Hi,  I'm replying to the email regarding me and my new wife's experience on our nine day honeymoon to Fiji.  Well one word to some up the whole trip is "Awesome".  It was the best trip ever, everything was perfect.  The Fiji people are great and so are their services.  Beqa Island was my favorite place in the world.  No cars or roads was so peaceful.  The food everyday, breakfast, lunch and dinner was delicious.  Even my wife who is a very picky eater was trying everything and really liking it.  The villages we visited were eye opening as to what we have in America, but the people were just so happy.  McCoy Travel was everything I could ask for in a travel agency.  Lori knew everything about Fiji. 

Well thanks McCoy Travel.  See you on my next trip.
D. Robinson
Sarasota, Florida
Fabulous Fiji Honeymoon

Hi Lori.  I haven’t spoken with you in a while and still haven’t had a chance to catch up regarding mine and Jimmy’s trip to Fiji (Maravu Resort and Plantation) until now.  I can’t believe that it has already been 6 months since we were there.  I usually don’t like to go to the same places that I’ve been before, but my husband and I will definitely go back to Fiji some day.  The people were very kind and good-hearted. 

We stayed very busy while we were there, trying to soak up all that the resort had to offer.  We went to Honeymoon Island and that was cool because as you know, they drop you off on a remote island by yourselves.  We went on a snorkeling trip with a big group of people and even though it was rainy that day, everyone enjoyed it, along with the picnic on the beach, under the tarps that they threw up to keep us dry as we ate.  We even spotted dolphin swimming in the area.  We saw blue starfish, which we didn’t even know existed!  How amazing to see the many creatures that God has created.  We did some hand line fishing, which was different and fun.  We went out in the kayaks and spotted some sea snakes in the water, which we were told to stay away from because they are poisonous.  We went to the waterslide…the natural slide with big boulder rocks and water running right down the middle.  That was very neat.  We also went on a hike up a steep mountain, within the lush rainforest-like surroundings, where the Falls is located.  I learned exactly how out of shape I am!  I almost died.  We did the horseback riding and mountain bike riding.  My big souvenir was a black pearl in which I’m very proud.  We went to a church service and although it was in a foreign language, I could kinda follow along because I used to be a Catholic.  The food was to die for!  Very impressed.  A lot of little extras that we enjoyed too were the welcome drink, the going away serenade and cake, etc., etc.  I can’t say enough about the resort.

I just want to thank you again Lori, for all of the help that you provided to me, while I planned our trip of a lifetime for about a year.  I just met someone who has always wanted to go and said that she will now that she has seen our pictures.  Her name is Melissa S, so hopefully you’ll be hearing from her sometime in the near future.

So that you can see some of our pictures, I’ll send them via Kodak Share Gallery, so you can see how much fun we had.

Thanks again for all of your help.  I look forward to working with you, when we get ready for another big trip!

Sincerely,

A. & J. Bleckley
Cumming, Georgia
Fabulous Fiji

Greetings -
We had a wonderful, relaxing honeymoon at Namale in Fiji. It was exactly what we needed after months and months of planning for our wedding. Namale was beautiful, the staff was beyond hospitable, and the spa was amazing. 

One of our favorite experiences was the special "Moonlight Massage" where they shut down the spa for you and your partner, start you off with a foot massage, and then treat you to a 1 hour+ body massage.  The entire place was lit by candlelight and had flower petals strewn around.  After the massage, we were able to enjoy the Hydrotherapy Room (with its many pools, hot tub, and waterfall) which was lit by candles and pool lights. A chilled bottle of champagne was waiting for us.  It was so romantic!

We had a wonderful honeymoon. Thank you for the help in coordinating everything!

Regards,
C. Park
San Francisco, California
Fijian Honeymoon

Aloha Melissa and Hiapo,

We have been meaning to write and tell you that we really enjoyed our recent trip to Fiji. 

Our favorite experience was spending lots of time in the water snorkeling, usually all by ourselves, photographing the clown fish in the sea anemones.  The staff at Matangi took us on solo trips to beautiful Horseshoe Bay twice, and for one of the trips they packed us a breakfast picnic.  The Qamea staff took us on a solo trip to Honeymoon Beach that was very nice too.  Several of the staff at Qamea helped us find the orange doves in the trees.

Our favorite food was called “Frangipani Pie”, which was an incredible pineapple meringue pie at Matangi.  Overall, we liked the food better at Matangi.  We also liked the outdoor shower there better since it is open to the sky and not covered (important to us for the “outdoor” ambiance).   We got to attend a wedding at each resort.

Mike,

I want to personally thank you for all your patience and hard work getting us to this point and enduring all the iterations we have gone through. My first trip with you guys was great and I know this one will be too, your knowledge has been essential in helping us feel we are getting the honeymoon we are dreaming of, and we are both grateful for that. Thanks again.

Best regards,
E. Franks
New Port Beach, California
South Pacific Getaway

Mike -

I don’t often times write client testimonial letters, but this trip certainly calls for one!  I must admit, I am an Internet shopper and used to feel that my own “homework” would yield the best vacation results.  I can now say that is no longer the case.  Mike Brown is so patient and incredibly knowledgable, that I am hooked on him and McCoy Travel.  In talking with the other guests at Namale, I easily identified that I had the best package and the best customer service.  We shared with Mike some personal preferences with specific beverage labels, cocktail mixers and even the desire for a small tour of the property, as many changes had occurred since our last visit to Namale.  Not only did the staff spend hours sharing with us the improvements of Namale, but when we arrived at our bure – present was everything we had requested (down to the six extra pillows!).  Incredibly, Ocean Spray Cranberry juice was stocked in our bure (per our preferences) which could not be found anywhere else on the resort, or in town!  Mike answered all of my concerns before our travels with care and concern.  While at Namale, we realized an error in our seat assignments for our return flight back to the States.  I sent an email and when we checked into the airline on our departure – bingo!  Our seat assignments were back in line.  A huge thank you to Mike Brown!  Vacations are a sacred time and often times costly – Mike assured that every detail was taken care of and our vacation was incredible.  I would expand on the experiences at Namale, but the staff and the resort are so magical, it doesn’t seem fair to try and convey the trip with words.  Magical – everyone should experience it.  We will be returning to Namale for a third time in 2008 and you can bet we’ll use Mike Brown.  Our sincerest appreciation for all that you did for us!

A. VanGoey
Eagle, Colorado
Romantic Namale Spa Resort

I want to thank everyone at McCoy for recommending and planning the honeymoon at Namale for my wife and me.  The location was beautiful and the people working at the resort were extremely accommodating and cordial.  In fact, I exchanged email addresses with a couple of the members on the staff.  The highlight of the trip was the sights and wildlife we were able to view while scuba diving.  All in all, the trip was wonderful.

J. Wiley
Las Vegas, Nevada
Awesome Fijian Honeymoon

Bula Mark,

Thank  you....We had a fantastic time....I am so happy that we went to Moody's Namena Resort....Tom and Joanne and her sister Lil were wonderful...we had all three meals with them and the other guests in the main dining room.  We really enjoyed everyone.  Tom is an amazing man... It is unbelievable how much knowledge this man has in general not to mention how he contemplated each move to putting together this resort...I was extremely impressed.  The staff were all helpful and so friendly...We played volleyball with them on two ocassions.  Two of the boys took me out snorkeling nearby and showed me how to do it...they were very patient and I actually did learn how to do it!  I thoroughly enjoyed everything and everyone and felt so sad when we had to leave. The only part that was tough was the boat ride to the island it was 2.5 hrs and I got sea sick both ways..Other than that I would recommend it to all...

S. & K. Roberts
Stoneham, Massachusetts
Fiji Vacation Getaway

Dear Mimi,
We wanted to let you know how our trip went now that we've finally gotten settled back at home again.

We arrived at Kahului Airport after a very long flight. Let future customers know that they are now charging for meals on long flights. No one ever has the nicest thing to say about airline food, anyway, so we opted to eat after we landed. It was the suggestion my friend, Christine, (that used your help to get to Maui only a couple of weeks before us) to have one person get the baggage while another goes to get the rental car. I was the only one on the shuttle, and the only person in line at the rental car counter. When I drove out to pick up Devin, the shuttles coming in were full of people.

Thank you for your phone message to check on us. That was very considerate of you.

We were very impressed with the condo (Kamaole Sands). I think it was much bigger than we needed, but given the reason for the trip, it definitely fit our wants. We were so impressed, that we made a video the next morning and put it on the web to share with our friends back home. I just watched it, and can hear why people mentioned I didn't sound excited. It must have been the morning or something, because I really loved the place and especially outside of the condo. In fact, if we just crossed the street, we could swim in the ocean. There's something about how easy it was to go swim in the Pacific Ocean that was a nice touch.

There was a washer and dryer with complimentary detergent and the kitchen was big enough to give us the option to eat in. There was a Safeway that was close and that came in very handy. And it was very near to the location that we chose for the wedding; only 15 minutes away.

After the wedding, we had a fantastic ride in our limo. The driver was so courteous and treated us special. He made sure we had water to drink, allowed us our privacy in the car, and let me stay in the limo while Devin went in to the rental agency to get our car. We loved our Ford Mustang, and had a laugh that *everyone* rented a Ford Mustang convertible.

We met up with our friends at Mama's Fish House, as you suggested. My goodness, it was so beautiful. It was the perfect picture of paradise. Everyone enjoyed the food, but no one appreciated it more than our friend, Jason, who is a gourmet chef. He was so impressed and passed his compliments to the chef. They let us keep the menus that they print out daily.

After we said goodbye to our friends, we drove to our second condo in Napili Point. Here is a picture that I took that will make me miss Maui forever.

We were so tired that we went right to sleep and when I woke up, Devin had found the nearby grocery store and was making dinner in the kitchen. Again, we had the easy option to stay in like a couple of honeymooners.

Oh, and the beach. I could never say enough about the beach. The cove and the beach were just a walk away. We had fantastic snorkeling experiences. I rented snorkeling gear in Lahaina and after just a short swim, we saw the most beautiful fish and lots of turtles. In fact, we had better snorkeling by the condo than on the trip we paid to go snorkeling on!

There is a great restaurant that a coworker could not stop talking
about: The Gazebo. At his insistence, I promised I would check it out, and was very surprised it was right next door to us! We got there early because there is a line and were treated to a fantastic breakfast. I had the white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes.

We did a lot of things at Ka'anapili Beach and that was close to our condo.
We went there for a luau, jet skiing, massages, and just an afternoon at the beach with our friends. I did not have the fortune of snorkeling there, but Devin said it was great there, especially near Black Rock. Devin saw several turtles and was enthralled by the large numbers of colorful fish. We launched from Ka'anapili beach on Trilogy Excursions for the sailing and snorkeling trip. As I mentioned before, we had better snorkeling near the condo, but they had good snorkeling places, too. The crew was extremely friendly and really worked hard to make sure everyone had a good time. I don't know if you have suggested them to your clients, but we highly recommend them as great fun in Maui.

This trip was by far and away the best trip we have ever had. If I close my eyes and think about the blue water and sand, I'm back in paradise again. We would love to use your help again the next time we visit Hawaii. Thank you so much, Mimi!

Sincerely,
K. Scherck
Santa Clara, California
Maui WeddingMoon

Julie -
Overall, everything was great!  We had a very memorable honeymoon in paradise, and will cherish the time we spent there for the rest of our married life.  Thanks for helping us have such a nice time.

The room was big and had a great bathroom.  The beach was really a treat!  The beach was very private and had all the amenities that anyone would need.  Also we really enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the hotel and the fact that there were very few kids.  The snorkeling on Maui was GREAT.  I would highly recommend the underwater preserve located just a few miles south of the Maui Prince.  We went snorkeling every day, and hit every snorkeling spot on our side of the island.  If you like to snorkel that would be the place to go, especially after the swells shift (October) because the water was calm almost all day long.  Finally, as you probably know the Old Lahaina Luau was amazing, well worth the drive.   

We were pleasantly surprised with the location and how modern our hotel (Resort Quest Waikiki Beach Hotel) in Oahu seemed.  The room was small, but we had a balcony with a view of the sunset. The bed (pillow and sheets) was really comfortable and there was a flat screen TV!  The location of the hotel was also perfect, right across the street from the beach. Our Pearl Harbor tour was very informative and fun.  It got us out of Waikiki and we got to see a lot of stuff that we would have otherwise missed.

Hawaiian Airlines was great and got us and all our stuff on our flight home

Thanks for everything.  The trip was great.  We will look you up next time we travel.

D. and B. Forde
San Diego, California
Happy Honeymoon in Hawaii 

Dear Joanne,

Our trip could not have been more perfect other than our wishing we had stayed longer. But isn't that exactly what a great trip in paradise leaves you with. Thank you so much for all your planning in this trip. I got the romance and relaxation I was looking for and my husband the adventure.

Your gift to us of the Kauai Travelogue will always be a wonderful reminder of the sights and experiences of Kauai and the Princeville Resort. Thank you Joanne. Hope to use your services again someday.

Best Regards,
Y. & T. Seely
El-Cajon, California
Kauai Vacation

Mike -

I heard your radio podcast when Melissa was at Namale - nice job!  Your accent is great for radio.  I loved the idea about an evening in the Spa with the candles …would have never thought of it. Do you have any other guest ideas from the past to share?

A. VanGoey
Eagle, Colorado
Romantic Namale Spa Resort

Bula Bula Mike,

Even though it’s been a month since our wonderful trip to Vomo Island Resort, it’s still the topic of conversation. Thank you for recommending Vomo Island. My wife and I really bonded with the locals. We became part of the family drinking Kava up in the staff quarters a couple times. We had a great trip! ….no schedules, no TV, no phones…..just what we needed.

The only thing I’d like to set up if we make a return trip is to spend the last day on the island versus going to Nadi Airport and having the room in the hotel. We didn’t care much for the hotel and would have much rather spent more time at the resort, then flown to Nadi Airport and stayed there until our flight home.

Thanks again for the suggestions and making the arrangements. We especially appreciated having a beach-front villa by itself without another one attached to it.

Vinaka vaka levu,
T. Kale
Potomac Falls, Virginia
Your Romantic Island Escape

Melissa -

Thank you for your email - below is the email I sent to Sue last week...

By far the best part of the trip were the Fijian people. At the Taveuni Island Resort, the Fjian staff were always warm, kind and happy. Please let people know that there is "life outside the resort". Many guests thought there wasn't much to see or that there wasn't any shopping in the villages - not the case at all. The richest experiences were outside the resort.

Air Pacific was great, no complaints. Flight attendants hung up my wedding dress up front with a smile, very accomodating.

Bula, Sue!

The resort is absolutely beautiful, and as you know, the Fijian staff are fantastic!! We formed quick bonds with several of the Fijian people and loved the culture, the village-- everything Fijian. I firmly believe experiences are largely what you make of it and we had a wonderful time as a whole.

Thank you for informing us about the Taveuni Island Resort! Eunice, Anne, Thomas, Joe and many others-- including the dogs, Belle & Tag, made for an incredibly pleasant experience. The wedding far exceeded our expectations! The meke songe & dance and the kava ceremony-- are MUST DO's for the weddings.

Anyway, we'll be in touch soon to book the Hawaii ticket. I'd be happy to diccuss anything further with you. Thanks for your email and again, thank you for guiding us to Taveuni Island- we fell in love with the Fijian people and the island.

With Kind Regards,
C. DeMoss Sharp
Glendale, California
Taveuni Weddingmoon

Hello there!!
Thank you so very much for the welcome email. It was a wonderful, personal touch to meet the staff. Our contact person is Mimi and it is nice to have a face to go with a voice and to learn a bit of her "story". Again,as I told Mimi,we are planning our wedding vow renewal trip 9/4/07 to 9/14/07 on the island of Kauai (just my husband and myself).

Your Happy Client Letters were very encouraging to read and we would welcome any an all suggestions!

Thank you in advance for all of your effort on our behalf.
L. Bobst
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hawaii Wedding Vow Renewal

Howdy Melissa -
Our trip was great, thanks very much. Robin was TERRIFIC, and we would definitely use you guys again. I was especially pleased that we had such a great room at the Four Seasons Wailea.

Thanks again!
Mahalo!
H. Pettis Zimet
Hermosa Beach, California
Hawaiian Getaway

Melissa,

Thanks for the reminder to rave about our honeymoon to Fiji!

Mike set everything up perfectly – flights were fine (the LAX-Fiji flight was half empty, so there was plenty of room to spread out); connections and transfers were seamless; and we were very pleased with Crusoe’s Retreat and Matamanoa, and the diving at each.  Our accommodations at each place were great (although we weren’t in one, the newly renovated bures at Matamanoa are gorgeous.)  Maggie, the GM at Crusoe’s, passes along her fond hello’s to him. Oh, and it was a minor thing, but we loved having access to the Captain’s Lounge on the cruise to/from Matamanoa. 

As for diving, the new dive masters/instructors – Vili and Debbie -- at Matamanoa were really great; personable, knowledgeable, and their operation seemed well run.  Don @ Crusoe’s was nice too, but we had a couple dives that led us to question his safety judgment.  On our second dive there, both of us ran out of air on a deep dive in part thanks to an unexpected (not in the briefing) swim against current – I got down to only 10 bar before I was buddied up with another diver, who luckily had enough air left to share that we could get through our safety stop.  However, we dove a couple times with Don’s assistant, Seta, and those were our favorites of the trip, so overall, it was kind of a mixed bag. 

Anyways, we appreciated Mike’s great itinerary that met our budget, and accommodations and sights that exceeded our expectations.  Although Fiji probably isn’t in our travel plans for quite awhile again, we’ll definitely keep McCoy Travel in mind for future trips (I’ve always wanted to go to Belize!) 

Thanks very much,

L. Urbauer
Woodinville, Washington
Romantic Fiji Honeymoon

Bula Robin,

I can't believe it's over :-( We had such a great time. Everything was absolutely fantastic, the whole experience (except the flight back, we had a mechanical problem and had to fly back to Nadi. So we were 4 hours late getting home).

We absolutely loved Navutu and the Yasawas. The resort was great - clean, great people, amazing food, and so much more. It was tidal, but we knew that and it was not a big deal. Most mornings we swam at the resort, because there were some great swimming spots there. We took picnics to some great beaches in the afternoon, which the hotel recommended.

We used the spa quite a bit, and it was great. Got to meet the owners and they were so nice. Everyone there was so friendly and welcoming. We really experienced a lot of great things: visited the limestone caves, lovo at the resort, lots of lagoon swimming/snorkeling, and just relaxing.

Thank you so much for everything. I can't wait for our next trip.

Vinaka vakalevu,
B. Kader
Aliso Viejo, California
Fijian Getaway

Bula Hiapo,

I have to thank you for suggesting Namale for our Honeymoon vacation.
It over-exceeded all of our expectations, and we were very sad to leave. The surroundings and weather was beautiful our entire trip and we indulged in almost all of the activities the resort had to offer as well as a few spa visits. The staff was extremely nice, helpful, and over accommodating the entire time. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised to have had the opportunity to learn as much as we did about the Fijian culture, lifestyle, and traditions. Kava was a new and interesting experience for us; so we had to drag a kava bowl back home and show our families a bit of our experience. We even got to see some of the Namale staff play in a local Rugby match. On top of the great time we had there we made friends with other couples from all over the world; in fact we will be meeting up with a couple in a few months that we met there.

I have to thank you again for your recommendation, it was an adventure we will never forget.

Vinaka,
S. Palantino
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Happy Honeymoon

Hello Robin

I was planning on e-mailing you as soon as I got back, but I found myself knee deep in school. I came back late, and all my focus was on getting back on track with the other students.

I can't thank you enough for setting us up with that resort. It was breath taking, we felt like movie stars, the resort was that luxurous. I have no idea how you were able to hook us up with that place with my budget. The Cook Islands was perfect for us. It felt so secluded, I felt like there was only a handful of tourists there, the privacy was next to none. I think this place is perfect for couples in our situation. I'm recommending it to all my friends.

Robin I can't thank you enough for this again.
I really hope to be in touch with you again soon.

I've attached a few photos that I thought you might enjoy.

Take care. Thanks again
G. & S. Seif
Toronto, Canada
Honeymoon in Paradise

Hi Mimi,
Both resorts (Maravu & Taveuni Island) were absolutely great. The staff was fabulous and we did indeed have enough to do and not do on our trip. We both agree that you are the most attentive and best agent we have worked with. Thanks so much for your attention and putting us into one of the best resorts we've been too.

Thanks!
P.Carmichael
Concord, California
Fiji Getaway to Taveuni