Vacation Ideas

Personally, when I travel I like to stay in the nicest accommodations with one of the hotel’s best rooms.  Unfortunately, you may feel that the budget will not allow an upgraded room category.

Well I am here to show you that this misconception can prevent you from having one of the most memorable vacations of your life!

Lets start with the most common room categories.  Most hotels offer standard rooms, junior suites, suites, and even larger rooms.  Along with these rooms come with different views such as garden view, partial ocean view, ocean view, and ocean front.

One of my favorite hotel’s is the Dreams Cancun!  You really need to check this place out!  They are within walking distance to shopping and the bars downtown and they also have their own dolphinarium!  They offer so many room categories it is unbelievable!  Here are some examples:  1BR Master Suite, 1BR Honeymoon Suite, Club Level Junior Suite w/ Jacuzzi, Deluxe Club Ocean Front, Deluxe Dolphin Front Ocean View, Deluxe Dolphin Front, and Pyramid Presidential Suite!  What options!

If you book well in advance you can get some pretty awesome rates!  Upgrades at this resort begin around $50 per person.  What would make your children happier than to wake up every morning to dolphins swimming outside of your room?  Or even relaxing every evening on your balcony watching the waves splash into the sand?

Sometime spending a few extra hundred dollars can make all the difference in the world.  So trust me on this one.  Call Dream Vacations today and check into an upgraded room category.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

AM Resorts have always had some great golf offerings.  Today they have announced an even better golf experience for guests staying at a their resorts in the Riviera Maya.  New access to the Grand Coral golf course means an even better vacation when you book these leading brands. Below is the details on this exciting news.

Guests of Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya, Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun, Secrets Silversands Riviera Cancun, Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa, Now Jade Riviera Cancun and Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun are offered complimentary greens fees at Grand Coral Rivera Maya. Only steps away from the breathtaking Caribbean Sea, PGA champion and golf course designer, Nick Price, created Grand Coral Riviera Maya. Golf pros and amateurs alike can enjoy a round on this magnificent 18 hole, 7,043 yard course.

Guests of the seven resorts listed above can enjoy one complimentary round per person, per day when staying December 24, 2011 until April 30, 2013. There are additional fees that guests are responsible for at the golf course. Pricing is according to the season as follows:

Pricing from December 24, 2011 to April 30, 2012 and December 1, 2012 to April 30, 2013:

• Premium Tee Time Supplement: $35 per person
• Cart fee: $50 per person in a shared cart
• Junior (under 18 years old): $40 per junior riding with an adult
• Rider fee: $35 (includes access to the club areas)
• Re-round fee: $50 per re-round (9 or 18 holes)

Pricing from May 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012:

• Premium Tee Time Supplement: $35 per person
• Cart fee: $40 per person in a shared cart
• Junior (under 18 years old): $40 per junior riding with an adult
• Rider fee: $35 (includes access to the club areas)
• Re-round fee:  $50 per re-round (9 or 18 holes)

Additional pricing details: Premium Tee Times are from 6 am to 1 pm from December to April and from 6 am to 2 pm from May to November. Individual reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance through the resort’s concierge and are subject to availability. A no-show penalty of $50 will be charged to your room. To avoid this fee guests must cancel with a minimum of 24 hours before the booked tee time.

Guests also have access to a wide range of amenities and services at the Grand Coral Club House and the Beach Club including use of the fitness center, dressing rooms, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam bath. For an additional charge, guests also have access to the snack bar, pro shop, cabanas and beach towels and umbrellas.

Please note that the current golf offers for guests of Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spa and Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa at The Riviera Maya Golf Club remain in effect until April 30, 2012.

If your looking to include a few rounds of golf then book the Dreams, Zoetry, Now and Secrets hotels.  Great hotels and great golf deals.

As all of us know already, tax refund time is right around the corner.  As a mother of two, the first thing I think of is paying off all my debt.  Then I would stash some in savings and spend a little bit on myself.

A great idea for those who have already starting booking their next vacation or for those who are just beginning, refunds are a great opportunity to get those vacations paid in full.  Maybe even upgrade your room category if your vacation is already paid in full.

As a lot of you know already, the sooner you book the better rate you will receive.  We do also offer options when booking that does not require the full balance of the vacation up front, just a minimal deposit.  Then the remainder of the balance would be due 45 days prior to travel.

Another great idea for the last minute travelers without their passports, go apply and get them expedited for a minimal fee.

A lot of people are already booking their spring break vacations and availability is limited, so don’t feel that waiting last minute is going to get you a better rate.  Very rarely you will find last minute deals.  You will actually find that if you would have booked them sooner, with just that minimal deposit, you could have saved hundreds!

Call us today and get that deposit made to secure the lowest rate possible and then pay the balance when your refund arrives!

One of the most popular trips that we set up is for high school graduation vacations to Cancun, Mexico. This can be a great way to congratulate your recent graduate on finishing up high school and sending them off into their next chapter of life. A popular choice is for multiple families with graduates to set up to take the trip together, giving your high school graduates a last hoorah and allowing them to let loose and enjoy the sun & fun, while still keeping an eye on them. In the past, two of the most popular hotels in Cancun for groups (and very popular in general, too) have been the Riu Cancun and the Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa. Both of these beachfront hotels are located in the heart of the tourist area of the hotel zone of Cancun, both offer a 24 hour all-inclusive, and both come highly recommend from previous clients and groups. Whether you are interested in one of these two properties or want to discuss an alternate property in Cancun or even a different destination, we work with high school graduation trips regularly and would love to help you in planning yours.

While any of our destinations throughout Mexico and the Caribbean may be a great choice for a group like this, some of our most popular destinations are Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, and Jamaica. In recent years, I’ve personally set up several high school graduation groups to the Dreams Riviera Cancun and Iberostar Paraiso Lindo in Riviera Maya, the Riu Palace Pacifico and Dreams Villamagna in Puerto Vallarta, the Iberostar Bavaro and Ocean Blue in Punta Cana, and the Iberostar Rose Hall Suites and the Grand Palladium in Jamaica. If you’d like to create lasting memories with your graduate or graduate-to-be and especially if you have some other families who want to join in, check out these great resorts and call or email to start planning your graduation vacation today!

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”.

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.