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Secrets Resorts & Spas offer adults an extra measure of romance and sensuality in exquisite luxury settings. Immerse yourself in Unlimited-Luxury® where everything is included: Elegantly appointed suites with 24-hour concierge and room services.

Multiple gourmet restaurants and lounges serving premium beverages. Endless day and evening activities, all in spectacular settings.

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Experience all that Mexico has to offer at Barceló’s all-inclusive resorts

Now is the best time to visit Mexico, thanks to never-before-seen deals offered by leading all-inclusive hotelier Barceló Hotels & Resorts. With more than 75 years of experience in the travel and leisure resort industry, this Spain-based hotelier knows what it takes to make a great vacation, and with an extensive portfolio of resorts in some of Mexico’s most sought-after destinations, Barceló can provide something to suit every traveler’s taste and at an all-inclusive, upfront price that cannot be beat.

Best of all, each Barceló property infuses the unique characteristics of the destination into its architecture, style and amenities, guaranteeing that guests will enjoy a more authentic cultural travel experience in colorful, vibrant Mexico.

With fun to be had by all–whether you choose to relax by the beach, practice your golf swing or partake in exhilarating water sports–Barceló Hotels & Resorts is ready to welcome you with warm, authentically Mexican hospitality in a friendly, inviting setting, found at each of the hotelier’s thirteen properties in Mexico.

For couples and families seeking the best of the Mexican Riviera, the all-inclusive Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe, a luxurious five-in-one resort complex in the dazzling Riviera Maya, offers a postcard-worthy backdrop of lush, tropical landscapes and white sands bathed by the crystalline waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Ideally located on Mexico’s eastern coast between the sizzle of Cancun and the intriguing ruins of Tulum, this Club Premium Barceló resort boasts a family entertainment program, two kids’ clubs, a 16,000 square-foot spa and wellness facility and an extravagant array of dining options, from delectable à la carte restaurants to exquisite buffets.

On-site activities include seven lit tennis courts, in-pool aqua aerobics, snorkeling, kayaking, diving, mini golf, beach volleyball, sailing and windsurfing.

For those who would like to discover the tempting flavor of Cancun, Barceló Tucancun Beach, located on the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and encircled by the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean, is a great fit.

Whether you are hoping to dance all night long at Cancun’s famous dance clubs or wanting to enjoy a more quiet holiday in a paradisiacal retreat, the choice is there.

Your kids will be well taken care of, as family entertainment is fully provided. Guests can also enjoy a variety of water sports as well as three outdoor swimming pools, a state-of-the-art spa and beauty salon, five bars and four dining establishments, including international buffets and fine dining, a la carte restaurants.

A family favorite on the Pacific Coast, Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya, an all-suite, all-inclusive, Club Premium hotel, just minutes from historic downtown Puerto Vallarta, offers a multitude of activities that appeals to all.

This AAA Four Diamond hotel includes 317 one- and two-bedroom guest suites, decorated in a soft-contemporary palette of neutral tones, accented with tropical colors.

Each suite opens onto a large balcony with a panoramic view of Mismaloya Bay and the resort’s peaceful, surrounding gardens. Travelers can enjoy a variety of water sport offerings as well as four outdoor swimming pools with waterfalls and a children’s slide, Jacuzzis, an on-site shopping promenade, a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center and five restaurants, ranging from resort casual to world-class cuisine.

For more information on Barceló Hotels & Resorts or any of its more than 180 properties, visit http://www.barcelo.com

About Barceló Hotels & Resorts

Barceló Hotels & Resorts is among the world’s top 25 largest hospitality and travel companies. Barceló was established in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1931, first as a transportation provider and then as a hotel and travel company.

The family-owned, privately held company has been world-renowned for more than 75 years for its excellence in service and its innovation within the tourism industry.

The hotel company owns or manages more than 180 properties in 16 countries. Barceló’s hotels and resorts are found in key destinations and cities throughout Europe, North America, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The company offers a large variety of hotels and resort types to accommodate all travelers, from budget-minded to upscale guests seeking luxurious accommodations.

Barceló specializes in all-inclusive resorts that make vacation planning both convenient and affordable, offering one upfront, all-encompassing price.

Delicious destinations. Expert sources. Sexy venues…
Travel Temptations - New from GPP Travel

Now Available: SIP California, SUN California, and SNOW California

While a travel guide will tell readers where to go, this series tells them how. Packed with exclusive interviews, future forecasts, and genuine insider information, the Travel Temptations series brings readers past invisible walls and into the insiders’ circles. It identifies essential experiences and makes them accessible for everyone.

Travel Temptations focuses on the hottest spots on the “Generation Me” map, including but not limited to: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Miami/South Florida, San Francisco, the Mayan Riviera, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Aspen/Vail, and Sonoma/Napa/Mendocino Wine Country.

Regardless of where the reader wants to go, Travel Temptations always answers the critical questions:

- What about this place is extra special?
- Why do readers want to be here?
- What experiences can they have here that they can’t have elsewhere?
- How should readers spend their money?
- Do they need to be on any lists?
- What neighborhoods will readers enjoy checking out?
- Where should readers go to eat/drink/party?
- Who and what should readers avoid altogether?

Lena Katz is the California, Hawaii, and Mexico travel blogger creator of the Playboy Scout; and founding editor of LAX Magazine, the in-terminal publication of Los Angeles International Airport. She has been quoted as a travel expert by the Wall Street Journal and Entertainment Tonight, and regularly contributes to Brides, MSNBC, AOL, and the Los Angeles Times. She lives in Hermosa Beach, California.

Exclusive Service at an All-inclusive Price

When it comes to taking a vacation these days, who says you can’t have it all? Leading all-inclusive hotelier Barceló Hotels & Resorts understands that today’s guests may have limited travel dollars, but that doesn’t mean they want a limited vacation experience.

For these vacationers, Barceló’s Club Premium offering, available at select, Barceló Premium resorts, is the perfect fit, providing exclusive perks and a special VIP designation, all at an affordable, all-in-one and upfront price.

With the sea breeze whistling in your ear and a cool, complimentary mojito in your hand, you can have it all - and without the designer price tag. As soon as you walk through the door, you receive the VIP treatment with a private check-in area and concierge, just for your and your select entourage.

Squeeze in extra time to scope out the beaches or stretch your morning by sleeping in with complimentary early check-in and late checkout, exclusive services for Club Premium guests.

You’ll feel like a rock star calling upon the 24-hour concierge service from your spacious, deluxe suite, complete with a plush pillow menu and breathtaking ocean views from your private balcony.

At a resort where every activity is included in one, pre-paid price, Club Premium members never have to shuttle-bus to another location. On-site, guests may explore exclusive pools, enjoy free Internet access and make unlimited reservations at the resort’s a la carte, fine dining establishments.

And after dinner, guests may also want to visit the Club Premium lounge, where they can enjoy unlimited access to free beverages from an international drink menu.

“Now more than ever before, travelers are doing their homework to find that one perfect vacation that doesn’t break the bank,” said Claudio Zboznovits, vice president of sales and marketing in the U.S.

“With around-the-clock superior service and access to amazing luxuries, our Club Premium program is a valuable bundle, giving guests a truly unique experience to write home about.”

The Club Premium service and amenities are automatically included for guests who select the highest room categories at Barceló Premium hotels. However, Club Premium offerings can also be made available to any guest at these select hotels for a small, additional surcharge.

Barceló hotels with Club Premium:

Barceló Maya Beach Resort - Riviera Maya, Mexico
Barceló Huatulco Beach - Huatulco, Mexico
Barceló Ixtapa Beach - Ixtapa, Mexico
Barceló Karmina Palace Deluxe - Manzanillo, Mexico
Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Barceló Bavaro Palace Deluxe - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Barceló Bavaro Palace - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Barceló Puerto Plata - Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Barceló Punta Cana - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Barceló Lina - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Barceló San Jose Palacio - San Jose, Costa Rica
Barceló Guatemala City - Guatemala City, Guatemala

About Barceló Hotels & Resorts

Barceló Hotels & Resorts is among the world’s top 25 largest hospitality and travel companies. Barceló was established in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1931, first as a transportation provider and then as a hotel and travel company. The family-owned, privately held company has been world-renowned for more than 75 years for its excellence in service and its innovation within the tourism industry.

The hotel company owns or manages more than 180 properties in 16 countries. Barceló’s hotels and resorts are found in key destinations and cities throughout Europe, North America, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The company offers a large variety of hotels and resort types to accommodate all travelers, from budget-minded to upscale guests seeking luxurious accommodations. Barceló specializes in all-inclusive resorts that make vacation planning both convenient and affordable, offering one upfront, all-encompassing price.

For more information or reservations, visit http://www.barcelo.com

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts will offer Rosewood guests access to the new Flip UltraH digital camcorder from Pure Digital Technologies, Inc.

The new second-generation Flip UltraHD camcorders will be available at select Rosewood Hotels & Resorts for complimentary use the moment that they hit the market.

As a special vacation keepsake, the staff at Rosewood properties will download guests’ videos onto YouTube or a DVD that they can take home with them.

With 120 minutes of record time, a large LCD screen, rechargeable batteries and high resolution video, guests will be able to capture all of their favorite vacation moments.

The new Flip UltraHD camcorder will be available at Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park, Calif.; Rosewood Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico; Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands; Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, Santa Fe, N.M.

Rosewood concierges will provide the Flip UltraHD camcorders to guests along with easy-to-use tips for the best results.

Upon departure, the concierges will download the video onto YouTube or DVD as the perfect souvenir.

For more information, call 888-ROSEWOOD or visit www.rosewoodhotels.com

Grupo Posadas welcomes travelers back to their favorite Mexican destinations by picking up the bill for half of their stay. Guests at Posadas’ elite resorts, including AQUA Cancun and the Fiesta Americana Grand and Fiesta Americana properties, can enjoy 50 percent off their nightly rate as well as an additional 25 percent discount on dining, beverage and spa services at the following select hotels: AQUA Cancun, starting from $172 per night;

Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Cancun, starting from $170 per night;

Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort, starting from $130 per night;

Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun, starting from $83 per night;

Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta, starting from $81 per night;

and Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort, starting from $55 per night.

This promotion is based on single or double occupancy for travel now through Dec. 23, 2009, and is subject to availability at time of booking.

This offer does not include taxes, tips and other service fees, does not apply for group reservations and is not applicable with any other promotional or discounted rate.

Travel reservations must be booked on or before July 31, 2009, by calling 800-FIESTA-1 or by visiting www.fiestamericana.com/halfprice

Preferred Hotel Group kicked off its Viva Mexico sale.

Preferred Hotel Group will roll out the sale of the season, offering a $20 rate on 20 great Mexican resorts , Ending in around the 10th of July.

Those who take advantage of the Viva Mexico offer will have the opportunity to book a dream summer vacation and pay just $20 for the first night of a five-night stay.

Total package prices start at $420 and include a $200 resort credit plus a guaranteed upgrade. Travel agents can access these offers on the GDS by using the PV master chain code and “Viva Mexico” and/or “Viva Mexico 20.”

For more information, in the U.S., call 877-323-7505 or visit www.phgoffers.com/mexicosale

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts launched a new Hyatt Gold Passport bonus point promotion, which reinforces the Hyatt commitment to creating the world’s most generous welcome.

Through Sept. 15, 2009, Gold Passport members can earn 2,500 bonus points per stay when paying with a MasterCard debit or credit card.

The number of bonus points that can be earned is unlimited and points never expire.

After only two stays, members will earn enough points for a free night or a room upgrade.

With the newly redesigned Hyatt Gold Passport program, members can now take part in a wider range of exclusive privileges, including free night awards with no black-out dates, complimentary Internet access, suite upgrades and exclusive check-in areas for elite members.

To enroll in the promotion and begin earning bonus points, Gold Passport members can register at www.goldpassport.com

Guests who are not yet Gold Passport members can easily join at www.goldpassport.com and will be automatically registered.

With the opening of 30 new hotels in the past year, and 18 more properties slated to open in 2009, Hyatt Gold Passport members have more opportunities to experience Hyatt and the benefits of membership. A selection of the new and upcoming locations include: North America and the Caribbean — Seattle, Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York City, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Richmond, Charlotte, Sarasota, West Palm Beach, Clearwater Beach, Lexington, Toronto and Curaçao; Asia — Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Macau; and Europe and the Middle East — Istanbul, Dushanbe, Ekaterinburg, Moscow, Doha and Jeddah.

Full terms and conditions for the Hyatt Gold Passport-MasterCard promotion are available at www.goldpassport.com

Reservations for any Hyatt hotel and resort worldwide may be made by call 800-233-1234 or visiting www.hyatt.com

ME Cancun, the resort located on the Yucatan peninsula, officially launches SuiteME — a 9,757-square-foot, bi-level suite. Recently home to the cast of “The Real World Cancun,” SuiteME comes equipped with lavish amenities, highly stylized furnishings, sweeping views of the Caribbean, and all the comforts of home.

SuiteME combines comfortable, lavish accommodations with the ability to host large or intimate celebrations, girls’ or guys’ weekends, small corporate retreats or a relaxed getaway in grandiose, extravagant surroundings.

Upon entering the suite, guests are greeted by saltwater fish, held in a spherical aquarium and surrounded by a circular, yellow cushioned seating area. The top floor also features a fully-stocked bar, a purple felt pool table and a deck with blue couches and chaise lounges. An outdoor, spiral staircase winds down to the main level of the suite onto a second balcony and into the main living area.

A hammock for lounging, a high-top table for dining al-fresco and views overlooking ME Cancun’s adult-only pool area make this the most serene of the three balconies.

Adjacent to the “Serene Balcony,” guests will find a living-room space, which transitions into an open-plan, large kitchen surrounded by windows for unobstructed ocean views.

The kitchen comes complete with a refrigerator, full range stove with oven, microwave, coffee maker and cooking utensils.

Guests can eat family style at the blue-glass kitchen table or ask ME Cancun’s chef to create a Mexican masterpiece. ME Cancun’s culinary team is also available to teach Mexican cooking lessons in SuiteME.

Built in the tradition of “Real World” voyeurism, SuiteME’s personality is captured through a number of design elements: a uniquely-placed set of showers; four, deep sink-bowls which face each other and feature a double sided mirror; and a 10-person hot tub.

Enclosed by strategically placed, clouded glass, the showers feature two oversized rain-shower heads in each of the two stalls, handheld power jets, and natural Aveda amenities.

From the foyer above, guests can look down into the 10-person, blue, bronze, and gold mosaic-tiled hot tub.

“The Real World’s” iconic Phone Room adds another voyeuristic element — located adjacent to SuiteME’s living-room, it is enclosed in glass and features an old-style phone, canopy bed, and an indoor garden of local flora. Guests looking for more privacy need not worry: cordless telephones, plasma screen televisions, showers with rain-shower heads and personal vanity areas are available in each of the four guest rooms.

SuiteME boasts “The Playroom,” outfitted with a plasma flat-screen television, which doubles as a computer with complimentary Internet access, iPod docking stations and iPods preloaded with a variety of genres of music.

Games such as Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit and a library of books are available as well as two massage chairs for guests to unwind.

“The Playroom” is also fully game operational with a Nintendo Wii gaming console, Rock Band equipment, and plenty of room for different groups of people to play at the same time. For a quick escape outdoors, “The Playroom” connects to SuiteME’s third balcony called “Balcony X,” with room for 10 to hang out, enjoy cocktails, and take pleasure in the views of the Caribbean.

SuiteME guests have access to all the facilities of ME Cancun including the water ritual pool, the infinity pool and the adult-only pool, the ME fitness center, Yhi Spa, e-space, and the property’s three restaurants — Silk, Salt and Rande Gerber’s Maxim Beach House.

For more information, visit www.ME-Cancun.com

Collette Vacations’ Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures brand offers cultural adventure travel to Egypt, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Turkey, Iceland, Newfoundland and Yucatan, with packages grounded in education, history and cultural immersion.

Guest speakers on the tours, ranging from Egyptologists to naturalists and art historians, enhance the experience by sharing their expertise and passion on their subjects.

These local speakers really make the difference between clients simply seeing, and truly understanding the destination. 

Any air-inclusive Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures tour  starts from home with the new Door to Door Service — an advantage that no other major U.S. tour operator can offer.

This free round trip sedan service transfer — including gratuities — from home to the airport is included and available in many U.S. cities within a 50-mile radius of more than 75 gateways.

In addition to these agent and client advantages, there are numerous “wow” moments on all Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures tours.

“We are the only tour operator offering a Newfoundland-only program,” said Dan Sullivan, Collette president and CEO. “Our clients are able to spend two nights in Gros Morne National Park; travel along the scenic Viking Trail;

visit a winery and sample local cuisine like caribou.

These experiences leave them with a good understanding of the culture of this Canadian province.

Classical Turkey, one of the newest destinations offered through Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures, is a 12-day tour through Turkey’s mix of ancient and new. Experts along the way, including historians, a food history scholar, and an archeologist, offer their knowledge to enhance the understanding of Turkey’s unique position as a crossroad of cultures.

From Istanbul’s famous Topkapi Palace to Cappadocia’s “fairy chimneys,” Turkey is sure to delight all its guests.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures is a brand created by the partnership of Collette Vacations, the oldest major tour operator in the U.S. with tours to all seven continents, and Smithsonian Journeys, the Smithsonian Institution’s Travel Program, to provide travelers with the high standards that are synonymous with these brands.

These diverse tours offer the best value-priced learning vacations worldwide and are created for adventurous travelers who seek the thrill of discovery and learning, combined with flexibility and economical rates.

To learn more about Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures worldwide destinations, as well as the details of Door to Door roundtrip sedan service, visit www.collettevacations.com