Category Archives: Caribbean

Simply The Best…

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As an employee of Apple Vacations, and as someone who has been in the travel industry for over twenty years, I often get asked on Facebook, by friends and family what’s the best ________ ? (Fill in the blank). So I have taken all of these questions and polled Apple Vacations employees, so we can share our expertise and help you make your travel decision. Each week I’ll be featuring the answers to these questions.

This week I have tackled sunsets. Where is the best sunset you have ever seen on an Apple Vacation? A photo-worthy place, perfect for a romantic dinner, a place to pop THE question or to steal a moment with a loved one.

Survey says … Negril, Jamaica and Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta received an overwhelming response for having the most amazing sunsets. Experiencing a sunset in Puerto Vallarta is a heavenly experience. It is like watching a sunset in “Oz“. On one side there are the magnificent Sierra Madre Mountains, then on the other side the sun looks as though it is setting right into the ocean. There are innumerable places to catch a sunset, and each one is better than the next.

Negril, Jamaica was the other favorite location. Negril is at the western tip of Jamaica and is known world-wide for amazing sunsets and a gorgeous Seven Mile Beach. Both are truly breathtaking and I have been able to experience both first-hand. Besides grabbing a spot on the beach, there are many unique ways to take in a Sunset (or several of them). If you want romance, there are several sailing and catamaran excursions where you can experience a magnificent sunset from right on the water. However, one of the most popular and fun recommendations is to head out early for a cold drink or meal, and watch the local cliff jumpers at Rick’s Café, and stay for the view and stunning sunset. A visit to Rick’s Café to see the sunset is a must do in Negril.

So, do you agree? Where is the best sunset you have ever seen on an Apple Vacation?

Take a family Apple Vacation to Mexico or The Caribbean – It’s The Shore Without the Chores.

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OK, The Shore Without the Chores – You have heard Apple Vacations advertised it for years. A week in the Caribbean is less than a week at the shore, but no cooking, no cleaning, no laundry – just fun! Well, is it true?

I am a here to testify yes, yes it is! Yes, yes, yes!

Last summer, I needed something simple. I didn’t have a lot of time to plan.  So I decided to do a week at “the shore”.  It was against the grain of what I have preached for years, but I always loved the shore as a kid. So we’d do it.

I thought, well I’ll rent a beach house on “off – week” to get a break on the rent, and we’ll even get a place a few blocks from the beach.  We’ll go down over Easter and buy the ride tickets when they are half price. If I really think about it I can do it for a good rate.

What was I thinking??

The first  day after lugging a “cart” full of beach chairs, shovels, toys, umbrella’s, beach towels, beach bags, snacks, drinks and a child across 3 roads, I thought I may have made a mistake.

The second day when the fridge stopped working, and all of our groceries had to be tossed, I was again questioning my decision.

The third night when we paid over $40 for pizza and drinks on the boardwalk for dinner, I knew I was done.

Not to mention, why am I doing laundry and cleaning up on MY vacation?

Even with strategic planning, I had to admit, that a week in Mexico or The Caribbean would have saved us thousands! We advertise it on our flyer, based on a family of 4 and it could not be any more true.  For our family of 3, we did not make the correct financial decision.

A small one – week rental was $1,500.00. This was an OFF week in June and NON beach block.  $200 in groceries before we left (juices, water, bread, cereal, snacks) and another $200 once we got there.  Another $100 a few days later to restock after the fridge went bad.  I had to buy a beach Umbrella and 3 chairs before we left. $150.00.  I even had to spend $60 on sheets and pillow cases, because the bed sizes in the rental we did not have at home.  Lunch every day, the ice cream truck that drives to the beach, dinner out a few nights,  a night out for mom and dad, a babysitter, cab ride, boardwalk, gas, parking, mini golf,  snacks, drinks, rides, go carts, beach tags … it all adds up!

I honestly do LOVE the shore, luckily we live close enough we can do day trips. But for a family on a tight budget the better decision for us is right now is Mexico or The Caribbean. Needless to say, guess where I am going this summer? Mexico here we come!

Stay tuned to this blog the next few months as we feature some family resorts for you to consider this summer so you too can experience….The Shore Without The Chores. Sheets and pillow cases included.

Live Broadcast from Punta Cana

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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

Modern & Magnificent Riu Palace Bavaro

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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?

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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

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Rose Hall Great House, Jamaica

Apple Vacations sells more than 40 destinations, all with their own colorful legends and histories. Between the real pirates of the Caribbean, the mighty, but violent, legacies of the Aztec and Mayan Indians and the ancient stories of native Hawaiians, Apple Vacations’ portfolio is full of locations with mystical and/or spooky tales. Here, in no particular order, are some of the scariest things sold by Apple Vacations:

1. The Rose Hall Great House in Jamaica is a landmark Georgian mansion, high on a hill with sweeping views of the ocean. In the early 1800s, it was owned by Annie Palmer, whose four husbands died suspiciously. Additionally, Annie was a practitioner of voodoo and was called the White Witch. Today, Annie, who was killed in her bed in a slave uprising in the 1830s, haunts the Rose Hall Great House.

True story: Around 10 years ago, Apple Vacations hosted a fancy-schmancy dinner for travel agents at the Rose Hall Great House. Dinner was elegant, with white-gloved service and tuxedoed waitstaff. After dinner, the group was given a guided tour of the mansion, complete with detailed stories of the cold-blooded life of Annie Palmer. Apple Vacations Director of Sales Sally Favia was there that night. She said the tour guide was a hypnotizing storyteller, bringing them room to room where Annie’s husbands died and her lovers murdered. The house is old and creaky, and they could hear banging from empty parts of the Great House. But, Sally said the scariest part of the tour was outside on the grounds, where allegedly you can still see the blood of Annie Palmer’s last victim. “Bone-chilling” is how Sally described it, and she insists that after that night, she won’t return to the Rose Hall Great House under any circumstances.

Heading to Jamaica? Ask your Apple Representative about taking a tour of the Rose Hall Great House. Tours are offered both during the day and, gulp, after dark.

2. Once an ancient Mayan seaport, today Xcaret is a popular Riviera Maya attraction. It’s an eco-archeological park, welcoming visitors to swim in the underground river, view tropical birds, jungle cats and monkeys and explore the Mayan ruins throughout the property. At night, Xcaret hosts an impressive evening performance, chronicling the history of Mexico through costume and dance.

But before the night show starts is when it gets real. As you walk through the ruins, prior to stepping into the theater, costumed performers are stationed periodically to set the stage and lure you into the show. Dressed as Mayan warriors, stoically posing with fantastic headdresses, incense and weaponry, the performers goose-bumpingly take you back thousands of years, when the Mayans ruled the very ground you’re walking on.

Explore Xcaret for yourself – you can add your tour to your Apple Vacations reservation before you leave, or see your Apple rep at your Cancun/Riviera Maya hotel. 

3. Oahu Ghost Tours claims that Oahu is one of the most haunted islands in the world with activity equal to Savannah, Georgia or New Orleans. For more than 10 years, Oahu Ghost Tours has been scaring the pants off of its clients, and Apple Vacations offers you three tour options:

  • Honolulu City Haunts Walking Tour: On this tour guests will visit several known haunted hotspots in Honolulu. This includes Iolani Palace, the State Capitol and China Town as well as downtown Honolulu. Guests are led by a storyteller who will relate the tales behind the spooky locations. Guests with cameras may be able to observe unexplained events at these sites.
  • Orbs of Oahu Driving Tour: On the Orbs of Oahu driving tour, you’ll be witness to the creepy sites where many years ago, horrifying events took place. The events are over, but the haunts are just beginning. On this 4-hour tour, guests will be taken halfway around the island to visit the same spots that have been told in books and tales for hundreds of years, and that make the island of Oahu famous for being a supernatural hotspot in the Pacific.
  • Sacred Spirits Driving Tour: These places are treated with much respect by the Hawaiians and from visitors alike.  The Native Hawaiians adamantly protect these sites.  On this excursion you will visit several of the most ancient and sacred spots in Hawaii.  You’ll learn about Menehune (the little people), as well as the feared Night Marchers.  You’ll visit the sites where Pele, the fire goddess visited

You can book your tour with Oahu Ghost Tours before you leave or after you arrive at your hotel. Call Amstar Hawaii, the office representative of Apple Vacations in Hawaii at 1-888-946-3930 to reserve your spot.

Tower of London

4. Known as the most haunted building in England, the Tower of London was a palace, a prison and a place of execution. With the ghosts of Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Sir Walter Raleigh and more, the Tower is a don’t-miss if you like spooky spots.

After booking your Apple Vacation to London, you can book a walking ghost tour of the Tower from a variety of companies or take a tour from an official Yeoman Warder.

5. While Nassau, Bahamas might be known for modern hotels and colorful casinos, you can learn all about its pirate history on the Historic Tour of Nassau City. In the 1700s, Nassau was a famous pirate hideout, and it’s said that Blackbeard himself haunts the Old Fort of Nassau.

See your Apple Representative at the hotel for information on these and other optional activities and excursions.

Did we miss any scary Apple Vacations destinations? Let us know in the comments below.

What’s not to like about luxury hotels?

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When my husband and I recently stayed at a Secrets Resort & Spa in Punta Cana, we completely lost ourselves in the elegant setting. The personalized service and the fact they try never to say ‘no’ are the main features in choosing a luxury hotel over a more traditional resort. There really are so many benefits in choosing all-inclusive vacation! You can even save money on a travel experience where you don’t have to worry about a thing because meals, drinks and entertainment are all included.

There are many additional advantages!
Among the features of a luxury hotel are knowledgeable concierges, business centers, quick laundry and ironing services, around-the-clock room service and attractive areas for business meetings or destination weddings and honeymoons. They have superior food, top shelf liquor, 24-hour room service to fit your schedule, fully equipped business centers, better gyms and more comfortable beds and sheets. My husband and I took advantage of the all gourmet restaurants while we were there. One night, during a romantic dinner, we were even serenaded with a singing duo. Then my husband decided to join in, how funny!

They meet and exceed expectations
You know all your expectations will be met because the goal is to wow you, to surprise you, to make your day in some unexpected way. Their job is to anticipate your needs, to engage you in appropriate and relevant conversation, to charm and go beyond what would be a standard transaction. My husband and I were surprised with a complimentary pool-side massage together – what a slice of heaven! Another fun activity was the nightly entertainment! They had musicians, magicians, and dancers – a total variety of fun things to enjoy. Luxury hotels go the extra measure and it makes all the difference.

Boutique hotels, like Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts and Secrets Resorts & Spas, truly represent the highest level of luxury accommodations. They operate with socially responsible practices. There is exceptional service in natural and enriching environment. Overall, luxury hotels offer the utmost attention to detail that will turn your vacation in to the time of your life. I know our luxury romantic getaway was one of the best times we’ve had together! I recommend that everyone try it, go ahead splurge a little!