Live Broadcast from Punta Cana

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Juliana Gover (Social Media and Marketing Intern)

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

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 (Social Media and Marketing Intern)

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?

I would absolutely recommend this resort and hope that some of you readers get a chance to experience it firsthand.

Do people ever really win an Apple Vacation?

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Christine May (Managing Editor)

Everyone wants to win a prize. But, do people ever really win an Apple Vacation? Yes they do! Here is a review from a happy prize winner from Facebook who just returned from Punta Cana.

We want to thank Apple Vacations so much from for such a wonderful trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

We really were amazed the way we were treated. We won the original 3 day fully inclusive trip but live in the Boston area. When we mentioned we would have to fly from Boston to pick up the departure the day before the trip, you upgraded us to a Boston departure, for a 7 day fully inclusive vacation! Then when the original resort was overbooked, we got upgraded yet again to one of the best on the Island, Secrets Royal Beach. Our room was a beautiful Junior Suite with Jacuzzi and far exceeded our expectations. The resort was fantastic, it had great food, a great location, and the staff was so friendly and helpful.

We found that the whole trip to be well run and supported by your Amstar representatives. They had all the relevant information for the resort and good advice for day trips that were available. My wife lost a bag on one of these trips and they both followed up with the outside tour operator, they found the bag and got it back to her intact.

The way we were treated was exceptional, and we would not hesitate to use or recommend Apple Vacations in the future. Our daughter who entered us in the contest said how much she had enjoyed using Apple Vacations for her vacation and how accommodating you were. We can certainly confirm that and want to thank you all again at Apple Vacations especially Susan for a wonderful (free) vacation experience.

T & D
Boston, MA

Just in time for Halloween: Spooky Travel from Apple Vacations

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Ali Gerakaris (Marketing)

“Have you ever experienced anything spooky on an Apple Vacation?”

Several years ago, I was having a late, beachside dinner in Huatulco with friends who lived there. They told lots of cool stories about the area, like about the town of Tehuantepec, about 2 hours east of Huatulco, where the women rule the culture and whose traditional dress inspired the paintings of Frieda Kahlo. We talked about the infamous blood-sucking, cattle-killing chupacacabra, a legend that conveniently resurfaces in rural Mexico in election years when there’s a candidate who needs a boost.

But my friend Luis saved the best story for last: He was on a nighttime ATV excursion, touring the bays of Huatulco. The guided tour heads down dirt trails to explore some of the secluded beaches of the area, and on this particular night, they ended up at a quiet beach, turned off the headlights of the ATVs and took some time to admire the stars over the ocean. Shortly after they stopped, the group noticed moving lights just over the ocean. The lights got closer, and not only moved on a horizontal plane, but vertically as well. He said they watched for an hour as the lights zipped toward shore, backwards and away from shore, over their heads, back out to sea. No aircraft they knew of moved in those directions, and with that speed, he insisted. Alone on the dark beach, the group was convinced they just had a UFO encounter! They watched the lights until they finally flew away, and then the group returned to their ATVs for the trip back. Luis said for the next few nights, he returned to the beach to look for the mysterious lights, but never saw them again.

As we wrapped up dinner, my friends and I anxiously and often glanced toward the ocean, keeping an eye out for the mystery lights. Of course, we didn’t see any, but when I got back to my hotel room, I made sure the curtains were shut a little tighter than I normally would.