Key West Is Closer Than You Think

Key West is an incredibly diverse tropical island. It is America’s most talked-about resort.

My first experience of the island of Key West was a port stop on my Norwegian Cruise Line Caribbean adventure, like the other 660,000 cruise ship passengers who visit Key West every year to experience the beauty & zaniness that makes this island community truly unique.

The first thing I noticed was an off-beat, laid-back atmosphere. The beauty of the place is that within walking distance of the port, you discover historic homes, tropical gardens, art galleries, shops, gourmet dining, funky bars & of course fishing, diving & swimming.

As we didn’t have much time in port the best place to start was a ride on one of the tour trolleys; the conductor related stories with local color and it gives you an idea of places you will want to revisit to learn more. As we passed through the winding streets the friendly locals waved as we passed by, relaxing on their decks sipping cocktails, what a way to pass away the day!

When nighttime descends the pier comes alive with street entertainers, my highlight being the fire eaters, with lots of local craft stores selling locally made merchandise it was a fitting end to our action packed day in Key West.

This tropical island is a Mecca for writers and artists, celebrities and people who just want to get away from it all. A flourishing Restoration Movement and a cosmopolitan mix of people give the feel of a foreign country with all the amenities of the United States.

If you’re a cruise ship day tripper like me you will want to return and stay for longer. Key West has lodging places, shops and restaurants to provide you with a variety of accommodations, unusual clothing and gifts, and international cuisine. Guesthouses range from the quiet and relaxed (Laid-back) to the wild disco beat. The local shops carry everything from tropical to punk clothes and gifts. Nowhere else can offer such a variety of restaurants offering everything from authentic Cuban fare to eating in a tree house. The bars are open late and the crowd usually doesn’t hit full swing until after the bewitching hour. Most bars are open until 4 am.

With these bargain flights available from major gatweays how can you say no:

New York-Key West Return Flight USD $327.00*

Los Angeles- Key West Return Flight USD $420*

Vancouver- Key West Return Flight CAD $610*

*Taxes extra

Solo Travelers Rewarded At Last

Club Med welcomes solo travelers with specially reduced rates!

At last the single traveler is being taken seriously by tour companies.

Club Med, one of the original innovators of the All Inclusive concept recognizes the importance of people traveling on their own and being charged a fair rate for their vacation.

Enjoy an all-inclusive vacation filled with exciting activities and gourmet cuisine.

Reserve your solo vacation now, for stays between February 20 and October 23, 2010.

0% single supplement in selected rooms at :
Turkoise, Turks & Caicos
Columbus Isle, Bahamas

25% or 50% single supplement depending on room type at :
Cancun Yucatan, Mexico
Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Sandpiper, Florida

Not Too Late To Escape Vancouver 2010!

Vancouverites are already experiening the huge inconvenience that such a global event brings to the city.

Endless road closures, restricted movements and Canada Line have advised that during the event there will often be a 3 or 4 Skytrain wait, therefore needing to allow at least an extra 30 minutes for your journey.

Lots of Vancouver Schools are closing for the event SO NOW IS THE TIME TO ESCAPE the hustle and bustle of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

You can do so for less with United Airline’s Vancouver Escape Sale. If you’d rather be sipping cocktails on a beach in Hawaii or trying your luck at the slot machines in Vegas than fighting traffic restrictions and painting a giant maple leaf on your face, this sale is for you!

Here are some examples of the fares being offered. These prices are for return flights, in Canadian dollars, with all taxes included:

Vancouver to Maui – February 14-25: $465.11*
Vancouver to Las Vegas – February 13-24: $242*
Vancouver to San Francisco – February 13-25: $280.82*
Vancouver to Los Angeles – February 13-28: $224.12*

The last day to book these fares is February 2, so please give Rainbow Travel a call to book your Olympic escape today!

*Booking fees apply

THE ULTIMATE ROMANCE PACKAGE VALENTINE’S DAY 2010

THE ULTIMATE  ROMANCE PACKAGE VALENTINE’S DAY 2010 TO SANTORINI February 12-20, 2010

Santorini is a beautiful Greek island located in the Aegean Sea, ideal for a romantic holiday. With lots of beaches,  friendly hotels and great night life!

What a perfect way to treat your loved one to a romantic Valentines Day vacation and escape for 8 idyllic nights.

Here below is the itinerary for this exciting two centre Valentines Vacation, spend 5 nights in Santorini and 2 nights in ancient Athens you get the best of both worlds, time to relax on the beach and then the opportunity to immerse yourself in Greek culture enjoying all the sites that Athens has to offer you.

Departures are on February 12, 2010 on an overnight flight from New York (JFK) to Athens. We can also quote you for LAND ONLY if you have air miles to use up or we can quote you to fly from your local airport.
February 13, 2010: WELCOME / KALOSORISATE Arrive in Athens, connect to your domestic flight to Santorini , where you will be met and transferred by an English-speaking representative to the 5 Star Deluxe Suites of the Gods one of the best new hotels in the Cyclades.
The facilities are superb! It was once an old winery and parts of the original structure have been preserved and converted into the largest spa on Santorini.

Other facilities include a wine tasting cave, open-air restaurant and pool area perched on the cliffs. All that if you can tear yourself away from your room, a Junior Suite with private terrace or balcony and great views of the Aegean Sea, Volcano and Caldera Cliffside. ***COMPLIMENTARY CHAMPAGNE BREAKFAST DAILY. ***COMPLIMENTARY ½ HOUR SPA TREATMENT PER GUEST / PER STAY. ***COMPLIMENTARY CHAMPAGNE & FRUIT BASKET UPON ARRIVAL.Stay in a Jr. SUITE – a free upgrade – from a double room with breakfast daily and enjoy the romantic island of Santorini for 5 nights.

February 18, 2010: After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your domestic flight to ATHENS. Upon your arrival, you will be transferred to the 5* deluxe NJV ATHENS PLAZA – Stay in a double room with breakfast daily for 2 nights.

February 19, 2010: After breakfast, take the 1/2 Day ATHENS CITY TOUR, to the Acropolis and museums with R/T transfers to the hotel. From the Acropolis to Omonia Square, you’ll see all the famous sites of ancient and modern Athens on this comprehensive morning tour. Offering a perfect overview of the modern city, this guided tour will help you get your bearings if this is your first visit to Athens. Depart for PANATHINAIKOS STADIUM cradle of the first Olympic Games took place in 1896 (short stop). Pass by the Prime’s Ministers residence, (guarded by colorful Evzones) Zappion (Conference and Exhibition Hall). Proceed passing by Roman Temple of Olympian Zeus.

February 20, 2010: After breakfast check out from the hotel transfer to airport for your flight back home

All this for only $1,749* per person + $395 pp air taxes and connections to JFK are easy to arrange
We can also quote you for LAND ONLY if you have air miles to use up for only $1,149* per person + $89 pp domestic air taxes or we can quote you to fly from your local airport.

* Prices based on double occupancy in USD.

Bed Warming Service at Holiday Inn

I couldn’t believe it when I first saw the headline…”Bedwarming Service at Holiday Inn”. This is available on a trial basis at 3 locations in the UK, 2 in London and 1 in Manchester.  The basic idea is that instead of placing a hot water bottle to warm up the bed before going to sleep, a staff person wearing a 1 piece fleece outfit (hair will be covered) will warm up the bed to 20 degrees celsius.  The bedwarmer will leave the room and get in the bed before the guest occupies it. Click here for the original report.

Your Invitation to Our Caribbean Bobsleigh Bash

Your Invitation to Our Caribbean Bobsleigh Bash
 

Hosted by Rainbow Travel and Sandals Resorts

DATE:             Wednesday February 3rd 2010

 TIME:              7:00PM – 9:00PM

 LOCATION:    Rainbow Travel, 150 East Broadway (at Main)

 RSVP:            Call 604 872 2627 by 5PM Friday, January 29th 2010

                       or click here to respond online

Rainbow Travel is hosting an adult Caribbean Bobsleigh Bash, “Running Cool”, on February 3rd for all those hoping to escape the hustle and bustle of the 2010 Winter Olympics. As the world comes to our doorstep, why not escape the world?

With that sentiment in mind, Rainbow Travel’s Caribbean Bobsleigh Bash bids you to leave the frenetic congestion for a vacation to a warm Caribbean climate. In conjunction with Sandals resorts we hope you can join us for an evening of Caribbean hospitality, enjoyment, and ease with refreshments and exciting prizes.

 Please RSVP below and we look forward to seeing you for a fun evening of warm Jamaican hospitality in the depths of Vancouver’s wet cold Olympic winter.

Happy New Year with FREE Luggage Tags from KLM

Just wanted to wish you all a happy new year. It’s been a challenging year for the travel industry in 2009.  Please email us your travel related questions, we look forward to hearing from you.

To start off the new year, I thought I would share with you a promotion from KLM, the Royal Dutch Airlines. They are offering a set of 2 luggage tags FREE (maximum of one set of 2 per person) when you subscribe to their newsletters and eNews. You have a choice of uploading your own image or choosing one of theirs. Click here for details.

Happy Holidays From All At Rainbow Travel.

Did you know Santa is being tracked!

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.

In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.

Want to find out more, why not check out this link, I find the information fascinating, remember we are all children at heart and I am no exception!

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/countdown.html

We at Rainbow Travel wish all of our clients Happy Holidays and we look forward to serving you in 2010, we know you have many choices out there and we thank you for your custom.

We all love our Chocolate how about a chocolate-themed cruise?

 If your anything like me you can’t let a day go by without a chocolate fix, especially coming from the U.K. I have my Cadburys Chocolate to give me a taste of home and keep me happy here in Canada.

I came across this luxury cruise which could be a chocoholics dream. The seven-night voyage out of Rome on board an old fashioned sail ship, aboard the 312-passenger Wind Surf, will be part of the line’s Signature Collection Host Series for 2010. It begins May 2, 2010.

There will be gourmet chocolates to sample as well as chocolate tastings onboard the ship. The cruise also will host an exclusive shore excursion to the Gay-Odin Chocolate Factory in Naples, Italy where passengers will have a guided tour and chocolate tasting.

So why not combine that European trip you have always promised yourself with that desire for chocolate, what a winning combination! The 7-night chocolate cruise includes port calls in Porto-Vecchio, France; Messina, Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Capri, Italy; and Ischia, Italy. Fares start at $1,749 per person, based on double occupancy.(pre taxes and port charges).

Flights to Rome can be arranged from your local airport.

Airlines gear up for more Vancouver-Beijing flights.

Now that the Chinese government has finally granted Canada Approved Destination Status, the goal is to increase at least a 50-per-cent increase in the number of Chinese visitors by 2015.

Starting in June 2010, Air China will add three more Vancouver-Beijing flights per week, going from seven to 10. It’s a doubling in flights that puts Air China up there to match Cathay Pacific Airways service from Vancouver to Hong Kong. Cathay now flies twice daily, connecting to more than 16 cities in mainland China via its sister airline, Dragonair. With return airfares starting at only CAD $730.00*

At the moment Air China’s flights from Vancouver to Beijing leave in the afternoon, but the airline is trying to schedule all its new flights as midnight departures, which are the most convenient for Pacific-crossing business travellers. This allows a full day’s work in Vancouver enabling one to jump on board, sleep and arrive in Asia in time for the morning’s first coffee break and easily catch a connecting flight to elsewhere in China or Southeast Asia.

* Taxes extra