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12 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Sunday November 18, 2001 J le j (905) 842-7733 www.leyoga.com An Oakville Beaver Feature. To advertise in this section call 905-845-3825 Fax 905845-5516 FRIDAY. NOVEMBER Hi. 2001 TRAVEL eat free; that there is no sin gle supplement; and there are honeymoon upgrades. And I also knew that staff members from Sunquest and A lba were excited about the property, usually a sign o f good things to come. Cayo Coco is a small island connected to main land Cuba by a 17-kilometre, m an-m ade causeway that is so close to the water, you think you're sailing when you drive across it. This is the perfect destina tion for those that want to ju st chill. Visitors rave about the nature and scenery, Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in Islands in the Stream. There is a reef right off shore, making Cayo Coco a paradise for divers and snorkelers. And guests who crave a change can take a jaunt to H avana for just $130, including air, a tour o f the capital and lunch. You can understand why Hockey greats hoping to score big with Cuban resort A jock I'm not! It isn't as though my loved ones h aven't tried. My older brother was a ref eree who dragged his kid sister to lots o f games. My husband played junior hock ey and still loves every sport going. O ur TV and car radios seem to automatically tune in games. There's a lot o f arena organ music played in this house, and all the while I 'm reading travel brochures. This week, the sporting life and mine collided, head on. And my husband is still laughing. I was invited to a Sunquest Vacations product launch to learn more about The El Senador, a brand new resort in Cayo Coco, Cuba, that Id already heard a lot of good things about. I knew it was Canadian operated and partly Canadian owned. I knew it was good value for dollar. I knew it was on a gorgeous beach. I knew there were two Canadian chefs. I knew prices started at $1,299 per person, and there was an earlybooking bonus worth $240 per cou ple, per week. I knew kids stay and I was anxious to hear more. The launch was a casual, intimate affair in the com pany boardroom , w ith plates o f nibbles, drinks and a video, to give us a taste of the property. Each o f the 690 rooms in one-tothree-storey buildings is nicely decorated. The villas are built on pilings in the lagoon and linked by float ing w alkw ays, and look well worth the upgrade. The three pools are huge. There are three buffets with oriental and continental cuisine, seven specialty restaurants, barbecue, and beach grills. There are nine bars serving domestic and international drinks, and the lobby bar is open 24 hours a day. There is cer tainly plenty to do: Activities day and night, tennis, dance and Spanish classes, French bowling, non-m otorized w ater sports. The kids have their own club, and grown-ups can play in the disco. The video just reinforced my good feel ings about for El Senador. It was about then that Sunquest marketing manager Chris Robinson decided that perhaps I'd like to meet one o f the owners, a pleasant man called Serge Savard, who was totally consumed with telling me about how wonderful this new property is. We talked for a bit; then several more of the owners arrived ready to meet people. That was nice; it was interesting to learn how, and why, these hoteliers felt El Senador was different from other properties. One of the reasons is the fact they're importing meat and other foods from Canada, the first Cuban resort to get permits to do so. As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed that the offices at Sunquest were clearing, and all the employees were lining up in front of the three owners with pieces of paper. W hat's happening? I asked innocently. They w ant autographs, was the response. People have been waiting for hours to meet hockey legends Serge Savard, W endel C lark, and Curtis Joseph. Only you, sighed my husband, could meet three hockey legends, not know who they were, and ask them about a resort. Savard won a fistful of Stanley Cup rings in Montreal and Clark and Cujo are two of the most popular Maple Leafs ever. He is probably still laughing! Just a little tip, if you're thinking o f going to El Senador, there will probably be plenty of hockey greats to hang around with. Rumour has it, this will be the jock resort of choice the winter. If they're not on the beach, they'll be in the cigar bar. You can reach Sam by e-mail at sionl0@ cogeco. ca I t D o e s n 't G e t A n y B e t te r T h a n T h is ! *U IO R L D OF V A C A T IO N S M ontego Bay, Jam aica Royal Decameron Runaway Bay 3 Star All Inclusive Saturday departures from Toronto January 5, 12, - 7 nights T P u e rto Plata Allegro Playa Dorada 4 Star All Inclusive December 1, 8, --1 week $1219 $867 Halton Trafalgar Travel 905-842-3111 ( Two entrances to serve you! Lakeshore & Trafalgar, a n d Church 8c Trafalgar!) © M c T a v is h i n f o r m a t i o n T r a v e l s e r v i c e (Prices per person based on double occupancy. Taxes not included.) TAKE A RIDE TO THE ROLLS ROYCE OF BEACHES If we'd only listened back in the 70's and 80's when Turks and Caicos wanted to join Canada and Maverick MP Max Saltzman was exploring the idea in Parliament. The idea went nowhere -- for a variety of reasons and when it starts to snow up here, Canadians still have to lie on someone else's beaches. And Turks is to beaches what Rolls Royce is to cars - top of the line! What else can you say about a place where a wild dolphin called JoJo is a " national treasure" and routinely swims in to play with tourists? The islands are just 575 miles southeast of Miami an easy flight on the 140-passenger A320s Air Canada Vacations will be using when it launches non-stop Saturday sen/ice out of Toronto January 19. You'll get 1500 Aeroplan Miles for all hotel packages, the option of wider seats for just $149, and return air-only rates are available from $599. The islands have one of the world's longest coral reefs, making them a premier destination for diving and snorkelling. There are 230 miles of those gorgeous white sand beaches. And there's a golf course some of us at McTavish Travel call the best-kept secret in the Caribbean. Check it out at www.provogolfclub.com. There are eight major islands -- Salt Cay, Grand Turk, South Caicos, East Caicos, Middle Caicos, North Caicos, Providenciales and West Caicos - but vacation action centres around Providenciales. Provo, as the locals call it, has a number of international resorts including The Ocean Club, Coral Gardens and The Sands at Grace Bay, the three superior properties featured by Air Canada Vacations. We'll be happy to tell you more when you call. Hopedale Mall 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville (905)827-1100 travel@mctavish.com You're Invited to our A LA S K A CRUISE PRESENTATION at our offices Wednesday, Nov. 21,7:00 p.m. PRINCESS CRUISES O ? Ski camp offers slalom course British Columbia's winter resorts revolve around phenomenal ski slopes, but there are many diverse activities available. If your ski wish list includes whooshing down a slalom course, sign up for Whistler's "Atomic Dave Murray Ski Camp." Three-day camps run mid-December to mid-April and you take home a video of yourself. For an adrenaline-rush, consider an 80 km-per-hour ride on Mt. Washington Alpine Resort's new luge run. The Vancouver Island resort has a spectacular new lodge but if this zooming ride seems a bit much (although it does cater to beginner lugers), head for the Ozone Snow Tubing Park for family fun. This mountain receives some 900 cm of snowfall annually and its down hill and cross-country tracks satisfy skiers and boarders of all abilities. Come and hear about our exciting program of seven spring & summer 2002 departures for our 9 or 13 day Alaska Cruise Tours. RSVP 905-338-2077 · s c r o is e s !TH LINE ·OAKVILLE M c T a v is h T ra v e l -- ----OntReg No 1437985