thefouramigosblog

Haiti is on the same island mass as the Dominican Republic but for many years, especially lately it has been riddled with crime. In fact it is at level 4 on the State Department list.

So why Labadee? For many years Royal Caribbean has been renting this island at the northern tip of Haiti. At one point they stopped visiting but I’m glad we were able to go today.

It was a beautiful day although clouds threatened rain on several occasions.

We disembarked the ship around 9:30 and strolled along the pier.

Bright sunshine makes my heart sing. There’s nothing better than sun and tropics.

We took a tram to Adrenaline Beach.

This is the beach where the zipliners zip over the beach and water. Also we could hear the screams from the roller coaster riders.

The beach was lovely and there was a floating bar out on the water.

They served a delicious lunch. A pasta salad and a Caprese salad. Hot dogs. Hamburgers and jerk chicken. Lots of fruits but my passion was the coconut macaroons. I couldn’t stop eating them.

There was live music playing reggae. And when they were finished playing two dance troops performed.

After a while we called it a day and headed back to the ship.

Labadee was fun, safe, and lovely. Did I really visit Haiti? Can’t say I’m sure about that. But this little stop was fun!

#labadee#royalcaribbean#haiti#beach#cruise#zipline

What can I say! I just love to travel and cruising is an easy way to do it. This one’s a short one. Five nights on Royal Caribbean’s the Grandeur of the Seas. Two ports. Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

This is our first time in an ocean-view cabin. It’s cute. It’s big enough to have a small sofa. Lots of surprising storage space. But no mini fridge and there was hair and body wash all in one in the shower. I forgot to pack some and they were good enough to bring me shampoo and conditioner. We also asked for a fridge and they gave us a medical one. Very small but big enough for Bruce’s milk and Gatorade.

The ship is an older, smaller one. A little tired and will need some cosmetic work if it’s going to continue operating in the future.

We spent a little time relaxing in the grown-ups only solarium.

Then listened to a duo in the Centrum.

Two nights of escargot, I have to say it’s not the best. I think it needs more garlic. But all is good with the food.

Tomorrow Labadee, Haiti

#royalcaribbean#grandeuroftheseas#haiti#cruising#vacation

I’m retired. Life is easy. I travel everywhere. But amidst all this fun is a woman who has always been susceptible to the illnesses around her.

After a trip, I usually have a bad cold. Not Covid. Just a cold. A cough.

I take a regiment of vitamins from C, D to zinc and elderberry. But that still doesn’t help.

So if I want to live, travel far and wide I have to deal with this. And that’s in addition to the occasional migraine.

So my biggest challenge is health. Staying healthy so I can live life to the fullest.

After five days in Puerto Rico, we returned home, did laundry, and are now headed out on a five-day cruise.

It was easy packing. We just basically repacked the clean laundry adding a dressier outfit and a warmer jacket. It may get cold on the ocean.

We are on Celebrity Silhouette. I think she’s a sister ship to the Reflection which we love.

Unfortunately, I am not feeling great so we plan to just relax and read our books on this trip. I’ve been to Key West and the Bahamas and feel no great need to get off the ship.

We sat on our balcony and watched as we sailed out of Port Everglades. We could see the rain in the distance.

What do you see when you look at this picture?

Do you remember one of the Star Wars movies?

The ship was fully decorated for the holidays!

We relaxed by the pool looking out on the city of Key West.

We played in the casino a bit.

But most of all it’s time to relax and get better.

#celebritysilhouette#cruise#travel#casino#keywest#christmas#holiday

How did that happen? How did I get here? Seems the years go whirling by in a blink of an eye. Well today I am in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately a little under the weather. So we decided to just relax.

This is me relaxing. The wind was blustery. Half the time my hair was in my mouth. But the surf roared. I don’t think I look too bad for 72. No botox or fillers yet!

We spent a few hours reading our books, listening to the waves crashing. I went for a little walk into the beach to get closer to the wave action. I could feel the salty sea mist on my face.

Little waterfalls momentarily captured with each passing wave.

Later we went for a swim in the infinity pool. We lounged around for awhile reading our books.

For dinner we ate at a Caribbean restaurant, El Refran.

We shared codfish fritters and Empanadillas.

It was delicious.

When we returned to our suite, a card and birthday cake were waiting for me from guest services at Condado Vanderbilt.

A quiet but lovely birthday spent with my love!

#birthday#travel#condadovanderbilt#cake#vacationn#travel#puertorico

A trip to Puerto Rico isn’t a trip without a visit to old San Juan. Although we walked six miles yesterday, we were up for another day’s sightseeing. Our Uber driver gave us a little history of the place and also talked about the catastrophic hurricane a few years ago. He said the rain was going sideways.

He dropped us off at Castillo San Felipe del Morro or El Morro for short. This is an old fort built originally in 1539.

As we approached the fort, people were out on the greens flying kites. It was a grand day for kites.

Bruce has been a National Parks pass holder since he turned 65. Since the fort is part of a national park, we paid no entrance fee. Usually, it is $10 per person.

We strolled through the old fort which had displays of barracks.

The view was amazing from the top.

And of course I had to take a photo of Bruce with a cannon.

Here are some other photos in and around the fort.

One of my favorite flowers!

The streets and colors of buildings reminded me of Charleston.

We made our obligatory stop at Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista.

Another obligatory stop is a cafe. Bruce trying to figure out which pastry to buy.

We stopped in shops. The souvenir shops were everywhere. We didn’t purchase anything but a Christmas tree ornament.

After a lot of walking we made it back to the Condada Vanderbilt and went in the infinity pool. I captured the sunset from our balcony.

We ate at an Asian restaurant. I had wonton soup; Bruce had egg drop soup. Then we had a dim sum platter and mango pudding. Sorry no pictures.

The Condado Vanderbilt is celebrating 100 years. To mark this momentous occasion, they had a party in main lobby bar area. They have live music as well as a DJ!

Tables, hosting an array of sweet delicacies, were scattered about in the VJ Lounge.

There were food stations everywhere but Bruce and I had just eaten. We did get a rice dish, a sort of paella.

The waiter brought us two virgin pina coladas since we didn’t partake in the champagne.

Then we had a few desserts and headed to our room.

It was another lovely day in PR.

#condadovanderbilt#100anniversary#hotel#travel#nationalparks#senior#parkpass#viejosanjuan#oldsanjuan#elmorro#cathedral#fort#

It’s supposed to rain this morning and clear up this afternoon. We decided to sleep in a bit and then go for breakfast.

Luckily, the breakfast was included because the bill was over $100. I guess if you can afford to stay here you can afford the breakfast.

The food was so-so. The melon appeared as though it had been frozen and then thawed. Pretty tasteless and soggy. The bread pudding was crunchy. The omelet was good and so were the pastries.

Now I’m sitting on my balcony writing up some of this blog. If I look left I get this view. Right is all ocean.

And this is straight ahead.

We walked to the Walmart. I forgot a prescription which I need to take and they were able to fill it for me.

The Walmart reminded me of a Sams. Huge. And an entire display of Christmas fabuloso.

Many murals adorned the city scape.

This last one was mosaic tiles.

We walked to a church but unfortunately, it was closed.

A nice little park including chickens, hens and fountains.

Beautiful trees were lining one street. They are called rainbow eucalyptus and are not indigenous to Puerto Rico.

I thought it was painted until I got up close.

After we returned to the Condado Vanderbilt, we took a dip in the infinity pool.

We went out for coffee with friends. Afterwards had a pizza and some gelato. Now off to bed!

#condadobeach#condadovanderbilt#travel#puertorico#rainboweucalpytus#walmart#streetart#murals#mosaic

For a little change, Bruce and I decided to take my birthday trip to Puerto Rico.

We requested our ride through Lyft. I get 5x points on my Chase Sapphire card.

We arrived at Miami airport. What a zoo! It appeared that flights and security were backed up. By the time we went through TSA, it was too late to find the lounge. Our flight went off without a hitch and we arrived in San Juan around noon. We took Uber to the hotel- Condado Vanderbilt Hotel.

I made my reservation through my Amex Platinum card and received an upgrade to an ocean-view suite, breakfast every day, and $125 hotel credit. The cost to me was half what I would pay if I booked through the hotel.

The suite was lovely with a coffee setup. I love that.

The view of the ocean off the balcony was breathtaking but I can see why it is dangerous to swim.

A nice king-size bed and two sinks in the bathroom. Heaven!

We ate at one of their restaurants with a view of the ocean. We shared tuna tartare and a Cubano burger.

After lunch, we checked out the fitness center. Absolutely going to make time to workout.

The for a quick trip to checkout the gingerbread village made to look like Old San Juan.

What an interesting hotel. It first opened its doors in 1919 and the charm of yesteryear can still be seen within its walls.

We spent a little time relaxing by the sea.

We took a walk taking in the sites of the Condado Beach area.

A knock at our door at about 6:30 wondering if we’d like turn down service. We said not tonight but she gave us some goodies.

Having had such a big lunch we weren’t really hungry so we just went out for ice cream.

It was a nice night for a walk.

We are going to bed early because we have lots to see and do tomorrow!

#condadovanderbilt#puertorico#tunatartare#americanexpressplatinum#travel#miamiairport#ocean#uber#lyft

It’s a day to give thanks for family, friends, God, and everything wonderful in life.

My granddaughter put her creative talents to use and set a beautiful table!

It’s a day to eat too much! Especially turkey!

It’s a day that starts the beginning of the holiday season with Christmas lights and holiday cheer!

It’s a time to love one another and just get along!

So start your holiday season focusing on love, forgiveness, honor, and dignity! Make each wonderful moment count!