Jamaica has three different areas that we offer all inclusive resorts in.  We have resorts in Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios.  When traveling to Jamaica it’s important to know the difference in these three areas to help decide where might be best for your family to stay.

Ocho Rios:  In Ocho Rios there is a little down town area with an open air markert for shopping and site seeing.  A lot of cruise ships will arrive into Ocho Rios and drop tourists off for the day.  The most popular excursion/adventure in all of Jamaica is “Dunn’s River Falls.”  Basically Dunn’s River Falls is a natural flowing spring that flows out of the mountian side making slide like formations that are smooth enough to slide down right into the water below.  Many people spend hours at Dunn’s River with their kids.  Ocho Rios is the furthest area from the airport, taking about an hour and a half to get there.  A great family resort in Ocho Rios would be the Sunset Jamaica Grande or the Riu Ocho Rios.  If you are wanting to go with a more upscale adult only property, I highly suggest the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios resort.

My wife and I just returned from our Caribbean vacation and we had the pleasure of flying on USA 3000.  Like many of you, I have flown many airlines and I have found that the services provided by every airline can vary drastically.  Out of all of the airlines I have flown, I still feel that USA 3000 is the best!

I can’t stress this enough, you need to add the Preferred Perks program to your current or future vacation, it’s easily worth every penny!  For only $39 per person you can get all of the below features, basically putting you in the “first class section” of the USA 3000 flights.

Preferred check-in line at the airport for faster, hassle-free check-in.
Preferred boarding pass.
Preferred boarding; you’ll be the first to board and first to get off of the plane when you land.
Preferred seating in the front of the aircraft.
Preferred bag tag put on your luggage at check-in. Preferred luggage is given priority coming off of the aircraft.
And when and where TSA has their first class and preferred security line available and open to travelers, **Preferred Perks customers have the privilege to use this exclusive security line – just as though you were flying first class!

Again, this is only $39 per person and this only designed to enhance your vacation experience.  Here are a few examples of how Preferred Perks enhanced my own vacation.  Number one, when we got to the airport on our first day, there was a big line of people waiting to check in at 5 am in the morning.  Since we had Preferred Perks we bypassed every single person in line and we checked in first.  Number two, we sat in row 6 of the flight on the way down meaning that when we landed, since we are in the front, we got off the plane first.  On the way home, we actually got row one with the most leg room and since the flight had a few open seats on it, the airline did not assign a third person to our row in the front of the plane.  One of the biggest advantages for us was when we landed back in the US.  Being in row one meant we got off the plane first which means we got to the customs line first.  You all know how long customs can take to go through right?  Well, we were first and since the Preferred Perks luggage comes off of the plane first, our bags came right out and we were on our way.  In fact, we were outside at the airport shuttle to get a ride to the parking lot before anyone else even left the Airport!

When starting to plan for an all inclusive vacation, the first thing to consider is where you want to go.  That simply means, it’s your vacation, it’s your time and it’s your money so where do YOU want to go?  Many people call me without really thinking about this question.

As we both know there are a ton of different hotel options and many overall destination options, so how do you narrow down your search?  Well, first of all think about the location and not the specific hotel.  Would you rather go to Mexico or the Caribbean?  Let’s say for the sake of argument that you want to go to the Caribbean.  There are many islands in the Caribbean but not all islands are geared toward all inclusive stays.  So, do you want an all inclusive resort that provides all of your meals and drinks?  If so, don’t waste your time with small islands like St. Thomas or even the Bahamas because there are few all inclusive resorts in those areas.  You should focus more on places like Punta Cana or Jamaica which have a ton of all inclusive hotel options.  Also, more options typically means the better the price.

Next you need to start thinking about what you want out of this vacation.  What is most important to YOU, the beach?  The pool?  The room?  Everyone is different and although many resorts offer similar services, some resorts are geared more towards families with kids while others may be focused more on families with teenagers and so forth.  How can you tell if the hotel is geared more towards younger kids or teenagers?  Well, that’s exactly why you call us.

From this point, be sure to know what dates or at least what date range will work best for your family.  Once you know the dates and destination, you are ready to call an expert to get help in picking out the best resort to meet your needs and expectations.  Flexibility is good but too much flexibility will just muddy the water, so have some destination ideas, know what you want out of your vacation and give us a call to help you find the perfect resort.

On October 6th my wife and I returned from our anniversary trip to the Iberostar Grand Paraiso in the Riviera Maya.  While on vacation, my wife and I are generally more “pool people” than “beach people”… but not this time.

During our stay, every mid-morning we went down to the beach palapas, laid out our towels, opened up a book and simply relaxed.  It was awesome to hear the sound of the waves crashing in, the sea gulls flying over our head and to feel the cool breeze coming off of the Gulf of Mexico.  You will see in some of these pictures how nice these beaches are and although we stayed at the Iberostar Grand Paraiso, everyone from the Iberostar Paraiso Complex uses the same beach.

While in the ocean there were a couple places that had some larger rocks that were easy to avoid and stay away from.  So, if anyone tells you that these beaches are “rocky,” I would not agree.  I have seen rocky beaches and the Iberostar Playa Paraiso beaches are perfectly fine for anyone wanting to hop in the ocean, swim, play in the waves or snorkel with tropical fish.

Hotels within the Iberostar Paraiso Complex; Iberostar Grand Paraiso, Iberostar Paraiso Maya, Iberostar Paraiso Lindo, Iberostar Paraiso Beach and the Iberostar Parariso Del Mar.

Many people think that the sunsets are what to look for in the Riviera Maya but on the contrary, the sunrise is what you should get up early for.  I was recently on a 4 night vacation in the Riviera Maya with my wife and we had the pleasure of waking up early to see some beautiful sunrises.

Since the coast of the Riviera Maya is in the Gulf of Mexico facing East, the sunrises are much better than the sunsets.  In this video you will see the sunrise from my ocean front balcony, strarting at around 6:30 am and lasting until about 7 am.  The clouds in the distance make the sun look as if there is a person playing the guitar inside of it.  Or, use your imagination and comment on what this looks like to you!

I just returned from a 4 night vacation to the Riviera Maya on October 6th.  While on vacation my wife and I always like to visit the town of Playa Del Carmen to shop, sight see and many times have lunch at any one of the many great local restaurants.  No matter how long your stay or which resort you are staying in, everyone should try to take the time to visit Playa while on vacation.

In Playa Del Carmen you will see about 30 blocks of non-stop store fronts, local eateries, bars, hotels and tons of people.  Even this past Monday when we were in Playa, with this being the off season I would have to say we still saw thousands of tourists walking the streets, window shopping and bartering with the locals.  You can find some great deals on your souvenirs if you are patient and have some time to look around.  If you go down to Playa Del Carmen at night, you won’t want to miss Coco Bongo, the most talked about and sought after show in Mexico.  One of my favorite night life spots would be the Blue Parrot; every night there’s an amazing fire show that starts around 10:30 and lasts for about 30 minutes.

As far as safety concerns in this area, in my opinion I felt as safe there as I always have with no worries.  We walked around for about 4 hours and saw many Police officers on the streets to ensure that all is well.  Obviously just like any where in the world when you are traveling, use common sense.  Don’t go into places you think look questionable and stay in the tourist areas.  Tourism is the life blood of Mexico and many of it’s citizens, and believe it or not, they work hard to keep you as a traveler safe and happy so that you can come back year after year.