Live Broadcast from Punta Cana

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Juliana Gover

Ross Brittain and the morning show of WOGL, a Philadelphia based radio station, and Apple Vacations’ very own, Sue Stoler and Rosemarie Zamarin, recently visited Punta Cana. They stayed at Now Larimar during their seven night stay. Sue and Ro also toured three of the most beautiful hotels in Punta Cana… Secrets Royal Beach, Riu Palace Bavaro, and Gran Bahia Principe. The junior suite you see below is the kind of accommodations our clients receive if they were to stay at the Gran Bahia Principe.

During their stay at Now Larimar, they enjoyed the wide variety of restaurants in the hotel. Sue strongly recommended the French restaurant, Mercure, but also admitted that they were all wonderful!

Now Larimar Punta Cana

WOGL had a live broadcast at Now Larimar on November 4-8, 2011. Lucky, WOGL club members had the chance to win a stay at this beautiful and luxurious resort.

from left, Frank Lewis, Rosemarie Zamarin, Valerie Knight, Susan Stoler, and Ross Brittain

New Pricing Rules!

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Eileen Herncane (Editor at Large)

Are the prices that I am seeing on travel websites higher than before?

Well, yes and no. Let me explain…and let me say, it took even a seasoned travel industry professional a few days for it to really sink in!

For months, I have been hearing about the new DOT guidelines, all prices advertised now must include “all taxes and fees associated to the airfare.” We have had meetings on it, recreated ads to accommodate the changes, and then had more meetings on it! You get the picture…

But, when it came down to actually booking my own flight, it took me a few takes to get it right. I booked 3 tickets on a late night flight for the best rate, but really wanted to leave on an earlier flight. When I made my booking, I booked a sale and hoped for a better deal later down the road. I kept stalking airline web pages to get the best rate on my vacation flights.

Every day for the past few weeks, I checked and checked to see if there were any better deals than the tickets I already booked. Finally, last week, it went down. But did it go down enough? Well, no, it was $50 more total for 3 people for this earlier flight. I decided it wasn’t that worth it and I‘d wait it out a little more. I checked the next day and still the same price. Then the light bulb went off, but wait, all the taxes were now in that advertised price! So immediately I changed my flight.

It just goes to show when comparing rates for this year to last, even this month to last month, the advertised prices may seem higher but they really may not be. Make sure you are comparing… “Apples to Apples”!

The Philadelphia Flyers & Apple Vacations

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Eileen Herncane (Editor at Large)

Apple Vacations is a proud advertiser of the Philadelphia Flyers, and what a great year it is to be one! In addition to the Flyers great season record right now, they also had the city and the hockey world abuzz with the amazing Winter Classic game that was played last month.

Next time you are at a Philadelphia Flyers game, make sure you check out Apple Vacations dasher board behind the goalie, and maybe you will even be lucky enough to attend one of our Apple Vacations nights where we give away a free trip to Mexico or the Caribbean. We just had one last week, and the next Apple Vacations Night is on Thursday, 3/22.

Magic 100.1 returns from their All-Inclusive Apple Vacation!

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Eileen Herncane (Editor at Large)

Magic 100.1 from New Jersey just got back from a week at Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun in Riviera Maya Mexico.

Glenn Kalina, who has been a radio fixture in the tri – state region for many years, travelled with The Magic Morning Show with Diane De Oliviera down to Riviera Maya.

They broadcasted live each morning from the lobby of Now Sapphire. They also got to experience a true Apple Vacation at Now Sapphire by enjoying the amazing pool, great beach, spectacular restaurants and relaxing spa services. The Magic Morning show were even treated to the Tulum Xtreme Tour where they zip-lined and visited the ruins courtesy of our friends at Amstar Resorts.

If you are in the area make sure to tune in to the station, over the next few months they will be giving away trips to Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun so that some lucky listeners will be able to have the same great experience.

Modern & Magnificent Riu Palace Bavaro

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Juliana Gover

As told by Ildi Samuelsen with Christmas City Travel

Being a travel agent, this was not my first trip to Punta Cana. However, Riu Palace Bavaro definitely gave me a surprisingly new feeling with all the modern and magnificent luxuries at the resort. For those of you (a.k.a. travel agents and experienced Caribbean travellers) that know the area, it’s located on the beach of Arena Gorda. These beaches are arguably some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. There’s pristine white sand, turquoise waters, even coconut palm trees growing right down to the sea’s edge. No postcard does justice to the beauty of this place. Hand’s down – I have to say Riu Palace Bavaro is truly exquisite!

Of course the hotel staff was friendly and personable. It was a nice touch to see multi-lingual hotel employees. It obviously made it easier to cater to all kinds of visitors. The accommodations were remarkable and kept with the contemporary style of the resort. My companions and I were joking that we didn’t need the pool or the beach because we could simply spend a week in our luxurious rooms. (I’ll also mention that each room was wonderfully air conditioned and there was 24/7 room service – always a plus in my opinion). For anyone who wanted or needed to do some business on their getaway, there’s a state-of-the-art business center with different office and meeting spaces which included free wireless internet in designated areas. This is where I used the telephone features of the Apple Vacations “On The Go” App to call home and check on my loved ones.

Needless to say RIU Palace Bavaro has a lot to offer.

There’s a limo or town car service available for the guests to use –some of the neat places to visit in town were Aquaworld, Playa Delfines, El Rey Ruins, Las Isla Shopping mall, Luxury Avenue and more
You can try the ultra-chic and relaxing spa that offers facials, body treatments, massages and other beauty services
Of course the resort has entertainment for both the kids and adults – A great variety of live music, casino, marine park, and a night club
For those who like to stay active during their vacation, there was a gym, multiple tennis courts, table tennis, pool volleyball, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, a beginner class in scuba diving, body boarding, horse riding, and other aquatic activities. There is an eighteen-hole golf course located nearby.

If you’re wondering about the food – Don’t worry – There are nine delectable restaurants and each has its own unique theme and culinary specialty. When you want to take a swim, you have four pools to take a dip in, two of them with adjoining Jacuzzis and there’s a children’s pool, too. My friends and I spent a lot of time at the smaller pool where the swim up bar was located. Look at this picture… Need I say more?