Charming Voyages Travel with Kelly

20/08/2024

Join us for Star Clippers Cruise Night! ✨🚢After some of our agents returned from an amazing journey with Star Clippers through the French Riviera, we had so many questions & interest in learning more about this unique experience! Join us for an evening exploring everything Star Clippers has to offer! ⤵️

📅 August 29th, 2024
⏰ 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
📍Gilbert, Arizona

We will be chatting about the experience, the recent voyage, answer questions, & have some special promotions available if you attend!
Let me know if you would like to attend.
Hope to see you there! 👏🏼

Learn more about a unique sailing adventure with Star Clippers.

18/08/2024

Come join us!

🚢✨ Event Alert: Star Clippers Cruise Night! ✨🚢

Dreaming of setting sail on a majestic clipper ship? Join us for an unforgettable evening as we explore the wonders of Star Clippers cruises!

📅 Date: August 29th

🕕 Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

📍 Location: Gilbert, AZ

✨ Event Highlights Include:

Exclusive insights into Star Clippers' unique sailing experiences
Stories and photos from past voyages
Special promotions and packages available only at the event
Complimentary refreshments
Q&A session with our expert travel advisors

Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a curious adventurer dreaming of the high seas, this is your chance to discover the magic of sailing with Star Clippers.

RSVP today
https://charmingvoyagestravel.myflodesk.com/starclippers

📌 Save the Date & Stay Tuned for More Updates!

We hope to see you there!

11/08/2024

(History, Taverns & Tapas continued) We stopped at 3 taverns, three of the oldest and multigenerational owned. Spanish wine, red or white is very good! To be honest I haven't found much that I don't like. I was even convinced to try their version of Chardonnay 😳. The picture of the little croquettes were ham,cheese, and potato. The sign of a good croquet is you have to pick it up with your fingers because it will fall apart with a fork! (true) Brave potatoes- with spicy tomato and bechamel sauce that was not at all spicy 😂 The cannelloni have a mushroom bechamel sauce (divine and silky) they're typically eaten the day after Christmas with all of the Christmas leftovers stuffed inside! This looks like the flan that we are used to eating but it's more like a pudding with a small amount of cinnamon and caramelized sugar.
The Barcelona Cathedral was started in the 13th century and finished in the 15th. Guess where the Archbishop of Barcelona resides. The steps in the corner with the door at the top is where Christopher Columbus was greeted by Ferdinand and Isabella (who funded his journeys) after "finding" the Americas.
That drawing on the last picture is by Picasso! It is free to see on a building across from the cathedral.

11/08/2024

We have been in Barcelona for a few days. Day one we got settled in our "room with a view" then started walking. (about 2 mi) Someone on the river cruise recommended a restaurant in the Gothic Quarter. We had sangria, beer, and a pizza with burrata and a spicy chorizo. We were so hungry I didn't get pictures of it 😂 there are a lot of Italians here and as many Italian restaurants as Spanish restaurants!
The architecture here is spectacular!
*Pro tip-when your travel agent suggests "skip the line" tickets before you arrive, listen!
Both Park Guell and Sagrada Familia were sold out when we were there!! (pictures coming)

10/08/2024

We had a wonderful food tour with Devour tours and Luke! It was History, Taverns and Tapas! This is going to take a few posts! First of all I have fallen in love with Iberian Ham!!! We had Manchego cheese, bread that was served with a simple blend of fresh tomatoes spread on bread, and Fuet. We also had a Russian salad that was a blend of potatoes, peas, tuna, and egg. It was served with pieces of bread. It was really delicious, I was quite surprised! The little sausages were great. The food in Spain is not spicy.
Our drinks were Cava which is a Spanish type of sparkling wine and a Spanish vermouth that was really quite delightful! (Yes, those are shishedo peppers😜)

09/08/2024

Our last day was in Cadillac. Yep, another glorious bike ride❤️ We would have never ventured here without the river cruise. I know I sound like I'm doing a commercial, but the advantages of river cruising, is that you may be at a particular port but you venture into a totally different city than what an ocean cruise does.
We rode our bikes from Cadillac to the sauternes where they grow and bottle sweet dessert wines. The growing conditions in soil are totally different in this area than where we had previously visited. They have their own microclimate. The two rivers meet one is hot one is cold and it creates a fog early in the morning. This is what causes Noble rot. That's a good thing! 🍇This couple were in there late '70s and in 2017 bought this chateau and they are growing organic. She comes from many generations of a wine growing family and her husband is very particular in the fields. These grapes have to be picked by hand. We were quite relieved to hear they were fixing up one of the houses on the property for their daughter and young family to move into it and help them!
If you're completely bored, scroll on by. I have to tell you about the baguette vending machine. 😂 In this small village there is not a boulangerie very close. So there is a baker that fills this machine everyday with fresh baguettes. Palo our guide stopped here before we got back on the ship. €1,20 and out popped a baguette. 🤣🥖
He proceeded to tear it in chunks and gave everybody a piece and it had delicious crunchy crust & chewy middle 🤤 they also have tubes on the mailboxes for bakers to deliver baguettes daily.

09/08/2024

We had another fabulous bike ride! The rides have all been about 3-3 1/2 hours. Over bridges and narrow cobblestone streets. This was in the heart of Bordeaux. We came in a day early and wandered around the hotel neighborhood, but this was the city center. This would have been horrible to miss out on. They offered a few different tours including a walking tour. There is a beautiful park - like a mini central park. If you can ride a bike, I highly recommend it! We visited an area called Darwin, as it is always evolving. It was a mixture of bakeries, a wonderful chocolate store, bars and restaurants.

08/08/2024

Heading to the airport for adventure #2 for a couple of days.🇪🇸 The
TBM is very user friendly even when transferring.(Transport Bordeaux Metropole) They are like the light rail in Phoenix. You can use your credit card or euro coins. Just remember to get some Euro at the ATM in the airport in case the machine is broken outside and it isn't taking cards at the moment!

07/08/2024

I think I missed a day somewhere, but this was Bourg. This is a walled city on a hill. We did a walking tour, and it was a hot one 🥵
The first picture is just a view from the lounge.
The white oak tree (photo of the trunk) was over 200 yrs old. A beautiful market area/park. This citadel also had some underground tunnels and a river, under a carriage museum. These towns are not busy and there are no souvenir shops. The most river cruises we have seen are three. We are all rotating with the ports. They did adjust our itinerary, but we are seeing everything. With the river tides, and the close proximity of all the towns it is easy to change the itinerary and still get to see everything. They don't typically miss a port here.
L'église Saint-Géronce, is the name of the church. There are post markers for the pilgrims to follow to Spain.

07/08/2024

We have been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit. But this was a fantastic top of my list tour that I didn't even know I needed to do! We biked through the vineyards on our way to the Chateau Maucaillou for a wine tasting!!!🍷🚴🏻‍♀️
Come on!!! These are so well planned. Our guide stopped every so often and explained all of the different tidbits of the vineyards. Did you know that some of the vineyards have roses planted in the front of all of the rows? She said it's like the canary in the coal mine. If the roses get a disease the grapes will as well so it gives them a chance to correct things. Now they try to avoid the pesticides here in France, and they hang a little plastic device that has pheromones for the female butterflies and they do not lay their eggs on the vines like they used to. Also in France the fruit hangs far below the leaves. (closer to the ground) The leaves protect the fruit from getting burnt or splitting open with the heat. They're only allowed to irrigate for the first three or four years of a newly planted vine. Then it is up to mother nature and the rain. They are not allowed to irrigate or water. Probably more information than you wanted, but it was amazing and by the way, the Bordeaux area is pretty flat ❤️ you may have to scooch over for a tractor to go by because the roads are very narrow but very bikeable!! .luxurycruisestours

05/08/2024

Our new summer house, now that the husband retired 😂
Tonight was the Scenic Enrichment. This is an included private experience and no other river cruises are there, just us! No extra charge. (rem, all inclusive) The winery/chateau is called Chateau D' Agassac in Ludon-Medoc, France. We are treated to wine tasting and a lovely concert by a local string quartet🎻🍷They also had Champagne and some soft drinks. We returned about 10:30 pm and the chef had prepared a lovely meatball soup for a late night snack with several choices of bread to go along with it at the bar.

05/08/2024

The Citadelle de Blaye was designed by the famous French military engineer, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. It was built in 1685 through 1689. Because we had a local French guide, we were able to go into the underground tunnels. Behind the walls was a whole community with restaurants and shopping and, of course, a vineyard! It seemed like we walked a lot today. But it was just under 5 miles. Where did the active walk which is why we went into the tunnels and there were some stairs. But with the amount of excursions you get to choose from, you get to pick your own energy level!
Foer example-today we will be biking while others take the motor coach to wine tasting.

04/08/2024

Far less known to tourists than Bordeaux or even Saint Emilion, Libourne was a charming town in the South West of France. It makes for an easy day trip from Bordeaux. This river cruise is different from most through the Rhine or Danube, because we're spending time on two Rivers and an estuary and kind of circling around and spending a lot more time at each port. Definitely more relaxed. I would recommend this destination for a wine enthusiast and/or second time river cruiser. .luxurycruisestours

04/08/2024

Good morning from Blaye, France

03/08/2024

Such a beautiful day! There are 82 wineries in this medieval town of Saint-Émilion. It seems that most all of them have a large chateau shadowing over them! About every third shop lining the streets has a tasting room and more wine than you could ever ship home. 😂 The pictures don't even come close to showing the beauty of the rolling hills and vineyards. The primary grapes here are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. We couldn't take pictures, but we saw an underground monolithic church, the cave where St Emilion lived for 17 years and the catacombs. They're also famous for the macaron. Not the fancy cream filled Parisian one. This resembles more of an amaretti cookie they're crunchy with a slight chew. It is said they originated in Venice but in Saint Emilion, the recipe dates back to 1620.

01/08/2024

One night in Bordeaux! Dinner, drinks and a good nights sleep at the Hotel Mercure Bordeaux Chantron!

31/07/2024

Last leg-Amsterdam to Bordeaux. I think this is the most flights we've ever taken to a destination 😂
Amsterdam (Schipol) is a big airport. We spent a few days in Amsterdam, but connected with the ferry and train. If you're looking for a new Coach bag or a Balenciaga, even tulips, the airport has it! You will want plenty of time to connect too!

30/07/2024

Hello Toronto 👋🏻

30/07/2024

Time to go again ❤️

30/07/2024

Last week we traveled to Jamaica! Country number 32 for us.
Sandals Ochi All-inclusive is about 2 hours from Montego Bay airport. Three if you hit traffic. Sandals provides free transportation. But you can also get a private driver.
I've sent many clients to Sandals (adults only) resorts over the last few years. They're fantastic for honeymoons, anniversaries, special occasions, milestone birthdays, and friends groups.
Going to different locations, I have real hands-on knowledge.
This is one of the older locations. The service was fantastic and the food was over the top. There is everything from steak and lobster to Jamaican Patties. There are over 20 restaurants and bars, 11 pools and let's not forget the beach! This was the first vacation that we planned to just relax. We did just that.
We stayed in the Club Level Butler Village. This included a pool that we shared with three other rooms. The resort does have an on staff nurse. Ask me how I know!! While there aren't very many pictures, it is truly a place to go relax!
Oftentimes people ask if Jamaica is safe to travel to. There are no guarantees of safety anytime you travel. Staying on a resort property and sticking with reputable tour companies, including those that the resort offers is the best bet.

24/07/2024

Clients just returned from an Ama Waterways Gems of Southeast Europe (Budapest to Giurgiu) River Cruise! They had so much fun, they are looking for their next!

27/06/2024

This lovely lady just returned from her custom vacation in London with her son and granddaughter. They visited the Borough Market, Tower of London, Churchill's War Room, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, The Royal Museums and a day trip to the Cotswolds and ended their trip with a lovely tea in Greenwich🫖

17/06/2024

I was so excited to get more pictures from my clients as they finished up their custom vacation in Italy. It is important to ask the right questions in creating these trips. Your input really helps me customize your itinerary. Wes & Alli took a walking tour of Venice and St Mark's Basilica in the morning and finished off their day at a cooking class with a local Italian woman in her home. 🇮🇹

14/06/2024

*Insurance not only gives you peace of mind, but protects your travel investment.
*If you are crossing international borders, it's best to leave CBD home.
*It is important to know that power adapters will let you plug your devices into an electrical socket in other countries.
*Copies can come in handy if you need to replace a stolen or lost passport. Leave one with a friend or family member as well.
*ATMs are the best way to access money abroad. You will get a better exchange rate.
Working with a travel agent? Then you already know these tips!

14/06/2024

Have you ever wondered what a Sandals All-Inclusive resort is like? They are having some great promotions right now! Sandals Resorts are great for group celebrations, milestone birthdays, romantic couple getaways, weddings and honeymoons! What would your occasion be?
*Water sports and premium liquors included

12/06/2024

Rest & Relaxation for the Lockwood's

10/06/2024

Nassau All Inclusive to be exact!

10/06/2024

Client's Allison and Wes had a little snow on their Chamonix Mont-Blanc full day tour. Minus 12°🥶 (I would love some snow flurries right about now!) They started in Geneva, went to Lyon, and Barcelona. 🇨🇭🇫🇷🇪🇸
They are continuing on their custom trip through the lake regions and the Dolomites in Italy. 🇮🇹 The last two pictures are the view from their balcony at the Charming Bellagio Boutique Hotel.