Magnolia Travel and Cruise

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Winter Newsletter - December 2007

Happy Holidays to Friends of Magnolia Travel!

We truly appreciate our clients and wish you the best of the season, as well as health and happiness in the New Year. Helping make your travel dreams come true is our mission.

We look forward to assisting you with the best travel plans possible in 2008. Thanks for your support!

Magnolia Exclusives

Weekend Cruise to Canada,
"A Sweet Sailing"

Sail out of Seattle on Sept 26th, 2008
on Celebrity's Mercury

3 Night Cruise in Pacific Northwest Waters

Fares from $250 per person,
plus taxes and port charges
Leave work a little early on Friday, and return from the ship for work on Monday. Sail on a beautiful Celebrity ship, adorned with Art Deco decor, menus created by a 5 star chef, and wonderful entertainment. Sail to Victoria and Nanaimo. A wonderful value, and a great time to visit the beautiful waters of our region. Join us on this cruise. Call today to book your cabin!

7 Day Glacier Bay Alaska Cruise

Sail out of Seattle on July 20th
on Holland's Westerdam

7 Night Cruise, visiting Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria & Seattle
Sail Glacier Bay for the opportunity to see whales, puffins and experience the tidewater glaciers. Excellent prices for outside, veranda and suite cabin categories......

Call NOW for the cabin you want!

Complete Exclusives List

Tips for Travelers

Travel Insurance…Can You Afford to Be Without It?

Most travel arrangements made through a tour company, cruise line or travel package company are prepaid purchases, and incur penalties if cancelled prior to departure or need to be altered while the travel is underway. If your trip costs are in the thousands of dollars, it is wise to consider the consequences of losing this investment.

Magnolia Travel highly recommends that our clients purchase travel insurance to cover any penalties if the trip needs to be cancelled or interrupted. We offer travel insurance from independent travel insurance companies as well as insurance sold through the travel vendors supplying the arrangements for the travelers.

We offer advice to our clients for the best value as there are many variables to factor for which is best for the age, circumstances and needs of each person.

Many policies also cover baggage insurance for both loss and delay. There are also coverages for travel delay as well as the opportunity to cover car rentals, flight insurance and more.

Our staff is knowledgeable regarding the options you should consider to protect your vacation investment, and will always offer you the best options.

Calendar

Office Closed:
Dec 22th – 25th
Dec 29th – Jan 1st

Stop by in January to say hello to our French Intern, Floriane Dubois. She will be with us for the month learning about travel agency services in the United States.

Laura

From the Desk of Laura

After years of meeting face to face with her beloved clients, Laura is now working out of her home office. Her office mates will miss her very much, but recognize her dedication in the past 8 years driving to Magnolia from her home in Renton, and know that she will benefit from less commute time and more meaningful time spent with family as well as her special clients. Laura is fully connected via the internet to work from home, and we invite you to contact her for any travel needs. You can email her at laura@magnoliatravel.com or phone her direct line, 206-200-0313. Thanks Laura from everyone at Magnolia Travel for all your expertise and tremendous support. You are the best of travel planners!

From the Desk of Susan

October found me in Maui with two old friends, having a REAL vacation! Travel professionals usually find travel to be an opportunity to check out everything at the destination for future use, and many times lose the opportunity for a truly restful and relaxing getaway. Napili Point provided a wonderful place for respite and all the rest I could imagine. Of course, Maui offers some great adventure, and we did a bit of that, with a drive to Hana, visit to Makawao, and up the road towards the crater. However, the centerpieces of each day were the views of our snorkeling bay where the sea turtles came in each morning and evening as well as the evening sunset skies, and many rainbows. How beautiful to have some lanai time. I invite you to try this kind of vacation soon! The effects are amazing, and lasting.

From the Desk of Bill

Favorite Hotels From Here and There

With so many destinations, and often hundreds of hotel choices in any one area, it’s difficult to say to our clients, yes, this is the place to stay. Over the years, however, I have gotten good feedback on specific hotels and, in many cases, have been able to experience them myself. Here are a few:

The Belvedere Hotel - 319 West 48th Street, New York NY. New York City

Hotels these days are anything but inexpensive. With that said, The Belvedere offers a great value along with a fantastic location. Located just west of Times Square at 8th Av and 48th Street, the Belvedere is smack in the middle of Manhattan and within easy walking distance to most of the sights we all want to see in New York. All rooms have a kitchenette with frig, microwave and coffeemaker. Rooms come with either a King or 2 doubles. Recently the hotel was refurbished with marble baths, flat screen televisions, and Wifi Internet access. The Belvedere Café offers a full American Buffet Breakfast and their Brazilian Steakhouse, Churrascaria Plataforma serves lunch and dinner daily. Room Rates range from $189 -$400 plus tax depending on when you are visiting the city. The best rates are available January 1-March 31, with the highest rates from mid September through the holidays.

The London Bridge Hotel - 8-18 London Bridge Street, London England UK

Located in the ancient Borough of Southwark (pronounced suth-ick,) what was once old is now new again. Southwark with its Bankside neighborhood is now one of the in places of London. From the outside, the hotel is unassuming. The interior, however, is a different story. Clean minimalist lines and post modern art are softened with hues of brown and beige. Rooms are small but well appointed with white furniture and marble bathrooms. The light colors make the rooms feel open and airy as opposed to the heavy oak Edwardian interiors of many of this city’s hotels. Rooms come with 2 twin beds, 1 double or 1 King. Rates range from 150-300 pounds per night. With our current exchange rate that’s about $300-600 which sounds like a lot, but with many of the city’s finer hotels charging a minimum of 200 pounds per night, it’s a great value.

Villa Des Artistes - 9 Rue de La Grande Chaumiere, Paris France

This is a small, very Parisian hotel located in the Montparnasse area of Paris not far from the Latin Quarter and Sorbonne. During the 1930s, it was home to artists such as Beckett, Fitzgerald and Modigliani. There are 59 rooms decorated in floral patterns with most of the rooms opening onto the hotel’s garden. During the warmer months breakfast can be taken in the garden or you can enjoy a drink and refreshments in the hotel lobby. Rates vary from 90-250 Euros per night. This is one of those rare Paris hotels where you can find a triple. Buffet Breakfast is an additional 14 Euros. At the current exchange rate, that makes the rooms $126 to $350 per night. If you are looking for just the right place to stay, give me a call or email. I look forward to offering you some excellent choices.

Top Ten Travel Destinations for 2007

Here is what our clients have been up to in 2007! Great destinations, enjoyable trips, and may give you inspiration for travel in 2008. Call us when you decide on your 2008 holiday plans!

1. Hawaii
2. Alaska
3. Europe
4. China
5. Mexico

6. Australia/New Zealand
7. US/Disney Destinations
8. South America
9. Africa
10. Caribbean

Travel Tip: If you are considering booking a cruise for a family reunion or group event, book early for the best options for cabins, especially on the Alaska routes.

Newsletter Offer!!

Bring this newsletter in, or mention it on the phone or in an email, and receive $25 off any 7-day package, cruise or tour booked by January 31st, 2008. Our way of saying thanks to our very special clients!

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