Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg

We at Incredible Memories hope you and your loved ones are enjoying a wonderful holiday season filled with happy memories together!


My family had the wonderful experience of strolling the streets of Colonial Williamsburg enjoying the Christmas decorations.

We're not so sure this one reflects the proper time period of Colonial Williamsburg but we sure got a kick out of it.  (Look closely!)

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Incredible Memories Travel!

Give the Gift of Disney this Holiday Season!

Believe it or not, the holidays are right around the corner.  Instead of buying material things that the family won't remember, want to surprise them with a gift they'll never forget?  How about a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or even a Disney Cruise!  For a small deposit, we can get that trip reserved and all you have to do is surprise your family!  Here are a few fun ideas for surprising them:

*Send your family on a treasure hunt.  This could be done by spreading clues throughout the house which lead to your Disney surprise.

*Fill a piece of luggage with Mickey Mouse ears for everyone, wrap it, and give it to your loved one.

*Reserve a Christmas or holiday dinner at your favorite restaurant or cook a favorite meal.  Spread small clues around the table as decoration and have some fake Disney tickets hiding under their plates or hand them out during dessert.

*Get wooden letters from a hobby store that spell out the word DISNEY.  Wrap them in individual boxes, have the kids open them, and then unscramble them.

*Give everyone a bag full of Disney supplies as a  gift, then have them open at the same time.

There are so many ways to surprise your family!  Just remember to record the whole thing!

Here's what a past client has to say about giving Disney for Christmas:

"Working with Incredible Memories Travel was super easy!  She took care of EVERYTHING and helped me come up with a plan to surprise my wife and kids for Christmas with our very first Disney World trip.  She walked us through every step and detail all the way through the end of the trip.  It went so well, I'll absolutely be contacting them for our next trip!"  Joshua

Here's what a past client has to say about receiving Disney for Christmas:

"Being surprised with a Disney trip for Christmas is the stuff dreams are made of.  I will never forget the overwhelming feeling when the "hints" were opened by myself and our three kids.  The sheer delight and all the tears made for a precious memory.  The trip was executed flawlessly and we had an absolutely wonderful time!  Knowing that we didn't have to worry about the details or planning because all the guesswork was handled so well by our agent, was the icing on the cake.  And all that extra help for free?!  It's a no-brainer, and we can't wait for our next trip!"  Amanda

Giving Disney as a gift to your loved ones is definitely unforgettable.  We would love to help you make this gift a reality! 

Fall Break Blues--and yellows and greens

 Such was the caption of a photo I posted on my Facebook page during a wonderful getaway to TRS Turquesa in Punta Cana with my husband during his fall break.  We did see a beautiful array of colors and so many variations of blue - the sea, the pools the sky were all beautiful.  Just check out all the gorgeous colors seen in our view from our patio.  The first was taken late afternoon, the second early one morning.

We arrived to the resort mid-afternoon and were greeted at the reception area with coconuts and straws as a welcome refreshment.  We were checked in quickly and taken to our room by our butler.  The check in service was so friendly. Each morning for the rest of our stay, the agent who checked us in greeted me by name.  Our bags were delivered very soon afterwards.  Our room was on the third floor and as you can see had a great view of the pool and ocean.  (Caution though - no elevators in the building, stairs only. Thankfully my knees managed it just fine.)

In lieu of key cards we were given wristbands which would access our room.  Loved this!  Very convenient.  Bands were color coded for different levels of service but I never noticed differential treatment at any restaurants or pools.  Our black bands allowed us to access the spa pools without a fee.

Our room:

The first thing we noticed were the beautiful grounds on the resort with lush greenery, and then the pools.  Our room was near the main pool which was an all day party and very lively into the evening.  With our doors closed we didn't hear it at all but on our balcony we could enjoy the music.  You can see it in the photos above.  The other 2 pools were the pools on the other side of the resort with the swim up suites. Very sedate and quiet over there.  We enjoyed seeing them all lit up during our evening stroll.

Our favorite pool hangout was the "Secret Pool".  It was quieter and more peaceful when we wanted to relax and read poolside.  The main pool and the Secret Pool both had swim up bars.  The Secret Pool did liven up for the foam party one afternoon. That was a lot of fun!

We didn't spend all of our time at the pools but enjoyed some beach time as well.  Its a beautiful stretch of beach.  

We even saw some interesting characters along the way.  This man let his monkey jump on me but I had to pay to take a photo of myself with it so I just have his photo.  (#imcheap!)

 Between TRS Turquesa and the Grand Palladium Resort also available to TRS Turquesa guests, there is a large variety of dining options.

Our favorites are below:

The Healthy Habits Bar in the spa area offered delicious smoothies and healthy snack options.

Our favorite meal was at Rodizio - an Argentinian steak house

We enjoyed dinner and were entertained at Sumptuori

My favorite breakfast buffet was at Caprichos.  I enjoyed my Dominican Republic staple food Mangú”with my eggs and mimosa.

The resort offers several options of daily activities.  We didn't participate in all of them but I did take some photos to share so you can see a variety of options.

A casino at the Grand Palladium resort next door offers a casino that guests of TRS Turquesa can visit.

Also at the Grand Palladium resort is a theater which features shows nightly.  We went to the 80's music show one evening.  Other shows that week included a Michael Jackson tribute and a tropical show.

The resort offers a variety of yoga and exercise classes, including this spin class in the pool.

 We didn't stay on resort every day but went on an excursion one day.  We were picked up at our hotel and taken to the Marinarium Reef Explorer where we snorkeled, swam with sharks and stingrays and had lovely Tibetan head massages.  We also had the options to paddle board, kayak or just lie on the disks in the water but we spent most of our time enjoying the water activities. My husband even saw an octopus while snorkeling but it hid before I could get a glimpse.

Our morning at the Reef Explorer ended with a drop in temps and some serious downpours of rain.  When we got back to the resort it had cleared up so we headed to the beach to dry out and enjoy some beach time.  However, another storm was heading in and it quickly turned breezy and cold.  

One of the perks on TRS Turquesa is the butler service.  We had an amazing butler, Eury, who treated us like royalty.  On this particular day, he found us on the beach, and I told him I was cold and we'd be heading in soon.  When we got back to the room, this was awaiting us to warm me up.

Hot bubble bath and chilled champagne.

After such royal treatment, it was a shock to come back to real life, but we did return relaxed and refreshed, thankful for such a lovely vacation.

Something New, Something Cherished - Part 2

Last week, I shared our "new" England experiences, this week I'll share some of our cherished England revisited!

As you know, we're foodies so of course we had to get all of our favorites!!

Ooops, someone got so excited to dig in they forgot to let me take a photo first.  This may or may not be MY plate! lol

Can't have the fish without the chips and mushy peas!

Steak and mushroom pie

Sticky toffee pudding - just one of many we had - and not the best - that honor belongs to those made by our cherished friend, Dani.

One simply must have tea and scones when in England. Yorkshire scones are huge and delicious but were missing and essential ingredient - clotted cream!  We remedied that - MANY - times during the second part of our trip - but the very best ones were at Vintage Blue Tea room in Lavenham. Which also served Eton Mess- another family favorite.

The Vintage Tea Room not only has delicious food, its adorable!

 More fish and chips - in Whitby.  We enjoyed eating them outside in a seaside town.  Our family did a taste test and decided we are a "haddock" family and preferred it over the cod.

When we lived near Cambridge, the girls were a little small for punting on their own so we made a trip back to let them give it a go.  Our smallest member was the best punter.  Our cherished friend Joe joined us and in addition, to providing us with this great photo, provided us our best adventure and a great day of memories!

London West End shows are definitely a family favorite.  On this trip, it mean rising at 5:00am and driving 5 hours in the rain to get to a tube station to make our way into the city but it was oh so worth it!!!!

As you can see my family and I are quite passionate about England and LOVE it. I would love to help you plan a trip there and experience all that is special about it!