Category Archives: Riviera Maya

2017 Apple Vacations Big Sale

The 2017 Apple Big Sale is going on Now

Pick your destination:  Cancun/Riviera Maya, Punta Cana, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel and Jamaica.  We have special savings on all Apple Vacations plus very Exclusive Savings on All-Inclusive Charter Air Packages of 7 nights or more from Chicago, Rockford and Milwaukee.   Some travel date restrictions apply – contact Sue or Paul for more details (262) 538-2140.

Here are just a few of the properties included in this year’s sale

Adults Only All-Inclusive

Family Friendly All-Inclusive

Call now to get you first choice on dates 262.583.2140

Problems? Not for you.

Six months ago you booked a special family vacation at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean.  You love to travel and fully understand what a special time this will be – so much so, that you enlisted other family members to go with on the trip.  Mom and Dad, Brothers, sisters – everyone was excited.

Did you know that 3 days before you departed on your much-anticipated family vacation, the resort determined they were oversold.  Did you know your name was added to a list of people who were moving to one of their sister properties an additional hour drive away from the airport.

Did you also know that they were only moving some of your family?  Some of you would stay at the original property and others would stay at the sister property.

Did you know this?

Of course you didn’t know.   You use a travel agent.  In fact, you have a great travel agent that works diligently on your behalf.  An agent that solves problems before you ever even know about them.  GetAway Travel LLC – solving problems that their clients didn’t even know they had since 1999.

Getaway awesome

Looking Forward – 2016 Year in Travel

European vacations continue to hold great value. The US Dollar remains at historic low levels vs. the Euro. This is good news for travelers to Europe as you definitely get more bang for your buck.  Our best advice for Europe is to plan ahead – this is not a destination that typically rewards the last-minute traveler.   The best way to start planning your European vacation is to schedule a consultation with Sue.

Uniworld River Baroness Honfleur France 3-26-2009 4-32-41 AMRiver Cruising continues to grow and for very good reasons. Our clients absolutely love to take River Cruises. All it takes is to try it once and you will rave about it forever. Be aware however that not all river cruise companies are equal. You can research endlessly on your own, or you can call us to discuss. Our goal is to find out about what you want to do, how adventurous you are, what you like and what you don’t like. What are your travel dreams?  Our recommendations are simply based on you and your needs, that’s it.

iberostar-rose-hall-beach-poolAll Inclusive vacations will remain hot, hot, hot. The industry continues to upgrade old properties and build new ones. There are All-Inclusives for all tastes and budgets. Well we know you want a warm weather, beach destination, but are you looking for a romantic escape or a family/multi-generational getaway? Do you want basic dining choices or a more gourmet experience?   How does a canopy covered bed and open air shower sound? Or a private plunge pool within mere steps of your suite? The choices go on and on.  We can help narrow it down to something you will love.

According to the experts, air ticket prices are down but add-on fees are up.  The simple fact, is you need air tickets to get to many vacation destinations. They are the transportation, not the vacation.

Cheap will remain, well….cheap. While the dictionary defines cheap as inexpensive, it also defines it as something of poor quality or shoddy. Continue to be cautious about anything advertised as cheap, supercheap, ultracheap, etc. A fantastically cheap vacation is not a good value if it is actually craptastic (this is our official industry word for cheap vacations!). Everyone wants good value and that’s where we help – get the best value for your money that actually gets the vacation experience you are looking for. Will it be cheap? We certainly hope not.

The best things in travel continue to come to those who plan ahead. For example, how about planning 2017? You may not be ready yet, but we are. We have 2 special group options worth considering.

Join us in January 2017 for our GetAway on the Getaway.   We will do all the following:  go down the highest water slides at sea, attend award-winning Broadway shows, experience Iron Chef dining, walk the plank and be endlessly entertained and pampered.   Book now and choose between Free unlimited drinks, Free Specialty Dining, Free Shore Excursions or Free WiFi.

In September 2017 we will be hosting a very special Wines of Western Europe group on the Azamara Journey.  Beginning in England, we will sail to France, Spain and Portugal.  Azamara specializes in unique itineraries that include overnight stays in many ports.  Our group will be in Bordeaux, one of the world’s foremost wine regions for 3 days.  But that is not the only World Heritage region we will visit – see our web page for all the details.

Some things are always a work in progress

For example, it seems that every single Google app we use always seems to be in beta version.  Not a bad thing as one can assume it will (hopefully) keep getting better and better.

Such is the case with our GetAway Travel Pinterest pages.  Always room for improvement, but it is actually starting to look better.   We have a wealth of great photos from our trips that we love to share to help inspire our clients.  Eventually we will get more photos posted, but there is only so much time in the day – and – planning great vacations for you will always come first.  For now, please enjoy and let us know what you would like to see more of.

On our “Places We Love” board, we’re messing around with the new Pinterest feature that shows on a map where all the pins are located.

We do have other passions besides travel!

Here is a very small fraction (so far) of wineries we have visited

and of course our Wheaten friends

 

We’ve got new Secrets

We do!  It’s Secrets The Vine Cancun.

We just returned from a fun 4 night stay.  Although you can see it was raining quite a bit on our arrival.  The weather eventually cleared up and we really enjoyed the resort.

Secrets the Vine

Within 40 minutes of collecting your luggage and clearing customs, you will be at this elegant resort in the heart of the Cancun hotel zone.  The adults-only, all-inclusive Secrets The Vine resort opened in August 2012.

Beach at Secrets the Vine

Facilities include the Vine Bazaar area, which includes the Vine Bar in the lobby, offering a wine wall with close to 3,000 varieties of wine, the Vine Cafe, the terrace and the library, designed to recall the Mexican tradition of storytelling.

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There is also a designated wine-tasting area, the Enoteca, with a handcrafted wood table with seating for up to 30 guests.  Not all of the wine is all-inclusive.  The “house” wines are quite good, but not excellent.  Sue enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc quite a bit.  If you wish to indulge during a meal, a sommelier is available to assist with decision-making.  There are wine tastings at 1:00, 3:00 and 5:00.  The 1:00 and 3:00 are free, the 5:00 is additional $20 per person.  Go to the 5:00 to try some better wines and have a food pairing.  During our stay, we had a wine/food pairing at 5:00 with one other couple.  The Sommelier was from Chile and did an outstanding job.  She opened 3 really nice Argentinian wines for us and was knowledgeable and highly engaging.  We asked her lots of questions and polished off the bottles completely.

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Each of the guest rooms features a balcony, Italian porcelain floors, teak furnishings and white glass-wrapped baths.  Preferred Club rooms are on floors 21 thru 26 and feature larger rooms and larger balconies.  On the 21st floor is a preferred club area with upgraded liquor and snacks throughout the day.  The one thing we found odd and a bit disappointing was the wine in the preferred club was the same as elsewhere throughout the resort.  It really should have been a step up instead.

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The pools were very inviting and quite plentiful.  During the day  outside there are special snack and food treats set-up.  We thoroughly enjoyed big plates of Paella one day in our cabana at the pool.  We ate in several of the restaurants and easily enjoyed more food than really necessary!

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We did not try the fish spa, but hope you will and then let us know how it was!

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View from our balcony – zoomed a bit

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Grouper with pesto pasta

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While it is Secrets “The Vine”, the wine part seems to need a bit of polishing, but all in the all it’s a great place to stay.  Many of our clients enjoy the other Secrets resorts as well.  Are you ready for some Secrets?

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“Mayan” Coffee