Kids Stay FREE this summer at Palace Resorts in Mexico!

{Playacar Palace}

Book 3 nights or more at any Palace Resorts in  México the kids ages 12 and under sharing a room with an adult stay and eat FREE. {New Booking only.}

{Cancun Palace}

Kids stay free promotion automatically included in package cost. No special code required.


Booking Dates: Through August 27th, 2012
Traveling Dates: June 1st, 2012 – August 31st, 2012

Cancun is a the perfect destination for family travel. The airport is one of the busiest in the region and welcomes nonstop international flights from most gateways in the US & Europe. This helps keeps the cost low and the selection of flight times wide and varied, offering something to accommodate every families needs. Airline tickets are often lowest than any other beach destination in the region.

Cheers,

Hot NEW Caribbean Hotel Inclusions!

Here is a roundup of hot new Caribbean hotel amenities being offered in 2012:

Hotel Chocolat in St. Lucia offers guests house-made chocolate truffles from cocoa grown right on property - yum:

The Four Seasons Nevis offers guests with small children complimentary items to childproof their room.


The Body Holiday Le Sport in St. Lucia has an Icicle Tricycle that cruises the beach providing guests with cool and refreshing snow cones daily in unique flavors such as cucumber mint.


{this is for my girls...} Tucker's Point Resort in Bermuda has the prettiest sunbrellas I've ever seen - hot pink with ruffles, found at their spa pool. Book a massage and curl up under one of these with a spa cocktail and a good book:

The St. Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico provides a daily Iced Tea Ritual - where teas from around the world are served iced and accompanied by a tropical fruit skewer.


Excellence Playa Mujeres & Excellence Riviera Cancun offer top-shelf tequila tastings:

Secret Bay, the new eco-luxury resort in Dominica offers guests free exclusive use of a Kindle loaded with daily international newspapers.


At GeeJam in Port Antonio, Jamaica, you have the option of renting out their state-of-the art recording studio, following the drum beats of many famous artists.


Grotto Bay Beach Resort in Bermuda offers spa services in their underground serenity cave. Serene? Yes!

To book these hotels, or any other Caribbean or Mexican luxury resort complete with unique amenities, please contact our Caribbean Travel Specialists - info @ caribbeanjourney.com OR 866-236-1924.

Cheers,

The Iberostar Cancun to open after a $100 million renovation!

The Iberostar Resort company bought the former Hilton Cancun and has rebranded it as  the Iberostar Cancun. After spending over $100 million on renovations, the new hotel will open on February 3rd. 

Iberostar closed the now-all-inclusive beachfront property last August in order to renovate public spaces as well as to build a new theater and add new restaurants, including a new buffet and four specialty dining venues -- a gourmet restaurant, a steakhouse, a Japanese restaurant and a Mexican restaurant. Children’s and teens’ clubs were also constructed, as was a new kids’ splash park in the pool area. Outdoor space at the resort’s 12-treatment room spa was also enhanced as was the lobby and lobby bar. Also new palapa-style, or thatched, umbrellas now provide shaded areas for guests on the beach. The resort’s 50,000 square feet of convention space as well as 90,000 square feet of event space remain untouched, making the Iberostar Cancun the only resort in the destination with oceanfront meeting facilities as well as an on-site 18-hole golf course.

Other features of the property include seven swimming pools, a professional football field, and two tennis courts. 

Cancun is a the perfect destination for your meetings & incentive group travel. The airport is one of the busiest in the region and welcomes nonstop international flights from most gateways in the US & Europe. Airline tickets are often lowest than any other beach destination in the region.

The Mexico Taxi Project

Attention reality TV addicts! This one's for you! And anyone else considering Mexico for their next vacation...

Check out the super innovative project launched by the Mexico Tourist Board to find out what real travelers think of their visits to Mexico. 

You may view more on their website: The Mexico Taxi Project. Stay tuned for more real travel tales.

Viva la Mexico!!!

HOT New Hotels! Two New Paradisus Resorts coming to Mexico!

That sand... that WATER!!! 

Soon, you can enjoy two new Paradisus Resorts in Mexico. The family friendly Paradisus La Esmeralda and the adults only Paradisus La Perla, located next to each other on one of the prettiest stretches of beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

The luxuriously comfortable decor, true to Paradisus style, can be found in the living spaces:

Sleeping rooms...

And bathrooms...

The Paradisus Playa del Carmen features a two-in-one resort concept with La Perla exclusively for adults and La Esmeralda perfectly family friendly and suitable for every traveler. The El Zocalo area between the resorts features restaurants, bars, and entertainment. Guests from both resorts have free access to El Zocalo freely, making this complex perfect for multi-generational travel & Destination Weddings where some guests might prefer the exclusivity of the adults only section and others don't want to leave the kids behind but both want to spend at least a few important hours together every day.

PARADISUS PLAYA DEL CARMEN LA PERLA OPENS ON NOV 15, 2011

PARADISUS PLAYA DEL CARMEN LA ESMERALDA OPENS ON NOV 30, 2011

Ready to start planning and take advantage of the super low introductory rates? Contact us today!

Being located in the Cancun area, you will be flying to one of the easiest destinations in the tropics. Cancun is serviced by all major airlines, including United Airlines & American Airlines. 

In Celebration of Cinco de Mayo

There are a few Mexico Vacation Specials I'd like to highlight in honor of one of my favorite celebrations... CINCO de MAYO! But first... here's a little background info on Cinco de Mayo. 

Cinco de Mayo always makes me hungry. {If I wasn't expecting, these 3 simple words would make me crave an icy cold margarita with loads of fresh lime.}

{photo from Life's Ambrosia}

Bring a little bit of Cinco de Mayo into your kitchen with these great recipes from Life's Ambrosia.

If you're ready to taste Mexico for yourself, check out these travel deals to the Cancun area:

The Royal Hideaway Playacar is offering up to $500 in resort credits + 25% off their rates. The resort credit may be used towards green fees, spa treatments, and more! 

The Melia Cozumel is on sale with rates starting at only $68/per person, per night, ALL-INCLUSIVE! This hotel is great for golfers & divers - with a full service dive shop next door and a Nicklaus Designed Golf Course right across the street. 

{As with all promotions, restrictions apply.}

We look forward to helping you plan your own Mexican getaway! info@caribbeanjourney.com

866-236-1924

Salud!

MEXICO on SALE!

MEXICO is on SALE!

{This is Dreams Puerto Adventuras}

Our travel partners are offering great rates to Mexico right now! 


Off the top, you will save:

• $50 on vacations of $999 - $2,499
• $125 on vacations of $2,500 - $4,999
• $250 on vacations of $5,000 or more

Also, with select airlines, you could earn up to 2000 bonus frequent flier miles! 

In combination with these two perks, many of the resorts are offering their own booking incentives. A few we like are:

Adventura Cove Palace - kids stay free and up to $2500 in resort credit.

Azul Beach & Azul Sensatori - complimentary room upgrade.

Dreams Puerto Adventuras - complimentary golf, kids stay and eat free, up to 45% off room rates and up to $400 resort credit.

Iberostar Paraiso Beach - kids stay & eat free and complimentary golf.

Book by March 31, 2011 for travel through July 31, 2011. As with all promotions, restrictions apply. Please inquire for a custom quote and full package details! 


Best,

My Visit to El Dorado Seaside

Of all the El Dorado Resorts, I found Seaside to be the most lush... perhaps this is from its compact acreage or because the hotel also serves as a palm tree nursery for all of the Karisma Hotels so every where you look, are palm trees in varying stages of life.

 

The beach is the perfect size, the water clear and calm...

Every where you turn, you are called to rest... relax... enjoy....

The hotel is not a high-rise, no building is higher than two floors - and from the second story rooms shown above, you have sweeping ocean views...

Least but certainly not last, the cuisine is tops at the El Dorado Seaside as it offers all of the wonderful features of the Karisma Resort's Gourmet Inclusive dining plan. 

Ready to go? Contact us for a custom quote on the hotel package or hotel + flight. There are plenty of cheap flights to Cancun and most major airlines, such as Delta, have multiple daily flights.

{These photos are from my October 2010 visit. See the full album here.}

Cheers,

My Visit to Azul Fives, Riviera Maya Mexico

Another great stop on my recent trip to Mexico was the brand new Azul Fives. I always sing the praises of the Azul & El Dorado Hotels for so many reasons... fabulous and possibly THE best cuisine of any local area hotel, impeccable service, and great locations for a destination wedding. Azul Fives is all this plus a lovely uncrowded beach, little to no beach erosion, a huge winding pool dotted with fun swim-up bars, and perhaps the best feature are the amazing rooms! Go big and splurge on a penthouse unit so you will have access to the amazing roof terrace - think South Beach meets Mexico - an expansive white washed terrace with jacuzzi, BBQ grille, full bar, teak dining table and plenty of space to lounge and take in the sun... and with the amazing views one would expect from a rooftop. Here are a few of my favorite photos:

 There are already plenty of great deals for 2011 at the Azul Fives and other Azul Hotels. Pair one of our hotel deals with cheap airfare on American or any another major airline, and you'll have a great value packed vacation! Olé!

Enjoy the rest of my photos here.

Cheers,

Hurry! 7 Days left to save 50% at Zoetry Resorts!

Have you heard of Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts? They are super refined, elegant, boutique hotels with an incredible level of attention to detail. We've been sending happy clients here since they opened and for many, this is the only resort chain they will return to. 

If you book by December 23, 2010, you'll receive up to 50% off + $200 in resort credit for your winter getaway! Blackout dates apply, but this winter promo is valid for travel January 1 to April 29, 2011.

Zoetry has three resorts... Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita in the Riviera Maya and  Zoetry Casa del Mar Los Cabos in Mexico and Zoetry Agua Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

Ready to start packing? Go here.

Cheers,

Resorts with Kid's Clubs for Children Under 4 years

This is a super common question in our office! Which resorts in the Caribbean or Mexico allow children under 4 to participate in their kids clubs? I've compiled a helpful list of our favorites for you to reference. Keep in mind, that even resorts who start at 4 years old, often allow children under 4 to attend the activities as long as they are accompanied by a resort nanny. 

Beaches Resorts:

Beaches Resorts allows kids as young as 6 months to attend their kids clubs. They also have a 1 to 3 staff to child ratio which is the highest we are aware of in the region. The Beaches Resorts portfolio includes:

Beaches Turks & Caicos

Beaches Negril in Jamaica

Beaches Sandy Bay in Negril, Jamaica

Beaches Boscobel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Azul Hotels: 

I recently visited all 3 of the Azul Hotels during my trip to Cancun. I was very impressed with the hotels overall and the very welcoming kids area. Azulitos Kids Club also welcomes kids at 6 months of age to 12. The Azul portfolio includes:

Azul Beach Hotel

Azul Sensatori

Azul Fives

Others:

Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay & Sunset Jamaica Grande both welcome kids at age 2 and up.

Our Lucaya in the Bahamas has a nursery for infants to age 3 with a limit of 2 hours at a time. 

Most Sol Melia Resorts (Melia & Paradisus Resorts) welcome kids from 4 months and up.

Are there any resorts you've heard of that welcome kids under 4? We'd love to hear about them!

{Photos is the super cool pirate ship kids area at Beaches Turks & Caicos!}

Cheers,

My Visit to Excellence Playa Mujeres

The Excellence Resorts have one of the highest repeat guest ratings in the category of adults only all-inclusive resorts. They have 3 properties - the Excellence Riviera Cancun, the Excellence Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and my favorite, the Excellence Playa Mujeres. Playa Mujeres is north of Cancun proper. From the amazing beach, you can see Isla Mujeres. I love it that while this hotel is chic and modern, it doesn't stray entirely from classic Mexican decor:

All hotel rooms and bathrooms on property are created in the same design, with the same soft furnishings - the only difference between room categories is location and your travel agent will be able to help you decide on the best location for your stay:

The Excellence Spas are noteworthy for any spa connoisseur. They are clean & minimalist without feeling stark or cold. See the curtains below? They create a giant circle, or "the cloud" and inside you'll find aromatherapy candles, soft music, and cozy chaise lounges. This is where you will relax and wait for your service:

The open air design of the communal spa space houses a state-of-the-art water circuit to rival any spa worldwide:

These are the spa cabanas which are conveniently located in front of the spa and the lazy river:

There are so many pools on property that at any given time you will surely find one practically empty so you may enjoy a quiet and peaceful swim:

The pristine beach is a highlight. It is wide enough to house all guests comfortably and long enough to allow for lazy sunset strolls, cocktail in hand:

 The Excellence Playa Mujeres is a great choice for a honeymoon or a group of friends wanting a sophisticated beach getaway. The hotel is also one of our bride's top choices for a Destination Wedding. We've booked 11 weddings here in the past few years, including this one that I was lucky enough to attend.


For more photos from my visit click here to view our Flickr gallery!

We'd love to help your plan your Excellence vacation! Contact us!

Enjoy!