Bursch Travel Blog

Whitefish Montana on Amtrak

submitted by Gayle, Bursch Travel Huthinson
March 9th – 12th, 2012
I was surprised how many people were waiting to get on the train in St. Cloud. The train was about an hour late leaving but made up time along the way and arrived in Whitefish only about twenty minutes late. As I had opted for a bedroom, I got on the train with my pajamas on under my coat and climbed right into the upper bunk. My friend, Kaye, was getting on in Fargo and she has claustrophobia so I gave her the lower bunk which is actually a ¾ size bed. You could actually have 3 in the bedroom as during the day there is a couch and a chair. For a family with 2 adults and one child it would be great. Kaye was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t feel claustrophobic at all. There isn’t a lot of room to move around when the lower bed is pulled out so you have to be organized and keep everything tucked away. There is a tiny closet, a shelf over the chair to tuck things away and room under the chair and the bed (couch) for bags. If you have large suitcases, they can be left on the luggage rack in the lower level of the car. We just had small bags so we kept everything with us and organized everything so we could move around and still get into the bathroom, which is a kick. Each bedroom unit has a bathroom that is a combination toilet and shower. The water runs for 30 seconds at a time so at least a clean up is possible. There is a small sink in the cabin itself. With a bedroom we got bottled water in the cabin, towels and amenities like in a hotel bathroom. In the corridor very close by was juice and coffee available anytime day or night. If you were getting off the train during the night the conductor would come and let you know the stop was coming soon.
Also with the bedroom are all your meals and they were very good. Each meal was an assortment of choices from Vegetarian to Healthy to Local Specialties. Some of the things I had in the two days of traveling were steel cut oatmeal with very juicy grapefruit, Turkey Chili over a baked potato, Catfish one way and Salmon the other. They offered a steak cut each way and I remember Pork Chop and Short Ribs and a pasta selection. They have tables for 4 in the Dining Car and will seat you with other people to fill the tables. We met some really interesting people. It’s not like on the airplane where no one talks. Each day at 3:00pm they had a wine and cheese tasting opportunity for the people in the sleeping compartments. During the summer they have guides from Glacier Park on the trains giving informative talks. Besides the Dining Car there is a Snack Car on the lower level and an Observation Car where the chairs turn to face the windows. Some of them have tables between them and others are booths where you can play cards or games.
Instead of a bedroom you can get a roomette which is less expensive but still includes all your meals. They are about half the size with two roomy chairs facing each other. At night the two chairs are made into a bed and the upper bunk folds down. They do not have any bathroom facilities but there are several in the corridor. There are Family Bedrooms which have two adult beds and two child beds, again no bathroom. The family bedrooms are on the lower level, roomettes on either lower or upper levels and bedrooms are on the upper level. There are also a limited number of handicap accessible bedrooms on the lower level which have a curtain dividing the bedroom and bathroom areas.
That probably covers Amtrak now on to Whitefish! You arrive about 9pm so it works great to go the short distance and check into your hotel and go to bed. We chose the Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge which has a shuttle to pick you up at Amtrak. The resort is very nice with a heated outdoor pool and hot tub and an expanded Continental Breakfast with waffles and egg patties. The rooms varied in size. Ours had two queen beds and was very roomy and my brother’s was a mini-suite and was just great with a whirlpool tub and a fireplace in the living room area. You could manage without a car because there is a Snow Bus that makes a variety of stops throughout the day and the hotel Shuttle will take you a variety of places. As it worked out my brother had picked up a car when he arrived so we had easy transportation.
First let me say the weather was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining and it was in the 60’s each day. On Friday they drove as far as you can go into Glacier during the winter so on Saturday we spent the day driving around Flathead Lake. What a beautiful spot with the mountains in the background and the little islands in the lake. We stopped several times on the way to Polson for picture taking. At Polson we stopped at the Best Western/Casino for lunch and an hour in the
casino. Most of the casinos in Montana are just Keno and Blackjack but this was a little bigger casino with machines also. It wasn’t busy – everyone was probably skiing – and very clean. They also have a glass enclosed room that is non-smoking so it was very comfortable. I was playing a penny machine and managed to come out ahead so I was a happy camper. We continued around the lake and back to Whitefish to get ready for the evening adventure.
We drove to the base of the mountain and chairlift 1 for the trip to the summit. I have had problems on chairlifts in Switzerland but this was no problem. You could always see ground around you. At the Summit the views of mountains and the lights of Flathead Valley were spectacular. We went inside and enjoyed an elaborate German Buffet. They only do the Moonlight Dine and Ski a few times during the winter and we happened to be there at the right time. They also had a snowboarding competition that weekend but we missed that.
After dinner, and therefore after dark, we took the chairlift back down and it was really spectacular. It was colder and windier now but the view and lights made it well worth the temperature. We had dressed warmly and it only takes about 20 minutes.
Sunday morning it was back on the train. We had checked online and knew to arrive later than scheduled as the train was running late. You do have to be a bit flexible as you never know what may happen to change the schedule. We had to stop at one point to fix an air hose and apparently the rule is once a train is late, they are the ones who have to stop to let other trains go by so that happened a few times.
What did we see? By the time we got to Glacier Park it was evening and dark but during the summer you would see most of it. We did get a good view on the way back as it was mid-morning and the sun was shining. Until you hit the mountains you see a lot of flat land but many people find that beautiful. I thought there would be more evidence of what is going on in Williston but other than the number of people getting on and off the train there wasn’t much to indicate the oil boom. The thing you do notice is it is all men, not families.
Well worth everything involved. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Siver Seas Cloud

submitted by Audrey Omaha office
This cruise experience is for those who want their day to be no more stressful than lifting the phone to bring an attendant running (I tried it, it works) I sailed from Fort Lauderdale to St Martin with a stop at Tortola – it was part of an 11 night sailing to Barbados. While we had the roughest waters I’ve ever sailed – the experience was still amazing. I did a shore excursion to Virgin Gorda(The Baths) that included lunch at a quaint family run resort. We docked in Tortola right next to Carnival’s Freedom – that made for quite the photo op – tee tiny Silver Cloud and big huge Freedom – I don’t know whose passengers were more shocked. We on Silver Cloud were reassured to hear that the Freedom had rough water as well and had to cancel their dance productions (as did Silver Cloud) And for those of you needing an antidote to seasickness...here it is (and it works!) – soda crackers/granny smith apple/anchovy fillets....alternate apple/cracker/anchovy – ending with apple (eat it all!) And believe it or not, the stomach settles down. It came from our hotel director who when he learned we were having “issues.” – picked up the phone and ordered those items delivered to our suite. Once on land at St Martin, (we were tendering and the staff carried our luggage on the tender and removed it from the tender and settled us in a van before bidding farewell. OH the SHOCK of having to deal with the world once again. ...which didn’t take long, I overnighted at the Flamingo Beach Resort near the airport – and suffice it to say the representative at checkin has not ever heard of Customer Service as reflected on Silversea. This property tho (which I hadn’t paid attention when I booked) is a time share hotel wannabe. Rooms were HUUUGGGE...could have slept four easily in the room i had with full kitchen etc.
Hey, i just needed something cheap by the airport – i didn’t fully realize what I had booked til i got there. I talked with people who loved it tho, and some who had been there 8 years in a row. It did have incredible water views and sunsets, and you could walkout to the beach. I was very impressed with this area of Caribbean – BVI and St Martin/Maarten...I am trying to figure out how to encourage people to try this as a land destination.. When I was on the ferry from Virgin Gorda to Tortola there were folks on it continuing to St Thomas to fly to the US mainland from there (said air fares were better to/from St Thomas) This couple repeats to Virgin Gorda year after year, they were very sad to be leaving. I ate at a very good restaurant near the airport in St Martin – Skipjacks – table right by the water with a view of the yacht harbor where the “rich and famous” ...or at least their yachts – hang out. It was the time of year when they all pull out but there were still four or five mega yachts anchored.

NCL Spirit

submitted by Audrey Omaha office
Four ports of call...COSTA MAYA more interesting than I expected –like Cancun area before it was developed – a cultural tour was very interesting, got to make tortillas and learned about their way of life. BELIZE booked a flight to Ambergris Cay and rented a golf cart and bounced first north of town and then south of town – no decent roads to speak of – but plenty of white sand beaches, visited Ramon’s Village – good moderate resort .Belizeans want you to know they’re the only English speaking country in Latin America. ROATAN – don’t think they want you to know they’re part of Honduras...it’s more like a private island environment...took another cultural tour and the native pride seems very strong We did the boat ride thru the mangrove canals. Great port facilities with beach very close. COZUMEL...those who ventured ashore were delighted with their visit. This itinerary is ideal for those who may have done multiple Western/Eastern Caribbean tours...plus the added benefit of a visit to New Orleans. All in all I can highly recommend NCL – I saw some very happy cruisers on this itinerary. On the final day we disembarked and for those who opted (about 30) for the optional plantation tour(private tour with Visit New Orleans), we boarded a bus and had a very interesting New Orleans briefing on the way to Laura Plantation – our guide for the tour was the plantation owner – but I hear all their guides are excellent. He was one of the best site guides I’ve every encountered. Efficient, but thoroughly entertaining. After the tour we were dropped at the airport for return flights. There’s another plantation down the road and if there’s time I’d do both and be sure and have a mint julep at The Oaks, it will make everything look better.

New Orleans

submitted by Audrey Omaha office
This was my first visit since Katrina and it was eerie to approach downtown New Orleans and view those bridges surrounding the Stadium – during the aftermath of Katrina those images were burned into our eyes. Good to see though the town is recovering nicely and tourism once again reigns. The first night I stayed at the Windsor Court – the lobby is spectacular, the accommodations could use some tender loving care – but it’s still a grand place to cocoon – right in the midst of the craziness of New Orleans (Harrahs across the street) but while you’re at the hotel you may well think you’re in a stately mansion in Great Britain. In the evening we made a pilgrammage to Bourbon Street and nothing has changed there – still wild as ever...music everywhere including street corners, and everything that goes with indulging in too much alcohol. Popular for bachelor and bachlorette parties, birthday parties, and party parties.
That evening we had a group dinner at Dragos (located at the Hilton)
This restaurant’s specialty – charbroiled oysters – like nothing you’ve ever had. Our hungry seafood-starved Great Plains beefeaters packed away dozens of them.

Disney World Family Vacation

submitted by Jennifer Baxter office
We stayed in the Preferred room category at the Caribbean Beach Resort Hotle. A plus on all aspects!! We were in Martinique, building 26. We walked out our room and the restaurants, store, marina and main pool were very close. If you are not in a preferred room you would have to take the internal resort bus from your room block to Port Royale (main area). With small kids it would be quite a hassle. We took advantage of bell services upon arrival and departure to bring us and our luggage to and from our room. Very courteous! We had to depart at 6am to catch our AM flight. I pre-scheduled our luggage pick up the evening before.
Great pool area for our water bug kids. And Pirate theme pool and waterslides were a plus for mine! I really liked the kiddie pool area. My youngest son spent time at the resorts great playground with Daddy. We ate at Shutter’s (sit down) and the quick service at the resort. I did not have any bad meals. Variety of quick service options was really good.
I honestly can’t believe I am saying this-but traveling with my husband’s whole family! Seeing the kids all together having such a great time was amazing! Oh, and that the Dole Pineapple Whips in Adventureland are a snack option on the dining plan!!
Our trip fell over Memorial Weekend. It was BUSY! I expected this if course. We booked to coincide with free dining promotion so couldn’t be helped for us. You need to be flexible. It is very important to pre book dining. I watched many people who did not have reservations try to check in and were told without a reservation it would be 60-90 minute wait at some places. It was also very hot during our time there. We took advantage of the Baby Care Center at Magic Kingdom quite a lot. They are very handy for families with small children. We found that many of the big rides fast passes were gone by mid morning! Some rides will give you a fast pass that is much later in the day. You CAN get another fast pass in between. At the bottom of your fast passes it will tell you what time you can get another fast pass at. We rented a scooter for Grandma before we left using an off site supplier. It is less expensive and we know that she has it at all times. Also, there is often a special line/entrance for those with scooters or wheelchairs. This was really great for her (and us!) to avoid standing in lines. Front row at Lion King too! Those with strollers use the designated stroller parking areas. If you don’t you could spend some time looking for your stroller when you come off a ride! Disney has very diligent “stroller police” they will move your stroller often!
I traveled with my family and my husband’s extended family. 10 of us in all-4 kids, 4 parents and Grandma and Grandpa! We requested connecting and adjoining rooms at time of booking and didn’t have any problem getting them. It was a trip of a lifetime for all. First visit for everyone except my husband and I and our oldest son.
We were on the Disney Dining plan. I had so much fun trying all the different restaurants! At Magic Kingdom I think I tried about 4 different quick service restaurants. (in one day!!)
I also ate at:
Rose and Crown Pub-ate lunch here our first day. We had fish and chips, bangers and mash and the Sticky Toffee cake was oh my goodness good!
La Hacienda (Mexico-EPCOT) great food and service.
Biergarten-I chose this one for the setting. My husband and I ate here on our last trip and wanted the rest of the family to experience it. Great for the kids. We do really like the food too.
Donald’s Safari breakfast: 3 characters here: Mickey, Goofy and Daisy. We waited for quite awhile to get in here. We had reservations but they were really behind. The food was ok.
Chef Mickeys: we have done this one before. We waited for quite awhile to get in even with reservations. The characters are always good, which is why we do it. 5 characters here. But, the food and service were not great this time.
Mama Melrose @ Hollywood Studios: The food was quite good here.
I noticed that the kids menu options at all the restaurants was good too. The kids had a choice between the traditional pizza, chicken strip, etc. But they also had choices unique to the restaurant. Like pasta at Mama Melrose and tacos at Hacienda. They didn’t’ complain at all.
We scheduled our 4 yr old for Pirate’s League. They do such a great job! He was so amazed at the end product. He didn’t even look like himself. He wore his pirate sword the whole trip. Along with his R2D2 Mickey ears. He is a huge Star Wars Fan!
My sister-in-law’s family and Grandma and Grandpa Did Cinderella’s Royal Table. They have two girls. They said it was a highlight of the trip. After that they did the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. They were in Princess Heaven.

Black Hills of South Dakota

submitted by Gretchen W St. Cloud office
My husband and just returned from a long weekend trip to the Black Hills. He has never been and I was there years ago as a child on a family vacation. I think we sometimes forget there are lots of amazing places to visit right in our own backyards and that is very true of the Black Hills.

We left the Twin Cities on a Wed evening and drove as far as Sioux Falls and spent the night there. On Thursday we headed for Deadwood with stops in The Badlands and of course Wall Drug…we decided to skip the Corn Palace in Mitchell. We took Hwy 240 off of I-90 which winds through Badlands National Park. What an interesting place, at times I felt like I was in Morocco because the formations looked like places in the desert. The drive through this area ends in Wall SD home of the famous Wall Drug. Wall Drug consists of lot and lots of souvenir shops and places to eat. The amazing thing is to realize this business empire all started by the simple idea of providing free ice water to hot thirsty travelers years ago.

We then headed to Deadwood where we spent two nights at the Iron Horse Inn one block off main street. This is a historical hotel that was originally built in 1893 as a livestock feed store and then was converted to a hotel in 1920. It was refurbished in 1996 and the rooms and lobby have the feel and look of those early days. Deadwood is an interesting town with a rich history. We took the “Original Deadwood” bus tour where we learned all about the early days of Deadwood with a stop at Boot Hill Cemetery. He we saw the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane plus others from those early days of Deadwood. Today Deadwood offers a variety of gambling options, restaurants and shops. The next day we drive through Spearfish Canyon with a stop in Lead and a visit to the Black Hills Roundhouse where we saw a movie about the history of South Dakota in the “Living Map Theatre” where the movie interacted with a 3D map.

Saturday we made our way from Deadwood to Hill City where we spent our remaining two nights. We stayed at the Super 8 because of it’s location right downtown. After checking in we then set out to take the 3 scenic drives through Custer State Park. Our first stop was at the Crazy Horse monument which was impressive to see. From there we drove to Lake Sylvan and on to Needles Highway. The scenery was spectacular all along this road. Everywhere you looked was more beautiful and awe inspiring than before. As we left Needles Highway the road then took us on to the Wildlife Loop through rolling hills and prairie. Just when I was thinking we wouldn’t see any wildlife we came upon an area where there we burros everywhere coming up to the car looking for food. But the most impressive was just as we were leaving the Wildlife Loop road we came upon a herd of buffalo. They were everywhere crossing the road in front of us and walking along side of the cars. I have never been so “up close and personal” with a buffalo before, they are huge! We were stuck in this “buffalo traffic jam” for 40 minutes…it was the highlight of the day.

Sunday we spent the morning at Mt. Rushmore, which I think is the best time to visit because the sun shines on the faces and really makes an impressive sight. We did one of the Park Ranger guided walking tours of Mt Rushmore and learned so much about the creation of this impressive monument. I highly recommend doing that if you visit because you learn so much about the sculpture, and why he choose the Presidents he did. The museum and short movie are worth the stop to learn more on how this memorial was constructed. There is just such a feeling of patriotism and pride you feel when visiting this national memorial. Then it was back to Hill City where we took the 1880 Train ride to Keystone. Which was a fun experience and a good way to visit Keystone.

The four full days we spent there gave us enough time to hit the highlights of this beautiful area. But there is so much more to do and see especially if you like hiking, biking, rock climbing, fishing and more. I highly recommend a long weekend or week long vacation to this beautiful area of our country.

Cabo San Lucas

submitted by - Karen M Bursch Travel Fargo
I stayed at Dreams Los Cabos
Lots of variety, good value, and great food…..couldn’t really think of any cons!
I took advantage of some coupons for the spa and had an amazing aromatherapy massage, C & Sea Facial and an eye treatment with Julio. I also used the sauna and whirlpool in the spa and was so completely relaxed; I almost couldn’t get back to my room! There are lots of activities at this resort including a putting green, bocce ball, croquet, a rifle range, tennis, and much more. They also have different things scheduled throughout the day for both kids and adults.
The food was AMAZING! I didn’t even have time to try the buffet, so I can’t tell you about that, but I did eat at three of the other restaurants (and got a very good review on the fourth!) and found the food to be wonderful. My favorite was the Italian restaurant where I had my last dinner before heading home. The chocolate mousse dessert was to die for! Dreams has Portofino—Italian, the Sea Side Grill—steakhouse/grill, Oceana—Seafood, Himitsu—hibachi, and the buffet. Also 24 hour room service is included.
I loved relaxing in the infinity pool and just watching the people! It was relatively quiet because of the off season, but still a nice crowd.
This hotel is located in the corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. If you’re looking for a resort that’s close to shopping and the night life, this isn’t it. It’s 30 minutes either direction to the nearest town, so you have to either take the scheduled shuttle (several per day to Cabo, one per day to San Jose) or a cab. However, if you are looking to take part in some Cabo night life, they do offer a pub crawl on Wednesday’s and Saturdays. The pub crawl is $20 for 4 ½ hours and it includes transportation and a night at Cabo Wabo, Squid Roe and the Giggling Marlin and at Waborita!
No swimming on the beach due to riptides and undertow. But, you’ll find plenty of beach stretching in either direction for walking. There are vendors on the beach, but they are behind a rope, so they won’t bother you unless you go up to where they are. Usually 5-6 per day selling clothes, hats, sunglasses, etc. There were vendors at the resort, but not as much variety as I’ve seen at some resorts. Some art, lots of silver jewelry and a little pottery.
I also did the city tour offered by United Vacations. Because it was the off season, there were three of us for the Cabo San Lucas part of the tour and then I had the tour guide to myself for San Jose del Cabo! This tour gives you a 45 minute boat ride out to Lands End, Lover’s Beach, Divorce Beach, etc. (Did you know that every four years, the water under Lands End recedes and you can walk under the arch?? This was just that year!), a tour around Cabo, including the Hotel Finnestera and some time to shop down town. We dropped off the other two and were off to San Jose for the included lunch (yummy quesadilla at El Hebrerra’s) and then a tour of the city square and the San Jose church. We passed through the hotel zone and headed back to the resort.
If you want lots of action and night life, Cabo San Lucas is where you want to be. Lots of shops, restaurants and nightclubs to be had. If you want to kick back, relax and get away from it, San Jose is better for that. The tour guide said “San Jose rolls up the sidewalks at 8 pm!” So be careful where you go!
There were LOTS of weddings while I was there! I think it was 7 of them in 4 days! It’s a very beautiful resort for weddings and they can use a couple of different spots throughout the resort for the ceremony and then they set up for the reception by one of the pools.
Really loved this area and resort!

Managers Meeting with Funjet Vacations Riviera Maya - April 2011

submitted by - Troy - manager Bursch Travel Northfield

11 hotels in 4 days…

On a recent trip to Riviera Maya I traveled with a group of about 30 Bursch travel agents and spouses. We inspected 11 resorts along the way and dined at 5 of them. We stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Grande and saw the complex of hotels including Iberostar Maya, Lindo, Beach and Del Mar. The Grande is the adults-only end of the complex and we were treated to excellent food, personal butlers and a pillow menu. The other 4 Iberostar resorts are wonderful for families and include a lazy river, wave pool and excellent beach front. All are all-inclusive and feature unlimited food and drink.

We also toured the Oceans by H10 Coral & Turquesa and the Oceans Royale. The Royale is in the process of becoming an adults only resort while the Coral remains a family resort. Both of these are great mid priced options for people who still want good food (we asked guests staying there). A different type of accommodation was the Azul Fives. You can get 1,2 or 3 bedroom units that are adjoining and the master bedroom unit includes a large kitchen. This property offers either an all inclusive option or without any meals or drinks included.

The last three are all 5 star adults only resorts. The Valentin, Excellence and El Dorado Seaside. Everyone in the group liked all three and would not hesitate to have any of our clients stay at any of them. The El Dorado holds a special place for us, however, because of the wonderful dinner they provided for us on the beach on our final night. This hotel has 280 suites and features 5 gourmet restaurants, 24 hour room service (as do most of the resorts we toured) and what I did not see anywhere else: 2 story beach beds.

Our trip was sponsored, in part, by Funjet Vacations as a thank you for supporting them the past year, and also by the Mexican government to demonstrate that this area is safe for tourism. Granted, we were only is resorts and areas frequented by tourists, but safety, or a lack of, never crossed any of our minds and I look forward to taking my family there.

Ireland - final days of our trip

submitted by Gretchen Bursch Travel St. Cloud
We spent the night in Waterford and had a very interesting walking tour of the city in the morning and what a beautiful sunny morning it was. The walking tour was included in our Brendan Tour and was an added treat. We met the local tour guide - jack Burtchaell for a stroll around Ireland's oldest city. He really made it interesting and fun to learn about the history of this area....from when the Vikings were there up to the time of "Strongbow". Parts of the Viking wall around the city still are standing today. Then it was back to Dublin where we spent the afternoon exploring more of Dublin. We visited the Temple Bar area and had lunch at the Temple Bar. That evening we had out Farewell Dinner at the fun restaurant called Taylor's Three Rock Restaurant where we were treated to great Irish music and traditional Irish dancing. Sunday morning we were on our transfer back to the Dublin airport for our flight home. I will never forget what a great trip this was and what an outstanding tour Brendan Vacations offered. It was a busy schedule but we saw and learned so much. The bus rides were never more than 2 hours before a stop at another amazing place. Our driver/guide Martin was fantastic so knowledgeable....I learned so much about Ireland and it's history from the time of the Celtics up to the "troubles' in Northern Ireland. The people of Ireland and the beauty of this country will be in my heart forever. I recommend everyone visit Ireland at least once if not more in their lifetime.

More from Killarney on to Blarney and Waterford

Submitted by Gretchen at Bursch Travel St Cloud
This morning we started off with a Jaunting Car ride thru Bourne- Vincent national park. What a fun tour....Mike was our driver and Sally our horse. Weather was perfect.. We had a stop at the lake and castle very interesting and I would recommend everyone do this in Killarney. Then on to Blarney where we visited Blarney Castle and kissed the stone... A must do when you are there...the climb is very interesting and kissing the stone gets your heart pounding for sure. Then it was off to Waterford where we visited ...what else but a couple of fun pubs....Gingerman where we discussed old American western movies with a local then on to Murphy's where we tried very hard to understand one of the locals with all his slang. We asked him to talk slower and still didn't understand him. Staying at the Dooley Hotel which is very nice and full of amazing history. Also had a great dinner here tonight. I recommend everyone come to Ireland for a visit.