Honeymoon Travel Agent

Your Honeymoon Travel Agent Florence just returned from El Calafate, which is located just a 2 to 3-hour flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina. People come here to get close with the famous Perito Moreno and the Upsala glaciers. Perfect for the adventurous type of Honeymoon.

We stopped there after Bariloche, taking a 1 ½ hour magic flight along the Andes. Get seats on the right-end side! You’ll be thankful forever as the views on the snowed peaks are breathtaking.

Landing in El Calafate airport makes you feel like if you were landing on the moon. There’s nothing around, just immensity of desert landscapes, with just a huge turquoise-blue lake in the middle of it: Lake Argentina.

The town of El Calafate lies on the side of the lake. All the action takes place between the town, and the end of the lake, at the feet of the glaciers.

The airport is located approx. ½ hour from town. Exiting the city, we first stopped at the newly-built/open Glaciarium museum. A must! We all thought the visit was so instructive, and allowed us to understand what we saw afterwards (glaciers, etc.) much better.

Another 20-minute later, set in the middle of nowhere (nowhere being La Anita valley, we arrived at EOLO LODGE, a beautiful Relais & Chateaux property, perfect for luxury travel.

Eolo is now the ONLY true luxury property located in El Calafate. 17 units only, and just 3 different categories – Superior (12), Premium (3) and Corner suites (2). The only difference: the view. Also, the corner suites have a double full-walled window, offering a 180 degree view of the valley and the mountain range. Rooms are pretty spacious (about 500 sq. feet) and bathrooms are great.

The property has a U shape evoking a private estancia, and all walls are floor to ceiling windows letting light come in dramatically (we arrived at sunset, the views were breathtaking especially from the Library area) and offering the most amazing views of the Lago Argentino, La Anita Valley, Torres Del Paine and the Rico Branch. The place is wonderfully comfortable, perfect for romance and relaxation at the end of a busy day of hiking, horseback riding, or sailing. Whatever outdoor activities you’ve been up to, there’s a great pool area waiting for you, with sauna. The manager team on duty is amazing, looking after your every need. Food was excellent although quite creative and sometimes surprising. Wine cellar is great. Eolo offers a meal plan and immediate surrounding outdoor activities are included (not the glacier activities though).

Eolo is located approximately 30 to 40 minutes drive from the majestic Perito Moreno Glacier, the famous attraction of the area. I am simply in love with it, and could spend hours admiring it from the walkways made of 7 balconies. You get closer and closer, from one balcony to the other, and the next day you can go back and hike on the glacier! It’s an amazing experience.

Facing the glacier, just about 4miles from it, is the HOSTERIA LOS NOTROS, where we spent our 2^nd night in El Calafate. Los Notros is not as luxurious as Eolo, not at all. But for those for whom location and view matter most, this is the place to be. 32 rooms total, but only the premium rooms (7 of them) with floor to ceiling windows facing the glacier are worth it. Beds are comfortable but not luxurious. Sheets are soft but old. In the premium rooms, your king bed faces your huge window overlooking the glacier. You can hear it breaking down from your bed! You can even see it from your bathroom, as a window opens up to the bedroom, above the bed. Imagine this for your Honeymoon!

The lodge offers an all-inclusive plan featuring a meal plan as well as the most important activities to enjoy in the area, such as the glacier hike. Their restaurant is definitely great. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. It is a truly wonderful property as well.

Both Eolo and Los Notros are not opened year round and usually close for their winter.

We participated in a full-day excursion to ESTANCIA CRISTINA. WOW! Talk about a hotel in the middle of nowhere! It took us about 3 hours by boat to get to it, navigating around icebergs.

Estancia Cristina is a lodge as well as a day destination, and you can decide to spend a few days there, feeling like the pioneer Joseph Percival Masters, an Englishman who founded it in 1914 with his wife, having heard wonders about the Patagonian lands. Here again, it is all about the nature: excursions to another glacier are on the program: the Upsala glacier. Trekking, 4X4 excursions, fishing and horseback riding are available (horses are free all day there).

The lodge continues to be and to feel like the shelter that it used to be back in the days. There are 5 lodges, each made of 4 bedrooms, sharing a little living area. Rooms are very simple although very comfortable in a warm, rustic way. The food served at lunch was excellent, and always reflecting the regional cuisine. The common area/lobby/restaurant/library is this fantastic octagonal wooden room boosting a great fireplace, and some rare pictures, books, and maps of the area.

The areas available for the day-comers (like we were) are a large restaurant/cantina, and a fantastic museum. The lodge part of Estancia Cristina is strictly reserved to the overnight guests. Tourists participating in a day-time excursion are gone by usually 5pm. Overnight guests sometimes include famous (or crazy) high-altitude alpinists using Estancia Cristina as one of their stops along an intrepid adventure.

It is extremely important to explain the solitude of this place. Most of us would be just fine at Eolo or Los Notros, feeling isolated enough. Estancia Cristina is another step up. But for the travelers and Honeymooners seeking this experience, it is a fabulous and exclusive place. The Upsala glacier is also a nice complement to the Perito Moreno glacier as they are 2 different kinds. While the Upsala is famous for his extremely fast retreat (we walked on rocks (and fossils) that had been immersed under the glacier up to 2 years ago!), the Perito Moreno is more impressive with his breaking ice.

If you haven’t guessed it, I love El Calafate! It is probably my favorite spot in Argentina. I’d go back there every time I go to this country if I could. The glaciers (that I like to call the Kings of the Andes / Los Reyes de Los Andes) are hypnotizing.

Author: Florence Brethome, Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist
Email: Florence.b@travelstoreusa.com

For my honeymoon, I wanted to make sure that my wife and I would have to think as little as possible so we could enjoy every moment to the fullest. I'm an experienced traveler and had never used a travel agent before but planning a trip was just not possible while planning the wedding.

I knew that we wanted to go to Tahiti but didn't know where to start. I found Susanne's name in Travel and Leisure magazine and contacted her immediately. From the first call I knew I was in good hands. She was extremely knowledgeable, had great advice and made the process of planning enjoyable.

Once we landed in Tahiti, we were taken care of every step of the way. We never got a chance to wonder, "where do we go now," because there was always a smiling face escorting us to where we needed to be. Her suggestions were amazing and we got to experience some hidden gems we wouldn't have known about otherwise.

All in all my experience was way better than expected and I look forward to planning another dream vacation with Susanne in the future.

Author: Erik and Chanthou L. in Huntington Beach, CA

Honeymoon Travel Agent: Susanne Hamer; Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist
Email contact: Susanne.H@travelstoreusa.com

We were looking for a quiet romantic place in the Poipu area to celebrate our Anniversary.
Our Travel Agent, Kathy recommended the Koa Kea resort on Poipu beach.

This wonderful boutique hotel is all about service! We enjoyed buffet breakfast in the open air restaurant, (which was included courtesy of our agent). 

In the evenings, we enjoyed wonderful food and music. The sunsets were the best I have seen in Kauai. The spa is lovely, the staff friendly and eager to assist with anything you need. The guest rooms are beautiful and spacious. The property is horseshoe shaped, with only 121 rooms. We had a garden view room on the ground floor, just steps away from the black bottom salt water pool. The beach/ocean just steps away.
Snorkeling is on our top things to do list, and the onsite water sport team was ready to assist with all rental equipment and water sport. 

We will return again and again.
Tom and Charlene, Grass Valley, Ca.

Agent: Kathleen Schultz, Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist

Email: Kathleen.s@travelstoreusa.com

Great weather (even if their rainy season goes from May to December it is a lot less hot and humid than in Mexico), great food (rich seafood, succulent coffee, safe drinkable water! and superb vegetables & fruits), rich history, super nice people (melting pot of Americans, Europeans Chinese and Indians) and fabulous unspoiled nature! It was all I could wish for and more.

With non-stop flights from LAX to Panama City (6 ½ hours), this destination can definitely be considered as an easy getaway for your clients, comparable to Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

I spent 4 nights there, participating in a fam put together by Travel Marketing Solutions, representing 2 properties in Panama, one by the Pacific ocean and one in the Highlands, for a perfect combination:

Cala Mia Hotel: http://www.boutiquehotelcalamia.com/

Panamonte Inn (part of Small Luxury):http://www.panamonte.com/

They are located in the Chiriqui region of Panama, about 40 minutes away by plane from Panama City, on the Pacific ocean side of the country.
In Panama City, we also visited a small boutique hotel called Canal House, located in the old town. 3 bedrooms only, personalized service. Daniel Craig (aka James Bond) stayed at this property for 2 months while shooting Quantum of Solace. http://www.canalhousepanama.com

Our land arrangements were taken care of by Panama Trails. They did a super job. http://www.panamatrails.com/

Boutique Hotel Cala Mia is on Isla Boca Brava, and surrounded by numerous islands, perfect playground for snorkeling, diving, fishing, and more. How to get there is what matters (a knowledgeable travel agent is recommended!) but once you arrived it is fantastic. Each of their 10 thatched-roof bungalows are located within 40 feet from the ocean. None have either A/C, phone or TV which some of our clients can miss. Some of the units are set for families as 2 bungalows are interconnected to become a 2-bedrooms/2-bathrooms private home. One also has an outdoor full kitchen.

A family from the California Central Coast was there at the same time, a couple with their 3 young kids. It was their 2nd stay at this property and they were extremely happy about their vacation.
The food served at their restaurant was really good (Vittoria and Max the owners (respectively Italian and Dutch) who also lives on the island told us it was a paradise for lobsters which is what we had for dinner).

Cala Mia also offers a Spa and several hiking trails where you can meet exotic birds and monkeys.
Although close to the water, there are quite a bit of bugs at night. It is not a problem in the bungalow if you keep your indoor lights off.
Bungalow # 5: Honeymooners.
Cala Mia is a GREEN HOTEL. Electricity is operated with solar panels.
Just a few white sand beaches on the Pacific Coast, most would have a dark/volcanic color. But still the snorkeling is great as the water is really clear.

Panamonte Inn is located in Boquete, cute little town in the highlands of Panama, about 2 hours from Cala Mia (by boat and car transfer) or 40 minutes from David airport. Boquete enjoys a great micro climate and temperatures are always mild, comparable to what we have here in LA. It is a mountain climate, so rain is to be expected in the afternoon.
What a precious property! The combination of a turn of the century charm with newly renovated bedrooms (king beds, flat screen TV’s, WiFi around property, large bathrooms, you name it) is brought up to perfection. And what makes this property even more special are the owners, Inga Collins and her son Charlie Collins. Please read about them their life story – it is so unique.

In a couple of words – Inga was born in Panama from Swedish parents (her father was a sailor). She passed on her love of cooking to her son Charlie who is nowadays the assigned chef for the President(s) of Panama. He cooked for celebrities such as George W and George Bush, Sean Connery, etc.
www.chefcharliecollins.com
Charlie and Inga love to meet with their guests and share stories. It is possible to arrange lunch with Inga for your clients, and/or private cooking classes with Charlie. We did experience a cooking class at Charlie’s home, it was great.
Obviously the restaurant at Panamonte offers superb cuisine (I strongly recommend the trout).

The playground around Boquete is amazing: bird watching hikes, treks through the rainforest in the Baru Volcano national park, water rafting, golf (yes there is a golf course), canopy rides, coffee tours (we learned so much about coffee! I’ll never drink coffee the same way again!). And at the end of a busy day you can relax at the Panamonte Inn Spa and enjoy one of its fireplaces.

Canal House is located in the old town of Panama City, undergoing a complete restoration. It is becoming a very charming part of town, full of restaurants and little boutiques to shop at. It’s a much more attractive location than downtown (where the Intercontinental, Sheraton, Crowne Plaze hotels are). The Canal House is the first “hotel like” property to open in this area – more to come.
At the Canal House, 3 bedrooms only, all on top of each other as the building is very narrow. The last unit (Master Suite) is the one you want to book for your clients as there’s a large terrace offering great views. You can reserve the whole property for a group or family for the very reasonable price of $800 per night. There’s a housekeeper on stuff, and a manager.
Breakfast is served in the dining room in the morning. A small kitchen is available for cooking or private catering. A cozy separate living room area is also great to watch TV, read a book, or sip on a cocktail.

I believe Panama has the great potential to become a popular destination for the American clientele, looking for a yet unspoiled and quite authentic destination. We only visited the Chiriqui region, but Panama has a lot more to offer! I can’t wait to check out the Caribbean side of the country - the region of Bocas Del Toro and the beautiful San Blas Archipelago.

Panama Trails can also take you to the Southernmost region of Panama named Darien, where you get to meet with the local Indian tribes, and share a lunch with them for example.

I still have a lot to discover about this country and I look forward to go back there soon.

You can send your 4-star clients to Panama, not the 5-star ones. Families looking for great educational activities would love it there. Honeymooners looking for an exotic but different destination would be delighted as well.

It is an easy destination to go to, and one that will definitely give you the feeling to “get away from it all”.

Author: Florence Brethome, Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist

Email: Florence.b@travelstoreusa.com

After the wedding they spent a few days at the property and then traveled to the Galapagos for their honeymoon. What great memories they have. They sent me pictures from their wedding and in spite of the rain they had a wonderful ceremony as seen on the picture.

The wedding planning was simple and the hotel took care of all of their needs. Being that the bride’s family lives in Ireland they were unable to come to the wedding. Her sister emailed me a letter to be read at the ceremony and this was taken care of without any hesitation.

The bride and groom thoroughly enjoyed the Galapagos. After they spent the night in Quito, Ecuador they flew to Baltra Island to embark on a 4 day Galapagos cruise. At the end of the cruise they spent the remaining 3 days at the Red Mangrove on Santa Cruz Island in Ecuador.

My goal in planning their wedding and honeymoon was to make sure that all their dreams for the beginning of their life as husband and wife were met. Eric is an avid diver and did not want to go to the Galapagos without enjoying at least one dive. Being that Niamh was not going to dive she wanted to be pampered. I was thrilled to make sure they were both able to enjoy their time together and also do some of the activities they enjoy as individuals. A dive was arranged by the Red Mangrove for Eric and a day at the spa was arranged for Niamh. They came back happy and I had the pleasure of being a part of making their dreams become a reality.

The following is a note I received from Niamh:
“The trip was great. Thank you for organizing it. The hotels were great, Metropolitan and Panorama tour group staff were fab and the Galapagos was the best trip either of us has ever been on! Anyway I am sending you on links to the pics! Thought you might like to see the fruits of your hard work!!"

I would love to make your honeymoon dreams become a reality!

Agent: Gloriane Letterman, Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist
Email: Gloriane.L@travelstoreusa.com

Again, thank you so much for the most beautiful trip of our lives. Truly spectacular!!

Our flight to London was comfortable and without incident (no one took the seat in between us so we had the row to ourselves). We both really liked British Airways! Upon arrival in London, we were picked up by our driver who was waiting exactly where you said he would be. He gave us such a wonderful first impression of Italy! He answered a bunch of questions we had, and offered up advice on driving in Rome (watch out for scooters, etc.). The highlight of the ride in was when he said he had a "small surprise" for us and took us to a small gate where we were able to peek through a peephole and see these beautiful gardens and the top of St. Peter's Basilica! We were very grateful for his extra steps in making our arrival special. His personality was a fantastic welcome to such a beautiful country. 

We were greeted warmly at the Mecenate Palace Hotel and our room had an amazing view overlooking the Santa Maria Maggiore. The front desk agent was extremely helpful and knowledgeable in every way. They gave us each a complimentary drink at the rooftop bar. Over the course of our stay, they helped us find a bank, explained to us how to take the subway to the Vatican and called us a cab when we checked out. We especially liked that they had coffee in the room (which none of our other hotels had). We loved the breakfast on the rooftop! We think we would happily stay here again. Rome has so many great places, but this hotel was fantastic. 

Regarding the private Vatican tour, we loved the tour and were very pleased with our guide's knowledge of the museum, Basilica, etc. Another couple we had met was able to go down into the catacombs to see the tombs, without a reservation, and as part of their tour. We weren't sure if that was something that could be added or looked into for the future. 

The next day we took a cab to Hertz and were very excited when they upgraded us from a Ford to a Mercedes! They were very helpful with directions out of Rome and even let us leave the car parked at the gas pump while we ran into the bank across the street. Everything with Hertz worked like clockwork. Fantastic to work with. 

We took our time driving to Cortona and stopped in Orvieto (spectacular!) for lunch. It wasn't difficult navigating the highway and we would suggest driving through the Tuscan countryside to anyone debating between car and train. Driving up from Rome to Cortona was a highlight of our trip!

The drive up to the Villa di Piazzano was tree-lined and beautiful and the receptionist gave us mint lemonade while we checked in. There was champagne on ice for us in our room and a sweet congratulatory note from the Wimpole family. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and probably slept better here, than anywhere else (the peace and quiet was a nice shift from the hustle and bustle of Rome). When we weren't in the car, we enjoyed walking around the property and using the free wi-fi (only hotel we stayed at to offer it). The breakfast at the villa was top notch (amazing cakes and eggs!) and we had dinner there our last night. We would most definitely stay here again, as we felt very at home and relaxed. Our only regret was that it wasn't warm enough to enjoy the pool :) Oh, one other thing--they let us take the bikes out free of charge and it ended up being one of our favorite "Italian" experiences.

The cooking class was FANTASTIC. The owner of the property, actually instructed us, and it was a blast. There were six of us in the class, and we were served wine and cheese throughout the lesson. Adrianna was such a sweetheart. We are so glad we decided to take the cooking class here versus somewhere else (like Florence), since there wasn't as much to do and see in Cortona. It was the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon :)

Our last full day at the villa we drove up to Greve in Chianti and had the most amazing wine tour and tasting at Castello di Verrazzano. The tour guides we met, were fantastic, especially in showing us around and explaining how they make the different types of wines. After the winery, we drove south to Siena and spent a few hours there before heading back to the villa.

After checking out the next morning, we decided not to drive up to the Maranello to see the Ferrari Museum (which worked out fine because there was the Mille Miglia in Florence!) and did laundry at a nearby laundromat instead. For anyone staying in Cortona, this is a great recommendation if someone needs to do laundry. The Star Wash was fast and effective. Our drive into Florence was much more challenging than exiting Rome, much to our surprise, and it took us awhile to find the Hertz location. We were especially glad in our decision not to drive north that morning, as we probably would not have had the car back on time!

Nevertheless, we found Hertz and turned the car back in with no trouble. A taxi took us to the Hotel Albani, and since we weren't pleased with the room they initially put us in, they switched us to a much nicer wing of the hotel in our opinion (the first room was neon green with a view of an alley, while the second was brightly lit and overlooked a lovely courtyard/garden). The bellman, was especially helpful in making sure that our room met our liking and was the sweetest person. He made sure that everything went well for us and took care of our bags upon our arrival. Please make sure to thank him for us. The breakfast here was also very good and we thought the location of the hotel was convenient. It was especially helpful that it was just a block away from the train station, which we navigated easily.

Thank you again for pre-booking our tickets to the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries. I think if we could change one thing about our trip, we would have also booked a private tour for the Uffizi. The Duomo in Florence was AMAZING. It was one of our highlights and favorite memories in Florence. We would recommend that anyone traveling there take the time to walk to the top of the Duomo. Beautiful!! The train ride to Venice was quick and easy. The train system is Europe is far and away better and efficient than anything here in the States.

Regarding the hotel in Venice, there were things we liked, and things we didn't. Overall, our stay was comfortable, next time we probably would like to stay somewhere on the Grand Canal.

Any dissatisfaction we felt in Venice, was quickly erased when we reached Lake Como, however! The Grand Hotel Tremezzo was AMAZING!!! It was the most expensive of our accommodations, and worth every penny. We had a beautiful room with a recently renovated bathroom overlooking the lake. We were greeted with champagne on ice and fruit in our room along with a note of congrats from the hotel (and from you!). The front desk staff was so polite and friendly in every way. We were checked in very easily and then the next day made sure that John's dress shirt and slacks were able to be pressed on time for dinner that evening. We took the ferry to Bellagio one afternoon, but spent the rest of the time in the hotel. It was the perfect end to our stay, honestly.

As we discussed before, it was quite rainy, so we just enjoyed our gorgeous room and view, as well as other hotel amenities such as the indoor pool (WOW) and billiards room. We are still speechless about the indoor pool at the hotel and the staff at the spa. So relaxing! We had dinner both nights at the hotel and loved both meals, probably the one in the wine bar the most (complimentary with our stay). It felt so good just to stay put and reflect on our trip while enjoying a little luxury. We will definitely return to Lake Como and the Grand Hotel Tremezzo! Oh, and I forgot to mention the breakfast...the spread was HUGE and had lots of indulgent choices (and champagne!). There really is no reason to ever leave this hotel.

But leave we did, and in style. Our private transfer to the airport was very necessary (as you said) and we were so grateful for the stress-free departure. The car was big and comfortable and the driver had water for each of us. We ran into some pretty nasty traffic at one point, but he pulled off the highway and took us down some smaller roads to get us to the airport on time. This was probably one of the best decisions we made! Please recommend this car service and the driver to your future clients. Worth every penny. 

You pieced together the trip of a lifetime for us, and for that we are forever grateful! Please know that we will definitely consult you for any of our future travel plans. You made our honeymoon absolutely.....PERFECT. 

Ciao for now!
Annie and John A., Denver, CO

Agent: Kyra Heede, Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist
Email:Kyra.h@travelstoreusa.com