Last week I talked to one of my orthodontist’s dental assistants about St. Lucia. She said she had gone, but didn’t like it. Of course, I asked why, because I’m all about helping my clients avoid travel mistakes.
A Good Travel Consultant Can Help You Avoid Travel Mistakes
She was attending a destination wedding at an adults-only Sandals Resort, but had children. She decided to handle things herself and rented a private home. The home looked good on the internet; private pool, air conditioning, full kitchen, lots of space, close to the beach, etc. The reality was that there were lots of mosquitoes, because there were no screens on the windows and there was no spraying done, like they do at the resorts. The air conditioning consisted of small individual units in the bedrooms, so when they were ready to go to bed, they had to close off the bedroom, spray the room for the bugs and then turn on the air conditioning. About thirty minutes later, the bugs would be dead (hopefully) and the room would be ready for sleep. They had no respite from the mosquitoes the rest of the time.
The beach was beautiful, but again, lots of mosquitoes with no spraying being done and it was easily accessed by the locals. There was a holiday during their stay and loud parties where going on the beach. Their neighbor said this was unusual, so they’d better lock up the house, because they were prone to being robbed. Understandably, this really scared them.
Their adventures continued at the grocery store. They found themselves ignored by the workers, who helped the locals first.
They probably saved some money, instead of staying at a nice resort, but look at the trade-off. They now have a very negative memory of a beautiful island with really lovely people (in general) and had a flat-out bad experience.
Let me tell you, I LOVE St. Lucia. My husband and I have been there twice and it was even better the second time. We found the people to be friendly and eager to please.
This family could have stayed at a beautiful resort, with delicious food, lots of activities and housekeeping. The resort would have had a lovely beach. Mosquitoes would have been controlled with bug spray, not full proof, but it significantly reduces the exposure. Air conditioning would have been central, could have been left on at all times and there are screens on the windows. The staff at the resort would have been trained in hospitality and known how to treat guests as valued visitors to their island.
This is why travel consultants don’t use private homes, because we don’t know what to expect. These homes can look great on the internet, but there is no review system and it’s easy to hide the bad and advertise the good.
A good travel consultant knows where to find stellar properties and has the resources to ensure her clients good experience on their vacation. This and many other travel mistakes can be avoided by putting your vacation in the hands of an expert. We want our clients to have a wonderful experience in exchange for their hard-earned vacation dollars, or else why should they rely on our expertise? It’s worth it to consult with an expert! Would you agree?
I’m Sheila Cannon and I help career focused couples, who have no time to plan, have the honeymoon, destination wedding or romantic vacation of a lifetime custom designed for them without them having to lift a finger. If that’s you, click here to get started putting me to work for you!
