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Their Best Trip Ever

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Karen Haymon Long

Published: January 4, 2008

So you've designated 2008 as "The Year I Finally Go Somewhere." Loved ones gave you luggage for Christmas, and you responsibly turned in your passport application a month ago. Now the hard part: choosing a destination.

Who better to ask about the best trips ever than travel agents, those veterans of dreamy destinations? We asked four from the Tampa Bay area to describe the best trip they ever took. Most didn't hesitate. They knew right away.

Don Oneal and Donna Tatelbaum remembered trips celebrated for special occasions. Oneal's was his honeymoon in 1995. Tatelbaum's was a train ride from Venice to Paris for her 50th birthday 10 years ago.

Here's a look at all four and the cherished memories of their favorite trips:

ROBIN SMITH,

Caladesi Travel, Dunedin

Best trip ever: skiing in the Morzine-Avoriaz resort area in France

What made it so wonderful: the picturesque little towns, the wonderful people from all over the world. Despite the cultural differences, people are there with no political agenda. They're just there to enjoy their vacations and the skiing.

Another thing, the ski-lift rates were lower than in Colorado. Even now, with the ugly Euro, it is probably still cheaper.

Memorable meals: Everywhere you go, the food is unbelievable — from the small, intimate inns to the big restaurants — because they use more natural foods.

Fondest memory: skiing from France to Switzerland, having lunch and then skiing back to France.

DONALD ONEAL,

Travelworld, Tampa

Best trip ever: three-week honeymoon in South Africa with my wife, Marty.

What made it so great: We went to three game parks. Our favorite was Sabi Sabi, a private game reserve. We woke up early in the morning to go on a safari and saw cheetahs, jaguars, lions, elephants, antelopes. We had lavish breakfasts, served in the camp area. Then, we'd go back near sunset to see rhinos, elephants and other large animals.

Imagine sitting out in the wilderness, staying overnight in concrete huts with grass palm frond roofs, eating four-star meals — wild antelope, buffalo, chicken, prawns.

Best place we stayed: the five-star Palace Hotel in Sun City, an hour and a half from Johannesburg. It looks like a beautiful city glowing in the dark. It's like staying in an "Indiana Jones" movie. It has two golf courses with wild animals, including crocodiles; a huge casino and a water park out in the middle.

ROBI ADASKES (a veteran of 159 cruises),

AAA, Carrollwood

Best cruise: a Baltic cruise on the Seven Seas Voyager. One place I always wanted to go to is Russia, and the scenery was, of course, spectacular. We went from Stockholm to Estonia, spent three days in St. Petersburg, then went to Visby, Sweden, to Helsinki, and ended in Copenhagen.

Favorite sites: the Hermitage — you can't do it in one day — and Catherine's Palace and Peterhoff Palace. The palaces are known for their fountains, which are absolutely gorgeous with gold statues. Normally, when you go on tours, everything is churches. This tour is palaces — one was more ornate than the other.

Best thing about the ship: It is an all-veranda ship, which is very nice. You get spoiled on the ship. The food is excellent, the shows are good, the casino is small. The staff, service, the whole cruise, the whole package — was a wonderful experience.

DONNA TATELBAUM,

Bowen Travel, Tampa

Best trip ever: I took the Venice Simplon-Orient Express train ride for my 50th birthday 10 years ago from Venice to Paris. I'm a train buff, and it was fabulous.

What made it so great: The service was impeccable. The trip took 231/2 hours, and the service was equivalent to a five-star hotel's. What was amazing to me was the food service. It was excellent, like a high-end restaurant, with a renowned chef onboard.

My scarf fell out of my coat, and the cabin boy picked it up before it even hit the floor.

Birthday memory: We closed the bar.

Trip highlight: afternoon tea. They serve full afternoon tea in your cabin on a table by the window. I decorated the cabin with balloons and banners that said, "Happy Birthday Donna."

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