From Valle Dorado to Monterrico.... Guatemalan Vacation

From Valle Dorado to Monterrico

Normally, DTT, (Jahzara and I) lead a very basic lifestyle. No electric, rice and beans to eat, washing in rain or river water, and so on…

 Our normal shower facilities

This is all great for the body, mind and soul, and we love it! But, for my Diva girls birthday this year, I managed to scrape together enough money for a complete change…. For a week at least. 

We opted for total VIP and booked a night at Valle Dorado water park ‘ Q500 (just under £50/$70) all inclusive 3pm until 1pm the following day. It was certainly a break from the norm; open bar with amazing, and unlimited cocktails (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), a snack bar, waffle-pancake shack, and breakfast lunch and dinner buffet style in the dining room (food was basic but plentiful). 

Then there was the Jacuzzi (I was dismayed to discover that they let children in freely…. and with food!). Valle Dorados childrens pool, childrens activities, and modern, clean rooms; made me completely forget that I was in Guatemala! I commented to my friend, that while all these city types were enjoying the sun, water, and beer, something we are more than used to, We were making the most of our clean. Fresh, air conditioned room complete with running water, electricity, and TV! Something we certainly are not accustomed to. 

 Valle Dorado Waterpark

The water park itself is modern, clean, safe, and fun; I would certainly recommend it. The all-inclusive package that Valle Dorado offers is also something worth taking up; Just don’t get too excited by the free cocktails! We had an amazing barman called Brian who whipped up the most fantastic, delicious and varied cocktails… I drank many, many, many of these sweet devilish drinks…. And (both physically and mentally) Paid for it the next day! 

To get to Valle Dorado from the city, just take a Litegua coach headed for Puerto Barrios. Valle Dorado is where the coach stops off for its mid point refreshment break. The coach itself should cost less than Q50. 

http://www.hotelvalledorado.com/i/ 

http://www.litegua.com/horarios.html 

Monterrico 

From the water park, we were supposed to head for Chichicastenango, but decided we couldn’t take the mountain chill, so we opted for Monterrico beach, on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. We were faced with allsorts of long winded routes, and ways to reach Monterico, but in the end we discovered that we could get a single chicken bus from a place called Cenma, in Guatemala city which reaches Monterrico in just four hours (to get to Cenma take the Transmetro Sur from Plaza Barrios. It is the last stop). Alternatively, for double the cost but half the journey time, you can travel  from La Antigua Guatemala, to Monterrico in a tourist filled mini bus, which in my opinion is not as fun or as interesting as a chicken bus. To experience both, we took a chicken bus there, and the mini bus back. 

  Hotel Delfin from the Beach

In Monterrico, we found a reasonable deal at hotel el Delfin on the beach, with a decent pool, free drinking water and free coffee or tea in the mornings. The hotel usually offers you a free fourth night and has great food and all the necessary connections with local tour guides. Rooms are basic, but you have little reason to spend long in them, as they have wonderful communal areas, seating on the beach, and a few hammocks too. 

                                                            The pool at El Delfin

There is little to do in Monterrico, with the main attraction being turtle season (July to October). Canoe tours through the mangroves are available for around Q100; it is advisable to take the 5am tour to see any wildlife. 

                                                          Canoe trip of the mangroves

You can take a horse ride along the beach for around Q100, but it is lead, so if you are a rider, it may not be for you. Quads are also available to tour the beautiful stretch of beach, the small town and perhaps even some of the aldeas (small villages) in the area too. 

At Q300 an hour the quads were out of our budget, but a friend we had made borrowed one and gave us a wonderful tour – even finding an area of the sea that was gentle enough for us to paddle in. The sea is simply not for swimming here‘ with  strong undercurrents and powerful waves at the shore-line, neither is it for paddling! If you are with children, keep your eyes and hands on them if they are anywhere near the water! For this reason, we chose a hotel with a pool.

                                                                  Monterrico Beach

Shrimp dishes are good value in this part of Guatemala, so make the most of it. While the hotel Delfin served delicious food, it was a little pricey and included a service charge, which pushed the bill up even more. Our favourite eatery outside of the hotel was somewhere along the main street, and is called Calle Real. We loved their shrimp burritos. Alcohol can be as expensive as Antigua (surely the most expensive place in the country), so be careful of racking up a tab with your hotel! We paid for everything as we went along, to avoid any surprises at check out!

                                                     Seafood Soup in Monterrico... around Q50

From Monterrico we took the tourist shuttle to Antigua – and instantly regretted it! It was hotter and stuffer than a chicken bus and I simply did not enjoy being surrounded by tourists – for me, one of the best things about travel, is meeting local people; and one thing I adore about local transport is seeing peoples lives  in terms of where they are travelling, where they live, what they have bought, or made, or are selling… their stories. 

 The Terrace at Frank&Fre

  

Antigua is a tourist hot spot, therefore, it has a range of accommodation… some much pricier than others, within nothing absolutely dirt cheap. We found that in particular, Tropicana and el Hostal are good value, but chose to stay above a gastropub called Frank&Fre. It has a lovely terrace, friendly atmosphere and great staff. Another grteat place to stay is the Three Monkeys Hoste.  I rarely spend much time in Antigua, but there is a host of tourist information out there!! Enjoy your stay!! 

https://www.facebook.com/threemonkeyshostel/ 

New York, New York!!

If you come to New York City with a lot of money, the possibilities seem endless. But, what if you're budget travellers, like us? Well there still plenty you can do....

Our first glance of the big apple

We were here for a couple of months, but even if you just come for a week or two, or pass through for a weekend, the following should hopefully give you a few ideas on what to do during your visit:

Where to stay

We were in the Bronx; which can be considerably cheaper than staying in the centre/Manhattan. Look at various options; other than hotels there are hostels, couchsurfing, room shares and room rentals (depending on how long your staying and what you're willing to settle for).  We rented a tiny, stuffy room with no windows and a noisy water pipe in a good location, for about £250 a month but I'm sure there were better deals about.

Getting around

Buy a metro card for a dollar and top it up - it's currently $2.50 for one journey or $30 for a week unlimited (small children go free). Get a map and familiarise yourself with it - it can be hard to unfold  your big metro map at a station or on a busy train.... besides which you will look like a total tourist! The main thing is to know whether you're heading for uptown or downtown, which number train reaches your station and your set....

Riding the subway!  

In terms of taxis, for a short distance (if you don't want to use the subway), hail a yellow cab.... but if the distance is longer, or there's bad weather or traffic, pre-call a taxi as they will give you a set price to work with. The yellow cabs can be financially scary when you're sitting in traffic watching the meter creep up.

The Bronx

Personally I loved the Bronx. We made so many friends, and as is usually the case, those with less were the ones who were ready and willing to offer so much. The local library was a safe haven from our stuffy, overheated room. We were able to set up accounts, borrow books, and use the internet there all for free. We also found a seventh day Adventist church nearby; and discovered how different things are done across the pond. Again we met some real life angels who helped us so much during our time here.

 

Me and J outside Hunts Point Church, the Bronx :)

 

Freebies:

I can only recommend the things I actually tried, but will then give a list of things which are reportedly free....

Grand central station is of course, free to enter... just stroll in and look up at the beautiful ceiling. The station also has a great, but pricey, food market, a whole dining area; with free 'restrooms' and wifi, and a few good store/shops - a rite aid (pharmacy similar to superdrug in the UK), a bookstore, and a cute transit store. It's also beautiful to look at from the outside, and you can easily reach 5th avenue, Bryant park, and times square on foot from here.

 

Grand central

 

 

Transport store at Grand Central

 

We frequented Bryant Park during our stay. Its located behind the New York City Public Library (5th ave), between Grand central station and Times Square if you're walking. We were here in the winter, and so we had the pleasure of using the winter gardens; consisting of lovely market stall type stores selling allsorts; from soaps, to hot apple cider, hot chocolate, turros, to clothing, bags, and a wonderful array of artesian jewellery, plus a beautiful Christmas tree, and a free ice rink! For the ice rink, bring your own lock for the lockers (or pay $8 for them to check your bag in), and bring skates (or pay $19 a time to rent a pair). Check sports shops such as Modells for discounted or last seasons reduced price skates (if you don't ask you won't get). Then hit the ice!

Ice skating (in the rain) at Bryant park

 

Times square is another must see; even though there's really not much to see... just a lot of high buildings, billboards and lights... We came for NYE but to get a prime spot people were reportedly arriving from 7am, and it was certainly filling up by midday! When we arrived at 7pm, the central section of Times square was blocked off, as were most of the surrounding sidewalks. We nestled among the estimated 1million+ people trying to see the ball drop, and caught sight of the ball, the glitter and fireworks, but were too far away to see or hear any of the performances.

Me, at Times Square

 

We did not pay to go up the empire state; at around $30 for me and $20 for Jahzara. But we did enter the lobby for a cheeky photo... and enjoyed seeing the building lit up in the evenings.

Cheeky snap of the empire state lobby

 

We did visit the Rockefeller centre, a few times; to see the ice rink, the lighting of the Christmas tree (again, more hype.... just see it the day after it's been lit), and to sit and sip a Starbucks indoors, use the free wifi and watch the skaters..... it's a good place to rest for a half hour if you are shopping 5th ave (as is the Trump Towers, located close to Tiffanys).

Rockefeller ice-rink

 

We also saw the statue of liberty - for $2.50 you can get on the subway; get off at Bowling Green. The ferry to Staten island is free both ways and there is free wifi while you wait.

The New York City Skyline from the Staten Island Ferry

 

My suggested itinerary is to go on a Wednesday,  arrive early and visit the Museum of the American Indian http://nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/ . Then catch the Ferry to Staten Island - along the way you see lady liberty. Continue to the Staten Island Zoo which is free on a Wednesdays  after 2pm, then you will also see lady liberty in the dark; along with Brooklyn Bridge and the New York City sky-line beautifully lit up.

Coney Island is supposed to be great in the Summer. Admittedly we went in the Winter, but it simply had the same feel, look and atmosphere as Barry Island in Wales. and, just like Barry Island it's not an Island at all! Nonetheless, the New York aquarium is there, offering  entry by donation after 3pm on Fridays. We walked along the beach and sat with coffee and hot chocolate rather than ice creams, and gazed across the Atlantic, towards the UK. sort of. The aquarium itself is small, and is still rebuilding after hurricane Sandy, but Jahzara enjoyed the sea lion show.... and of course, the overpriced gift shop

some Freebies, outlined:

 

National Museum of the American Indian. FREE

Bronx zoo - pay what you will on Wednesdays

New York botanical garden - free on Wednesdays

Staten Island Zoo - free on Wednesdays after 2pm

New York aquarium - pay what you will after 3pm on a Friday

New York hall of science  Free 2-5pm on Fridays

Childrens museum of Manhattan - Free 1st Friday of the month between 5-8pm

Brooklyn Museum - free 1st Saturday of the month 5-11pm

El Museo de Barrio - Free third sat of the month. Latin American/ Caribbean art 

Studio museum in Harlem - Highlighting work of black artists. Free sundays 12-6pm

 

Bahamas Cruise Review

A four day cruise from a backpackers perspective

Recently, Double Trouble Travel decided to splash out on a four day cruise to the Bahamas, from our nearest port - port canaveral. We found a sweet deal ($200 each - tax and all, food and soft drinks included) on www.lastminutecruises.com) with the enforced 'gratuities' that is so inherent in the USA, it came to around $250 each at the end of the trip (I managed to quell little Js gratuities on account of her being seven, bringing the total to $450 for us both for the four days).
We took the 'Carnival Sensation' - this review is simply of that ship and company, on a four day Bahamas trip.

Below I outline and review the trip - from a budget perspective.

Ching ching ;)

Firstly information was somewhat lacking. It would have been nice to have a good sized welcome pack - but we seemed to get things in dribs and drabs. Prices were also quite concealed. I witnessed a fair few people go for the 'welcome' cocktails on embarking, then look quite surprised at being billed almost $10 each for them.

The first positive was that as soon as we boarded the ship, there was a delicious and varied buffet waiting for us; with salad and fruit options, and an appetising desert cart. Although we had to wait a little for rooms to be ready, the pool, canteen and bars were up and running immediately.

Buffet food on 'Caribbean day'

There was a long and seemingly pointless safety briefing; taking a good hour to tell people that when the alarm goes we must go to our 'muster station' and from there, where the boats were, but I guess thats the law, so....

I didn't realise that we would also have the option of dining (instead of the canteen buffet). Dining was amazing the service was great; a 3 course meal with a different menu each day- again lack of information regarding drinks being offered as if free then charged for (don't accept the bottle of m ineral water they offer you - wait and they will pour some standard water for free, and any alcohol will be around $10 each).

 Brunch, in the dining room on 'Sea day'

The rooms were small, but good - turned out twice daily - but again, don't touch any bottled water in your room - it's around $5 a bottle! and laundry is expensive too - so pack what you need for the whole trip. I am still unsure about the room service and breakfast in bed options. I assume that as there were no prices on the menu that a gratuity is added to your bill, but as I found with the water bottles in our room  - no price tag does not mean no cost.

One of room services finishing touches

There was a children's club which had the children up to 3pm, then 6pm until 10pm for free. Depending on age, 'Camp Carnival' will have children up to 3am, for around $7 an hour, plus gratuity. I would say keep reminding staff if your child has allergies / dietary requirements - J doesn't eat meat or drink coke, and despite this being on her name badge, she was given both on the first day. Also, as with any childcare; exercise caution if your child cannot communicate anything which has happened to them during the day.

Our first stop was Freeport, Nassau  - I thought that it was good that activities were offered for people staying on the ship and that kids club would take the kids while you were off (we didn't do this ourselves, but a few parents did). The excursions which were offered by the ship were extremely high - for example, you could pay $60 (adult) or $50 (child) to go to a beach resort then the market and have a non-alcoholic drink... or you could get off the ship, walk a few feet and get a taxi for $5 each way and do it yourself. We took a taxi (shared mini van, not USA cab style) to Taino beach because it was known as the quietest tourist beach for $7 each way, each - just under $30 in total for me and J. The taxis are great at getting you there and back in time for your ship, and even called us off the beach because they were worried we would be late! The market here is Lucaya but according to other cruisers, the things sold in the market could be bought right at the port for the same prices. I really wish we had taken a boat trip (glass bottom boat), .or done some snorkelling, as I think Freeport is better than Nassau for this (around $40 when bought on the ship - around 2.5hrs)

Part of Taino beach

Back on the ship, you can indulge in plenty of free entertainment - unfortunately there seemed little explanation for a lot of the entertainment, which left a lot of people I spoke with wondering what was actually available. The entertainment was good however; with dance shows, comedians, live music,  karaoke, a singles meet and a GLBT gathering.  

 

Our second and final destination was Nassau. A short walk brings you (through a crowd of tour operators jostling for your business; some with very good tours at ok prices) to the town; where you can buy a wealth of things tax free, and where the jewellery shops may sweeten you with a shot (or two) of rum. We were not in purchase / shopping mode, so we walked past Junkanoo beach (signposted), to the next beach - which we had all to ourselves, on account of there being no hotels or bars there. After this we walked back to Junkanoo beach and sat at the bar with matching cocktails (a non-alcoholic version for J of course). I plugged my phone into the bars sound system and we all rocked along to my soca carnival mix - after I introduced the bar man to the sounds of German reggae artist Patrice.

Beach on Nassau

The last day we spent the whole day at sea; there was so much to do that I frantically tried to get it all in - after a delicious brunch in the dining room,  J went to 'Camp Carnival', I hopped into the steam and sauna, spent time relaxing in the over 21 area, had some buffet food, spend time with J by the pool and had dinner with two lovely ladies I had met, before hitting a comedy show and falling into bed.

The pool at night

So guys, don't feel you couldn't go it alone on a cruise - you meet so many weird and wonderful people from different backgrounds, its amazing. I was a little uncomfortable with the wining and dining as I'm not used to it and kept wanted to help, but for a lot of people this makes the cruise. Bring your own beach towels, as if you lose the ones provided the charge is around $20. Bring some smart clothes for dinner - some people go all out, some people go 'smart-casual', and on the 'elegant evening' you can fully go all out. I loved admiring the beautiful gowns (plus every evening there are photographers swarming the decks to take glamorous pictures). Personally, I would saqy bring your own music and headphones - the poolside music is not for everyone! You are allowed to bring a bottle of champagne or wine on board, plus any waters, soda but NO liquor and no beers - they want you to pay $10 a drink!

Our last view of the Bahamas

If you have any questions or comments, or want further advice, please comment below.