vallarta

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Oh Riu Vallarta! This place is amazing! I don’t know if the day I was there was so perfect that I had that impression, but I just can say good things about this place. This property will ask a little bit more of your money that Riu Jalisco, but will have other amenities that will compensate that.

Before  continuing about this property I will make a pause to tell you something that apply for the three properties, actually it applies to all Riu properties in general.

All Riu’s properties have Scuba Caribe for all your beach sport activities. They offer kayak, wind surfing, surfing boards and more all include with your stay at the hotel. We had the opportunity to enjoy some of this great and fun activities thanks to the Scuba Caribe manager, Nicole Merz. She spoil us really good. After letting us play in the water during the day, in the afternoon she also offer us a massage at Renova Spa which she also manage. You always will find this two companies at every Riu’s property. There is nothing better than to have fun in the sun and later relax at the spa, I guarantee you they will treat you like royalty.

After an amazing day of fun and relaxation with a magnificent massage, Riu management at the Riu Palace (where I stayed) prepared an exquisite dinner for us at the beach over the sunset. Imagine the great reception for a wedding that you can have here! Let me show you so you can have an idea of what it could be.


If you want to know more about Puerto Vallarta, my experience at Riu or anything about travel just let me know.

Until then,

xamlinnette 🙂

Been A Tourist Is Not A Bad Thing

 I don’t know why travelers see the word tourist with a bad connotation. Tourist means someone who travel for pleasure. Travelers and tourist both travel for pleasure. Now, the motive behind that pleasure might be different. I looked up the difference between a traveler and a tourist, and my conclusion base on what I read is that a tourist is on a fast pace schedule with a camara trying to cover as much as they can in a short period  of time. A traveler don’t have a schedule, they submerged themselves on the culture, they try to blend in with the locals, they are not in a hurry. I get it and I understand it too. I have a heart of a traveler but giving the circumstances, I am a tourist everywhere I go. I work full-time, my vacation time is limited. I get excited with every new place I visit, which I wish I can stay for ever but I can’t. Because I can’t, I carry my camara to glimpse as much as I can of everything I see in the limited time I have. For now until I quit my job, I can only have a heart of a traveler and just be a tourist. I know there are people that they are only tourist and for ever they will be tourist, no heart of a traveler. But you know what? That’s ok too. 

 
Until then,
xamlinnette

How TravelmyStories was born?

 
 

Before I ever dream about travelmyStories, long time ago everything started with a divorce, no cable in my new place, Rick Steve, and a notebook where I started to write how I felt to let all my frustrations out.

I learned that from every bad experience something good come out of it. My circumstances back then,sure didn’t look any good. After my divorce my budget was limited. I didn’t have cable TV on my little apartment. The weekends that my kids were with their dad, I watched public TV. There was Rick Steve for me all weekend…literally. I didn’t have anything else to see, PBS was the only thing I had, and for some reason during the weekends the Rick Steve programs were on all they long. At the begin it was a whatever moment for me, but later I started dreaming and traveling with Rick Steve every weekend. 
At the same time I learned to love writing, when writing was my only way to express my troubles of that time. Without noticing my writings looked like poems or romantic thoughts. They had some kind of rhythm. I share them with some people. I continue writing songs, stories for church dramas and more. One day a friend of mine ask me why I didn’t write a blog. The rest is history. I took a while to be what it is now, but that is how everything started,that is the origin of my blog.
Now, how I combine that with the travel side of Travelmystories?
Traveling stayed in my mind like a dream. I thought it was going to be impossible for me to travel, as a single mom and two kids. I didn’t see it happening. Still I tried to explore a little close to home (Florida). Vacation has always be a big deal to me even if we “travel” around the corner. Then I met my husband, a pilot that loved traveling but didn’t do it much because didn’t want to do it alone. 
Together we filled each others empty spaces and we travel. 
 
TravelmyStories still a dream, because I can’t yet travel as much as I want, still a dream because I still not inspiring to travel all the people I want. Still a dream because I can’t quit my job yet. But that is the reason I became a travel agent, and that is how travelmystories is my little travel agency as well. That is the origin of travelmystories.net. 

Until then,
xamlinnette 🙂