USA3000 Airlines going out of business. Frontier takes over for Apple Vacations’ charter packages

 

USA3000 airlines, which offers non-stop charter flights from East Coast and Midwest gateways to the Caribbean and Mexico plans on closing shop early 2012.  It’s sister company, Apple Vacations, who sells packages using USA3000 flights, has already started shifting contracts to other airline carriers like Frontier Airlines to prevent any break in service for our mutual customers.     

Some background information on Frontier:

•  Operates more than 500 flights a day to 80 destinations, from 3 hubs - Denver, Kansas City, and Milwaukee
•  Has flown more than 87 million passengers
• NEW! Non-Stop charter flights for Apple Vacations from Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Cincinnati
• Offers outstanding safety and on-time performance records
• Diamond Award Winner for Excellence in Safety Training for 10 consecutive years
• Outstanding on-time performance record: 83.4% on time nationally, 92% on time Frontier/Apple charters
• Utilizes brand-new, next generation Airbus 320 planes for all Apple charter flights (same model planes as USA3000).
•  162 all-leather seats. All coach class
• Provides TVs in every seat-back and FREE DIRECTV with 24 TV channels, including NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, and first-run movies (minimal charge)

We look forward to booking your next Apple Vacations charter package from Philadelphia, Cleveland and Cincinnati with Frontier in 2012!

New non-stop flights from JFK to Hawaii starting June 2012!

Grand Opening of Iberostar Cancun! All Inclusive Family Escapes At Its Best!

Iberostar, one of our favorite family friendly resort chains has just expanded to Cancun! Grand opening: December 1, 2011

Until now families seeking the Iberostar experience were limited to the Riviera Maya (South of Cancun). We are excited to announce the New Iberostar Cancun - Expansive, elegant and enticing. IBEROSTAR Cancun, scheduled to open December 1, 2011 is situated on one of Mexico’s most magnificent beachfronts, IBEROSTAR Cancun features a sprawling complex where every suite is oceanview.

At this remarkable hotel, the kids can live it up at the supervised Kids Club — complete with a water park — while the adults play a round of golf on the area’s only 18-hole championship course, relax in the stunning spa or wile away the hours in any of the seven pools including a spectacular infinity pool. At this all-inclusive destination, dining is a family dream. From four gourmet specialty restaurants to the casual poolside snack bar, the ice cream parlor to the cigar lounge — IBEROSTAR Cancun caters to every member of the family as only IBEROSTAR can do!

Iberostar Cancun joins the Iberostar family of resorts currently all located in Riviera Maya, Mexico: Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar, Iberostar Paraiso Beach, Iberostar Paraiso Lindo, Iberostar Paraiso Maya, Iberostar Grand Paraiso, Iberostar Tucan, Iberostar Quetzal.

For further information and promotional rates, contact one of our Iberostar Specialists. Call 1-800-294-6643 or email info@easyescapestravel.com for a quick quote.

Coming Soon: Ritz Carlton Reserve Boutique Resort to Open December 2012

A Ritz Carlton Reserve will open in Puerto Rico December 2012 on Dorado Beach.  The "Reserve" brand will be the second of its kind joining Phulay Bay on the Thai island of Krabi, which opened December 2009.  "The Reserve brand offers a new level of luxury and service for leisure travelers in a small, secluded, environmentally sensitive resorts and hideaways for urban-oriented guests," says the VP of marketing, Clayton Ruebensaal. 

The 115 room Reserve will include 100 guestrooms and 14 one bedroom suites, six of which will have rooftop pools.

Facilities at Dorado Beach will include:

• Four championship golf courses, one of which the East Couse is currently under renovation and will reopen in November
• Three miles of beach
• Eleven miles of trails
• A spa spread over five acres of gardens with 22 different buildings housing treatment rooms plus two treehouse style treatment rooms, an apothecary, beauty shop, lockers, and and 8,000 square foot fitness facility
• Six restaurants
• Beach club
• A Wind and Waves center featuring Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment eco-adventure program for families

Golf & Spa lovers, look out for this new Luxury Escape Resort coming soon to Dorado Beach!

Free Weddings At Iberostar Grand Resorts In Mexico, Punta Cana & Jamaica!

For a limited time, Iberostar Grand Hotels are offering couples FREE wedding packages at their luxury adults only resorts!

To qualify, couples must book 5 rooms or more for 3+ nights or a Grand Oceanfront room for 7+ nights at:

Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso - Riviera Maya, Mexico

Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall - Montego Bay, Jamaica

The Iberostar Grand complimentary wedding package includes:

• Minister Fees
• Flowers for bride & groom
• Wedding cake
• Champagne toast
• 10% off spa services
• Complimentary room for the groom the night before the wedding
• FREE room upgrade for the wedding couple

Contact one of our destination wedding specialists for details and to confirm your wedding date availability.

Viva Las Vegas With No Resort Fees!

Thinking of heading to Vegas? Beware, more and more hotels are charging mandatory "resort fees".  Resort fees can range anywhere from $10 to $35 per night.

Here are the current resorts that have NO hidden or mandatory resort fees:

• Caesars Palace
• Planet Hollywood
• Paris
• Flamingo
• Rio
• Harrah's
• Bally's
• Imperial Palace
• PH Towers Westgate

The money you could save by booking a no resort fee hotel can add up to a substancial amount. This extra cash in your pocket can be used on a few rounds at the black jack table, a nice dinner, or even Vegas show tickets!

Spotlight on The Westin Ft Lauderdale Beach Resort -- A Great Weekend Escape! (Agent Trip Review)

By Cathy Sanchez

Thumbs up to the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort for making my weekend family getaway a memorable one!  The resort itself is in a perfect location – walking distance to restaurants, bars and shops.  It’s a 10 minute drive to Las Olas restaurant strip.  No worries if you forget to pack any travel essentials – there is a huge 24 hour CVS a few blocks away.  There is, however, a strong lemongrass aroma throughout the lobby, which at first is a bit overbearing but we eventually got used to it.  The Westin’s service was impeccable.  We were always greeted by name by the front desk staff, the bellmen and the valet attendants.  Whenever we needed anything (crib, extra towels, soap, etc) it was quickly delivered and a few moments later the front desk would call to follow up with a phone call to confirm the request was fulfilled to our satisfaction – very impressed.  “Storm”, the bellman suggested we request a small refrigerator for the room which came in handy with the kid’s milk and juices and it was complimentary. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how family friendly the hotel is.  They have a kids club on site and by the poolside you’ll find toys for the little ones to share. There’s a pool bar and grill that was pretty crowded most of the time – they make great mojito’s there by the way! There’s a Starbuck’s on property and there’s a really convenient street overpass that connects from the pool area to the beach so that there is no need to cross the very busy A1A Street.  I timed it and was only a 3 minute walk from the door of our 9^th floor room to the beach.  Very easy access!   Two beach chairs are provided complimentary per room and again, you’ll find beach toys on the sand provided by the hotel – cute.  The pool is on the small side, but it’s decent enough.

Valet parking is mandatory as there is no self parking on property.  The cost was $20ish per night which is pretty steep, but then again, street parking in this part of town isn’t easy, so they know you don’t have many options.   

If you want a great deal for meals in the area, restaurants.com offers discounts for restaurants in the local area like the nearby Chima Brazilian Steakhouse and 3030 Ocean Seafood restaurant. 

I am glad we chose this resort for our family escape. We will definitely be back!