A new Cancun luxury resort - complete with limited-time deal!

I'm excited to announce that one of my favorite all-inclusive brands, Secrets Resorts and Spas, will be opening a beautiful new property in Cancun come August - Secrets The Vine Cancun! And to celebrate, they are offering some fantastic deals!

Introductory Rate
Secrets Resorts & Spas is offering a limited time pre-opening special of $160 per person per night based on double occupancy for travel between August 1 - October 28, 2012, and $175 per person per night for travel between October 29 – December 27, 2012.*

* NOTE: The booking window is 11/29/11 to 1/31/12. 

To book your stay at Secrets The Vine Cancun or any other tropical luxury resort, please don't hesitate to contact me at caroline@easyescapestravel.com! 

Press release and more details on this new luxury resort after the jump!

Finally, overwater bungalows in the Dominican Republic!

Ok, so you won’t be able to actually enjoy them until 2013*, but I have a feeling they’ll be worth the wait! Harlequin Hotels & Resorts, owner of the luxurious and exclusive new Buccament Bay Resort in St. Vincent & the Grenadines (also very worth checking out!), is working on a new resort complex in Las Canas, Dominican Republic. Las Canas Resort will offer riverside, beachfront, and overwater bungalows at the main resort, as well as studios and apartments at a boutique property called The Hideaway, about a half kilometer away.  Located only about 20 minutes from the Puerto Plata airport along a gorgeous tropical beach lapped by the crystal-clear turquoise sea, Las Canas and Hideaway are poised to become the next Caribbean “must-stay”!  

 Photos courtesy of Harlequin Hotels and Resorts

*Don't want to wait 2 years to enjoy an overwater bungalow vacation? Then contact me at Caroline@easyescapestravel.com for ideas and quotes on gorgeous resorts in other areas of the world that will allow you to be dipping your toes in the water from your deck within days!

Tadrai Island Resort, Fiji

Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands just became even more enticing with the opening of the ultra-luxe Tadrai island Resort.  Located on a paradisiacal palm-fringed isle, Tadrai is the perfect spot for a honeymoon or other romantic getaway. The resort boasts 5 beautiful and spacious beachfront villas, each with a plunge pool overlooking one of the property’s 4 private beaches.   

 

 

With a maximum of 10 adult guests (sorry, no children allowed!)  on property at any given time, attentive and personalized service is guaranteed. Rates include all meals, select alcoholic beverages, all non-alcoholic beverages, gratuities, and non-motorized water sports, making Tadrai one of just a few true all-inclusive properties in Fiji. The first few guests to stay at Tadrai have raved about  the staff, food,  spa, and everything else the resort has to offer, and I expect that the kudos will just keep coming! 

To plan your own getaway to this pristine paradise, contact me at Caroline@EasyEscapesTravel.com!

Nicaragua part 5 - Granada

For the last 3 nights of our July trip to Nicaragua, we decided to visit the colonial city of Granada. After a lot of research, we settled on Hotel Spa Granada, which was originally the largest private colonial home in the city, but had recently been renovated and reopened as a hotel. A few days ago, it was actually featured on the Today Show as one of their top hotel bargains for travel this holiday season - you can watch a clip of the show here (HSG portion of the clip starts about 1 minute and 40 seconds in)! We actually spent our last 2 nights (more on that below) in the room they show with the pink bed.

Zoetry Agua Punta Cana - Dominican Republic

To celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary, Bob and I decided to try out Zoetry Agua Punta Cana, a luxury boutique all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. We spent our 5th anniversary at one of its sister properties (Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita in Riviera Maya Mexico) and were eager to see how Zoetry's newest offering measured up.
http://www.zoetryresorts.com/agua/

I can't wait to stay at...

the new W Vieques in Puerto Rico, opening March 1st, 2010 (though currently only taking reservations for travel dates of May 1st and later)!
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3170



Though the resort is larger than those I usually enjoy, with 150 rooms, its location, amenities, and unusual design are compelling enough to put it at the top of my short list of long weekend ideas! One of the reasons I've not yet visited this small island off off Puerto Rico's main island is that until now, there were no true resort options on Vieques--only limited-service hotels and villas. And as much as I love small properties, I'm not a fan of having to make my own breakfast while on vacation!

Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita, Riviera Maya, Mexico

To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, my husband and I spent 4 nights in April at the new Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita resort near Puerto Morelos (Riviera Maya), Mexico. http://www.zoetry-la-bonita.com








The property itself has been open for several years, but was taken over and rebranded as Zoetry last fall. Though we are generally not big all-inclusive resort fans, we had a wonderful time here. As most of our trips seem to involve long and/or multiple flights and a lot of moving around/activity, it was a new and fabulous experience to get on a plane in Atlanta, fly for under 3 hours, take a 20 minute car ride, and then spend 4 days doing absolutely nothing but relaxing! We were even upgraded (thank you, hard-earned Delta medallion status!) on both flights, which is very rare coming from Atlanta and really started the trip off right.

New Panama City, Panama hotel

When I traveled to Panama last year, one of the disappointments/frustrations of the trip was the dearth of good hotel options in Panama City. However, Starwood has just opened a chic new Le Meridien in the city! While early reviews are mixed, the property's location, views, and amenities will likely help it become the premier luxury and business hotel in the city. The Le Meridien will definitely be my first choice the next time I'm in Panama City!

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3259

Gorgeous new overwater bungalow find

Well, new to me at least (it appears to have been in business since at least 2005)! I stumbled across Sipadan-Kapalai Island Resort in Malaysia rather randomly during a Flickr search, and fell in love. It appears that getting there would be an adventure unto itself, and the bungalows are not super-luxe. However, the area is stunning, the snorkeling and diving look unbelievable, and the OWBs are lovely, spacious, and look out over insanely clear water. I especially adore the way they've put a giant window right next to the bathtub, so you can gaze out over the sea while you bathe. While it's not incredibly cheap for Southeast Asia, the resort is an absolute steal compared to what you'd pay for an OWB in French Polynesia or the Maldives! For about $1000US (non-divers) or $1250US (divers), you can have a 3 night stay for 2 people, including accommodation, meals, some drinks, transfers, and tons of dives (the last only if you get the dive package, of course).

The hotel's website is not particularly user-friendly or informative, but here is the tripadvisor link, which has tons of great pictures and information: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g303996-d454985-Reviews-Sipadan_Kapalai_Island_Resort-Pulau_Sipadan_Sabah.html

Also check out S-KIR's sister resort, Lankayan Island Dive Resort. No OWBs, but simply stunning location, with spacious bungalows right on the beach!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g303997-d637481-Reviews-Lankayan_Island_Dive_Resort-Sandakan_Sabah.html


Looks like Malaysia just moved even higher on my "must-visit SOON" list!

Space hotel to open in 2012--rates from $4M for 3 nights

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070810/sc_nm/space_hotel_dc

Finally, a hotel that makes the Poseidon Underwater resort look like a bargain!

Amazing new resort opening in Fiji in 2009

Poseidon Underwater Resort will be the only property of its kind in the world, and promises to provide an unparalleled experience...

http://www.poseidonresorts.com/poseidon_main.html

I will say that for $30K per couple for 6 nights, I would at least expect to be in the underwater rooms the whole time (right now, you only get 2 nights there and 4 in a beach bungalow). Still, it looks absolutely incredible, and the excursions definitely beat out your typical tour!