Something was missing from your last vacation. You had some laughs, saw some interesting sights, and returned home feeling pretty rested, but there were a few things that rubbed you the wrong way. You disliked having to eat out for every meal, and even grabbing a quick bite always turned into an overpriced production. You appreciated the chance to get the whole family together, but piling into your tiny hotel room led to a few tense moments. Your lodgings were a bargain, but all the money you ended up spending on transportation, parking, tips, and that moment of weakness when you raided the mini-bar, definitely pushed your vacation beyond your planned budget.

It’s time for the next trip, and you’re ready to do it right. You’ve decided to take the family to Keystone, which you’ve heard is an all-around paradise for active-minded vacationers. To ensure that all goes well, you’re looking for that extra something that will set this getaway apart from all the others. What could that special ingredient be?

Imagine waking up without the helpful beep-beep of the alarm clock, wrapping yourself in a cozy bathrobe, and sipping a cup of coffee as you take in the powdery peaks from your picture window. This moment of calm is soon replaced by sheer exhilaration, as you find yourself zooming down the very slopes that you were admiring just a few minutes ago. When your muscles call out for a rest, hop on the next shuttle and be deposited at your front door, where you’ll marvel anew at the welcoming sight of your classy, oh-so-convenient mountainside condo.

After your visit to the grocery store down the street, your pantry is now packed with all the staples you’ll need for the duration of your trip. Healthy, pre-skiing breakfast foods and a few snacks for cocktail hour will let you save a few bucks and invite you to set the pace for this vacation. There are several restaurants and bars in the nearby village, but don’t be surprised if your end-of-the-day soak in the whirlpool tub has inspired you to hole up in your cabin with a good book and a warm fire.

You can’t get over the fact that the wooded setting of your vacation rental makes you feel secluded and relaxed, yet you really aren’t that far away from an abundance of activities. The kids discovered an ice skating rink just a short walk away, and you plan to venture all of six miles down the road for some great outlet mall shopping. Never before have you felt so well-situated without being kept awake at night by traffic, noise, and the voices of your fellow vacationers. You were surprised to hear that the night owls in the family stayed up and watched a movie last night, at the same time you were enjoying some of the best and most undisturbed sleep of your life.

If you are more of a summertime traveler, the perks of a Keystone vacation home will be just as noteworthy. This is the place for mountain biking, fishing, nature observing, and golfing, all before a backdrop of stunning mountains and turquoise skies. You’ll enjoy everything all more when it only requires a quick walk or bike ride to get to your desired location, so forget about gas prices and be kind to the earth for a few days.

The heated pool will bring the family together for an afternoon of fun, as will the gas grill and expansive patio surrounded by aspens and blue spruce. Make yourselves at home in this privileged spot, and keep in mind that you’re probably spending about the same amount of money as you did on your last, less-relaxed vacation.

If this scenario has ignited your imagination and promised to help lift the burden from your shoulders, then don’t waste any time researching all your homeaway.com/Colorado-vacation-rentals/Keystone-vacation-rentals.htm Keystone Vacation Rental options. There is a place out on the mountain, waiting for you and your family to come claim it for a few blessed days of well-deserved tranquility.

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When looking to eat out in Antigua, you’ll find menus and choices to suit all tastes and desires. You’ll also find something to suit all budgets.

This is Stay-in-Antigua’s mini-guide to our favourite restaurants and eateries on this beautiful Caribbean island.

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Restaurants and eateries in Antigua offer a wide range of cuisine to suit most palates. Those located in tourist areas or hotels offer mainly European, American and fusion options, with a few local and traditional dishes thrown in for good measure. Dishes are made largely from local ingredients.

As with all of the Caribbean islands, seafood choices are plentiful, with Antigua being renowned for its Red Snapper, Lobster and Mahi-Mahi.

Outside resorts and tourist areas, restaurants are generally low-key and laid back. Service is friendly, but can be exceedingly slow. On the upside, you’ll have lots of time to sample island life and mix with the charming locals while waiting for your meal to arrive.

Although variety is somewhat limited for vegetarians, the choices are growing and most menus will carry one or two vegetarian dishes, made from ingredients such as Okra, Breadfruit and Pumpkin. Just to be careful, it is advisable to ring ahead, or even stop in at your chosen eatery to check out the vegetarian options.

If you’re staying in a hotel or resort and want to try something truly different, why not ask the hotel staff where you can go to sample some local ‘Ital dishes’ – the traditional fare of the Rastafarians. Ital food is natural and vital, and very delicious. It is free from chemicals and contains no animal products. Ital dishes can contain rice, peas and beans, vegetables, sweet potatoes, coconut milk, soups, cabbage, cornmeal, pumpkin, cinnamon, bananas, okra and a multitude of other natural ingredients. They are ideal for vegetarians and vegans.

Most restaurants in Antigua open for lunch from noon, with dinner menus becoming available from 6pm-7pm. Many smaller restaurants operate based on how busy they are, and may close early if business is slow, so do bear this in mind. It is advisable to make reservations at restaurants, up to 2 days in advance.

In restaurants, you should tip between 10% – 15%. Service charges are not included on your bill.

Here is Stay in Antigua’s personal recommendations for places to eat in Antigua.

Vyviens – The Blue Waters Hotel
For a wide choice of Caribbean and International dishes, try Vyviens restaurant, upstairs in the Blue Waters Hotel, St Johns. Offering an al a Carte menu, and some of the friendliest staff we’ve met, Vyvien’s offers a truly elegant evening. The décor is nautical, with ship brassware, model ships and nautical equipment adorning the walls and ceiling, elegantly illuminated. You will also be treated to the chilled out tones of a live jazz band and singer, playing downstairs by the pool. You absolutely must try the lobster!

The Home Restaurant
Described as the ‘Best Restaurant in Antigua’ by BBC TV, Home restaurant, owned and run by Chef Carl Thomas and his wife Rita is on Gambles Terrace in St Johns. The restaurant is the converted childhood home of Chef Carl, and serves traditional West Indian dishes, made from fresh, local ingredients. Excellent choices are the Fish Cakes with Papaya-Pimiento Sauce as an appetiser, and the Snapper filet Stuffed with Crab Meat served with Lobster Sauce.

Calypso Restaurant – Amaryllis Hotel
The Calypso Restaurant, located within the Amaryllis Hotel, offers open air dining in beautiful gardens, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Calypso offers some of the best you’ll find in traditional and contemporary Antiguan cuisine, as well as international dishes.

The Calypso Restaurant has received recommendations by the New York Times, Conde Nast, and also featured on the US’s BET channel.

Sticky Wicket – Stanford Cricket Ground
The Sticky Wicket embraces and exemplifies the Caribbean passion for cricket. You’ll find yourself surrounded in memorabilia from years of cricket tradition, history and sportsmanship, in this most excellent example of sports bars. Located at the attractive Stanford Cricket Ground, just across from the V.C. Bird International airport, Sticky Wicket offers barbecue, burgers, combos, seafood, sandwiches and pasta among its wide menu selection. Try the Beamer Crispy Jerked Wings with Antigua’s own ‘Susie’s Hot Sauce’, and the Batsman’s Paradise Barbecue Brisket Sandwich. Sticky Wicket is a great place to eat, whether you’re a cricket enthusiast, a lover of hearty dishes or simply waiting for your flight.

Pizzas in Paradise – Redcliffe Quay
Located in an old 18th Century rum warehouse in Redcliffe Quay, and popular with tourists, Pizzas in Paradise offers a wide variety of pizzas made from the freshest ingredients. As well as pizzas, diners can choose from sub sandwiches, fresh salads, fruit crushes and cocktails. Diners can choose from eating indoors with views of the traditional wood beams, archways and photo-portraits of musicians, or eating on the terrace enjoying the breeze off the nearby harbour. Thursday nights offer live entertainment and sports enthusiasts can enjoy the bar’s gigantic satellite TV screen all week.
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I hope that our mini review has whetted your appetite. If you visit Antigua, do indulge in some of the wonderful cuisine that the island has to offer. And don’t just restrict yourself to your hotel’s restaurant – go out and try some of the island’s local restaurants to add a little home-grown spice and excitement to your dining experience.

Bon appetit, mon!

Michelle Payne-Gale is one of the partners behind ‘Stay In Antigua’, an online travel and tourist guide to the Caribbean island of Antigua. To find out more, visit stay-in-antigua.com stay-in-antigua.com. She is also the owner of Essence Business Services, providing Business & Marketing Administration services to small businesses – essence-services.co.uk essence-services.co.uk.

If you have traveled much at all you have seen the articles each year on Road Warriors. These people travel thousands of miles each year and have some great stories to tell. But even if you are only a mini road warrior and maybe only travel 50,000 or 100,000 miles you still have the stories, challenges, and stresses of those travel miles. This is for you (and for the true road warriors – you are welcome to ‘listen’ too).

Many of you know the theory of E R=O (Event plus your response equals the outcome of how you feel). You also know that there are some real challenges when traveling. But using the above theory we are going to see how we can come up against five biggest headaches in traveling and still find the joy within them.

Starting from the top, the first thing we come up against is getting to the airport. A lot of people find the complication of getting in and out of the airport because they drive their own cars. Then they have the additional high cost of parking in or near the terminal. Also they have to lug their suitcases either to a shuttle that takes them from the parking to the airport or walk from the terminal and drag the luggage from where they parked inside. You can take all that annoyance and put it aside. What I am suggesting is that you take the shuttle that will pick you up right in front of your home and deliver you directly in front of the terminal doors. It is cheaper than parking if you are gone for three days or more. And even though they may take a few minutes longer than driving directly, the drive can be more than worth it. For one thing you do not have to drive in traffic which can be so frustrating. The best thing is you share this ride with others. If you have not thought of it before, let me bring some ideas to your attention now. When you share a ride with others there are many bonuses. Sometimes it will be as simple as having a great conversation. Other times it can be a way to share great business ideas, get you known by more people, and even create a business partnership or a new client. It may be that you just make a new friend. The possibilities are endless and you do not want to pass up on this wonderful opportunity.

Second thing is the lines at the counter or the check-in computers. Nobody likes lines but again if you use the E R=O theory; you will know you can wait around and get irritated which is one response or you can take it as an opportunity. Think about it, you are all sharing the same experience. Everyone is trying to get their ticket or get their luggage checked in. That creates a connection in itself. So make someone’s day and let them go ahead of you just to see their faces light up. Take the time to watch other people. That can be such an experience. How often do you get to see children excited about flying or going on vacation? Where else can you see whole families hugging, holding, and expressing their love for one another? You have to open yourself up to enjoy the encounters life can bring.

Next you have to go through security. My, that can be quite an event. So you have to strip off some of your items like shoes and coats and belts. No big deal that is easy enough to handle. But ponder this; if you have heard the story about the guy that used to dance in his toll booth so he didn’t have to ‘die’ for eight hours every day, then you can start to relate to all those security people and what they have to go through each day. Their job is not too fun because they have to stand there all day watching other people going different and exciting places. And because most people are not practicing the right response, these guys have to listen to all the grumbling going on. So this is your chance to change someone’s perspective, liven their day, make someone happy. Put a big smile on your face, look directly at the people and say hello. Speak to them! Wouldn’t that make you feel good? And imagine how you could have changed not only the day for those security people but also for others around you!

The next step as you all know is going to your gate. And what happens there is more waiting. Again time to put this wait to good use. So often I see people just sitting around right by their gate. Some read newspapers which is not bad in itself; that is using the time wisely. Some actually continue to work. While that too can be good I am going to offer a new outlook to this. First off if you are so busy that you are working even while waiting for a plane, I am going to guess you probably don’t get much time for exercise. Since you are going to be sitting on a plane and sitting in a car to get to your destination, I am going to suggest that you don’t sit now. Get up and walk the terminal. It feels great to be up and around. It makes the time pass faster. And it may even give you a little of that exercise that we all need anyway.

Now comes the actual airplane ride. How boring can that be? Again that is your choice. What a plethora of opportunities we have here. The choices are endless but what I am going to suggest is a change of pace. Make each flight a new occasion to do something different. If you normally work, put that aside and play a game like Sudoku or a crossword puzzle. If you normally read, put the book down and have a pleasant conversation with the person next to you. If you don’t ever slow down to watch a movie, bring a DVD player or watch one on your computer. If you have ever thought about writing an article for a magazine, do it now while you have uninterrupted time. If it has been a long time since you have written a love letter to your significant other, do so now. Anything you can do to enhance the flight or make it different than every other flight before is a good thing.

Does this sound like a lot positive thinking? You betcha! But if you aren’t doing these things now and you find that your trips are boring, frustrating, or ho hum, don’t you think it is time for a change? Start now and just like everything else you learn it may take some practice. You have to fly anyway. So now you can decide how your response to each part of that traveling is going to be. Aren’t you ready to find the joy again in traveling? I hope so. See you in the air!!

Laura Johnson is Certified Comprehensive Coach. Her passion is helping others find the successes in their life. To learn more about her and/or get an Affirmation CD at no cost, go to makeyourpromotionhappen.com makeyourpromotionhappen.com or email her at mailto:laura@makeyourpromotionhappen.com laura@makeyourpromotionhappen.com

Tired of the same old Caribbean vacation packages year after year? Fed up with cheesy tourist towns, themed hotels and fighting the crowds at amusement parks? Why not try something different? Why not try what some call the best Caribbean vacation ever – the island of Bonaire? The only complaint visitors have had about this island was there wasn’t enough time to do all the things they wanted to!

Located in the southern Caribbean, Bonaire is mostly known for its fabulous scuba diving, snorkeling and windsurfing. The people of Bonaire are very conscious about preserving the wildlife in their area both on land and under the water; this is what makes Bonaire a key destination for adventurers.

Bonaire also offers kayaking, cycling and mountain biking in an almost perfect climate. Statistics have shown that over thirty percent of all first time visitors to Bonaire end up returning again and again. It makes a wonderful family Caribbean vacation.

When looking for the Caribbean vacation packages that include scuba diving, Great Adventures at Harbor Village has an excellent reputation. Great Adventures offers personalized instruction to those who have never been on a dive before, and advanced dives for those with more experience and who might be looking for more of a challenge.

The children won’t be left out either, Great Adventures has a program for the younger members of your family, age 5 and up called SASY or Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth. You can give your child the experience of sailing, kayaking, scuba or snorkeling at a reasonable price. Bonaire also offers many all inclusive Caribbean vacation packages that not only include the diving, but lodging and accommodations at luxury resorts.

Bonaire has 86 dive sites and 30 years of environmental protection laws that have resulted in some of the most pristine dives in the world for the most exciting of Caribbean vacations. There are more than 300 species of aquatic life around the island. Located outside the “hurricane belt” helps to keep the climate on an even keel and amazing visibility no matter how deep the dive.

One practice you will find throughout the Caribbean is that of taking ships seized in drug raids and sinking them off shore to form artificial reefs. Not all of these wrecks have such a notorious background; the Our Confidence, sunk in 2004, has a very colorful and honorable history.

The Our Confidence started out as a Danish fishing boat that, during World War II, helped to transport refugees. The Our Confidence was also the first ship to bring help to the victims of the hurricane that struck St. Maartin years ago. Complete Caribbean vacation packages need to include a visit to this sunken ship.

One of the best Caribbean vacation packages you can find is Bonaire. Bonaire is known the world over as the foremost destination for diving. CNN and Scuba Diving Magazine rank it high as a place for both beginners and the experienced diver. But what if you don’t want adventure?

Well, Bonaire can fulfill that need too. Bonaire has many spas, shops and restaurants that are sure to appeal to those of you looking for that laid back, tropical vacation. Bonaire’s clean, white sand beaches are the perfect place for relaxing with a drink in your hand or a good book. Whatever your vacationing goals are, Bonaire is sure to meet them.

The mininicherecommends.com/caribbean_vacation.php caribbean vacation portal owned by Mike Selvon contains more great tips on Bonaire mininicherecommends.com/best_caribbean_vacation_packages.php caribbean vacation packages. Why not visit us to educate yourself further and leave a comment at our mynicheportal.com/travel/bonaire-caribbean-vacation-packages vacation blog.