Welcome, Foolish Muggles! IoA/US/MK/SW *July 2013 Trip Report Link*

[natebenma]

Hi Dee
Just popped in to see how you got on on your anniversary trip (we are 25years next year but no trip planned-yet). Love your opening photos. Very cute on the beach
Room views are amazing but I'm kinda hoping you choose the penthouse so that I get to see what 1 looks like Might be my only chance

Hope you're still on track for your summer school trip (fingers crossed for good grades for Nate)

Thanks so much for checking out my report!

You should definitely plan a getaway to celebrate your special milestone. We are SO glad we did!

So far, so good on the June school trip. Nate's grades still stink, but his effort grades have improved, and that was the issue with his probation. We have one more report card (in April I think), so keep those fingers crossed for a little while longer!

 

[natebenma]

Let’s take a walk!


As I mentioned, this property consists of 2 resorts- El Conquistador, which is a convention hotel and family property and Las Casitas, which has villa style accommodations and is more upscale. Both resorts are perched on cliffs that overlook the ocean or in some cases, have breathtaking views of the golf course or the peaks of El Yunke rainforest.

The two resorts are separated by the Golden Door Spa (didn’t try it)

As you enter El Con property, you come to a terraced area and the activities pool.

Swim up bar

To the lobby of El Con- there was a small casino, arcades, several shops with gifts, clothing, art, etc. some restaurants, checkin desk, tour desk (where we signed up for the Rainforest Tour we will take on Tuesday)

Guess I mostly took pictures of the birds…

Continued in next post

 

[natebenma]

Let's take a walk! (continued)

To the scenic glass-front elevators which take you down from the lobby level to the outdoor shops and the funiculars:

The walkway between the elevators and the funiculars had shops on your left and beautiful vistas on your right:

Here are the funiculars you had to ride to get to the Marina level. I don’t know if there were any other options.

Once, we saw one of the other cars stop about 10 feet from the top. With the door open! It started moving in a few minutes, but I’m so glad we weren’t on that car. People in our car commented that it was good there were no kids on that one. I said “THAT’S how we got rid of OUR kids!”

This is the ferry to Palomino Island (see you soon). Also on the marina level is the Coqui Waterpark, but we have to wait until Wednesday for that.

After getting the lay of the land/our bearings at the resort, we sat down for some breakfast, returned to our room and got ready to head out to the beach. It is around 9:30 AM.

Next up: Palomino Island- A near miss and a casualty!

 

[HockeyMomR]

Dee - thanks for taking us on the lay of the land tour - beautiful pictures!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

OMG those pictures are beautiful!!!
My kids would love those giant games.
Why doesn't Disney have a swim up bar!!??? That would be awesome!!

Deb

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh my word! Everything is absolutely beautiful! If that was the lower quality room, then I can't wait to see what the higher priced one looks like.

 

[jenneth79]

You sneaky one, you! I just realized you added your TR in your old TR. I assure you I have now caught up and I'm looking forward to reading more.

I adore the wedding picture at the beginning!

We need to go on a tropical cruise or vacation or something soon. Those blue waters and skies....

Looks like a rather nice (and quiet) resort. Was this considered off season or do you think it's always like that?

Looking forward to more!

 

[natebenma]

Dee - thanks for taking us on the lay of the land tour - beautiful pictures!!

My pleasure! The grounds of the resort were absolutely gorgeous. We loved just walking around.

OMG those pictures are beautiful!!!
My kids would love those giant games.
Why doesn't Disney have a swim up bar!!??? That would be awesome!!

Deb

Thank you!

I have never seen a huge Connect 4 game before. Looked like fun!

I think Disney is not necessarily promoting the whole "bar scene" thing.

Oh my word! Everything is absolutely beautiful! If that was the lower quality room, then I can't wait to see what the higher priced one looks like.

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what category the rooms we had were, I just know we booked the cheapest category available. To answer a question coming up, the resort was not busy at all, so I think they were pretty generous in where we were placed. Might as well make guests happy.

You sneaky one, you! I just realized you added your TR in your old TR. I assure you I have now caught up and I'm looking forward to reading more.

I adore the wedding picture at the beginning!

We need to go on a tropical cruise or vacation or something soon. Those blue waters and skies....

Looks like a rather nice (and quiet) resort. Was this considered off season or do you think it's always like that?

Looking forward to more!

I'm really glad you're here! I'm gonna be stealing a couple of things from your reports in my next update...

I decided that since this is not really a "Disney" TR, I would sneak it in here.

Mark and I love the tropics! We did a lot of traveling together before the kids were born, and have taken the boys on a couple of cruises, to Mexico, Jamaica and the Bahamas so I would be glad to give recommendations if anyone wants them. Have you and Mike visited any place in the Caribbean?

Definitely not busy at the resort during out stay. I think we were traveling in between the New England vacation weeks and Spring Break week for a lot of the country. Since this was not an all-inclusive resort, I don't necessarily think it is a place that would attract Spring Breakers anyway. Plus, as part of the US, I'm guessing drinking age is 21, not 18 like it is on some of the islands.

It was a little busier at El Con- there was a Firestone convention and maybe another one going on while we were there, but there were no waits for anything and restaurants were really not busy.

 

[mnmrmustard]

Hey Dee,

I too was caught off guard that you had added a mini-TR to your finished one, very sneaky

Congrats on 25 years in, that's fantastic!

Oh, and seeing your wedding photo I had to post one of ours (Roxy and I are coming up on our 18th anniversary) since it seemed we had similar styles both in yours/Roxy's dresses and Mark/My tuxes:

I can't believe the two of you didn't just collapse in those beds after being up all night. It looked like a beautiful pair of resorts. Was there a good sea breeze to keep the humidity down? I thought it was funny that the place looked deserted in all of the pics until you got to the one of the swim-up bar

Can't wait to see/hear about more of your adventures down there

 

[natebenma]

Hey Dee,

I too was caught off guard that you had added a mini-TR to your finished one, very sneaky

Congrats on 25 years in, that's fantastic!

Oh, and seeing your wedding photo I had to post one of ours (Roxy and I are coming up on our 18th anniversary) since it seemed we had similar styles both in yours/Roxy's dresses and Mark/My tuxes:

I can't believe the two of you didn't just collapse in those beds after being up all night. It looked like a beautiful pair of resorts. Was there a good sea breeze to keep the humidity down? I thought it was funny that the place looked deserted in all of the pics until you got to the one of the swim-up bar

Can't wait to see/hear about more of your adventures down there

So glad you found the report and are reading along. I didn't think I could do a stand-alone TR seeing this is a Disney board and all that.

Oh, wow, the styles are similar! The hat, the dress style, the tux color and the color of the dress

Surprisingly, we still have quite a bit of life in us and we won't be resting up for many more hours. Breakfast and coffee really helped!

It was very very comfortable. Yes, there was definitely a sea breeze, sometimes a little stronger than I cared for, but temps were in the upper seventies to mid-80s for most of the trip. However a little rain may fall...

 

[natebenma]

Palomino Island: A casualty and a near miss

I have saltwater in my veins. I love everything about the beach- the beautiful colors in the water, the sounds, the sand, the salt. When I am on vacation, I like to be able to just take a walk on the beach whenever I want to.

The main drawback to this resort is that it is not directly on the beach. But we knew going in that access to the beach on Palomino Island would be by ferry. And the clifftop setting of the resort gave spectacular views of the ocean, so that was great. Reviews of the island on sites like Trip Advisor described the beach on Palomino Island as a “Slice of Paradise”. More important to us, there were very favorable reviews of the snorkeling on the island.

Picture taken from Coqui Water Park

Ferry Service to the Island runs from 9 am to 3 pm, on the half-hour (ALLEGEDLY).

We arrived at the dock very close to 10, but there was no boat. And we could tell one had not left recently, because you can see the route out to the island. We were told the next boat would be around 10:30. It seems like boats weren’t running quite as frequently as promised, probably due to the low occupancy at the resort.

While we waited, we checked at the on-resort dive shop about an excursion we wanted to take: All day snorkeling and beach tour to Cuelebra and Cuelebrita island, with lunch on the beach. We learned this tour was only running on Saturday and Sunday this week, so we wouldn’t be able to do this. Instead we decided we would try a Rainforest Tour for Tuesday (tomorrow).

It started sprinkling as we waited for the boat and the clouds looked pretty dark over Palomino Island. We considered bailing on heading over to the island, but I thought we should go and check it out.

The ferry boat arrived and we took the 15-20 minute journey. The water was a little choppy, but the ride was comfortable enough for us. By the time we arrived at the island it had stopped raining and the sun was playing peek-a-boo.


You get really nice views of the resort from the ferry:

Views to the Left

Views to the Right

My review of the island:

Pros:

Beautiful- the quiet bay, looking out onto Palominto Island, looking back at the resort/mountains

Lots of chairs and shade available (maybe due to the low crowd levels)

Towel pickup and drop off at the dock

Lots of activities: horseshoes, soccer, basketball, a walking trail (I think), mini golf holes
iguana watching, horseback riding (for a fee, I don’t know how much)

Watersports available- kayaking, jetskis, sailboats (for a fee, I don’t know how much)

Iguanas restaurant and bar- we had read a lot of negative reviews of the food here, but you will have to wait until our last day to see what we thought

Decent bathroom facilities

Cons:

The water had a lot of rocks and sea grass, so there were not many places to just wade and swim. The water was not really crowded when we went in, but I can’t imagine what it would be like at busy times of the year.

The snorkeling was not very good. We went out every day- the first day it was a little rough. The second afternoon was sunnier, calmer and better. The third afternoon we tried a different spot- some things to look at, but nothing very big.


Palominto island:

A casualty:

We found a place to sit, and it was not long before we headed into the water to snorkel. The water was a little rough, so it was difficult to get to a place deep enough. I snapped a couple of pictures

and then my camera went dark.

If you have read my past trip reports, you know how much I love to take pictures. Nothing fancy, but it is what I enjoy. And I am a big fan of waterproof cameras- I can take them into pools, on water rides at theme parks, snorkeling. But these cameras are prone to failure- if an itty bitty amount of water breaches the waterproof seal, the camera is toast. Deep-sixed, if you will. In the past few years, I have had two Olympus Stylus Tough cameras (one died in Mexico after a couple of years and a lot of abuse, the replacement died much sooner, it was never quite right). "You're not even tough"

I had this Canon Powershot D10 for about 18 months and I love love loved it. But it looks like she has taken her last photograph.



A moment of silence, please…

OK- having had past issues with waterproof cameras, about a week before our trip, I ordered a backup camera. I went back to Olympus, because I love the Panoramic stitch in camera feature. It is one of the low to mid-range underwater cameras, but I figured it was good enough for the purpose for which it was intended. Back up.

Well, you're going to the Big Dance now, Baby!

I am so grateful I had the second camera with me. Of course, I was scared because I didn't have a backup for the back up. Anxious about taking it into the water for the first time, I decided I would wait until the last day of the trip to test its waterproof capabilities.

The biggest thing I missed in this new camera was the zoom capabilities of my Canon- especially in the rainforest. There were some really nice shots I missed with the crappy little zoom. But I am not complaining. The situation could have been so much worse!


A near miss:

We continued to snorkel, just looking- not snapping. Mark noticed there was a family out on one of the Hobie-cat sailboats, so he told me to keep my eye on it. It was really windy and they seemed to have trouble controlling it.

I looked up, and the boat came within 5 feet of Mark. I yelled for him to “Look out!” He swam one way, the boat veered the other way, but it was WAY too close for comfort. We headed out of the water soon after that.

We decided we would try to take it easy for a little while. Read or sleep on a lounger in the shade. But with the wind, the sand was blowing in our faces and it wasn’t all that comfortable.

I think we took a walk and then decided we would head back to the mainland.

Next up: Is Our New Home Ready Yet and Lunch/Dinner

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sorry to hear that you had to wait on the ferry boat for longer than expected. I'm like you and guessing that it wasn't running as often because of low occupancy.

The pictures of the island are beautiful. Is that the sea grass you were referring to in the first picture? It looks a bit green.

So, your backup camera was an Olympus Tough? I won one last night on the Sam's Club auctions and paid a little over $100 for it. The reviews I read ranged from semi-good to great.

Oh wow! The near miss scared me! I sure hope that those people in the sailboat learned how to better control their boat.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

There never seems to be an uneventful moment!
Wow lots going on!!
Glad nobody got hurt with the boat. Even though it was quite windy it does look beautiful! Nice with hardly anybody there.
I want to go there right NOW!!!
They were talking about cheap spring break travel on the TODAY show this morning and mentioned a resort in Puerto Rico (only $123/night)- can't remember which one

 

[DrMomof3]

I'm sorry about your dead camera. So sad!
The resort looks beautiful! I can't wait to hear/see more about your trip.

Amanda

 

[natebenma]

Sorry to hear that you had to wait on the ferry boat for longer than expected. I'm like you and guessing that it wasn't running as often because of low occupancy.

The pictures of the island are beautiful. Is that the sea grass you were referring to in the first picture? It looks a bit green.

So, your backup camera was an Olympus Tough? I won one last night on the Sam's Club auctions and paid a little over $100 for it. The reviews I read ranged from semi-good to great.

Oh wow! The near miss scared me! I sure hope that those people in the sailboat learned how to better control their boat.

The island was beautiful, but yes, I think all of the dark spots you see in the water are either rocks or seaweed, so the swimming area was very limited.

Yes, the Olympus Tough, 310. I really like Olympus, especially the outdoor shots. I love how easy it is to take Panoramic pictures- make sure you practice with this feature (the only problem is if something in the picture is moving, like waves, the pictures can misalign). We tried to use the 3D feature but I'm not sure I understand it yet.

Let me know how you like the camera. It will be great to have at the beach. DO NOT OPEN THE BATTERY CASE/REPLACE THE SD card when the camera is wet. Also, purchase a floating strap for it (you can see what it looks like in the fun house elevator/mirror photo). They are around $6-7 on Amazon.

Funny when we were at El Con- I saw a bunch of people with the same camera. Turns out, it was a giveaway to the people attending the Firestone convention!

It is scary when you are snorkeling near sailboats and jet skis. They are going so fast and it is tough to see people who are mostly submerged and just have a snorkel showing.

There never seems to be an uneventful moment!
Wow lots going on!!
Glad nobody got hurt with the boat. Even though it was quite windy it does look beautiful! Nice with hardly anybody there.
I want to go there right NOW!!!
They were talking about cheap spring break travel on the TODAY show this morning and mentioned a resort in Puerto Rico (only $123/night)- can't remember which one

Funny you should comment about uneventful moments. When I told Mark I had started a TR, he said- did we really do that much???

That's what I love about trip-reporting. It makes me think about the details of the trip and really helps me remember what we did.

I missed the Today show this morning! I have to say we really happy with the deal we got through Travelocity. It was the Las Casitas Winter Bed and Breakfast offer. The total with air and lodging was around $1,800 for the two of us and included breakfast every morning and $100 per night (so $300) in resort credits for food/waterpark/spa service.

I'm sorry about your dead camera. So sad!
The resort looks beautiful! I can't wait to hear/see more about your trip.

Amanda

Thank you for your sympathy!

Now I am in total camera research mode, again. I need to get another camera for the Atlantis trip with the family in April. I think I will just replace the Canon Powershot because I love the pictures. But one of my camera geek buddies, the Technology teacher at the elementary school likes his Sony.

I'll let ya know what I do.

 

[pixarmom]

Dee, I found your TR update! First, your wedding photo and your story are absolutely heartwarming. My parents met as teenagers (yes, on that beach I love), lived hundreds of miles away from each other, and then got married immediately after my mom graduated from high school. So a history like yours makes me smile. I just have to give you one more hug:

OK, so on to the trip report - fabulous, once again! Love the photos - beautiful! Love the details - so helpful! And of course, I love that when I have a vacation idea, you've either been there or you go there and provide the most useful report that I'll be able to find anywhere. Hmmm - it's so beautiful there and the rooms look so nice. But the deal with the ferry and the beach conditions on the island are factors to consider. My aunt and uncle mentioned that beach access is not easy in PR, and it looks like that's the case at Las Casitas/El Con, too.

And sorry about your camera - ugh. I had a Canon, but it met the same fate as yours, and now I love my Nikon. It's just a point and shoot, but it does the job. (And I guess the job isn't tough when it's pretty much taking family photos and pictures of the BC Marketplace!) Our waterproof camera is a very inexpensive Kodak Sport, but it also does the job. Now that I think of it, I took that photo of the boys at SAB that was on last year's Christmas card with the Kodak Sport, so I think it's not so bad.

What are your Atlantis dates? I know that's coming up and I fear your report because: 1) the boys are lobbying for it; 2) Mike is opposed; and 3) it's crazy expensive for a family of 5. So if you persuade me to try it, we're in trouble!

 

[natebenma]

What are your Atlantis dates? I know that's coming up and I fear your report because: 1) the boys are lobbying for it; 2) Mike is opposed; and 3) it's crazy expensive for a family of 5. So if you persuade me to try it, we're in trouble!

Two words for you: Comfort Suites!

Atlantis on a budget. But you are right about the family of 5 thing. It may mean two rooms. I'll check into that when I am there.

Our dates are April 15 to April 20.

 

[natebenma]

Dee, I found your TR update! First, your wedding photo and your story are absolutely heartwarming. My parents met as teenagers (yes, on that beach I love), lived hundreds of miles away from each other, and then got married immediately after my mom graduated from high school. So a history like yours makes me smile. I just have to give you one more hug:

OK, so on to the trip report - fabulous, once again! Love the photos - beautiful! Love the details - so helpful! And of course, I love that when I have a vacation idea, you've either been there or you go there and provide the most useful report that I'll be able to find anywhere. Hmmm - it's so beautiful there and the rooms look so nice. But the deal with the ferry and the beach conditions on the island are factors to consider. My aunt and uncle mentioned that beach access is not easy in PR, and it looks like that's the case at Las Casitas/El Con, too.

And sorry about your camera - ugh. I had a Canon, but it met the same fate as yours, and now I love my Nikon. It's just a point and shoot, but it does the job. (And I guess the job isn't tough when it's pretty much taking family photos and pictures of the BC Marketplace!) Our waterproof camera is a very inexpensive Kodak Sport, but it also does the job. Now that I think of it, I took that photo of the boys at SAB that was on last year's Christmas card with the Kodak Sport, so I think it's not so bad.

I am so glad you are here!

Thanks for your very nice comments! I am so blessed to have found my best friend at such an early age and that we have had the opportunity to be together for so long. And we still really love being together, which was totally reinforced on this trip.

The resort was wonderful! The views around the place and from our room(s) were fantastic. We were blown away by the friendliness of everyone we encountered. I'm not sure I expressed strongly enough how THANKFUL we were that we were given a room at 7 am, when checkin was technically in the afternoon.

The location of the resort was terrific- just an hour plus from San Juan, 45 minutes to the rain forest, close to the bio bays, not too far from the Spanish Virgins (Cuelebra and Vieques).

But the beach *sigh*

I had a Minolta (underwater, APS film camera) bite the dust in Jamaica, my two Olympus cameras both died in Mexico, and Puerto Rican waters claimed the Canon. I'm not one of those women who have a closet full of shoes or purses. But cameras are another story. I seem to be spending a fortune on these things!

 

[Missyrose]

I'm sorry about your camera! I know how much you like to take pictures, so I'm so glad you brought a backup. That island looks so peaceful and beautiful. Franklin and I went to a resort like that when we went to Sandals in the Bahamas. They had an offshore island complete with a pool, restaurant and gorgeous ocean vistas.

Looking at all your beach pictures makes me miss Aruba. As much as I love Disney World, Aruba truly is my happy place. I've been there 11 times in the last 10 years.

 

[DrMomof3]

Atlantis is on my to-do list, too. Comfort Suites is definitely only 4 to a room. I've looked into it (some cruisers rent a room at CS to get access to the Atlantis pool for the day because it's cheaper than the shore excursion to Atlantis). I'll look forward to hearing about that trip!

I really want a new point and shoot camera. I'm not 100% sold on needing waterproof. Our current P&S camera isn't that old (maybe 3 years?) but the kids play with it and smudge the lens. Tom isn't that sympathetic bc he uses the DSLR but I only use the one with fingerprints on it!

Amanda