Posted in All Inclusive Resorts, Beach Vacation, International Vacations, Mexico Vacation, Romance
Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa All Inclusive
By Vanessa Aleksic
I’ve taken two Mexico vacations in recent years — the first to Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa All Inclusive several years ago to celebrate my son’s birthday and my in-law’s anniversary, and the second just recently (without kids and in-laws) to Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa All Inclusive in Riviera Maya to celebrate my birthday.
When I arrived in the gorgeous open-air lobby at Dreams Riviera Cancun, I wasn’t so sure how it would compare to my original Mexico vacation at Dreams Cancun. I was happy to find that the layout at this all-inclusive resort was incredibly easy and not overwhelmingly spread out. It took just a few minutes to walk anywhere I wanted, with no need for golf carts like at some places I’ve been.
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Posted in California Vacation, Photography, Sports Travel
By Melissa Fuller
Traveling “far away” in my own neighborhood is one of my favorite things to do. This week I went sailing — practically in my own backyard — without even having to book a San Francisco hotel.
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Posted in All Inclusive Resorts, Beach Vacation, Caribbean Vacation, Family Travel, Film, Holidays & Events, International Vacations, Romance
Barbados
By Lena Katz
Stockings, snow and holly are all very jolly, but who am I kidding, after a year like this, a perfect 80-degree morning on a white-sand beach is a better gift than anything Santa could pull out his gift bag. A Caribbean vacation delivers an endless number of holiday celebrations, ranging from Christmas with an island twist to Latin spice with a Bacardi float. Here are three of my favorite places to celebrate:
Barbados
After dropping a few notches on the luxury hotlist under tough competition from St. Barths and Anguilla, Barbados has lately enjoyed a return to the top. Perhaps this is because of the many new and revamped Barbados hotels to debut recently.
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Posted in Business Travel, Gambling Vacation, Las Vegas Vacation, Travel News Tags: Angelica Bridges, Fremont Street, Landry's Restaurants, Las Vegas, New Hotels
(All photos by E.C. Gladstone)
By E.C. Gladstone
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the resurrection of the downtown Las Vegas hotels. There was so much to say, it actually took two blogs (Best of downtown Las Vegas hotels and Best of downtown Las Vegas restaurants). But there was still one piece of the puzzle yet to come, and now it’s arrived — the Golden Nugget’s new Rush Tower.
Since Landry’s Restaurants took over the Golden Nugget in 2005, over $300 million has been spent in renovations and construction to the property, which dates back to the early days of Vegas. If the Rush Tower doesn’t make it a 5-star Las Vegas hotel, then it’s certainly just below that certification.
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Posted in Beach Vacation, Business Travel, Flights, Hawaii Vacation, On the Road, Travel News
(Photo: Hawaii CVB)
By Joe Brancatelli
COCONUT WIRELESS
Suddenly, Everyone Is Adding Flights to Hawaii Again:
- Last year’s run-up in fuel costs destroyed Aloha and ATA, two carriers with heavy schedules to Hawaii. No one moved to fill the gap last year, but this year has been a different story. First it was Alaska Airlines: earlier this month it began flights from Oakland to Maui and Kona, two routes once operated by Aloha Airlines.
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Posted in All Inclusive Resorts, Beach Vacation, Family Travel, International Vacations, Mexico Vacation, Orbitz Parent Panel
Dreams Cancun Resort and Spa All Inclusive
By Vanessa Aleksic
My son Aiden turned one just one day apart from my in-laws 30th wedding anniversary, so we planned a family vacation in Mexico at Dreams Cancun Resort and Spa All Inclusive to celebrate both occasions. Aiden was just a little guy, taking some of his first toddling little steps during our layover. The perfect age to go on a family vacation in my opinion — he was still too little to be too crazy, and still free on my lap on the airplane! By the time we left the resort everyone knew Aiden’s name. The whole staff was so friendly; they really made the visit memorable.
Dreams Cancun is right at the tip of the peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides. It’s such an amazing location. It’s about half an hour from downtown and within walking distance to shopping and clubs downtown. And if you want to go somewhere that is a little further away, it’s very easy to take the bus or a taxi. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Beach Vacation, Caribbean Vacation, Cruise, Family Travel, Orbitz Parent Panel
The beach at Castaway Cay
By John George
A stop at a private or secluded island has become almost mandatory for cruises in the eastern Caribbean. Most of the cruise lines, including Disney Cruise Lines, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Holland America, have private islands for their guests. The basic program is similar: You will enjoy a beach, both paid and free activities and a barbecue lunch. Don’t forget the fruity drinks at the tiki bar, either!
A word to the wise: If your idea of the perfect family vacation day is just lounging on the beach, get there early enough to claim your lounge chairs. While there are hundreds of them, our experience was that they quickly get taken. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Business Travel, Family Travel, Freebies & Discounts, Travel Deals
We’ve sweetened the Orbitz Low Price Guarantee on hotels to ensure customers get the lowest hotel rates online.
Customers who find their prepaid hotel room available for a lower price on any site, including Orbitz, can receive a refund for the difference and a $50 discount on a future hotel or vacation package booking. Plus, customers can now submit a claim right up to the time of the property’s cancellation deadline.
And that’s not the only price protection Orbitz gives hotel bookers. Under Hotel Price Assurance, Orbitz will send a cash refund automatically if another Orbitz customer books the same prepaid hotel room for less.
So there you have it: Our hotel rates are so low, we’ve got money on it.
Related Orbitz resources:
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Posted in Beach Vacation, Eco-Tourism, Family Travel, Florida Vacation
Fort Myers Beach (Courtesy: Visit Florida)
By Joanna Citarella
The holiday season typically conjures up images of wintry scenes, log fires and family gatherings, and is generally far less synonymous with white sandy beaches than it is with snowfall. Yet every year thousands of people plan Florida vacations to enjoy the holidays, and if you are seeking a change of pace and some holiday sunshine this year, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve lived in Southwest Florida for the past 10 years, and I feel that it’s a great place to spend the holidays. So if you’re planning a Florida vacation, here are just a few of my suggestions for things to do. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Business Travel, Flights, On the Road
By Joe Brancatelli
HIGH-TECH TRAVELER
Free Wi-Fi in the Air and the Airport:
- It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and that means free Wi-Fi thanks to the folks at Google. The 800-pound gorilla of search engines will sponsor free Wi-Fi at more than 47 airports around the country until January 15. Google will also sponsor free in-flight on Virgin America flights. You can find all of the details here: http://www.freeholidaywifi.com
- Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport now offers free Wi-Fi service, but you’ll have to present your boarding pass at an airline ticket counter to get a user name and password. The airport already has 126 computer kiosks that offer free Internet access.
- AirTran Airways cut the price of its in-flight Wi-Fi by offering two-for-one rates until the end of the year. All of the airline’s fleet of Boeing 717 and 737 aircraft are wired with GoGo Inflight. Read the rest of this entry »
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