The island of Hawaii, commonly called the Big Island, is the youngest and the largest of the Hawaiian Islands.  Five massive volcanoes built the Big Island and in the fires of creation formed an island twice as large as all the other islands combined.  The Big Island continues to grow as Kilauea Volcano, the worlds most active volcano is constantly adding acres of lava to the island’s shoreline.  Geographically it’s the most diverse island with deserts, rainforests, volcanoes and surprisingly, snow-capped mountains.  The mountain create a huge barrier that block the northeasterly trade winds and makes the leeward, western side of the island the driest region.  This coast has the best beaches and water conditions.  The windward, eastern coast is predominately rugged, with pounding surf, plenty of rain, tropical rainforests, deep ravines and majestic waterfalls.  Kona, Waikoloa and Hilo are the main centers for accommodation and restaurants.

The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is hands down the most unique park in the US National Parks system.  The park represents life and growth and creation of the most natural, basic kind.  This exceptionally large park encompasses two active volcanoes, a still-steaming sunken crater and geologically awesome landscape of cinder cones, pumice pillars and hardened rivers of lava.  Its terrain ranges from tropical beaches to the subartic summit of Mauna Loa, and includes lovely rainforests and fern groves.  It is a fascinating, exciting place to visit.  Plan to spend at least two days in the area, exploring the hiking trails, the unusual attractions and the scenic points. 

The lush, coastal Waipio Valley is the largest and most spectacular of the series of valleys on the windward side of the Kohala Mountains.  It is enclosed by near-vertical 2000-feet-high cliffs and is accessible only by a narrow, excessively steep 4WD track, making hiking in the best option.  The valley is a fertile tangle of jungle, flowering plants, taro patches and waterfalls; this is a magical place to experience the spirit of the “old” Hawaii.

Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park encompasses ancient temples, royal grounds, burial sites and a place of refuge. Take time to check out the carved-wood representations of ancient gods; the stone board for playing konane, an ancient form of checkers played with black lava and white coral; and the wonderful snorkeling found off the natural lava steps just north of the place of refuge.  The beautiful stretch of white sand at Hapuna Beach is the island’s most popular beach.  It has good snorkeling, swimming, diving and bodysurfing.  Avoid the winter surf, which can pound the shoreline and get unsuspecting swimmers in trouble.

The Big Island is a perfect adventure for everyone; there are accommodations for every price range, great adventures, great beaches, and amazing scenery.  Give the experts at James TravelPOINTS a call and we’ll take care of the rest, 1-800-538-7461, www.travelpoints.com.

Here is a review from one of our Mexico Specialists who recently returned from Iberostar Gran (Iberostar Grand) in the Riviera Maya, Mexico just South of Cancun.  Read about this luxurious, gourmet, spa resort. 

 I did not feel like I was in Mexico when my mom and I checked into the Iberostar Grand as Mr. and Mrs. Barnett (you can tell this romantic resort mainly caters to couples).  With it’s giant chandeliers, beautiful artwork, and rich ambiance I felt like I was in a luxurious Las Vegas hotel.  We were taken to our oceanfront room in a golf cart by one of the employees who told us about the 5 delicious restaurants we could eat at any night, the 3 beautiful pools, and the giant spa.  It was when we were walking into the building where our room was when I finally said to myself, “Ah, Mexico.”  The building was maybe 15 yards from the ocean and mere steps away from the first lounge chair.  I couldn’t believe how nice our room was.  It had 2 lounge chairs on the large balcony, a giant bed, and french doors that open to a bathroom that had his and her sinks even.  Our personal butler greeted us immediately and we told him we preferred Corona in the free minibar fridge and  wanted 8pm reservations at the surf and turf for our first big meal.  I couldn’t believe the high quality of the food as well as the relaxed atmosphere of the resort.  My goal is to go back as often as possible.

James TravelPOINTS 1-800-538-7461, www.travelpoints.com

Consider Ceiba del Mar Resort and Spa in the Riviera Maya, Mexico just south of Cancun.  It’s a perfect quiet, luxury getaway for couples, honeymooners or anyone who likes to be spoiled.  You can choose from  gourmet all-inclusive or “Al a carte”.  I just returned from this beautiful property and here is my report. 

Do you want Mexican luxury that’s only 20 minutes from the Cancun airport?  Try Ceiba del Mar, a small resort, with under 100 rooms.  The service can’t be beat.  They will transfer you to and from the airport, enjoy a bottled water on the trip.  Once you arrive at the hotel you get a lovely drink while the front desk workers explain the many things Ceiba del Mar has to offer its guests.  Leave your breakfast request outside your door and it will be delivered to the butler cabinet at the time you request in the morning, no worries about answering the door in your pj’s.  All rooms are just steps away from the private beach which is swept clear of sea grass everyday.  If you don’t like salty water, the saline pool is large and looks out over the ocean.  Don’t worry about bringing a towel to the beach, pool butlers will cover your chair with a giant towel and leave another for drying off.  At the Ceiba del Mar, you can get an all-inclusive meal plan or go European style.  The food is delicious and one appetizer was more than enough for the two of us to be satisfied for dinner.  Every morning and evening we went to yoga, usually outside on the hotel’s covered dock.  This is the yoga you imagine you’re doing when you’re at the gym at home, listen to the waves and relax.  The spa offers a large variety of treatments for such a small hotel.  The Ceiba del Mar is great for all travelers, we saw families, honeymoon couples, and sisters out for a last hoorah.

Call James TravelPOINTS to book this or anyone luxurious hotel and spa 1-800-538-7461, www.travelpoints.com

Secrets Resorts & Spa located on the Riviera Maya just south of Cancun Mexico is a luxury all-inclusive resort  for honeymooners and romatice couples looking for a beach vacation getaway.  Jan Geiser, CTC, with James TravelPoints International recently visited this Resort &  Spa on the Riviera Maya in Mexico and is considered a  Master Agent for Secrets Resorts & Spas.

I had the wonderful opportunity to stay at Secrets newest resorts — Secrets Silversands and Secrets Maroma Beach. I also re-visited Secrets Capri where I had previously stayed.

Secrets Maroma Beach and Secrets Silversands are both exceptional resorts. Secrets Maroma Beach is set on Maroma Beach, voted the World’s Best Beach by the Travel Channel four years in a row. You will understand why the moment you step foot on this beautiful white sand beach. This impressive all-suite resorts offers an infinity pool that breaks off into 12 smaller pools providing direct swim-out access to many of the suites.

Food, service and entertainment were excellent! So if you are looking for luxury and opulence in an Adults only resort, Secrets Maroma Beach is the perfect match

Secrets Silversands is a chic, upscale and contemporary resort. It too is an Adults-only, all-suite, unlimited luxury property. It features oversized suites with Jacuzzis for 2, suspended king-size beds, captivating lighting and alluring décor. It offers 43,000 sq.ft. of pool area. Not to mention excellent food, service, and entertainment!

Finally, Secrets Capri is still a gem. Its design reflects the charm of a Mexican hacienda.

All 290 rooms and suites offer superior amenities. And, every floor has a private concierge! Its newest addition is an enlarged Secrets Spa by Pevonia.

So, whether you would like to plan your Wedding, Honeymoon, Special Occasion, or a well-deserved vacation, I am certain that there is a Secrets Resort perfect for you!

Please call Jan at 800-274-0436X231 or 303-442-2340X231 so that we can discuss your Secrets’ Unlimited-Luxury Vacation.

By Holly Shafran, Vacation Expert at James TravelPOINTS

Another trip to Europe? Bored with the beach? Sound familiar? Are you ready for a change?Consider a spa vacation. Spas come in all shapes and sizes, from day spas to amenity spas at hotels and resorts to the complete experience of a destination spa.  The general goal of a destination spa is to encourage an improved lifestyle and health enhancement through physical fitness, educational programming, professional administered spa services and exceptional low fat cuisine. All of this in an atmosphere of support and fun, which guarantees an enjoyable vacation and will provide the motivation to take your new habits home. We celebrated New Years at Rancho La Puerta. Located in Tecate Mexico, 35 miles from San Diego, Ranch La Puerta is where the fitness revolution began in 1940.  The “Ranch” combines a luxury resort, first class service and outstanding   spa cuisine with a focus on exercise, spirituality and mind body awareness. It was one of the busiest- fitness wise-and at the same time most relaxing trips we have taken. The program is a design your own plan and there are over 60 classes each day to choose from. My typical day began with a 6am hike up Mt. Kuchama, approximately 3.5 miles, 800 ft elevation gain and 1 hour 15 minutes in length.  Followed by breakfast, then cardio-boxing at 9am, African dance at 10am and circuit training at 11am. Lunch at noon, and I was ready for refueling and rest. Nutrition lecture at 1pm, pool time at 2pm, stretch and relax at 4pm and massage at 5pm. dinner at 7pm, a good time to review the day with new friends at a group table and visit about other classes, maybe to try something new the next day.  Did I mention yoga, or spinning, or tennis! On the on the things that makes Rancho La Puerta unique is the organic garden that provides a large portion of the dining rooms super fresh fruits and vegetables. A visit to the garden is an absolute necessity, for a wonderful breakfast and a tour with “Farmer Bill, a man who really loves dirt. A cookbook is a great way to “bring the ranch home”. We bought 4 to share with friends. 

All in all, we had a great week. We stretched ourselves physically, and it felt good. We were pampered, and it felt good. We reflected and meditated, and it felt good. We had a week long time-out from the real world and we still feel good. That is the most incredible part!  Try it, you can feel good too! 1-800-538-7461/303 442-2340, www.travelpoints.com

I, Toni Barnett, manager of James TravelPOINTS recently stayed at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO and would like to share my experience.

At the base of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, CO sits the historic Broadmoor hotel this is where “European Elegance Meets Western Hospitality” and a perfect place for our weekend getaway.  We found the service friendly and accommodating, everything about this hotel is luxurious down to the smallest detail.

The hotel is located on 3,000 acres with 700 guest rooms, including 107 suites.  We opted for a Lakeside Patio, our view was incredible, overlooking the lake and mountain range beyond.  We enjoyed a gorgeous master bath, French country furnishings, sitting area and our own private fireplace.  I would highly recommend an upgrade to this or any of the suites, it’s well worth the cost.

Our relaxing stay included a day at the Spa.  The Broadmoor facility is one of the largest and most complete in the country with just of over 43,000 square feet and more than 100 specialized treatments.  I thought it would be fun to try something new and different and chose the Turkish Mystery Massage.  Using silk foulards I was pulled and bent in different directions and massaged with an exotic blend of Turkish spice-infused oil.  I recommend spending as much time as possible at this beautiful facility.  The view from the “quiet” room overlooking the Broadmoor golf course (home to the U.S. 2008 Senior Open) was lovely, the steam, sauna and aroma therapy room all help to keep that stress-free state of mind.

We had delicious and extensive choices of cuisine and restaurants.  The Summit offers contemporary design and menu to match.  The diver scallops are one of the most scrumptious seafood dishes I have ever had—tender and buttery with a spiced walnut coating.  Our server made sure the wine paring was to our liking bringing us a sample of one recommendation and then replacing it with another that was more to our palate.  The Golden Bee was a great stop for lunch and I hear it’s a lot of fun in the evening with a ragtime piano player and sing-a-long-songs.  A collection of panels and fixtures from an entire 19th-century pub were shipped from England and reassembled.  There is plenty of charm, pub-fare and beer which all added up to a perfect meal. 

The highlight for us and I’m sure anyone who chooses to dine here was dinner at The Penrose Room.  It is the first and only Five-Diamond restaurant in Colorado (2007 AAA’s Five-Diamond rating). The Penrose offers classic fine dining with an extensive wine list, live entertainment and dancing—a traditional “supper club”.  Though we are certainly not the best of dancers we had a fabulous time.

We left The Broadmoor feeling thoroughly spoiled and pampered and would recommend it to all.  Please give James TravelPOINTS a call to confirm this or receive suggestions for other relaxing getaways 1-800-538-7461/303 442-2340.    

Peggy Wood is a Luxury Travel Specialist at James TravelPOINTS.  Peggy was able to enjoy a wonderful week at the ever popular Rancho La Puerta Spa. 

It’s not often that I wake up voluntarily at 6a.m.-let alone when I am on a week’s vacation at a spa! The Breakfast hike, a popular four mile walk to Rancho La Puerta’s organic vegetable garden left at 6:15a.m., ending with the promise of an elaborate breakfast of fruit, chocolate bread, oatmeal, and frittatas. I was back just in time for my yoga class, which finished just in time for my African dance class, and then on to a great pilates workout. Despite my busy morning I’d never felt so great.I arrived at Rancho La Puerta for a week of relaxation, rejuvenation, and new experiences. The resort sits at an altitude of over 1,500 feet in the mountains and meadows beneath the sacred Mount Kuchumaa. The cool mountain zone and dry climate is a perfect spot for year round fitness activities, relaxation, and the recharging of the mind, body and spirit. Over the years the ranch has grown to 3,000 manicured acres of colorful gardens planted with rosemary, lavender, sage and fields of calendulas, narcissus and alyssum. Dotted throughout are bronze statues and 84 Mexican-style casitas. Each week about 150 guests arrive to take part in a array of healthful activity choices: fitness classes that range from discipline of yoga to the exuberance of Nia: hikes of varying degrees of difficulty; messages, wraps, and scrubs ;  lectures on health topics ; meditation sessions- it’s more then even the most energetic “spa-goer” could pack into a daily schedule. So how do you choose? Just as every day at the Ranch is different, so is every person. For me the Ranch provided a reminder of the things I love to do but don’t get the chance or take the time. It also gave me the time and space to be able to learn new things. I tended to design busy mornings with a lot of physical activities leaving my afternoons open. Late afternoon was always my time to be pampered, the wellness spa offered a tantalizing array of services.Generally the thought of “Spa food” or tiny set portions is not that appealing, especially after four plus hours of exercise. The Ranch solves that problem by offering, high fiber, all you can eat, organic vegetarian cuisine (dinner always has fish or seafood option). The chefs do a stupendous job with creative vegetarian dishes that are always artfully presented–as pleasing to the eye as to the palate.The Ranch is a place you can come to with a spouse, a family member, a friend or even alone. Can a week at Rancho La Puerta change your life? You may be surprised to hear the answer is “yes” (well at least a little bit). After a week of all this healthful activity I noticed a real difference in how I looked and felt. I found myself re-evaluating my life style, how I could feel this way all the time- what changes I needed to make in my “real life” to capture this feeling.Just how you translate what you learn during your visit is up to you. But one thing is for sure. You will leave transformed, carrying with you memories and images that you can call up in your day to day life.Call Peggy Wood at James TravelPOINTS today for a week of ultimate indulgence 303 442-2340, www.travelpoints.com.