Call it petty, but it frustrates me when I walk into a men’s room and after I wash my hands a gentleman hands me a paper towel and expects a payment in return for his “service”. I do not want to pay someone for a service that I prefer to do myself. That being said, I will gladly pay for a service that benefits me. Continue reading
Do you golf? Do you know where the best destination in the Caribbean is for golf? Punta Cana!
Since Punta Cana has recently come into popularity, it is commonly referred to as the New Caribbean, but in addition to its Caribbean beauty, it also plays host to incredible championship Golf Courses. Along its long palm tree studded coastline are spectacularly beautiful and challenging golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tom Fazio, Pete Dye and more. In CapCana, just 10 minutes from the Punta Cana Airport, Jack Nicklaus has two signature Golf Courses, Las Iguanas and Punta Espada, which was recently rated by the USTOA (United States Tour Operator Association) as the Number One Golf Course in the Caribbean. Maybe not as prestigious a recommendation as the USTOA, but when my father and I played the course, he said “Kevin, this is the most beautiful Golf Course I have ever seen”. Continue reading
Thanks to my job, I travel a considerable amount both throughout the U.S. and also in Mexico and the Caribbean. The more I travel, I realize that my true enjoyment is based on the small details and not the big ticket items many hotels advertise to consumers. A good example is the relaxation offered by not having restrictions or reservations at a la carte restaurants on your all-inclusive vacation. Many all-inclusives only guarantee a client can eat at an a la carte restaurant three out of the seven nights of your vacation. You have to choose days in advance which nights you want to eat at a nice restaurant, choose the cuisine you want to eat days in advance, and some hotels make you wake up the same day and make your reservation before 10:00am in the morning. This is not relaxing to me.
Other resorts have no restaurant reservations or restrictions, which allows you to sleep in as late as you like in the morning and head straight for the beach or pool, not to the lobby to make a reservation. Relax all day as long as you like, without ever worrying about what time you need to stop relaxing and rush to make your dinner reservation. When you are finally rested and sunburnt, head to your room, relax on the balcony, read a book and then when you feel like it, get dressed and go to dinner at the restaurant of your choice. Far more relaxing and one of the small details that consumers do not consider when choosing a hotel for their vacation. Some great hotels that don’t require restaurant reservations or have other restrictions are the Ocean Hotels by H10, Palladium Hotels, Iberostar Grand Hotels and Secrets, Dreams and Zoetry Resorts.
Many vacationers struggle with the cruise versus single destination vacation issue. With cruise companies constantly touting their low prices, it is easy to see why. Let’s explore the true price of a cruise. As I am based in Philadelphia, I will use the May prices out of this area for this comparison.
A Western Caribbean Cruise on a brand new 1,800 cabin ship sailing out of Miami sells for an advertised price of $849.00 for 7nts. When you compare that to 7nts at the All-Inclusive Ocean Blue Resort & Spa Punta Cana for an advertised prices of $1,189.99, the cruise seems a better value. Continue reading
Why would I ever book through a travel agent when I can get the same price online myself?
The better question is …
Why would I ever book online myself when I can get the service, experience and knowledge of a travel agent for the same price?
If you could buy a new laptop online for $999 or buy it through a retailer down the street for the same price and get a $100 gift card for future purchases, where would you buy the laptop?
From the retailer, of course, because they offer added VALUE and a human face down the street to contact in case of any problems with the product. The same is true with travel agents.
One of the common myths is that travel agents mark up prices and hide them in their quotes to boost their bottom lines. This is not the case when using a travel agent to book an Apple Vacation. In fact, all prices offered on AppleVacations.com are the exact same prices offered when you buy an Apple Vacation through a local travel agent.
If the price is the same either way, wouldn’t you rather have the benefit of an experienced professional who handles the details from start to finish?
Travel agents attend in-depth training seminars, trade shows, webinars — and most importantly, they get to experience first-hand many of the best selling destinations. They also have access to the latest deals through sales calls, catalogs and daily communication with tour companies, such as Apple Vacations. These agents then take all of this knowledge offer it to customers for FREE!
To find a professional travel agent in your area, please click on this link: http://tinyurl.com/cszlmf