Travel Information for Mexico and the Caribbean

As many of us are searching for the perfect Mexico vacation, sometimes we forget about the amazing resort area of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta. A pacific coast destination in Mexico, it is a tad different from the Caribbean side destinations of Cancun, Riviera Maya and Cozumel. While the clear turquoise waters are not present, the west coast of Mexico more than makes up for that with their beautiful deep blue waters and amazing west coast sunsets all back-dropped by the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Having just returned from a 5 nights stay at the Riu Palace Pacifico, I could not more highly recommend the newest Riu resort in Puerto Vallarta. From our delicious and fruity welcome drinks, to the excellent service we received at each restaurant and bar, this resort far exceeded my expectations. Sitting on one of the best beaches in Nuevo Vallarta, when you get too warm just laying in the sun grab a free boogie board and ride some waves. For those of you who enjoy walking the beach, head in either direction for a scenic walk up the coast. Surrounded by mountains, the views from the resort are beautiful in every direction you look, with the most colorful sunsets I have ever seen.

For the excursion enthusiast, try ziplining through the mountains and if you like tequila you will certainly get your fill in the original state in Mexico where tequila was produced.

A Caribbean lover myself, I wanted to try Puerto Vallarta for a change of scenery and boy am I glad I did. The only negative part of my trip was having to leave such a beautiful resort and colorful people, and I will be back for sure!

One of the most common calls our agents at Dream Vacations are getting these days is “Is Mexico safe?” And with all the current news about Mexico and the drug cartels and the swine flu scare of 2009 its not surprising that responsible travelers would want to ask this question. Luckily, as a smart and responsible traveler, Mexico is one of the most cost effective destinations you can visit safely and soundly. In fact just today there was an article on MSN promoting Mexico as a safe area to travel to.

Of course avoiding border areas like Tijuana and Juarez is a must, but travel into areas like Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cabo San Lucan, Puerto Vallarta and Cozumel are just as safe now as they were 10 years ago. In fact, due to over-hyped Swine flu (which turned out far worse in the US than in Mexico) and the concern over border violence, Mexico is one of the most likely destinations to find the best deal for your money. Many hotels are offering “kids stay free” promotions and steeply discounted prices as Mexico tries to rebound from the dip in tourism that has been seen in the last year or so. The annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards just selected Tulum and Huatulco among its “Top 10 Beach & Sun Destinations” in the world.

So if you love beautiful beaches, all inclusive resorts and great values, dust off your passports, pack your bags and give me a call so we can find your family the trip of a lifetime!

Having been a skeptic myself about what the Dominican Republic had to offer me, I was hesitant to visit but knew that I could not accurately pass on information to my clients if I didn’t ever take the chance. Upon arrival into the Punta Cana airport, my skeptism turned to joy before even setting foot on the beach.

The Punta Cana airport is a small open air airport, that has been nicely redone within the last few years. Bungalow style buildings greeted me with thatched rooms, almost like I was walking into a palapa. As we entered the airport I was greeted by Dominican dancers and musicians. I was in love already.

The beaches in Punta Cana rival any of the beaches I have seen thus far, beautiful turquoise waters and powdery sand. Since Punta Cana is located on the eastern coast of Hispanolia island, you have the option to stay in hotels that are located on the Caribbean Sea or the Atlantic. The closer resorts to the airport have the warm Caribbean waters while the Atlantic waters are a bit cooler, a nice refresher on those hot summer days.  I recommend Dreams Palm Beach as a wonderful family resort, only 20 minutes from the airport. Dreams Palm Beach is a smaller more intimate resort, perfect for families with children or even adults who want to avoid the larger “multi-resort complexes”.

If adults only is what your looking for, the new Secrets Sanctuary in Cap Cana is top notch. Following the trend of the other Secrets brand resorts, this is an ultimate luxury resort, located in the gated, up and coming community of Cap Cana, just south of the Punta Cana airport. With two beaches for your access, you have the option of the larger public beach or the private more secluded beach for some privacy. An excellent choice for honeymooners and anniversary trips. Cap Cana itself is a golfers delight with 2 Jack Nicklaus golf courses already and more on the way. In fact the PGA stopped through for the Capa Cana Championship from March 26-28, 2010.

Each meal I ate was better than the last, the employees of the resorts were eager to please and I had no problem communicating with anyone. After years of hearing that Punta Cana had a horrible language barrier, bad food and was run down and downright scary, I must say they have made me a believer. Passing through the towns of Punta Cana and Bavaro while I was there gave me a unique view of what life is like in the Dominican, and while they are not the richest country, everyone greeted me with a smile, and an HOLA! I was reminded of the countryside in the US as we drove from resort to resort, and as you get closer to the coast the palm trees are amazing. I saw palms like I had never seen before. I would never hesitate to go back and am already planning my return trip.

Punta Cana is a small slice of heaven located on the beach. Book your trip today without hesitation, and you won’t regret you did.

With 2010 just around the corner, Dream Vacations would like to wish you a Happy New Year. May the coming year bring you new beginnings and a prosperous year. As the clock strikes 12 on Dec 31st, it will be a time to wish all of your friends and loved ones Happy New year. We look forward to helping you find the perfect celebration (or vacation) for the year ahead.

Apple vacations uses a rating system based upon apples. The minimum Apple rating is a 2 red apple and the highest rating is a 6 golden apple.

Red apples are the rating designated by Apple vacations to indicate quality of the hotel. Ratings are given based upon a multitude of factors: hotel services offered, quality of the beach, quality of the food, room quality, etc.

Golden apples are ratings given by you, the travelers. When Apple vacationers provides Apple with many excellent reviews about a hotel, the hotel is then given a golden preferred status. This is to help you know what travelers just like yourself are saying about the resorts.

Just because a hotel does not have a golden rating does not mean it is a bad hotel. Some resorts have not been open long enough to have earned a golden rating. The ratings are also periodically reviewed and changed to meet the current opinions of travelers and to reflect any changes a resort may have recently gone through. This is the reason a resort may have been a golden rating when you went there and now it is a red apple, or vice versa.

When in doubt, give us a call! Since we specialize in these hotels we can give you feedback from our own clients as well as personal opinions about the resorts we have visited ourselves.