Agent: Melissa

Kristin L. of River Falls

Agent: Melissa

Date: October 2009

Loved the resort, RIU sante fe in Cabo!

Very friendly people, relaxing and could also go out if we wanted too.

We had helpful tips from our agent and felt very comfortable!

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Toni G. of Bloomington, MN
Agent: Melissa
Date: October 2008
Melissa was an asset in helping us plan the destination wedding. She was able to get all the guests the best rates for flights at the times that worked for them. She was a great go to person when our daughter and myself had questions on the whole planning of this event. If Melissa did not have an immediate answer she took the time to get an answer and was timely in her responses. Melissa was a travel professional as well as wedding planner.

All thirty six people had a great time, loved the hotel, loved the Mexican people and are ready for the next destination wedding!!
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Melanie M. of St Paul, MN
Agent: Melissa
Date: December 2007
Our travel agent made sure we got the best value for our money with the whole package (cruise, flight, and hotel). We were more than satisfied with our honeymoon and wish we could do it all over again! We missed our flight on our way home and our travel agent went above and beyond in helping us get reimbursed from the insurance company. For any vacation I take I will go through Suntime (Melissa) because she has my trust that my vacation will meet my expectations 100%.

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Dustin P. of River Falls, WI
Agent: Melissa

Date: September 2008
Planning a honeymoon was a lot harder than I thought. I was trying to do everything by myself. When things were not going well, I was still reluctant to work with a travel agent, figuring that it would be another expense that would take away from the money that was for the trip.

Boy was I mistaken!

Working with Melissa at Travel Leaders was a great help in planning the honeymoon. It took a lot of pressure off and was a great relief for me. Melissa was very eager and excited to help. She has a wealth of knowledge for various places, especially honeymoon locations.

After talking with Melissa about what we wanted and were looking for, she offered up many choices that I was then able to pick from based on our location preference, budget, etc...

Once the locations were narrowed down, Melissa did all of the work. She made all the calls, sent e-mails and worked with the location to get what we were looking for. Since the honeymoon destination was to be a surprise to my wife, Melissa kept all of the details hush hush.

Our honeymoon would not have been as wonderful as it was without the fantastic help of Melissa at Suntime Travel/Travel Leaders. She will help you every step of the way to make sure that your trip is the best that is can possibly be.
Thank you Melissa for helping us plan a wonderful and romantic honeymoon. We can't wait to book our next trip with you.

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Tara W. of River Falls, WI
Agent: Melissa

Date: June 2008
Our experience planning a destination wedding was both easy and fun with the help of Melissa and the Gran Porto Real resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Melissa was so helpful when it came to deciding on a resort and location-she was extremely well informed and very honest about all of our choices. She helped us to decide on a great resort and location that worked within our budget. She was very informative during the planning process and was very speedy when it came to answering questions or working to get answers from the wedding planner at the resort.
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Agent: Laurie

Gail S. of Rochester, MN

Agent: Laurie

Destination: Argentina

Date: October 2008

Was Consultant Helpful: Strongly Agree
Recommend Suntime Travel: Strongly Agree
Revisit Destination: Yes
Why: Much more to investigate, great weather, friendly people and affordable.
Additional Comments: and mail. great job Laurie
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Agent: Jody

Heidi A. of Pine Island, MN

Agent: Jody

Date: June 2009

Jody (Rochester location) did an absolutely amazing job helping us with our Advanced Dining Reservations at Disney World. She made the process so easy and relieved so much stress. Plus she helping with flight changes, seat assignments, etc. I can't thank her enough!

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Jason H. of Rochester, MN

Agent: Jody
Date: September 2008

We went to Jamaica in September/October, it was absolutely amazing! We loved every minute of it and have already talked about when we can go back.

I want to thank you again for all your help and recommendations. Our trip went smoothly and we were able to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the warm weather and the beach! Michelle and I would highly recommend Couples Swept Away to anyone who is interested. We had a great time with the various activities on the property and the food/drinks were excellent.

In addition, we tried deep sea fishing and had a blast! Everyone there was very nice and we felt completely at ease the entire time.

The only drawback from a long vacation, it takes three times as long to get caught up again! Thank you again for all your help, we appreciated it more than you know!

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Destination: San Diego, California

Debbie W. of Woodbury, MN

Destination: San Diego, California

Resort: Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa on Mission Bay

Date: September 2008
The hotel, The Catamaran Resort, was just average. The grounds were beautiful and the rooms were ok. The service however was terrible. The people were not the friendliest and we had to pay for parking.... $18,00 a day to park in a ramp about a block away! It was ridiculous. Then when we found out the location of our rooms, of course, they were about a 10 minute walk from the front lobby, which was very hard for my mother. They were not willing to try to move the rooms for us, it was just like they completely didn't care to please the customer. So, next time if given the chance, I would not want to be put there. There were many other things that went wrong... our air conditioner was missing a part that directed the air a certain way, so all of our air went under the curtains.... they promised it would be fixed within hour, but it never got done in the entire four days.... We continued to call, but it just never got done. Finally on the last day of complaining they did send us a wine and fruit basket to apologize. So, at least they did make an attempt at the end, but by then, it was a little too late..... So, overall, the hotel wasn't the greatest experience.

Destination: Argentina

Gail S. of Rochester, MN
Agent: Laurie
Destination: Argentina
Date: October 2008
Was Consultant Helpful: Strongly Agree

Recommend Suntime Travel: Strongly Agree

Revisit Destination: Yes

Why: Much more to investigate, great weather, friendly people and affordable.

Additional Comments: and mail. great job Laurie

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Destination: Puerto Vallarta

Julie K. of Plover, WI

Destination: Puerto Vallarta

Resort: Melia Puerto Vallarta
Date: October 2008

Overall, everyone that attended had a great time and the resort was beautiful, along with the views. However, we were very unhappy with the "kid friendly" type atmosphere as for one the lunch food for the children was only available @ certain hours of the day which actually was quite late, and the kids shows in the evening didn't start until almost 9:00 p.m. We all honestly didn't feel this resort catered to children which was an important feature we were looking for.

The communication problem was prevelant especially with the public relations staff and the security which made it extremely difficult with wedding preparations. There was not a rehearsal for the ceremony (which I thought was strange) as it would have been nice if it was more organized. Everything was beautifully decorated and the wedding dinner was delicious, however for ordering the best wedding package they had to offer it would have been nice to have music for the reception part of the wedding.

The "Tukari Tours" agent was very kind however very disorganized. It actually was a bit of a nightmare trying to arrange that particular tour. They , however were great regarding the transportation to & from the airport.

I have to say that I personally would not recommend this particular resort to anyone I know wanting to take a similar vacation.

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Jessi G. of Kirkland, WA

Destination: Puerto Vallarta

Resort: Melia Puerto Vallarta
Date: October 2008

Having been there before, I knew we would find great character and culture in and around the city. The Melia, however, provided a much different experience and unfortunately is not a place we would ever consider in the future nor would we recommend it to friends/family. It was really quite horrible, if I’m being completely honest.

Positives:
- Airport transfer was easy and quick, staff was courteous and efficient
- The kids-club staff (at least those who watched 0-4 years) was friendly. I wasn’t a big fan of the age group…0-4 is a wide range, as you know. But, they did a good job for the one afternoon that I used them.

Negatives:
- We paid for a King-size M experience. We got 2 double beds. The room, although clean, was musty and ill-ventilated. (Taking a shower steamed up the entire room- there was no fan in the bathroom or bedroom)
- The room was cleaned once/day in a manner that was not on par with the M experience. The beds were made, towels refreshed and the sink wiped out, but that was about it.

- There was no food available between 10am and 1:00pm. For a resort that’s “kid-friendly”, I thought this was crazy. My 2 year old, without fail, was hungry every day at 11:30am and we couldn’t feed him lunch until 1:00pm!
- The food was not good. I’ve been to Sandals, Superclubs, Beaches, Aventura Palace and a handful of cruises and had some average meals at all of them but could always find a couple of really great things. The Melia was sub-par in every restaurant for every meal. Thankfully, the best meal was the wedding meal- the Caesar salad was the most memorable thing we had- it was very good. I realize there’s some compromise on food when staying at an all-inclusive versus Maui, for example where every meal is exquisite but the price tag goes along with it. The Melia was more than a compromise. My family ended up leaving the resort the last 3 nights in order to get an enjoyable meal. It was a little embarrassing for me because I’m the one who helped choose the place and I wish I had been more diligent.
- There was no entertainment- they advertise it to be more than it is. There were a few things at 9pm (much too late for small ones) but nothing notable.
- Pool side music was loud and annoying. The staff got on the microphone twice an hour and most times didn’t speak in English so it was tough to know what they were trying to get people to do. It’s definitely a resort that targets local commerce/vacationing which is fine, but it wasn’t friendly for non-Spanish speaking tourists. We called security, the bell stand and customer service and had to ask to be transferred to someone who spoke English.
- Jessica, the wedding planner, was a bit difficult the day of the wedding. We had one family in town who stayed at a different resort and when they came for the wedding, the staff held them in the lobby for 45 minutes until they could get a hold of my sister (on her wedding day!) to get her permission to let them come in. I specifically told Jessica when I checked in that there was one family not staying at the resort so this shouldn’t have happened. Jessica sat at a table a few yards away from the dinner and just sort of stared at the wedding guests for about an hour. It was strange.

I do appreciate the help you provided for our friends/family who booked; overall, everyone had a great time. The disappointment with amenities didn’t overshadow the reason for the trip. The Melia just won’t have return customers from the group.

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Destination: Italy

Melanie M. of St. Paul

Destination: Rome, Italy

Hotel: Gioberti
Date: December 2007

I would definitely recommend the hotel we stayed at in Rome.

It was close to the train station and near the bus tour stops.
I think we got a better hotel for our money in Rome than we did in Barcelona. If I were going to go back to Barcelona I would definitely spend more money for a nicer hotel.

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Destination: Spain

Melanie M. of St. Paul

Destination: Barcelona, Spain

Hotel: Rialto

Date: December 2007

The hotel we stayed at in Barcelona wasn’t too terrible, but if there was another hotel for a little more money that was better I would have paid more. I think we got a better hotel for our money in Rome than we did in Barcelona. If I were going to go back to Barcelona I would definitely spend more money for a nicer hotel.

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Destination: Mediterranean Cruise

Melanie M. of St. Paul

Destination: Mediterranean Cruise

Ship: Royal Caribbean's Brillance of the Seas

Ports of Call: Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Florence/Pisa, Nice, Toulon, Barcelona
Date: December 2007

The Mediterranean cruise was amazing. It was a wonderful honeymoon for us. All the destinations with the exception of Corfu were beautiful. It was a little cold at the end of November so make sure to bring warm cloths if you are traveling at that time. We had a room with a balcony, but it was too cold to even enjoy it! Royal Caribbean’s cruise was a great ship for a honeymoon as there were few children running around so it was very relaxing. The cruise was a great way to see parts of Europe for the first time. You could explore during the day, but return to the ship where English is spoken to relax at night.

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Destination: Barbados

Dustin P. of River Falls
Destination: Barbados
Resort: The Crane

Date: September 2008

Planning a honeymoon was a lot harder than I thought. I was trying to do everything by myself. When things were not going well, I was still reluctant to work with a travel agent, figuring that it would be another expense that would take away from the money that was for the trip.

Boy was I mistaken!

Working with Melissa at Travel Leaders was a great help in planning the honeymoon. It took a lot of pressure off and was a great relief for me. Melissa was very eager and excited to help. She has a wealth of knowledge for various places, especially honeymoon locations.

After talking with Melissa about what we wanted and were looking for, she offered up many choices that I was then able to pick from based on our location preference, budget, etc...

Once the locations were narrowed down, Melissa did all of the work. She made all the calls, sent e-mails and worked with the location to get what we were looking for. Since the honeymoon destination was to be a surprise to my wife, Melissa kept all of the details hush hush.

I decided on the beautiful Crane Resort in Barbados as our location. One good reason for picking Barbados over a few other Caribbean islands or Mexico... very little chance of hurricanes!

The Crane Resort is worlds above what we both could have imagined. Pictures do not do justice to the pink sandy beach, beautiful gardens, the view of the ocean from high upon the cliff side.

People on the island of Barbados is what makes the whole trip worthwhile. You will not find a kinder collection of people anywhere.

If you are looking for a beautiful, romantic, wonderful, and overall great place to stay for a honeymoon or vacation, The Crane Resort in Barbados and Barbados itself is it.

There are plenty of activities for the adventurous (snorkeling with turtles, submarine adventure, cave tour, rum factory tour, dinner shows, local fish fry, catamaran cruises, tree top zip lining, and much more) and many great ways to relax as well whether it be on the many beautiful beaches, poolside, or an in-room massage.

Things to do for sure. Oistin's fish fry, Tiami Catamaran Cruises. Zipline canopy tours, Pisces restaurant, and renting a car to drive around.

Our honeymoon would not have been as wonderful as it was without the fantastic help of Melissa at Suntime Travel/Travel Leaders. She will help you every step of the way to make sure that your trip is the best that is can possibly be.
Thank you Melissa for helping us plan a wonderful and romantic honeymoon. We can't wait to book our next trip with you.

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Destination: Cancun

Tonya H. of Freeborn, MN

Destination: Cancun

Resort: Barcelo Tucancun

Date: January 2009

Just wanted to let you know we had a great vacation. The Barcelo Tucancun worked out great! I would definately recommend it but with the understanding you are not at the Ritz Carlton. The rooms were very simple but clean. We got King size beds, ocean view, only one floor apart from each other, and stocked refrigs. Staff was extremely nice, activities crew was fun, shows in the evenings were good, location was very convienent to things, food was very good and drinks were awesome! However, nobody could help the weather and we had alot of wind, lots of clouds and even some rain. Many adventures were cancelled so we had to do massages at the spa instead (worked great for me!!) But, better than what everyone got here.