The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Exploring Newfoundland & TROBBU Resorts
Our weekly guest, Travel Expert Onanta Forbes is traveling throughout NFLD so we'll catch up with her on this week's show to learn what she's been up to and get some tips on traveling to NFLD. Then we'll chat with the CEO of TROBBU Boutique Collection, a luxury company offering travelers vacation villas and apartments. They recently opened an all-inclusive luxury villa resort in Tulum, Mexico. So we'll get some insight on that.
So,
SPEAKER_03:Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveller Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveller. I'm your host, Randy Sharman. Our weekly guest, travel expert Onanta Forbes, is travelling this week through Newfoundland, so we'll catch up with her in a few seconds to learn what she's been up to and get some tips on travelling to Newfoundland. Then we'll chat with the CEO of a company called Trobue, a luxury company offering travellers vacation villas and apartments in the recently opened an all-inclusive luxury villa in Tulum, Mexico. So we'll get some insight on that. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanta Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and X at Onanta Forbes. Onantaforbes.com is her website. Hello, Onanta.
SPEAKER_02:Hello, how are you?
SPEAKER_03:I'm fine, thank you. I'm excited to hear all about Newfoundland, which is where we find you to
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I'm very excited. I've never been to Newfoundland. And this summer, we wanted to explore Canada. So why not the furthest east we can go? As
SPEAKER_03:far east as you can
SPEAKER_02:go, right? Yeah, so it's good. We haven't been here a long time, just a few days so far. But we took an Air Canada connection via Montreal. And the reason why I bring that up, our connection was only an hour. It's technically a legal connection. I was a little, I don't know, maybe a little wary of making my connection. But lots of time. It really did well. So if anybody sees that, not to worry. Air Canada seems to have figured it out. We took off and landed from the same terminal. So it's all good. Arriving in St. John's, which is the capital of the province. We rented a car for our time here. You don't need to, but it's nice to have it to explore. A nice central hotel is called the Alt Hotel. It's part of the Germain property. It's right by the cruise dock. And that day, the Norwegian Gem was in town. And followed a little bit later came Regent Seven Seas Splendor. So it's a busy port. And just a little hint for those traveling to Newfoundland. I would pre-book your shore excursions because it's not a big place. So you may not want to take the, you know, be caught off guard and not having a shore excursion. But it's super easy to walk around throughout the town if you wish. You get a sense it's very Irish. And they say it's probably almost as Irish as Ireland. And you can see that with almost the accent in their Newfoundland language. it. Definitely lots of pubs and the food that's served here. Very focused on fish and French fries and it's all very yummy. Maybe not as caloric as you want it to be, but very yummy and lots of beer and ale. So with regards to how I started my journey here, I always like to take a little city tour, whether it's a hop on, hop off. It gets me acquainted with the city and the surroundings. So We started off by going to Cape Spear. That's the most easterly point in North America. It's among the oldest colonized regions in the New World. Our local guide told us about the history, the legends, all flavored with their personal antidotes and good humor, which Newfoundlanders are famous for. I think I've heard this, they can always find a friend because they're just so chatty. They just wilt Talk to everybody. So on our tour, we definitely got to go to see Cabot Tower and Signal Hill. And you are able at Signal Hill, you get to walk through like cliffside World War II gun batteries. We didn't see any whales, but there's definitely seabirds. So we haven't seen any marine wildlife yet, but I think we're pretty late in the season as well. And then at this point, There's also the oldest standing lighthouse in the province. So the other, and then from different points, like when we went to Cape Spear, this is where you actually, if you were game, get up early and go see the first sunrise in North America. So that's kind of fun.
SPEAKER_01:That's cool.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is. I like that. But I didn't do it because it's too early for me. But then, you know, part of the opportunity when you're at Cape Sphere, you can see these cliff bunkers. And this is where during the World War II, they would dig it out the side of the cliffs and they would put their ammunition and military firepower inside. So it was kind of neat. Also, if you're lucky, you could see Sable, the Newfoundland dog, but I didn't see him or her. I don't know if it's him or her, but it was kind of a fun little folklore. And then we went to this quaint little fiction village. It's just minutes from downtown St. John's. It's called Kitty Bitty. There's cute cottages along the roadside. This is where there's an artisan studio and brewery. There's food and drink trucks. Very fun place to just hang out. And then we went back into St. John's and then we kind of went along and we got out of the bus and we got to stroll along Jelly Bean Row. And this is a pretty famous place because there's a lot of brightly colored houses. And it's a fun visual representation of the history, its culture, its history. And it has to be on your must-see list. It's easy to walk around. It has some elevation, so just be mindful of that. But it makes it one of the most photographed streets in Canada. And you'll encounter like houses that are painted in vibrant hues like pinks and blues and greens and oranges it's just gorgeous so this is where the humor Newfoundlanders come out so they said well one story is like you're a fisherman you're coming back to the port and if you see your house you can tell what your house is because of the color right or the other story is you are you've had a lot of fun at the pubs and you can't make you don't know where your house is, so you have to have a guide. Like, oh yeah, that's my blue house. I'm going to go to that house. So there's lots of fun stories about it as well. And so when they drop you off, they either can drop you off downtown or back at your hotel. We went back to the hotel and then we came back and then we walked along Water Street, which is kind of like the main shopping area and where the pubs are, but then you can go to George Street where there's tons of pubs and restaurants. It comes alive at night. One thing I do have to mention, we're here in September and a lot of things are kind of closing for the season. So before you leave home, make sure if you're coming later in the year, things are still open because it will close on you. You don't want to miss out, right, on anything. But yeah, it's It's definitely a lovely town. I don't think you need to spend more than two to three days in St. John's. So we went back to Kitty Vitty and there's also a great path around the lake that's there. It's about 3.8 kilometers. It takes about an hour to do, but it's a nice walk. And they also have great trails here that you can also take if you want to be active and be outdoors. And I would recommend it. There's one called the North It's really quite lengthy, but different places that you can see. And so after our time, we headed up to Trinity, where we're going to spend three nights here. And on the way, there is a lovely little town called Dildo. And it's gorgeous. It's absolutely gorgeous. So you have to, you know, stop yourself from taking a selfie in front of every sign that says Dildo. You know, right? And it overlooks the water. And I didn't know this, but if our friends know who Jimmy Kimmel is, a late night guest host, he, I guess, really liked the name Dildo. And he spent a week on his show promoting it. And he then, he went for being the mayor of Dildo. So he was campaigning for this. And dildo doesn't really actually have an actual mare. So anywhere you see these signs of Jimmy Kimmel for mare, and he actually then paid for a dildo sign that's mounted on a hill overlooking the cove and the village, kind of like the Hollywood sign. And people come for a long way and they photograph it. You can have a lovely lunch at the brewery here Go for a little walk. There's not a lot to do here other than the funness of it. And I think, again, that's where you find the humor of Newfoundlanders.
SPEAKER_01:So
SPEAKER_02:it's quite sweet. And we chose Trinity as a place to come and stay for a few days because it's very picturesque. It's got great, well-preserved historic architecture. It has a theater here called Rising Tide Theater. And It's quite famous during the summer season, and you should come. They have walking tours, museum tours. We're going on a boat tour tomorrow, and then we're going to go see the different coastal towns and hopefully see some wildlife. We're too late for icebergs, but that's okay. I had clients that came in June, and they were able to see icebergs from this destination here. And then this afternoon, we're off to Port and there are going to be breweries and cultural attractions. And then we may venture out to what's called Dungeon Provincial Park to see some geological formations. And then just following the coast, visiting the different communities that are around here, maybe seeing some dolphins and porpoises, maybe seals. There's puffins. Hopefully we're still in puffin season, but that's really big here in bird life. So looking forward to that. And then another community called Bonavista. So I can tell you about that after I visit them. But a couple of food things that you may want to try. Have you heard of Newfoundland Screech?
SPEAKER_03:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. So it's a brand of rum and it's made from imported Jamaican rum that is blended and bottled in Newfoundland. And the term Screech itself is, it's a term for high alcohol spirits and it's used in traditional screech in ceremony. So this is where visitors become honorary Newfoundlanders by kissing a cod and drinking screech and then taking an oath. I haven't
SPEAKER_01:done that yet. I
SPEAKER_02:think you have to drink the screech first before you kiss the cod. The other delicacy, and I can't get my partner to try it, it's called cod tongues. And it's not actually the fish's true tongue. Instead, they're small, tender muscles. found in the throat or jaw of a codfish. And they're typically deep fried and served as an appetizer with a side of lemon or tartar sauce or pork fat scrunchies. I haven't tried that yet. I think I'd like the pork fat scrunchies. I like anything bad. But so those are two so far. Of course, fish and chips, right?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, of course. Yeah, you got to have that. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. So anyway, that's my journey to date.
SPEAKER_03:Well, it sounds like you're having lots of fun. You mentioned this is your first time to Newfoundland. What surprised you or what weren't you expecting or what did you expect that didn't happen?
SPEAKER_02:Right. Yeah. So you know what it is like Newfoundland and Labrador, they have these beautiful tourism commercials that you see, you know, on TV. And I always get caught by how colorful it is. Like, you know, the laundry in the wind or just the colors. It really is what it is. And it's not just at one spot. It's at all the locations I've been to so far. It's just a beautiful destination. It's on the ocean. It is a small province, but it takes time to drive to different places. So keep that in mind. Outside of St. John's, I would rent a car. But I just think it's in Canada. It's the opportunity to see a beautiful part of Canada, like especially from the prairies. We're landlocked, right? So this is really neat. And I'm looking forward to finding a place where they have live music because I think the music would be pretty amazing.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, I would think so too. Yeah. Well, it sounds like your days are full and action-packed. And it also sounds like you're combining formal tours with doing things on your own, which is kind of a good way to explore a destination, right?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, absolutely. I'm always about taking a local tour just to find out because you can do it on your own, but you don't want to be just focused on a guidebook or on your iPhone reading about it. It's always nice to get that personal inflection or inflection from a guide, somebody that lives here, somebody that has stories, you know, that it's just interesting, I think, to hear what's going on because you come to a place to learn as well as to enjoy. So yes, I would definitely encourage people to have a blend of both.
SPEAKER_03:Awesome. Well, it sounds like you're having a great time in Newfoundland. Can't wait to hear more. So we'll do that next week. So appreciate you taking the time time out in your travels to enlighten us. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, it's my pleasure.
SPEAKER_03:Onanda Forbes is a travel expert. You can follow her adventures in Newfoundland on Facebook, Instagram, and X at Onanda Forbes and Onanda Forbes.com is her website. Thanks again.
SPEAKER_02:Have a good week.
SPEAKER_03:This is the Informed Traveler podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformedtraveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You could also email me, too, with any questions you might have. My email address is randy at theinformedtraveler.org. And if you want to get up-to-date travel info through the week or just see a few amusing travel stories and links, you can like us on Facebook at facebook.com slash informedtraveler, on Instagram at informedtraveler, or on X at Informed Traveller. Plus, you can now sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our September issue is out now, so just go to our website, theinformedtraveller.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there. Or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. Well, it seems to me that we're seeing more and more places offering villas and apartment-style accommodation rather than your traditional hotel So we're going to learn about a company that does just that. It's called Trobue Boutique Collection and spelled T-R-O-B-B-U. They recently opened an all-inclusive luxury villa resort in Tulum, Mexico. So joining us now to share some insight on that resort is Elias Barbosa. He is the CEO of Trobue Boutique Collection. Trobueresorts.com is their website. Hi, Elias. Hi, Randy. How are you? Thank you for the invitation. I'm very well, thank you. I'm excited to learn all about Trobue. I'm looking forward to it. on your website, trobiuresorts.com. So it's spelled T-R-O-B-B-U resorts.com for reference. It looks absolutely amazing. So tell me about TROBIU and how it began and how you got involved.
SPEAKER_00:All right. So first of all, we come from a family that started 30 years ago on the construction business. We started doing hotels for many companies around the world. One of them called Palace Resort. which is based in the Caribbean. And right now it's in many other places in Europe. And then we started expanding ourselves, doing also construction for other hotels as Iberostar, Mayacoba, Secrets, Dreams, and many other hotel chains in the Caribbean area. But then with the past of the years, in 2012, we started exploring the idea of getting involved in the real estate business. So we created a brand called Campus University City where we created the first let's say the first campus for students and we did 800 units in there and it was a complete success. And the way we did it is that anybody could be able to buy a unit from us in there and then give it to us for operation so we can get them revenue from it. And that's what we've been doing for the past, let's say, 14, 13 years since then. And the people was really happy with it. But then we started exploring that we wanted to make something in US dollars, but in Mexico. So we wanted to get revenue in dollars. And then we came back and said, okay, if we do hotels for others, why don't we start our own brand? on these luxury villas resorts with the concept all-inclusive, where we can be completely separate from what everybody else is doing and give our guests something unique and special. And then we said, okay, perfect. So what can we do with those villas? So we said, okay, why don't we fraction our villas and give the possibility to anybody to be able to buy a fraction from any of our villas and then get to decide what they want to do with their fraction every year. They want to use it, they can go ahead and use it. The unit is up to eight people on the resort. And then if they don't want to use it, maybe they can swap it with any other Troubu owners. So Troubu right now has six different locations. We have Tulum, Merida, Mahahual, Cabos, San Miguel de Allende, and Madrid at the moment. So basically, if you have a fraction, let's say in Cabo, and then I have a fraction in Madrid, then we can maybe exchange any year, okay, your fraction with my fraction. I'll go to yours, you go to mine. But then let's say you don't want to use it, you don't either want to swap it. Let's say you want to get revenue, okay, and you want to be part of the hotel business. So what you do is that you give us your fraction, you are completely exempt of the maintenance fee, and then with that, We take your fraction and we put it up into the rental pool. And then you become part of the hotel's high business. And then you get the revenue from it. But then this isn't all. Because Trabu has a philosophy where we only sell 80% of the total of our inventory. So that's all the other 20% we do not sell. What we do is that we leave it for you. So if you are using your fraction and then you're paying a maintenance fee and then you already came and use your fraction. But then you want to travel the whole year with Trobo and you want to go to all different locations where Trobo is. Then you can use all this 20% we do not sell. And with that, you can reserve or book, do a booking at a very, very low cost, which is your maintenance fee per day. Okay. And that's only a unique, an exclusive use for the owners of the fraction. So that's true.
SPEAKER_03:So it sounds to me like it's a whole combination of kind of like a timeshare, not really, kind of like VRBO or Airbnb, but not really. Kind of like staying at a villa, but also having an all-inclusive experience. So it's taking, I think, the best of all of those and putting it all together. Did I sum that up okay?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you're right. We put everything together. We took the best of the hotel side, the best of the real estate business, the best of Airbnb, VRBO, the best of whatever it was, but it's not a timeshare because you are really an owner and you get revenue and you get all the capital gain and everything. And we put all of this into a shaker and we put it all together and we brought the best of it.
SPEAKER_03:It sounds like a great concept. I do like the idea of staying in a luxury villa but still having the all-inclusive side of it, though.
SPEAKER_00:Yep, yep. That's really interesting in regards to the industry.
SPEAKER_03:So tell me a little bit more about, I'm going to use the property in Tulum because it's the one that comes up on your website. So tell me about that and the overall experience. Now, when you add all those components in there, is it still like a hotel experience? Like you have a lobby, you check in, you have restaurants, And those types of things? Or is it more like a VRBO experience where you're on your own and that type of thing?
SPEAKER_00:No, it's definitely a hotel or resort experience. Where you go in, you have a front desk, you have a check-in site, then you have a boutique, you have a coffee shop. Then you go in and then you have all these paths where we have all this vegetation and landscape around the villas. which gives privacy to each one of them. We are a concept that we do not use all the path for construction. We basically are a concept that we keep many of the land so we can divide the spaces in between each villa to give the privacy to each of the owners. So basically in each villa you have your own butler. This butler, what it does is that it will serve you the whole vacation. So basically, how it works. You go into your villa. Remember that you can invite up to eight guests to your villa. And then you have your butler. And then you have the menu. And you can order whatever you want from the menu. Okay? We have an independent kitchen. And you get all your food and services up to your villa. So you can be in your pool. You can be enjoying with your family, your friends. You can even buy a grill experience with the chef. And the chef go to your villa and do all this grill experience on your villa. And then serve you in your own villa if you wish. Or you can get your food from the independent kitchen. So basically how it works is that your villa is like your restaurant and your villa. at the same time but it's not only that because we also have different amenities and we have also different restaurants in the resort okay we have a pizza open restaurant we have a ice cream station we have 5 p.m. a cart goes out and then they can offer you champagne or any drink or whatever dessert or something like so it goes to each villa and then all the people can come out and enjoy the experience that we're giving at that time. So basically, it's a unique experience. If you would ask me how would I resume this, I would say it's a tailor-made experience because your butler not only will be in charge of you, but will also be in charge of your tours, of your spa selections or your bookings in the resort or out of the resort and he He will be for you 24-7.
SPEAKER_03:It really is the best of all those worlds, right? That's what it sounds like. And, you know, when you say you can have up to eight people in one villa, that spreads the cost out. Because, I mean, let's face it, it does sound expensive. But if you're spreading it out as a group of a family or a group of friends or something to that effect, the cost is very– you get a lot for your money, I guess, is what I'm saying. I'll
SPEAKER_00:put it this way. See? 65% of tourists, whenever they travel, they travel with family members, maybe with kids, maybe with their parents or their friends or whoever. So basically, they have to book more than one room in any resort. Yes. What's the difference? The difference is that in any resort, first of all, you have to share with a thousand more people the pool and all the amenities of the resort. In this scenario, in this case, you get to share the privacy of your own space with your own people. So let's say the villa has a price of$1,000 per night. If you split the cost per eight guests and divide it in eight guests, it would be something really symbolic. Let's say you are traveling with two and two more couples. If you split those$1,000 in between three couples, then you get a really fair price per couple. So basically, that's the way it works. way it works. It's split and shared.
SPEAKER_03:And of course you get the experience like none other, like having a shift in your villa. That's correct. You live like a movie star for a week or however long you're staying. So that's amazing. So you have the Tulum property. Tell me a little bit about some of the amenities and experiences you offer as far as tours or anything like that.
SPEAKER_00:Well, we have cenotes, we have the beach club area, we have you can can go to the ruins and well Tulum is really nice for their wellness site so we have also the yoga room in the property where we have classes and then we have also the gym in the property we have the spa in the property we have the pizza oven as I said and many experiences in and out that we can offer in that property. And right now we are, as I told you, I'm right now in San Miguel de Allende. We're about to open our next location here in San Miguel. It will be opening by April, 2026. And we're pretty much advanced with the construction of this resort. And we're really happy because this one is in San Miguel de Allende in downtown. And it's just a seven minute walk from the, from the cathedral. And it's beautiful. Beautiful location that we have over here. We're also building here 15 unique villas with the same concept, the same everything. And we'll be offering in here as well the spa. It's a very nice spa wellness center area. We have also a beauty salon because it's a very nice location for weddings in San Miguel de Allende. And then we will be doing also a piano bar and many other things happening here in San Miguel. And then we will be opening. that same 2026 which is a very beautiful hacienda with 25 villas and then we are adding more amenities we are having a cigar bar we are having a winery cellar area for special events and then also a wedding section inside our hacienda and then we have Mahawa What's Mahawa? Mahawa is in the Riviera Maya. And we have this nice beachfront property. We are also creating 25 villas, which will be also opening by the end of 2026. We're also under construction in that project. And we're running fast. And then it comes Cabo. Cabo, also 800 line meters of beach in Cabo. And we're building there 39 Villas which is the same concept and one more time we are we will be opening by May 2027 also Madrid Madrid we are in downtown Madrid in a very nice location in Europe and that's our first location outside of Mexico and what we're trying to do here is that we want to expand our brand to many other locations in the States and in Europe and one more thing we are opening We're also looking for a new location in Dominican Republic so we can offer our U.S. guests something really special in Dominican Republic in the near future.
SPEAKER_03:Very nice. Well, it sounds like you're going to be a very busy guy in the coming months, in the coming years. But it's all very exciting. People can go on the TROBU website, troburresorts.com, get a visual. It's absolutely gorgeous. I love the concept where you just take the best of all those things and put it all together. It's amazing that you can do that. No one's thought of this before, but good on you. I appreciate your time. Elias Barbosa is the CEO of TROBU Boutique Collection. Again, the website troberesorts.com is the website. I appreciate your time, Elias. Thank you so much. No, thank you, Randy. And that is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is randy at theinformedtraveller.org. And if you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at theinformedtraveller.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveller.