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Packing Lessons Learned On A Windstar Tahiti Cruise

The packing guidelines for our 7-night Windstar Dreams of Tahiti voyage seemed pretty straightforward: beachwear/casual during the day, resort casual in the dining room. But as I thought about the various excursions we booked, my packing list became quite long, and I still wasn’t sure what to expect on board. As I unpacked, I couldn’t help but judge how I did. Here’s my breakdown,

What I Should Have Brought

More sunscreen – We just barely had enough. Brought 2 tubes of lotion and 1 can of spray (Costco sized) for 4 adults. By the second to last day we were using more sparingly since we worried about running out.

More casual clothes – I needed more options for the downtime between the end of excursions and happy hour/dinner. While many people were lounging in swimsuits, we usually were in the water all day so we would shower as soon as we boarded. I could have used a bigger variety of t-shirts, tanks, and shorts for relaxing on deck.

Cultural show onboard Windstar Wind Spirit in Tahiti

A typical afternoon onboard the Wind Spirit, where the aft deck and pool bar was a gathering place for socializing and events.

A baseball cap – My wide-brimmed sun hat got a lot of use, but I didn’t want to wear it unless I was out on an excursion.  And with the wind and humidity, I pretty much wanted my hair covered at all times.  I now have a nice souvenir from Bloody Mary’s on Bora Bora!

On a catamaran with the Wind Spirit in the background in Moorea

In this sun it’s essential to keep your head covered and make sure hats won’t fly off in the wind.

Suzette Mack outside Bloody Mary's in Bora Bora

Bloody Mary’s is a must-see in Bora Bora, it’s such a unique place. And has great food!

Travel coffee mug – From past cruise experience I knew I would want one, but forgot to pack it. I am early riser and LOVE my morning coffee. A larger travel mug would have saved me extra trips between the espresso bar and upper deck where I enjoyed watching the sun rise or the ship pull into port.

Espresso bar on Windstar Wind Spirit

My first stop each morning, it opened at 6:30 am!

Special mention:
Rain gear – I actually did not need this, since it only rained once and stopped before we went ashore. And all our activities were water based, anyway. But I dodged a bullet because when it did rain one brief time, it poured. My hat and travel umbrella were fine for a light rain or quick trip outside, but if I had signed up for a hike or other land excursion, I would have been miserable. (Full size umbrellas are provided in the cabins.)

What I Should Have Left Home

“Special” deck shoes – I had bought a pair of slip-on closed toe deck shoes just for the trip. I ended up wearing my favorite cute Birkenstocks (yes, they exist!) when I wasn’t wearing my water shoes, and also had tan and black sandals for dinner.  Moral of the story: just bring one pair of non-skid, comfortable shoes for hanging out on deck.

Sunset over Raiatea from the Windstar Wind Spirit cruise ship

The deck was often wet around the pool and hot tub, or after mopping by the crew. They kept the yacht immaculate!

A few dinner outfits – I could have gotten away with 2 fewer blouses and one less pair of cropped pants. There were 3 casual evenings for dinner, so I really only needed resort casual outfits 4 times.

Dinner at Candles on the Windstar Wind Spirit yacht

This was a casual dining evening on deck, but these clothes also were suitable in the dining room, except the guys would change into long pants. Some guests even wore t-shirts and shorts.

My sweater – I was prepared to be cold in air-conditioned areas, but that was not the case. I never needed more than a blouse to pull on over a tank top if I felt cool (which was rare).  A light scarf would have been fine, too.  But my daughter wore a sweatshirt quite often in the air-conditioned cabin, so it depends on how sensitive you are to that.

A few hundred francs – I really only needed about half of what I obtained in advance from my bank. And I should have asked for more small bills, as I only used it for tour and transfer gratuities, and small purchases from local vendors. They were usually happy to take a mix of USD and XPF, or even USD only.

10000 French Polynesia currency

Currency conversion was easy. 100 XPF (or CFP) is approximately 1 USD

An extra purse – My go-to travel purse is a small, water repellent cross-body with several pockets that I can stuff in my carry-on bag when boarding a plane. I packed a larger “cute” purse thinking I would use it on shore for shopping. I never took it out of the closet. Most of the time my beach bag was my purse, since I also was carrying sunscreen, insect repellent, a phone charger, and flip flops or water shoes.

What I Was Glad To Have

Insect repellent – The wind kept many bugs away, but there were a few places where I would have been miserable without repellant. And After Bite saves me when I do get bit, since I react badly to mosquitoes.

Vanilla plantation demonstration

We really enjoyed our visit to a vanilla plantation. The insect repellent in those bottles is made from the nuts on the plate.

Lots of swimwear – I had 3 swimsuits, 2 pairs of water shorts, 1 long sleeve and 2 short sleeve rash guards, and a cover up. Since we were in the water every day, that allowed 2 days for each suit to dry which was necessary because there was no place outside to hang them.  I swapped the coverup for the rash guard when we were done snorkeling.

Reef shoes – I already had closed-toe Tevas, so I had the rest of the family buy inexpensive reef shoes. These protected our feet from the coral on many beaches, and while snorkeling with sharks and stingrays in shallow water without fins. We also had flip flops for sandy beaches.

Beach on a remote motu in Tahiti

The coral on this beach and in the water is sharp! The elegant Wind Spirit is in the background.

I should note that I lean towards minimalism, and prefer to dress casually whenever I can get away with it. The beauty of the Windstar Cruise is that almost anything goes. There were many people who dressed up more, and they didn’t look out of place, either. The only attire I didn’t see on board were formal gowns, suits, ties, and sports jackets.  The only exception was the crew, for special occasions. Some women wore lots of jewelry and accessories, some had none, and I made do with one set each of gold and silver.

Crew of the Windstar Wind Spirit

Our fearless crew, with the captain on the far right who is from Bulgaria. (He has a wonderful accent!) On our last night they sang a farewell song to us.

The most important advice I can give is be sure to protect your feet and your skin from the elements, especially on shore excursions. It is practically impossible to be underdressed, even in the dining room.  As long as you make an effort, you are fine!

Pareo tying demonstration in Tahiti

After a lesson on how to tie and wear a pareo, we had to bring some home as souvenirs!

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Santa Barbara – California’s Most Underrated Destination

In the 30 years I’ve called California home, I had never been to  Santa Barbara until  4 years ago. And then I only spent a few hours doing hotel tours on my way to the LA area.  Recently I had the pleasure of spending 3 nights in Santa Barbara, and now I realize what a mistake I have made overlooking it as a vacation destination.

Santa Barbara has something for everyone:

Beach lovers – Miles of beautiful sandy beach with a paved walking/biking path.  One of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in my life was along this stretch of coastline.

Four miles of fun!

A California sunset should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Nature lovers – Whale watching tours out of the marina, migrating monarchs, hiking trails, hot springs, and botanical gardens.

Getting out on the water is a must whenever visiting a coastal town.

Shoppers – Not only the boutique shops and galleries on and around State Street, but also in small communities like Los Olivos.

Wine lovers – Hundreds of tasting rooms from the coast to the mountains. This area became famous in 2004 as the setting for the movie Sideways.

Couldnt ask for better wine-tasting buddies in Los Olivos. Others in the crew went art shopping and also did well

History Lovers – Take a trolley tour,  visit the beautiful mission, or learn about old Hollywood.

The Santa Barbara Mission is a must see, and so photogenic.

Foodies and Partiers – The Funk Zone.  ‘Nuff said.

Olio e Limone was fabulous!

Santa Barbara is hip, cool, sophisticated, casual, spectacular, romantic, fun, family friendly, and so California.  It’s a great stop for visitors from out of state, especially as a respite from busy LA.  And it’s a great weekend getaway for locals.

I live in San Jose, which is just a 4 ½ hour drive away, about the same distance as Lake Tahoe.    I really enjoyed the fun road trip with nice scenery along the way, and the option to stop in Gilroy garlic country or at some Paso Robles wineries.  There are also nonstop flights to Santa Barbara from San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, Portland, Seattle, and of course LAX.

Good to know: Alaska Airlines allows 1 case of wine to be checked for no charge between all west coast airports!

Passing through the central coast wine country on Highway 101.

N0t only does Santa Barbara have some of the most beautiful sunsets, but it also has one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Belmond El Encanto is a historic property that exudes a sense of timelessness, but does not lack for modern amenities.  The hillside location offers stunning views of the ocean (and those sunsets!) from the pool and the dining terrace.  And the gorgeously landscaped grounds, including a wishing well and frog pond, give guests the feel of walking around an enchanted garden.

I wish I could stay here forever!

Probably the best pool view in town.

This cute little cottage has lots of privacy.

The accommodations are unique, but all have wonderful craftsman details, including, private terraces or balconies, fireplaces, and spacious bathrooms.  During our tour, our host pointed out the bungalows  perfect for honeymooners, the suite which can host a  small wedding on its terrace, and the two identical bungalows ideal for couples traveling together who can be close, but still have privacy.  Several suites & bungalows combined in one building can accommodate a family group with parents, kids, and grandparents, or even execuuives on a corporate retreat.

A warm welcome, I couldn’t wait to see what was waiting inside.

And I was not disappointed!

Be sure to allow downtime to enjoy your outdoor space. Every bungalow has a private patio or balcony. Mine was big enough to host some friends!

 

And this one has been used to host small weddings.

We are member of Belmond’s Bellini Club preferred agency program, so my clients receive these exclusive amenities:

  • Daily breakfast for 2
  • Resort credit from $90-200 (depending on room type booked)
  • Upgrade on arrival if available
  • VIP status

 

Imagine enjoying your complimentary breakfast,(or a cocktail) here!

For more information, contact me at suzette@suzettemacktravel.com.

Feeling right at home!

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A Perfect Girls’ Getaway Weekend at the Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe

I recently spent a glorious weekend at Lake Tahoe with 4 girlfriends to celebrate my 50th birthday.  Over the past 5 years, we’ve traveled to various destinations to help each other celebrate this milestone event.  We’ve had some really fun adventures, which have all been unique, and that will be the subject of a future post.  But today my blog is all about ME!
For my birthday celebration, I wanted to relax, be pampered, spend quality time with my friends, and not have to travel too far from our home in San Jose, CA.  And I didn’t want to have to dress up!  So the obvious choice was a place I’ve been wanting to get back to for several years:   the Ritz Carlton at Lake Tahoe.  I love being in the Sierra Nevadas, so its location right on the mountain at Northstar ski resort is ideal, summer or winter.

The view from our balcony

Our accommodations were a one bedroom suite connected to a guest room with 2 queen beds.   Not only did we have a large shared living room with plenty of seating, and a fireplace in each room, but we had 3 full bathrooms!  Now that’s a nice setup for a group of girls, we were wondering if we were ever going to want to leave the suite!


Living room with sofabed
Master bedroom, plenty of room to add a rollaway.

What did we do on our girls’ weekend?

* We ate.  We tried all the on-site dining options, including the signature restaurant Manzanita, Café Blue which serves casual ‘to go’ fare, and the Backyard BBQ on the patio which served huge portions of pulled pork, ribs, and baked beans. Our culinary adventures also included a tour of the kitchen led by the pastry chef, which was very interesting.  We got some great cooking tips from the staff, and also saw preparations for a wedding that evening.  We were very impressed to learn that everything at the resort is made on-site.  They even have a sourdough starter mix from 1997, used to make wonderful bread with a bubbly crust.

Chef picking herbs
The kitchen tour

Fresh baked bread.  The sourdough starter
creates the bubbles in the loaves on the top shelf.
* We got some exercise. Exercise classes and use of the fitness center are included in the resort fee (yoga classes for a small fee), so we had some early morning workouts and then also went for a hike right from the resort patio to a pretty lake.  I generally prefer to work out outside, but looking out at the trees from the gym was the next best thing.  If we had arrived a week later, the lifts to the top of the mountain would have been running for mountain bikers and hikers.


Pretty view from the fitness center


Sawmill Lake

* We partied a little. Truckee is just a 10 min drive away, but there are taxi services so nobody has to be a designated driver.  “Downtown” is only a couple blocks long, but it has quite a few restaurants and bars, some more upscale with live music, and some more of a “local watering hole” featuring karaoke. I won’t go into any more detail about where we spent most of our time. (What happens in Truckee stays in Truckee!)

Birthday dinner with a view in Truckee
* We got pampered a lot. Whether sitting by the main pool or the fire pit on the terrace, we always had staff checking on us to see if we needed drinks (grapefruit margaritas, yum!) or a snack, or even a pool noodle!  The resort fee included access to the beautiful spa amenities, including sauna, steam room and outdoor adults-only pool.  I loved swimming and relaxing under the pine trees!

A great place to have s’mores.


It’s not a girls’ trip without plenty of People magazines.

The peaceful adult pool next to the spa

I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my special day.  While there are many luxury hotels to choose from in northern California, few are in such a beautiful and peaceful setting.   And the alpine-inspired décor and artwork create a homey but luxurious feeling. It is truly one of the most relaxing places I’ve stayed, and the ideal place to hang out and enjoy the company of good friends.

The “Living Room”
Some of the fun artwork.  Do you see the song lyrics?
If you’re looking for a great place for a girls’ (or guys’) getaway, give me a call. If I book your stay at the Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe, you’ll receive daily breakfast for free and an upgrade, if available. And I guarantee you my wonderful contacts at the resort will make you feel like VIP’s the whole time!

Happy birthday to me!
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Hotel Les Mars: Romance in Wine Country

No matter how much we love our kids, parents need some time alone, too. For our anniversary this past fall, my husband and I escaped to the wine country north of San Francisco. Our favorite place to stay is Healdsburg, because of the charming town square filled with cafes and shops, and the dozens of fantastic wineries just a short drive away. And no matter what time of year we go, the scenery is spectacular, and we never run into the traffic or crowds that are often found in Napa Valley. I personally prefer fall, though, because the weather is mild and the vineyards are showing off their fall foliage.

The choice of where to stay was easy: There is nothing as elegant or romantic as Hotel Les Mars, just a few steps off the main square. A Relais & Chateaux property, it was built from the ground up in the style of a French chateau, so everything from the headboards to the library bookcases were handcrafted to complement one another. We truly felt we were back in Provence, especially with Old World touches like a skeleton style room key on a tassel, which was really an electronic key card.

Our room was absolutely gorgeous. A small foyer led to nice sized room with a canopied four poster king bed. Each room has a fireplace, its own wireless router, iPod station, bookshelves & armoire, TV, and DVD player. The bathroom had a spacious rain shower and, in keeping with the European authenticity, a bidet. Antiques can be found throughout the hotel; in fact the desk in our room was the oldest item on the property.


Rates include a delicious continental breakfast of pastries, yogurt, granola, juice, fruit, and coffee. Each evening we put the room service order form outside our door, and the next morning we enjoyed it in front of our fireplace, lounging in soft, fluffy bathrobes.

The staff was well trained and ready to do whatever it takes to please a guest. We were greetly warmly when coming or going, and they made sure we always left with plenty of bottled water, which we really appreciated after visiting a few wineries. We also enjoyed chatting with them and other guests at the evening wine & cheese reception in the library.
I also want to note an amenity that summer visitors will appreciate when temperatures soar: a swimming pool. It was small, but retained the French ambiance of the hotel, and would be the perfect place to relax at the end of the day.

If you’re planning a romantic getaway, you can’t go wrong with Hotel Les Mars. I am happy to share with my clients my personal wine tasting guide, or for those who would like to do something extra-special or unique, I can arrange a day to remember: a private winery tour, yacht charter, cooking or photography classes, hot air ballooning, and more.

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