Stephanie Serino's Travel Blog

Flying from Central New York is always a gamble, but in winter it’s especially so. With very few non-stop flight options and smaller commuter aircrafts more prone to delays, its no wonder flying can feel like a crapshoot sometimes. Here are a few tips to improve your odds when flying in winter. 1. Book the earliest departure of the day. This is always true regardless of the weather because the plane should be ready and waiting to depart from the night before. Subsequent flights must arrive from other cities and turn around for your departure, increasing the possibility of delays. 2. Avoid booking the last flight of the day whenever possible. Unless you don’t mind spending the night at the airport, only book flights with back-up options. 3. Book sufficient layovers. Give yourself an hour or two to change planes so there’s a cushion to accommodate delays due to de-icing aircraft. Avoid 30-minute connections (regarded as ‘legal’ by the airlines) at all costs. 4. Choose your routing caref...

Believe it or not, there is still some availability for holiday travel. Luxury resorts have been sending me updates almost daily with the room categories and dates they still have available. Cruises also have staterooms available for the holidays with some attractive pricing. Let someone else do all the cooking and cleaning this year so your family can enjoy a stress-free holiday together. Remember, the gift of travel is always welcome. Gift certificates for travel services are a great way for you offer hard-to-buy-for friends and family the flexibility to plan their own getaways. Many travel agencies, hotel chains and cruise lines are offering gift certificates which can be used for future travel. Now that snow has finally arrived to NY, it's time start making your winter travel plans. Air service has expanded to the Caribbean this year, making more islands more accessible than ever before. Many new resorts have opened, and existing resorts have upgraded their facilities. There...

*Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa Antigua is a beach-lovers paradise, and this resort has a lovely stretch of powdery sand. This week marks the Grand Opening of the new Mediterranean Village, an all-suite resort-within-a-resort. The rooms in this section are very attractive, especially the bathrooms (whirlpool tubs for two, separate shower with designer fixtures, marble vanity with his and her sinks). The older Caribbean Grove section of the resort has the original rondovals, as well as garden cottages with newly refurbished Deluxe rooms.

*Sandals Halcyon Beach This charming three-star resort is a great value considering the exchange privileges (Stay at one, play at three). Only 169 rooms and low-rise architecture offer an intimate experience, and the beach is one of the nicest on the island. The landscaping creates an enchanting garden-of-Eden effect with hammocks for two hidden among the flowers. It’s a quiet, laid-back resort good for couples desiring simple island pleasures.

*Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort Set on a peninsula, you can see the water from almost every room at this resort. The new Rondoval Suites are fabulous with two whirlpool tubs (one inside and one outdoors by the private plunge pool); but even some of the more modest room categories were appealing. A long ribbon of beach with green mountains in the background, 6 restaurants and 6 bars, and a variety of land and water sports make this an ideal Caribbean All Inclusive.

*Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort & Spa at La Toc. This is the most luxurious Sandals resort in St. Lucia with the most amenities: 9-hole golf course, full-service spa, the island’s largest pool, etc. Unfortunately, the cove beach was made smaller by the 2007 hurricane season. Sunset Bluff, a resort-within-a-resort, is my personal favorite here. Perched high on a cliff and isolated from the main resort, it feels intimate and exclusive, and the views are sublime. Imagine your butler serving you champagne in your private pool as you enjoy the sun setting into the Caribbean…

St. Lucia, Day 2, 4pm. Wake up call at 6a, dip in my private pool. Get ready, breakfast and then the race began. Tour the Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa, then went to Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort for tour and lunch. Next was the tour of Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort, then back to Regency for a 1-hour beach party (which I'm spending in the lobby on the laptop). Beautiful islands, wonderful resorts. Whew, am I tired. Flight back to Newark departs at 5pm. Back to work tomorrow.

Sept 25, 2007 4:45am Here I am at the Newark Airport, checked in for my flight to Antigua. This is definitely the most absurd travel agent trip ever: one night, two islands, four resorts. I doubt I’ll even have time for a swim. After work yesterday, I drove to Newark and stayed at the fabulous Fairfield Inn & Suites. It was fine: hot shower, comfy bed, nice front desk guy, and no hideous bed spread. 3 hours of sleep, the alarm went off at 3am. Such a glamorous life! The Security line hasn’t even opened yet. First stop is Antigua to check out the Sandals Grande Antigua, especially the new Mediterranean Village. 2:30pm, Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa. Toured this large resort at break-neck speed, and inspected a dozen room categories (photo tour to come). The new Mediterranean Village is impressive; but the Caribbean Village is still special (gotta love the parrots!). I especially love the Med Village bathrooms: jacuzzi tubs, and shower heads as big as dinner plates. Extra...

My first month as an independent travel consultant was a success! Clients have been supportive, and Linden Travel is wonderful. The airline response to the change is what's most startling. Suddenly, it's a lot easier to get my clients what they want. In the hotel industry, Marriott has signed a deal with Ian Schrager to create a brand of boutique hotels. Schrager, a hipster from way back (co-founder of Studio 54 and Palladium), is said to have invented the boutique hotel concept in 1984 with Morgans in NYC. According to Travel & Leisure, he "single-handedly re-invented the hotel as a site of electrifying cultural significance" (yay him!). Since then, dozens of hotel chains have sprung up to fulfill our desire to stay in fabulous, unique hotels notably Kimpton Hotels (which actually started in 1981) and W Hotels (launched by Starwood in 1999). Looks like Schrager will have autonomy in the design, concept, and marketing/branding aspects of hotel development and t...

I have exciting news to share with you. As of today, I will be affiliated with Manhattan-based Linden Travel as an independent consultant running my own travel business in Ithaca, New York. As such, I will now be in a position to offer you the very best value, service, support and connections. It’s the best of both worlds: You can continue to work with me and support a locally owned business — Serino Travel Services, Inc. — while having the security and confidence of working with an established New York agency. All your payments and air tickets will be processed through Linden Travel. Linden Travel has been in business since 1969 with sales of more than $100 million. Linden’s volume generates influence with travel providers, which will help me to get you the best access and service possible. Linden is a member of the Virtuoso Network, the industry’s leading leisure travel network, and I am now a Certified Virtuoso Agent. A network of the top 1% of travel agencies, Virtuoso has relation...