Reviews

2012 CNN story on Sober Vacations

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/15/travel/sober-travel/index.html

The following letters were sent to us by past SVI participants. Please take some time to read what they have said about their experience.

Thank you for making such a wonderful trip for us. I met new friends and learned new things about myself.

For whatever reason, being in that environment, truly allowed me to let down my wall – without even trying. I came on this first trip alone, not knowing anyone and left with a full address book and a full heart.
Tamara S NYC NY 1st trip

Just want to express my gratitude for organizing such an great Sober Village. Looking forward to Ixtapa. SVI is a marvel…
Jennifer F. Moutain View CA 3rd trip

It just keeps getting better. Thanks for the opportunity to be a part of it.
Dave C. Cohoes NY….13th trip

Already planning for Ixtapa – Steve & the SVI gang did a GREAT job once again. Steve even moved the clouds out of the way for us too!
Carol L. Canada 8th trip

Comments from Sober Village 2009….

I had the most amazing time in Ixtapa. The best vacation ever!!!
Thanks again for making this trip so great.
WENDY P., CA (1st trip)

Thanks Steve this was one of the best trips I have taken with you (21-24) lost count. What a great time. Count me in next year.
Lew A., CA

We wanted to send you a note and let you know what a FANTASTIC Time we had at Club Med Ixtapa…I am so glad you strongly suggested that I bring the kids to this club. Wow what a blast!!….After 11 trips they still just keep getting better and better
and I wouldn’t miss it for the world
TJ & Terry E., OH (10th trip)

Thank you, thank you for another great vacation! The combination of meetings, fellowship and locale really makes it easy to get reconnected and recommitted to my program. Again, thanks for all that you do
Peg W., MO (6th trip)

This was the best time ever, I think everyone would agree. You did it again….Thank you.
Alice & Arnold, NY (10th trip)

Congratulations on a very good and successful week at Ixtapa. C.C. and I enjoyed it so much we want to sign up for Turks and Caicos in 2010
Duke M., (3rd trip)

I could not have had a better trip. It was truly amazing with the meetings, people and intense boost of sobriety! The beautiful location was the icing on the cake. I made new life-long friends. This experience has had a profound effect on me. I came home feeling full again of the wonders and joys of sobriety.
Kathy B., Vancouver, Canada (1st trip)

What a wonderful, wonderful vacation, the best I’ve ever had. You did a fantastic job and I know it takes a lot of work. No wonder people keep coming back!!! I can’t wait until next year. God bless you!
Ginger K., GA (1st trip)

You under promised and over delivered. 4 star Club Med. Ocean Front who would of thought. Suite with a Balcony. That was the best vacation we have ever had. Well besides the time we got engaged on your trip 4 years ago. SVI vacations ROCKS
Bruce B., CA (10th trip)

Thanks for a wonderful trip, everything was fantastic!
It’s always so great to see you.
Patty NY (10th trip)

I can’t thank you enough for this last week. It really awakened me to my sobriety and what fun can be had with such a great group of people. We are truly blessed. I was really touched to be asked to speak and was able to connect with a lot of the group because of it.
And finally, what this week taught me most, was that no matter what, AA goes on to continue to help everyone – everywhere and is such a powerful gift in all our lives.
Paul H., CA (1st trip)

What an amazing trip. Bring on Turks! Thanks to all of the wonderful people I met and to Steve for the best vacation I’ve ever experienced. Much love to all.
Christina E., CA (1st trip)

Ixtapa 2009 was the best! I’m sold, countdown to Turks…..
Sean M., VANCOUVER, CANADA (3rd trip)

SYI Rocks! My kids love it too! 7, 9, 14 & 16…all they want to know is “Mom, are we going to Turks” The amazing thing is the older they get the more they like the trips and our friends. Our friends are their friends. They love to listen to the speakers. I love the mustard seeds that are being planted. I do no preaching, SVI says it all for me.
S. B., FL (7th trip)

Thanks again for a great trip to Mexico. For me, it just keeps getting better. Trying to recruit some of my gang up here in the Albany area for next year so they too can experience AA at it’s finest.
Dave C., NY (10th trip)

We had a great time in Ixtapa. Thanks for all your work to put together these great Sober Vacations. Thanks again.
Jane B., CA (5th trip)

Thank you so much for all the work and effort you put into our trip to Mexico. I look forward to getting away with the group every mid winter, and really appreciate the quality of the meetings. Hopefully, our higher power will bless us with the resources to continue to experience paradise again next winter. Until then…
Adaat, Ben and Cindy, ME (7th trip)

Comments from Sober Village 2008….

The end result of all your handiwork is that a person like me can have a heavenly week in the sun and reconnect to our body, mind and SPIRIT…
C.H. North Carolina 3rd trip

Thanks for a WONDERFUL sober trip. We had a great time, the speakers were awesome and the weather was perfect. Where are we going next year?
J & J New Jersey 3rd trip

My friends loved the trip and came back with a whole new re-dedication to the program. I call it “resurrected enthusiasm”. We get to meet people celebrating their recovery and how contagious it is. I wonder where I would be at this point if I hadn’t discovered just how big AA really is through SVI.
JG. NJ 10 trips

Thanks for a fantastic holiday in the Turks. I had a great time. Came home very relaxed and rested yet filled with a lot of energy.
D. C. FLORIDA 1st trip

This was my first trip and it was fantastic. It will not be my last. Scuba was the big attraction for me. Enjoyed joining the dancing and David the Guitar Man.
BJ…ACTON MA 1st trip

Thanks for a great week. We met a lot of new friends and heard a lot of good program. Sending the whale in was way over the top for us divers!!
C & K Vancouver CANADA 1st trip

Thank you soooooooo much for another great SVI trip. I think this was my 18th and I was not disappointed
NC WASHINGTON DC
…
Many many thanks for the best vacation experience at Club Med
this year! I enjoyed all of it, far beyond by wildest dreams.
JG San Francisco CA 2nd trip

Comments from Sober Village 2007

Thank you so much for all the work. The business you run, the service you provide is so valuable. Your vacations draw people who are enthusiastic about recovery. It’s not simply that they are outgoing or charming; they love the new life they have been given.
I can’t wait to go next year.
Peg W. MO (3rd trip)

Just wanted to thank you for the umpteenth time for another wonderful week. I think I enjoy each year more than the previous one, as I meet more new people and reacquaint myself with old friends. As always, I am looking forward to next year’s event.
Carol H. CA (7th trip)

What a great week! I love seeing old friends, meeting some new ones and getting spiritually restored. Thank You!
Sue A. (over 20 SVI trips)

It was an awesome experience! I would like to sign up for next year NOW!
Rich G. (1st trip)

Thank you very much for the trip. You have helped me reach a new level in my recovery and I’m forever grateful.
Philipp M. (2nd trip)

We got to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary on February 2nd in Ixtapa. While Bob and I did not meet at SVI, we did get to know each other a little better at the 1996 trip to Sonora Bay. We started dating when we returned home and got married a few years later. We hope to continue coming back each year.
Carolyn T. NY (10th trip)

Thank you for a fun trip. I’ve come to expect your trips to go without a hitch as this one did. Thank you.
Dan H. CA (3rd trip)

Just wanted to send a little note of thanks – it was a fabulous week. Made a lot of new friends and look forward to many more adventures with SVI. Thanks again to
the SVI team!
Carol L. CANADA (5th trip)

Thank you for a wonderful time again this year, too bad we only get a chance to do this once a year.
Jerry G. IL (4th trip)

Just want to say it was a wonderful time, it was a tremendous experience, and we liked the resort, the food, the speakers, everything was wonderful. Thank you again.
Deanna R. TN (2nd trip)

Thank you for a terrific week. I enjoyed all the speakers and especially the workshops. Made new friends in addition to seeing my old friends. As I always say this was the best one ever, but this one really was!
Ruth F. FL (5th trip)

We miss our SVI family!! Thanks again for a wonderful time in Ixtapa. It was a great week of resting and recharging.
William NY (3rd trip)

Thank you so much for organizing such a great vacation and for all your hard work. I had a wonderful time and am already looking forward to next year’s trip. Thanks once again.
David R. NY (1st trip)

Another wonderful SVI experience! Wow! This was my 5th consecutive year and I eagerly look forward to next year. Again, many thanks.
Jeanine S. MO (5th trip)

The glow is still with me and my serenity is still high from SV 07…
Joan H. Sarasota FL (1st trip)

Ixtapa was absolutely fantastic. What a wonderful, grand group of folks…didn’t meet a single person I didn’t enjoy…
Ron R. Lake Forest IL (1st trip)

Comments from Sober Village 2006

Steve, our trip to Guadeloupe was right up there with the best of times. Thank you for your devotion to recovery and the people who carry the message. Consider me as one of your regulars now.
Linda J. Hagerstown MD, (1st trip)

Thanks for an unbelieveable trip. Best Week of my life! The people, the Island, The speakers, David the Guitar Man and you made it happen.
This was my 1st Sober Trip and I am full of great memories.
Steve B. NY (1st trip)

I loved it. Totally loved it. Loved “That Guitar Man”, Chloe, Evan , etc. all of it. I already signed up for next year. Many thanks for all your efforts. So many thanks. Thank you. Thank you..
Gayne B. CA (1st trip)

Thank you for making this kind of vacation possible. I had many emotions during the week but ended feeling immense gratitude. I learned a lot this week about myself. Thanks for opportunity to spend a week in paradise, surrounded by my tribe, sharing tears of gratitude. See you in Mexico.
John W. CT (1st trip)

It was so great…No words for this much gratitude…
Rock on…
Chloe W. CA (1st trip))

It was an awesome week in Guadeloupe…Thanks for all you did.
We came back refreshed and invigorated…
Rob & Wendy…(3rd trip)

Mark & I had a wonderful time in Guadeloupe. Thanks for all your hard work We look forward to seeing you in 2008.
Sherrie PA (1st trip))

What a great vacation I had; beyond my wildest dreams. Count me in for Ixtapa!
Anita F. NY (2nd trip)

It was a remarkable trip; with so many wonderful memories. Peter and I truly “unplugged” this week and just relaxed. Thank you just does not seem to say how deeply. We appreciate all that you do for us…
Debbie C. MASS (5th trip)

We had a wonderful time — AS USUAL at Club Med. The speakers were awesome and the weather prefect, not to mention all the great people.
TJ E., Ohio (10th trip)

The trip was absolutely the best one I have been on yet, but then I said that last year. All the speakers and workshops just totally rejuvenated my program. Reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones is one of the many side benefits to the trips.
Ruth F. Tampa, FL (5 trips)

Thanks you so much for the wonderful week in Guadeloupe. It was the best vacation I’ve ever been on. The fellowship, love and acceptance is overwhelming.
Lois A. Fairfax, VA (5 trips)

I don’t know how I can thank you. You were so kind and encouraging when I called you before the trip and it was exactly what I needed. Going on this trip was life changing for me, I feel more confident and less afraid. Not only did I face fears but I made friends and more fun than I have ever had drunk or sober. Thank you, thank you…thank you.
Gaby F. NY (1st trip)

Thanks for a wonderful week — it is now a new bright spot in my year.
Grace C. Portland ME (2nd trip)

What a wonderful time I had in Turkoise. It was my fourth SVI trip and I just loved it…As always, it is such a meaningful week with terrific people-it really is a spiritual retreat for me; and the sunny gorgeous beach doesn’t hurt either…An SVI vacation is the “HAPPY, JOYOUS AND FREE” part of my sobriety that makes it all worthwhile…
Maureen M. NY

Thank you for the fantastic gift of SVI. The memories will be treasured as we relive a magical week. Jim & Ann H VA

I had absolutely the best week of my life in Turkoise….Thanks for making my 1st (but not my last) SVI experience so awesome..
Barbara W. Fresno, CA

Thank you for bringing together such a terrific group of people. I was such a great benefit to be surrounded by such great sobriety…
Jay P. Brooklyn, NY

Your trips are so important to so many. They ground us, get us to re-focus on what is important in our lives and give us the ability to be in a peaceful, safe and beautiful place…
Debbi & Pete C. Nantucket, Mass

“I can’t even begin to express how much I LOVED the trip. I feel rejuvenated in a way this is beyond my wildest dreams! It was the best vacation I have ever had, and I cant wait until next years trip. Thanks for creating a safe and wonderful vacation for those of us in recovery.” Maude K, NYC, NY

“Thank you for making my favorite week of the year so special. As I just said to my sponsor; “good food, good people, good fellowship, good recovery, good weather and good food.” Did I say that twice.” Leslie A., Concord, CA

“I had such a wonderful time on the Columbus Isle vacation. Everyone was sooooo friendly and the Club Med folks were great too. I have wonderful vacation pictures and came back to work so relaxed everyone is jealous of me. I look forward to going somewhere great with you next winter.”
Anice O., Fairfax, Virginia

“I just wanted to thank you for including other 12 step programs. I had a great week in Columbus Isle and came home much richer for the experience.”
Shelley K., Ontario, Canada

“Had a super time at Sober Village 2003 and am already planning to go again next winter if not sooner.. Thanks for all your hard work and meeting planning. It was all great.”
Danny & Kristine O., Walnut Creek, CA

“The trip was the best ever. PERIOD. We love you. ”
Vicki & Tami, Fresno, CA

“I have nothing but good things to say about your trips.. The best part is catching up with people Ive met on previous SVI trips. The meetings were great, the speakers excellent, and I’m looking forward to joining you again.” Joe G., Princeton, NJ