Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa is located near the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic along a 40-mile stretch of spectacular beaches dotted with palm trees about an hour from the Punta Cana Airport. ATS owners Linda and Bill Cleveland visited this all-inclusive resort last month as part of a Punta Cana familiarization (fam) trip. This resort is rated 6 Golden Apples by Apple Vacations.

Dreams Punta Cana Wedding Gazebo

Just beyond the lobby of this compact, 620-room resort, one can see the beautiful gazebo, shown above, site of numerous weddings during their stay.

Dreams Punta Cana Pool

The largest pool in the Dominican Republic meanders throughout the resort complex so you are never far from a refreshing dip. The depth is only three feet.

Dreams Punta Cana Oceana Seafood Restaurant

The open-air Oceana Seafood Restaurant is located adjacent to the beach. The ocean breeze and delicious seafood entrees make this one of the best of the resort’s six a la carte restaurants. There is also an international buffet restaurant. No reservations are needed for dining at Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa. There is also 24-hour room service as well as pool and beach wait service. Linda and Bill experienced excellent service throughout the resort during their stay.

Dreams Punta Cana Swim-Out Rooms

One of the unique features of Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa is its deluxe swim-out rooms made possible by the expansive pool. There are many of these rooms located throughout the resort.

Dreams Punta Cana Room

All of the rooms and suites at Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa will have been refurbished by the end of 2011. The king standard room shown above includes the latest decor.

Dreams Punta Cana Swim-Up Bar

What all-inclusive resort would be complete without a swim-up bar? Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa is no exception as shown above.

Other resorts from their fam trip will be featured in future postings. At ATS we have the expertise and firsthand knowledge to help you plan your dream vacation at any of Apple Vacations‘ destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean.

ATS travel consultants Alexandra Bohn, DS, ACC and Nancy Roberson have recently returned from a familiarization (fam) trip to Jamaica. One of the resorts where Alex and Nancy stayed was the all-inclusive Sandals Royal Plantation, an all-butler boutique resort in Ocho Rios and one of the Leading Hotels of the World. On the north coast of Jamaica, where the rolling St. Ann Mountains sweep down to two private cove beaches, this resort hosts 74 oceanview suites tucked into a coral bluff.

Nancy and Alex at Sandals Royal Plantation

Sandals Royal Plantation grounds

Sandals Royal Plantation Great Room

This all-butler, all-oceanview resort features 2 beaches, one for sunbathing, one for watersports; watersports including scuba diving (included for certified divers; nominal fee for resort dive certification), snorkeling, sailing, and windsurfing; spa (spa services for additional fee); golf at nearby Sandals Golf & Country Club (greens fees included); 3 gourmet restaurants including the award-winning Le Papillon serviing French cuisine; the Caribbean’s only Champagne & Caviar Bar (fee for caviar); 3 bars including a piano bar; and Stay at One, Play at privileges at Sandals Grande Riviera, providing 12 additional restaurants to choose from.

Sandals Royal Plantation suite

At ATS we have the expertise and firsthand knowledge to help you plan your dream vacation at any of Sandals’ destinations in Antigua, Bahamas, Jamaica, and St. Lucia. We are a Certified Sandals Specialist.

This blog entry is adapted from an ATS newsletter article. You may want to subscribe to Travels with ATS if you like this entry.

ATS owners Linda and Bill Cleveland accompanied a group of more than 100 members of the Maryland, Delaware, and District of Columbia Elks Association to Riviera Maya in Mexico earlier this year. They stayed at the Grand Palladium Colonial and Kantenah Resort & Spa. The Elks used their earned group travel benefits to support Elks Camp Barrett, a camp designed to help young people of all backgrounds develop and grow by affording the opportunity of getting outdoors for adventure and fun. In the past five years, the Elks have raised over $16,000 for Elks Camp Barrett from group travel.

Grand Palladium Colonial Beach

The Grand Palladium Colonial and Kantenah Resort & Spa is an all-inclusive resort rated 5 Apples by Apple Vacations. It offers 24-hour food and beverage service, all meals and snacks, four à la carte restaurants, three buffet restaurants, unlimited imported drinks at thirteen bars, nightly entertainment, disco, four pools, six tennis courts, non-motorized watersports, spa, and much more! And remember, all-inclusive also means tips are included. The 836 air-conditioned rooms feature two double beds or one king bed, most bathrooms with tub, shower, hair dryer, in-room safe, coffee maker, mini-bar, ceiling fan, and terrace or balcony.

Grand Palladium White Sands Swim-Up Bar

Grand Palladium Colonial

The Elks trip this year had an amazing price of less than $1,000 per person! That price was for round-trip airfare from Washington’s Dulles Airport, seven nights accommodations at the Grand Palladium Colonial and Kantenah Resort & Spa, all meals, all drinks, entertainment,  taxes, government fees, gratuities, and transfers in Mexico.

The Maryland, Delaware and DC Elks are traveling next April to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, where they will stay at the 6 Golden Apple Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa for under $1,500 per person for a seven-night all-inclusive vacation. The Pennsylvania Elks will be at the the Grand Palladium Colonial and Kantenah Resort & Spa in April with a price of just over $1,100 per person. If you are interested, please visit the ATS web site.

If you are interested in group travel to support a charitable cause, or to reduce the cost for each member of the group, please contact ATS, and we will be happy to explain to you the benefits of group travel.

A while back I mentioned that Linda and I had recently returned from the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa in Riviera Maya, Mexico. This 4-night all-inclusive vacation included airfare, accommodations in a junior suite, all meals and snacks at an international buffet and seven specialty restaurants, 24-hour room service, unlimited imported and domestic drinks at  seven bars and lounges, six pools, water activities, fitness center, taxes, government fees, gratuities, and transfers in Mexico. The resort is rated 5+ Golden Apples by Apple Vacations.

Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa Junior Suite

This resort is one of Linda’s and my favorites. Our April trip there was our second trip to this resort. What we most like about the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo are the powdery white-sand beaches, the facilities, the food and service, and the year-around warm weather.

Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa Beach

Most of the resorts in Riviera Maya have large pool areas, and the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo is no exception. The resort even boasts a wave pool and lazy river. The kids especially enjoy “walking on water” as one of the many pool activities.

Walking on Water at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo

Whatever you like on a vacation, your travel consultant can help you find it – and at the best value for you and your family. At the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa the food and service were top-notch as usual. The weather was superb – 86 degrees and breezy everyday! The Pina Coladas were refreshing. And the beach, pool, and ocean were perfect. Who could ask for a better vacation?

Next time: Grand Palladium Colonial and Kantenah Resort & Spa

Guest Post by Gina West, Apple Vacations

Every year, Apple Vacations celebrates Travel Agent Appreciation Month during the month of May. This year is no exception. As a Senior Sales Manager with Apple Vacations, my primary role is to work hand-in-hand with our travel agent partners to keep them up-to-date on any new destinations, resorts and the latest hot deals. Yet, whenever I meet someone new and they discover what I do for a living, I’m often asked, “With all of the resources on the internet, why would anyone need to use a travel agent?”

Travel agents literally spend hundreds of hours each year continuing their education of destinations and resorts by participating in educational seminars and familiarization trips (FAMs) to keep their knowledge current. The internet is a great tool but the information is often conflicting, contradictory and confusing. A good travel agent uses all available resources plus their personal studies and experiences to ask the right questions and recommend the vacation that best fits your needs. In the long run, planning your vacation takes less time to qualify you and your family for the right vacation by using a travel agent.

If you’re still not convinced that it makes sense to use the services of a travel agent, consider this … Apple Vacations considers the travel agent’s input so critical to successful vacation planning that the cost of the travel agent’s services are already included in the cost of each and every Apple Vacation. That’s right – the cost of your Apple Vacation includes paying your travel agent to book your vacation with us for you so by not using a travel agent, you are in essence short-changing yourself and not getting the full benefit of the Apple Vacation product and service. Since your travel agent’s service is included in the cost of your trip, why not get all of your monies worth?

So, during the month of May, I hope you’ll join Apple Vacations and say “Thank You” for a job well done to the person who cares so much about you and your vacation experience… your local travel agent! If you don’t already have a personal travel agent, visit Ask An Agent on AppleVacations.com.

All-inclusive resorts are an extremely popular vacation option in the Riviera Maya region just south of Cancun, Mexico. I am very surprised at how little most people understand about the concept and value of an “all-inclusive” vacation. So today’s post is meant to educate you about this type of vacation.

The first all-inclusive resort was a Club Med that opened in 1950. Over the past 10-20 years, many resort hotel companies have embraced the all-inclusive concept, especially in popular Caribbean locations like Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. American tour companies like Apple Vacations, one of our preferred suppliers, have packaged these resorts with airfare so that travel agencies can sell all-inclusive vacations to their clients.

The photo below shows the pool area at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa in Riviera Maya. Linda and I vacationed there less than two weeks ago.

Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa Pool

This 4-night all-inclusive vacation included airfare, accommodations in a junior suite, all meals and snacks at an international buffet and seven specialty restaurants, 24-hour room service, unlimited imported and domestic drinks at  seven bars and lounges, six pools, water activities, fitness center, taxes, government fees, gratuities, and transfers in Mexico.

All-inclusive means that once you pay for the trip, no money is needed unless you want to take an optional excursion or buy a souvenir in a resort boutique. We recommend that our clients take some small bills to tip bartenders, bar waiters, and restaurant waiters who really work hard to provide excellent service. But it is neither necessary nor expected to do so.

At the time of this post, booking this package with Apple Vacations for May 5 for 4 nights in a standard room (we upgraded to a junior suite) without insurance is $951.35 per person based on double occupancy. That’s for everything – airfare, transfers, resort accommodations, all your food, all your drinks, all your taxes, all your gratuities.

Just to give you an idea of special pricing often available from Apple Vacations, we have a group of over 100 people going to a comparable Riviera Maya resort later this month, and the rate for seven nights was only $1,160.94 per person. This group recognizes the value of an all-inclusive vacation!

Next time: More on the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort & Spa in Riviera Maya.

Bora Bora will always have a special significance for Linda and me. I blogged last time about that, but now let’s answer the trivia question from the previous post: What entertainer taped a television show on the Liberte late in 1986 for a 1987 TV special?

The answer is Bob Hope, whose first television special of 1987  was called “Bob Hope’s Tropical Comedy Special From Tahiti.” His guests were Morgan Brittany, John Denver, Howard Keel, Jonathan Winters, Miss America Susan Akin and Miss Tahiti Ruth Manea. Bob Hope performed his monologue on the pool deck of the Liberte. The high point of the show was a parody of “Mutiny on the Bounty,” taped aboard an exact replica of the famous ship that had been built by director Dino DeLaurentis at Cook’s Bay, Moorea. The skit starred Hope as Captain Bligh, Howard Keel as the ship’s doctor, John Denver as Fletcher Christian and Jonathan Winters as a tribal chieftain with whose daughter Fletcher has fallen in love. The Bob Hope Show Backstage: Have Camera, Will Travel is a wonderful retrospective look at Bob Hope, his comedy writers, and television guests over the years.

Bob Hope taped his monologue aboard the Liberte the week of November 8-15, 1986. The reason I know this fact is that Linda and I cruised the Liberte one week later, November 15-22, 1986, on our very first cruise. Although the passengers, staff, and crew of the ship were thrilled that Bob Hope was aboard, the presence of Bob Hope’s television production crew and cast caused a lot of inconvenience for passengers. Although we would have loved to meet Bob Hope, Linda and I were happy to enjoy a more peaceful cruise.

I offer one last look at the beauty of Bora Bora.

Aerial View of Bora Bora

The photo was taken during our second visit to Bora Bora in 2000 while we were touring the island by helicopter. Our ship can be seen in the background. We will never forget the beauty of the hues of blue and green in the lagoon.

Why not add Bora Bora to your own travel bucket list?

Bora Bora is what started it all.

Linda and I like to travel. We discovered that about one another shortly after we met. Trouble was, neither of us had traveled very much. Sure, we had taken Linda’s girls to Ocean City during the summers, and the four of us even went to Hawaii. But that was as exotic as it had ever been.

Things were about to change in 1986. Linda and I decided to take our very first cruise to celebrate her milestone birthday (I’ll let you do the math). After a lot of research, we decided on the Liberte, a 715-passenger, 23,500-ton ship belonging to now-defunct American Hawaii Cruises. We contacted a Frederick travel agency to help with the arrangements, since we recognized even then the importance of the personal service and expertise a good travel agent could provide us. This ship did a very exotic itinerary – after flying to Tahiti, we would sail to several of the Society Islands of French Polynesia in the South Pacific – Tahiti, Rangiroa, Huahine, Raiatea/Tahaa, Bora Bora, and Moorea.

The image below is my favorite personal scenery photograph ever. I took it while riding with Linda in an outrigger canoe around Bora Bora’s lagoon. The highest point of the island, Mount Otemanu, is visible in the distance. Bora Bora is truly the most beautiful island in the world.

Bora Bora

We were hooked on cruising!  In fact, since Linda had always wanted to own her own business, her love of cruising lured her toward the travel business. Within 30 months of this trip, Linda and I would purchase Antietam Travel Service, a nearly five-year-old travel agency, incorporate the business, and continue beginning April 3, 1989, as Antietam Travel Service, Inc.

Interesting trivia related to this trip: What entertainer taped a television show on the Liberte late in 1986 for a 1987 TV special? Leave your guess in the Comments section - answer and details next time.

Linda and I have cruised more than 50 times since 1986 and two of those cruises were return trips to Bora Bora. Bora Bora is what started it all!

My last post highlighted the Australian part of a cruise vacation from a few years back.

Next we were traveling to New Zealand, which became the highlight of the trip. We first sailed into Milford Sound, a fjord on New Zealand’s South Island with fabulous vistas. Dunedin, the South Island’s second largest city was the first port. The weather was cold and drizzly for our wildlife tour; we saw penguins and albatross.

In Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island, we toured the International Antarctic Centre. The Antarctic exhibits were very educational, and we were able to ride in a Hagglund, an Antarctic Vehicle still operated on that continent. Other highlights were the downtown and Christchurch Cathedral. Picton was our last port in the South Island, and we enjoyed a tour of a winery in the Marlborough region. 

Wellington is New Zealand’s capital city, situated on the southwestern tip of the North Island. Watching two sheepdogs herd about a hundred head of sheep into their farm corral and having lunch on the farmhouse lawn were both very memorable. Napier, further up the east coast of the North Island, is a working seaport, but also known for its Art Deco architecture. We had great fun on an ATV “adventure” along the hilly coast and took in a dolphin show at the Napier Marineland (ah, but it closed in 2009).

The next stop was Tauranga, New Zealand’s largest port. We visited Rotorua, best known for its Maori history and culture, and the New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute. We also experienced the Agrodome. Sailing towards the Bay of Islands, we passed White Island, New Zealand’s only active marine volcano, spewing sulphur and steam. What a sight!

One of the highlights of our cruise was a tour at Bay of Islands that allowed participants to swim with dolphins in their natural habitat.

Dolphins at Bay of Islands

As seen on the left, we could just about reach out and touch them as we sailed on our tour boat. Alas, one of the female dolphins had her young calf with her so we were not allowed to swim. But riding alongside the dolphins in their natural surroundings really was wonderful.

Our final port was Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, from which we flew home. What surprised us most about this cosmopolitan city was the large number of cell phones in use. Remember - this was 2002 when cell phone usage was not as widespread as it is today.

New Zealand is a land of incredible beauty. You must witness that for yourself. New Zealand is not only cosmopolitan, but also laid back. We were constantly commenting how we felt we had been gone back in time to the 1950′s. New Zealand is modern and eco-conscious; yet its Polynesian roots remind us of an ancient culture. If New Zealand is not on your travel bucket list, why not?

Kia Ora.

With all the bad news recently in Australia – first, the flooding and most recently, Cyclone Yasi, I want to praise you if Australia and New Zealand are still on your travel bucket list.

Linda and I flew to Sydney, Australia, in 2002 prior to a 16-night cruise aboard Holland America Line’s Prinsendam. We flew from the East coast, stopped in San Francisco, and then flew on to Sydney – 24 hours in total – arriving in the morning. I know, I know… “It’s too far to fly to Australia.” But I am here to tell you that the long flight is worth it. Linda always jokes that she skipped her birthday that year as we flew over the International Date Line and lost the whole day.

The photo at left shows us that first afternoon – we skipped a nap because we were not tired – atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge, overlooking the Sydney Opera House. The Sydney BridgeClimb was well worth the price. What a sight!

After a day of tours and sightseeing in Sydney, we boarded the Prinsendam and sailed to our fist port of Melbourne. Much more laid back. The shopping at the Queen Victoria Market was fabulous.

The next stop was Tasmania, the island off the southeastern coast of Australia. A tour at a wildlife refuge allowed us the opportunity to see Tasmanian Devils (they really are scary and devilish), Koalas, and kangaroos.

Next up: New Zealand