Perfume Factory Island Fragrances Grand Bahama Island

Our first stop on my Travel Agent Tour of April 2018 was the Island Fragrances Perfume Factory. It is a fantastically interesting factory housed in an older home. The staff totals 6, but they prepare thousands of bottle of fragrance each year, along with a few other scented products - including DOG perfume! "Fragrance of the Bahamas Limited - 'The Perfume Factory' was founded in 1969 and has produced some of the most popular perfumes, colognes and lotions in the Bahamas. Unlike the giant perfume manufacturers most of the operations required to produce fragrance are performed by hand. A small production staff handles the entire manufacturing operation, from mixing to bottling to packaging. Unusual packaging techniques make these special fragrances even more interesting. Each bottle of San Cologne contains a small amount of beach sand and each bottle of Pink Pearl contains a pearl milled from conch shells." Another very popular activity here is to design your OWN fragrance, then the staff will distill, mix and bottle it. Register your chosen name and formula and you can take it home with you and even call and reorder you scent whenever you'd like!    

Pelican Bay Hotel Grand Bahamas Island

Our next stop on the Travel Agent Tour April 2019 was the Pelican Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island. This place is a more affordable destination for travelers than our previous luxury resort and also has an entire large building dedicated to meeting space! This would be perfect for a business conference of any kind. They were over-the-top friendly at all points of our tour, with fresh cookies and tea to greet us. Even a stuffed Mascot as a gift. Meet Happy, The Pelican   I was impressed here at the emphasis on great pools, beach access and the incredible Wooden furniture in their larger suites.   "Pelican Bay has 96 Waterside staterooms and 90 waterside hotel rooms steps from shopping, dining and entertainment at Port Lucaya Marketplace. Staterooms include living room, bedroom, bath and private balcony. The resort has three swimming pools, a spa tub, high-speed wireless Internet, 24 hr full-service business centre, as well as the unique Canal House, a business conference and meeting venue. There are two restaurants; the waterside Sabor restaurant and the oceanview Garden Delite Salad Bar. The Bones Bar, the newest addition to the resort, is the perfect end-of-day hangout. " This would be an amazing place for your Destination Wedding!                

The first Resort that our Travel Agent group toured in April 2018 was the Grand Lucayan Resort. This is an amazing Luxury Resort. In the past it was only available as an all-inclusive resort but now you can stay there as an All-Inclusive Guest OR an Ala-Carte Resort. LOOK at that view! ANNND  the spa is amazing!

  


   Fitness Center 
 
    Typical Room - Luxury appointments and Beautiful Linens!


    At the end of our tours, we returned to the Grand Lucayan for Lunch. It was SOOOO amazing that we asked to thank the chef!        

  IMG_1155(1) Click on this link to watch a short video of the main entry to the resort!    

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line

I discovered a new cruise line that I am excited about. The Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line specializes in   short cruises to Grand Bahama Island. Their 2 ships take turns each day so there is a ship leaving from West Palm Beach, FL EVERY DAY! You can take this short 3 day/2 night cruise and enjoy all the traditional cruise fun from noon till bedtime the first day - spend all day enjoying the Island and cruise back over the next night. Great 'Beginner' or 'Getaway' cruise. 

 

But what I really like is their package idea! You can cruise down on one ship, then get off the next morning and spend as many days on the Island as you want, and cruise back on whatever ship is leaving the day you want to.Cool, Eh? And there is PLENTY to do both on the ship and on the Island - watch for more posts about the Resorts I inspected while down there, as well as my tour of the "Perfume Factory" that was a lot of fun!                                                                                                            

Cruise to Cuba!

Last year, my hubby Jeff joined my FIL, Papa, age 92, Vicki, son Jon, Ronnie & RaHaye (family!) on a short cruise to Cuba. It was AMAZING! My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough! I am eager to go back and now that I am a travel agent, I've discovered many different TYPES of Cuba Cruises. I have even found one company that offers a Mission Trip Cruise, where you cruise around the Island, stopping at orphanages to volunteer!

I'm including some of the photos I took of our trip and I would encourage you to make your reservations quickly. With the political situation in our world, who knows how long this opportunity will be available? The Cuban people were extremely friendly to us and very eager to get to know us and make us all welcome. We had a private guide and tour woman to show us around and loved every minute. Although, it was in July and was hot! LOL! Hubby says we go in a cooler month next time!

Travel insurance!

When I traveled on my own or Kat's Kloset company business, I never thought about travel insurance. I lost so many $$ over the years on delayed flights, weather issues, etc. Thankfully, I never had a serious medical issue or that could have bankrupted us right there. As part of my education as a new travel agent, I have begun working with an insurance company that sells only travel insurance. Wow! What an education. I never even thought of all the things that could go wrong and how expensive it would be. Many cruise lines, airlines and package destinations offer their own insurance and that can be helpful. I've been comparing their products with my company, however, and I really appreciate the extras my company offers. There are large differences between the major Cruise Lines insurance packages and my company. Here are the major things you should be looking for with any travel insurance.

• TRIP CANCELLATION, INTERRUPTION AND DELAY
• BAGGAGE AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS
• EMERGENCY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, EVACUATION AND REPATRIATION
• MAJOR MEDICAL INSURANCE
• 24-HOUR ASSISTANCE
• RENTAL CAR COVERAGE
• ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT INSURANCE
• Baggage Delay
• Itinerary Change
• Child Coverage
• Missed Connection Coverage
• Travel Delays Coverage

Whatever kind of insurance you purchase, for the sake of your wallet AND your peace of mind - purchase some! And if all these terms confuse you - well, that's why you have a travel agent! Call me!