Tag Archives: Restaurant Reservations

Review: “Spice” at Now Jade Riviera Cancun

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spiceFor my son’s birthday, he chose the Asian restaurant Spice for his “special dinner“. Spice opened at 5:30 and was available for immediate seating. You can sit at a regular table and order from a menu, or you can sit at a Hibatchi table (for 10 people) where they cook on the grill right in front of you. The menu at the Hibatchi table is pre-set for all who sit at the table.

I arrived at 6:00 and waited for the Hibatchi tables to fill, then I gave them my name so I could be in the next seating. They gave me a beeper to come back and said the Hibatchi would take “about” an hour.

We then got ready for dinner, and as we were walking back to Spice, the beeper went off. They sat us at a table with another family, which was nice since then there were several kids. Everyone at the table received sushi and soup. Then the chef made fried rice, and did several egg tricks, right in front of us. Then we each chose chicken, beef or fish as the main entrée we wanted. I chose “mixed” and they were all spectacular – especially the fresh fish. The chef prepared the meal right in front of us, with all of his spatula and knife tricks. He even set the table aflame a few times! All the kids at the tabled LOVED this! It was a fun show and very interesting to watch him cook our dinner on the grill right in front of us. The night was capped off with a birthday cake and fried ice cream. It was really a fun night for our group.

I highly recommend this restaurant. My tip is that if you want a Hibatchi table – then go early. The waiting list grows very fast. There was never much of a line for the other regular tables.

Check out Apple Vacations’ Facebook page for lots of pictures of our dinner at Spice.

These are a “few” of my favorite things…

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Olas Restaurant - small menus?

These are a “few” of my favorite things at Now Jade Riviera Cancun. No wristbands, no towel cards and dining reservations. They seem simple, but add soooooo much more to the convenience of your trip! Especially since I don‘t like to be on anyone’s schedule, but my own. Keep checking Apple Vacations Facebook page this week for lots of photos and other fun stories from Now Jade Riviera Cancun.

How to survive dining at an all inclusive resort!

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We are in our busiest season. Here are a few tips on navigating dining at an all inclusive. The biggest tip I want to stress is to know the resort rules before you go, preferably before you even book. This should be a part of the decision making process. Make the decisions that will make you happy on your vacation.

Find out the dining reservations policy ahead of time. Different resorts have many different dining and reservations policies. Resorts within the same chain can even be different. All of the policies can be obtained ahead of time. Ask your travel agent or research it on-line. For example: Do you need to make reservations for the specialty restaurants each morning in the lobby? Is there a concierge in the hotel at your specific building where you can make them? Or are reservations not required? If you don’t want to get up and make reservations each morning, then don’t book a hotel where that is the policy. If room service is important to you, then book a hotel that offers it. Now keep in mind, I am talking about the specialty / a la carte restaurants, the buffets are usually open for longer hours and they do not require reservations. Continue reading →

The Small Details Make the Big Difference

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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.