-

Dear Fellow Traveler: This month we feature travel apps that really help, fun facts, a product education trip to St. Croix and the spectacular Grand Velas Riviera Maya.

Opened in 2008, the luxurious all-inclusive Grand Velas Riviera Maya is one of the newer resorts to distinguish Riviera Maya as a premier destination. The region is blessed with an embarrassment of riches, including picture-perfect scenery, palmed-fringed beaches, ancient Mayan ruins and year-round warm climate. Featuring uniquely Mexican world-class hospitality, the resort is the only family-friendly all-inclusive resort in the Mexican Caribbean to have been rated Five Diamonds by the AAA. Set on over 80 acres of protected mangroves, jungle and natural freshwater wells locally known as cenotes, Grand Velas enjoys over 1,000 feet of pristine white sand beach that is carefully preserved. Personalized butler concierge services, a cutting edge convention center, modern kids club and so much more make Grand Velas Riviera Maya the ultimate resort for leisure and business travelers. Hugging the Riviera Maya coastline, this luxury resort is just 5 minutes from downtown Playa Del Carmen and a short drive from Cancun International Airport. When do you want to go?

ACCOMMODATIONS

The luxury suites at Grand Velas Riviera Maya have been carefully designed to complement the naturally breathtaking surroundings and seduce your senses. They embody luxury living with contemporary Mexican décor and amenities such as oceanfront and jungle terraces with private plunge pools, in-room massage tables, whirlpool bathtubs, 42" plasma screen TVs, wireless Internet, and 24-hour room service.

The resort is split into three distinct sections: an adult-only area of the resort is designed for optimum privacy and relaxation, a family friendly area with kids club, and a very unique "Mayan Jungle" section located almost a mile from the beach amidst lush vegetation. Each of the 491 spacious suites offer stunning views, and over a thousand square feet of living space.

 

DINING

Grand Velas Riviera Maya restaurants feature acclaimed chefs from around the world, including Spain, France and Mexico.

Many all-inclusive resorts are let down by their food, but this is an area where the Grand Velas thrives, and offers gourmet dining on par with the finest eating establishments in the world, with elegant options for adults, casual family restaurants, outdoor seating and international cuisine. Guests can also enjoy the luxury of 24-hour in-suite dining, snack bars, poolside bars, and hip lounges featuring nightly entertainment.

From the surprises and delights of Molecular cuisine to new takes on traditional French dishes and Asian fusion specialties, there are options to suit every taste - even family favorites such as gourmet pizzas!

RECREATION

The Riviera Maya is a paradise for water sports and Grand Velas guests can delight in the wonders of the crystalline Caribbean waters. Enjoy snorkeling tours of pristine coral reefs teeming with tropical fish; scuba dive in some of the world's best dive spots; swim in the ocean alongside massive, gentle whale sharks, or with dolphins. World class golf can be found nearby, or maybe check out an excusion to the amazing Mayan ruins. Fishing is also popular, with swordfish, marlin and sailfish to be caught during the spring.

If you prefer something a little less adventurous, prepare to be amazed by a breathtaking spa. Located in the midst of the vibrant jungle, it features a clay room, ice room and experience pool, and has previously been named "Best Spa in the World" by Virtuoso.

-
Ready for a trip to Grand Velas Riviera Maya?
Contact us today at 877-288-6719 or jeffholland@monalto.com for a quote or more information
-
CASE STUDY
MONALTO TRAVELS
FUN FACTS

Education and Enjoyment

Our client was looking for a program that centered around educating staff and suppliers about their product, as well as offering an enjoyable getaway. With a manufacturing facility located on the beautiful island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, we were able to provide our client with the best of both worlds.

Highlights of the trip included a spectacular beach resort, delicious island dining at specially selected restaurants, activities to cater for all tastes - from soothing massages to adventurous off-roading - and a day of product education with special guest appearances.

With a perfect balance of business and pleasure we were able to help our client to fulfil all of their objectives, and each attendee went home relaxed and informed.

Read more

 

Where we've been recently...

Our clients visit some fantastic destinations each month! Here are some of the places we have hosted clients recently:

St. Regis Buckhead
Atlanta, GA

Half Moon Rose Hall
Montego Bay, Jamaica

The Buccaneer
St. Croix, USVI

Fitzpatrick Grand Central
New York, NY

Palazzo
Las Vegas, NV

Casa Dorada
Los Cabos, Mexico

Carambola Beach Resort
St. Croix, USVI

Did You Know?

1. In 1974 the founder of FedEx saved the company by taking its last $5,000 and turning it into $32,000 by gambling in Las Vegas.

2. There is enough fuel in a full tank of a Boeing 747 to drive an average car around the world four times.

3. The city of Portland (Oregon) was named after a coin toss in 1844. Heads for Portland, tails for Boston.

4. Naumi Hotel is the first hotel in Singapore to have a women-only floor. It has five ladies-only suites hidden behind a security glass door, stocked with satin room accessories and skincare products.

5. In the 1960s, in this order, flight attendants had to be at least 5-foot-2, weigh less than 130 pounds, be single and childless and retire at the ripe old age of 32 years.

-
-
-

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Travel Apps That Really Help

As the world becomes more mobile, so the devices we all carry around become more essential to our daily life. Your smartphone is now the key to everything, from doing business to social networking to capturing that all-important 'selfie', and it's your lifeline for researching information on the go. Here's an overview of some of the mobile apps you should not leave for your next trip without.

Tripit
Tripit is one of our favorites! If you've ever used TripIt online to manage your travel, you know it's a great tool for keeping all your travel plans in one place. Travelers simply forward their purchase confirmation emails to TripIt and TripIt automatically creates master itineraries with travel plans and other critical information. Of course, there's also an app for that. See and manage all your travel plans in the TripIt app so you never lose your details, and never have to carry printed itineraries, confirmations, reservations, etc. Beyond the basics of flights, hotels and cars, you can also put in things like appointments and meals, and more! With TripIt, it's easy for travelers to print or access their trip plans from anywhere - and to share itineraries and travel calendars with friends in their TripIt network. This one is a game changer! Download Tripit

FlightTrack Pro
If you want to stay on top of all your flight status in one app, look no further than FlightTrack Pro! Not only does it have the ability to predict delays before they happen, it can give you loads of information about a particular flight way ahead of time. Anyone who travels frequently knows how handy this can be when preparing to pack. Just look up the flight you'll be on in the near future and you can view a list of amenities, including whether or not in-flight WiFi is provided. Information on the aircraft itself is just a tap away as well. You can also view alternate flights in just a tap as well as share the flight with someone else. For most of us, that will probably be the person picking us up at the airport on the other side. FlightTrack 5 supports push notifications as well so you can be alerted to any gate changes or delays instantly. This makes it an ideal solution if you tend to fly with more than one specific airline since it can cover all of them in one app. Download FlightTrack Pro

TripAdvisor
The TripAdvisor app is a mobile link to everyone's favorite travel research site, and is brilliant for finding out travel information when a computer is not available. Say you're planning on visiting a city for the first time, TripAdvisor can help you manage your trip, find a good hotel, discover places to visit and eat - it can even help you find a appropriate flight to get you there! You know it's a reliable resource because it's fueled by user reviews, informing you in detail of the pros and cons of every aspect of your travels. TripAdvisor offers apps for just about any phone or tablet, so you have several ways to access this valuable travel resource. Download TripAdvisor

GateGuru
Recently acquired by TripAdvisor, GateGuru is a mobile app that provides real-time information on airports, weather, and flights. Much of that is picked up from crowdsourcing, not unlike Waze does with traffic. The app is simple yet extremely beneficial for both frequent travelers or those who are unfamiliar with airports. You start on the home screen and choose your flight. The app then shows you whether the flight is delayed, what gate you're departing from, at which terminal you will arrive, estimated time of take-off, etc. The best bit of the app is in the information it supplies you about the airports you will be using. You can search information such as where to eat (and it will sort the choices by gates), what shops are available and even provides maps of the airports. A cool feature about GateGuru is it keeps track of your different journeys, and shows you your travel stats. How many airports you've flown through, how many miles you've flown and other interesting stats about your travels. Download GateGuru

Kayak
With its mobile app Kayak offers you the easiest way to choose the best deals for airfare, hotel room and car rental deals, and then make the booking on the go. The app not only lets you find the best deal, but also check out photos and read reviews, giving you all the information you need at your fingertips, as well as allowing you to create and manage an itinerary for your upcoming trip. It includes a ton of other handy tools as well, like a baggage fee calculator, flight status tracker, currency converter, and terminal maps for over 100 airports. Additionally, Kayak includes in its searches other booking services, like Orbitz and Priceline, to truly make sure you find the best deal. Download Kayak

Uber
Uber has revolutionized the way we look for a taxi. The app is incredibly simple. A map automatically pinpoints your location based on your smartphone's GPS. You then have the choice of of vehicle: Black Car, SUV, or the new Uber X (which offers many different types of vehicles and promises to cut prices by 35%), and you can see just how far each one is from you. Once confirmed you will receive numerous text and call alerts, and you can even track your driver's progress on a map within the app. When first setting up your account with Uber you will place a credit card on file so there is no need to exchange any type of payment with the driver, including the tip, which streamlines the whole process even further. Sign up for Uber


Let's talk possibilities. Contact us today!
Phone 770-998-3123 | Fax 770-998-5515 | Email jeffholland@monalto.com | Online monalto.com
-
-
Email Us Follow Us On Twitter!