Apple Vacations
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Category: Travel
Contact Information
United States
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Apple Vacations Reviews
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Kathii
May 6, 2011
Customer Service non-existent
We paid for a vacation package which included a “non-stop” flight (charter) and 7 nights at the Riu Bambu. The Allegiant Air flt #4601 was to depart Boston at 8:45 a.m. and arrive in Punta Cana at 1:35 p.m. However that was not the case.
JANUARY 15, 2011 CHAIN OF EVENTS:
We arrived at Logan at 6:45 a.m. When we checked I requested seats at the front of the plane but was told there was only seats left towards the back. This surprised me since my Apple paperwork said the ticket desk would open 2 hours prior to departure. I was a bit disappointed but no big deal…..till I got on the plane. The seats were in row 34 right beside the engine and it was the loudest I have ever experienced on any flight I have ever been on. My husband and I could not even hear each other talk and by the end of the flights I had an extreme headache. In fact almost every passenger that was in the line waiting to use the bathroom asked me how could I stand sitting here, the noise was unbearable.
Our 8:45 a.m. flight was delayed over one hour, actually may have been an hour and a half before we were able to board because the water pipes were frozen and had to be thawed before we could board. (I do not have the exact time we departed since my watch battery went dead that morning). (Still optimistic, I thought OK these things happen, just wait it out).
We were in flight for 3 .5 hours when the pilot announced that we could no longer fly over the ocean and had to move inland due to gas consumption or something to that affect…..I couldn’t actually hear him due to the engine noise but the flight attendant said something to that affect when I asked her what was happening. So it was going to take longer before we got to Punta Cana. (OK…. More disappointing news but I thought positive and said to myself, Oh well at least we’ll be on the beach by later that afternoon.)
A little bit later the pilot then announced that we were going to have to stop in Orlando, Fl to refuel BUT we would not have to disembark…just fuel up and be back in the air. I again spoke to the flight attendant and she told me that Orlando was their home base and we may have to wait for a new flight pilot crew to fly us to Punta Cana which may take a while if they have not called them in yet.. I think it was around 1:30 PM when we landed in Orlando. (Now I’m getting a little discouraged).
So we get to Florida and after arriving at the airport, the pilot says there has been a change and we need to change planes so everyone will have to get off the plane and board the other plane at the gate beside us and we will have to wait to transport the luggage to the other plane but they will get us back in the air as soon as possible.
So we all get off the plane and they usher us to the boarding ramp which was just around the corner and we all start boarding the plane. Half of the passengers are now seated in the same seats they had on the previous plane. Since my husband and I was at the back of the plane/line we were still waiting in the bridgeway to board, when a person rushes up to me from behind and tells me and the other passengers to back up into the small room we just had previously entered. He then went on the plane and told everyone to get off the plane. So like a herd of cattle we are all backing up and tripping over each other and crammed into this small “holding room”. No one knows what is going on. There are no flight attendants nor pilots around us, only security offices. We then overhear that the plane needs to be serviced before we can board.
So we are all packed din this small room with many passengers requesting to go to the bathroom. Since we were an “international flight” we could not leave that small room we entered when we departed the plane, so they made us line up in groups of 5 at a time and escorted us to a bathroom. Again we were delayed hours in Florida before actually departing to Punta Cana.
Then to add insult to injury, as we were in the air, the Allegiant male flight attendant announced (exactly as noted in quotes below) that he knew how upset everyone was and that Allegiant “had several surprises for us to make up for the inconvenience that would make us all very happy”. (Well I thought at least they are going to do something for us.) BUT THEY DID NOTHING!! When the male flight attendant walked to the back of the plane much later in the flight, I asked him what the surprises were and he said, (I quote)… “A smile” and kept walking. It was bad enough with everything that was happening but to have an attendant make a false announcement such as that just to keep the passengers from complaining when he knew it wasn’t true is incomprehensible to me.
In fact, when doing the beverage service they started from the back row of the plane and moved forward. I ordered 2 diet cokes for my husband and I. No one told us, nor was there an announcement that they were going to give each passenger a free cocktail or beer. So we never got one. It wasn’t till later when waiting for our luggage, that I found out from other passengers that they gave a free cocktail to you if you requested one.
So now we get to the hotel. It is now 9:30 pm and we are finally here. A day from *** starting at 6:45 a.m. We are starving cause we have not had any food all day other than one or two pretzel snacks and diet cokes. We get checked in and rush to our room to drop off our coats and carry on items and leave our luggage in the lobby to retrieve later after we eat. It took a half hour to get checked in and to our room. We were at the buffet by 10:05 pm only to find out that the buffet closed at 10 p.m. So we had to wait until the next morning before we could eat anything.
RETURN FLIGHT ON JANUARY 22, 2011
We departed our hotel at 11 a.m. for our 2:35 pm return flight. We asked the Apple rep if our flight was on time and he said yes. We got to the airport and waited to board. At 2:15 pm there was still no boarding announcement. No one in the terminal knew whether our flight was delayed or what the status of it was??? There was no one there to let us know what was happening and when we asked we were told they didn’t know. Finally I found someone who told me the flight out of Boston was delayed 35 minutes so I figured the plane from Boston should have been there by 2:10 pm Punta Cana time but it was not. There was nothing on the flight screen showing Allegiant air at all . After another half hour passed I asked a different person about our flight and was told Ryan Air was transporting us back to Boston instead of Allegiant. (Again no announcement to let us know this.) So our return flight was to depart at 2:35 pm and did not depart until 4 p.m.
Needless to say I wrote Apple Vacations and they DID NOT even acknowledge my letter and I sent it to Customer Service and to the Vice-President.
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Zaika
April 26, 2011
Flight
My friend and I purchased an all-inclusive vacation package to Jamaica-Negril (Riu Negril)from Apple Vacations. The departing flight from Boston to Montego Bay on April 10 had one connection (Miami); the returing flight American Airlines #1812 on April 17 was indicated on the company web site as a direct flight, and we had to pay an extra fee of $65 per person for it. On the day of our return (April 17)at the airport we were unable to check in and informed by the Montego Bay airport customer service that the flight #1812 is a one-stop flight through Miami. In fact, no direct flights between Boston and Montego Bay exist at this time. After we finally managed to check in at the airport, we realized that we have been misinformed and overcharged by Apple Vacations.I checked the company website yesterday: the flight #1812 is still advertised there as a direct flight, and other travelers are still charged significant extra money for this flight. Liars!
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SCAM ((FRAUD) BY APPLE VACATIONS!!! THE
April 25, 2011
SCAM (FRAUD)
In January 2011, I decided to book my vacation at the Riu Guanacaste Hotel in Costa Rica through Apple Vacations. According to Apple Vacations it is a 5 star hotel. Unfortunately this hotel deserves 3 stars at most.
On January 16th, 2011, my boyfriend and I arrived at that hotel. We brought our luggage to our room and left to spend the day outside. In the evening, as I was showering, my boyfriend turned the lights off in the bedroom and fell asleep. Due to this, I slept without observing the bed sheets.
When I got up the next morning, I was shocked to find a huge red spot which appears to be blood on my pillowcase, about the size of an orange. There were also traces of small black spots on the other side of the pillowcase. I immediately took pictures of these findings, wrote a complaint, and brought the pillowcase and my complaint to the attention of Mr. Santamaria Cerdes (public relations department) and Mr. Ricardo Alfaro Rojas (sub-director of the hotel).
Unfortunately this event completely ruined our vacation due to the following:
1. I was uncertain of whether or not I contracted any infections. Some
of the diseases such as HIV, can be seen only after six months pass.
2. It was difficult for us to fall asleep because of the discomfort we felt after
spotting the pillowcase.
3. Every time we ate, we felt afraid that we would end up in the emergency
room with a food poising infection.
4. We had doubts about the sanitary conditions of the pools and bars.
5. The stress I felt because of these circumstances gave me palpitations.
It is easy to explain why we worried about the food and pools. If the hotel couldn’t even provide clean sheets, we became skeptical of the level of cleanliness everything else had. On January 22nd, 2011 we wrote a second complaint to the attention of Mr. Ricardo Alfaro Rojas, sub-director of Rui Guanacaste, in which we included everything that was mentioned above.
We are also very angry about the fact that the hotel keeps horses on the beach within a few meters from the place where people want to spend their day near the ocean and in the shade. The hotel doesn’t provide beach umbrellas, and the only place to remain in the shade lying down on the beach chairs under the trees was by the horses. We had to smell these horses and watch people take horseback riding tours. We often saw remains of the horse’s poop on the beach and in the ocean. It is known that if a person gets an infection from the horse poop, it can lead to tetanus and may be fatal. We chose the Riu Guanacaste hotel because we were hoping to enjoy the ocean beach. Because of the horse’s poop, we didn’t swim at all.
In addition there were issues with optional dining (reservations required in advance).
"La Toscana" Italian restaurant (main course with table service; buffet starters and dessert)"Furama" Asian restaurant (buffet) Grill. The food in the Italian restaurant was salty and offered only a small variety of dishes each day which were practically the same ones, and the Asian restaurant had poor quality of the food. These can me graded for a 3 star hotel. You expect much better food at 5 star hotel. The liquor was also very cheap branded.
Bedding was minimal at best and the blankets have never been cleaned. The bathrooms had no shampoo, conditioner, or a vanity kit (as a 5 star hotel should have).
The beach has no service. There is no washroom or drinks. They provide chaise loungers which you have to carry by yourself and no umbrellas. For a 5 star hotel, this seems unacceptable and a true rip-off.
There's no music in the hotel, only in the shows. The Spa was very far away from the rooms and pool area, and the TV only had a few channels. In the pool they give each person only one towel. If you want to put it on a beach chair, you do not have any to dry your body up after you swim.
When we came back home we sent a complaint to Apple Vacations demanding a
full compensation for the ruined vacation. First of all, when you send a complaint via
e-mail to Applevacations.com at the link that they provide for complaints, you should not expect your e-mail to be received. When I tried to find out why it was not sent out, a customer service representative told me that I have to email directly to [email protected].
I received a response in a few days telling me that Apple Vacations are going to investigate my complaint within 35 to 45 business days. In 52 business days, Apple vacation offered us a 3 day and 3 nights free stay at this hotel as compensation. This offer is not satisfactory to us because we have no desire to return to the same hotel that we are completely upset with.
This was truly the worst vacation we have experienced. This is at best a 3 star hotel. I think Apple Vacations who rated this hotel as a 5 star hotel should be accountable for deceiving people. I think it is a fraud to recommend this hotel as 5 stars, which is why we demand reimbursement for all our expenses for this vacation. We were very disappointed with such unfairness and sent them another complaint. In the answer we were offered to wait again for another 35 to 45 business days for their decision. |
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sofia dvorkin
April 19, 2011
PETRA NACHTIGALL
Representative PETRA NACHTIGALL behave as unprofessional and very unpleasend personality to even talk to when you need help. She cannot represent any company at all in any business . She told us i have three witnesses and this is all i need to defend myself. I will not travel using service of APPLE VACATIONS if the people like PETRA NACHTIGALL represent it.
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Katinamach
February 17, 2011
Rude and Unprofessional
2nd year for problems with Apple Vacations. Dominican Republic Apple Representative was extremely rude to myself and my husband at the Grand Bahia Principe Ambar regarding our transfer for departure.
When we got to the resort we were given an invitation to a briefing regarding shore excursions and additional services. The invitation provided the names of our apple representative and how to contact these individuals. The invitation had our departure time incorrect and I attempted to find the Apple Representative to clarify our departure time for our return flight and possibly book an excursion.
When I went to the Apple Desk, the representative was not there and other representatives informed me that he only was at our Ambar lobby for 1 hour each day (10:30-11:30). I returned to the Apple Desk on Wed. during the allotted time to find no representative again. The AirTran representative informed me that the rep was at the other lobby most of the time and I could find him there. The other lobby was a shuttle ride away, so I returned the next day.
Next day I went to the Apple Desk to find that he would not be there until 11:30. The Canadian Travel Agent realized that I had been coming over daily and offered to call the rep. in the other lobby to assist with my transfers to the airport. The Apple Representative was very rude to me on the phone. He explained that he could not help me with my departure time, as I did not come to the welcome briefing. I explained that I was snorkeling during that time and he became angry and insisted that I disclose whom I purchased a snorkeling trip through.
I explained that my only need was to confirm our shuttle pick up time. He continued to raise his voice and explain that I did not come the briefing, thus he was not going to assist me. He hung up the phone.
My husband went to the Apple Desk desk at the newly designated time to get our departure information. Mr. Rivas was the Apple Representative and my husband explained that someone was very rude to me on the phone. Mr. Rivas stated it was his partner Sigfrido Veras and he had overheard some of the phone conversation in question. Mr. Rivas was very rude to my husband and explained that since we did not go to the briefing he could not give us the information.
He stated that we would need to attend the Friday welcome briefing (1 day prior to our departure to get this information). Mr. Rivas became very rude and walked out.
My husband attempted to go to the welcome briefing on Friday 'to play their game' at 11:30, but the Apple Representative cancelled the briefing in our lobby. We were then directed to a phone number to call for flight departure information.
When we attempted to place this call, we were informed by resort staff that this would cost money to call Apple unless a guest service agent would be willing to place the call for us.
Apple Customer service representatives have disappointed us two years in a row.
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Paul
June 4, 2010
Cannot be trusted
My family booked a all inclusive vacation at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort in Mexico (40 miles South of Cancun) based upon Apple's recommendation/rating system and the reviews they posted online. Apple advertises theParaiso Lindo as a "ALL INCLUSIVE VALUE ADDED" Resort with a 5 + Orange rating. The Iberoster webpage describes the resort as:
IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts, the hotel division of Iberostar Group, is one of the most renowned Spanish hotel chains at the global level. Founded by the Fluxá family in Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) in 1986, it has come to offer top-level accommodation in major travel destinations around the world.
As a brand name, IBEROSTAR is synonymous with quality in the fifteen countries where it operates, providing outstanding service and personal assistance to ensure full guest satisfaction. With a star as its symbol, the chain has managed to win over customers with its philosophy and values, and its efficient, professional staff.
Considering guests as the backbone of the organisation, the IBEROSTAR brand and the firm’s business strategy are aimed achieving customer satisfaction by providing the best quality service. In this regard, the company’s staff –an innovative, multitasking team– seek to apply the latest trends in every field. Heavy profit reinvestment in hotel renovation and refurbishment is one of IBEROSTAR’s key strategies to accomplish these goals.
The Apple and Iberostar websites boost:
• The world’s most important tour operators entrust their clients to Iberostar, because its hotels are distinguished by:
• Meticulous care over service and a significant volume of investments in all the chain’s establishments, allowing for excellent reception and treatment of guests Comfortable facilities with wide open spaces and modern decoration.
• Privileged locations of establishments, situated on the beach front with easy access to the main places in each town and surrounded by gardens and green areas.
• Varied gastronomy, with exquisite buffets, traditional cuisine, cafeterias, pizzerias and theme restaurants.
• Qualified, specialist staff.
• Expert entertainment teams and sports and entertainment programmes.
Apple in its literature posted online and disseminated to travel agents boosts of Iberostar’s superior service and quality of the dining facilities. Our complaint lies in the fact that the Paraiso Lindo is at best a 3 Star Resort and Apples rating system and their on line reports are disingenuous at best.
As examples of the issues we had at this resort and with Apples misrepresentations:
Food
My family and I have also been on a number of Cruises and have had an opportunity to sample “cruise line” food with both the middle to higher end cruise lines, traveled overseas (Europe, Korea, Ireland, Africa, Costa Rica) throughout the Caribbean ( 17 islands), Mexico, Canada and Bermuda and have had the opportunity to sample the local cuisine so I believe we entered into this vacation with reasonable expectations.
Prior to our arrival in Mexico we had no illusions that we were not going to be staying at the Hilton but expected that at least one of the 7 restaurants advertised at theIberostar resort would be comparable to a 4 Star restaurant based upon Apples 5+ rating.
We made a point of asking our concierge to book us at “sit down restaurants” as we did not want to deal with a buffet at dinner and based on the literature provided by Apple andIberostar we were looking forward to 4/5 star dining. We understood that breakfast and lunch involved buffets and we were fine with that.
Well, the food in plain terms was mediocre. It was difficult to find a decent meal. A majority of the food was either pre-prepared food that was then micro waved or reheated.
On our first night we tried the Italian restaurant and three of the 5 meals were just plan horrible. The other two ranged from “ok” to not bad with the “not bad” meal being the equivalent of a fast food chain restaurant (Applebee’s, TGIF’s).
On our second night we tried the Steak House and the meat was tough and very greasy and the vegetables mashed and soaked in oil. Everyone was in agreement that no one had a decent meal that night.
On our third night we tried the “Gourmet French Restaurant” and again no one had a decent meal. The steak/tenderloins were tough, the fish was overcooked. I complained that night and was met with a number of apologies and a visit from the “Head Chef” but we were left with a situation where we needed to “find” something to eat at 9 am that was not Burgers, Carbs or a picked through buffet.
On our fourth night we tried the Mexican Restaurant which we felt would and should be terrific in light of the fact that we were in Mexico. Well, it was horrible. Two of us had a lobster that had been cooked and reheated and was so dry that we gave up on trying to “dissect it”. Our remaining three meals were again reheated and rubbery. We were once again relegated to the buffet to grab some grilled chicken and guac. Of all the restaurants this was the most disappointing as we expected a wonderful meal prepared by the “Iberostar 4/5 Star Chefs” and ended up with a meal that a wait person at Ruby Tuesday would have sent back.
On our fifth night we tried the fish restaurant and four of our meals were overcooked and rubbery which is hard to do with fish and scallops. My daughter had a nice piece of salmon and my vegetables weren’t too bad.
On our sixth night we went back to the “Gourmet French Restaurant” as the people we met at the pool and beach had warned us to stay away from the Japanese Restaurant with comments like “our meal was just plain terrible” to “we had to ask our waiter to please find us someone who could speak English and tell the cook to prepare a meal based upon our requests and not his interpretation of what a Authentic Japanese meal should taste like”. At that point we had a choice…..back to the burger/chicken/carbs buffet or “upgrade” at a cost of $40.00 per person to eat at one of Iberostars two Five Star Restaurants at their high end GrandResort . At that point in our vacation we did not want to spend $200. extra on a meal plus tip hoping that it would be better than the other 6 restaurants so we went back to the “Gourmet French Restaurant” and two of us had a decent meal in that the meat was not overcooked and the vegetables (which were steamed) were tasty. At this point our rating system had gone from - is it a 4 star meal to is it edible.
Seriously, a majority of our dinners were just plain terrible and most of the staff was oblivious. At the beginning of our 2nd visit to the “Gourmet” restaurant we were escorted into what was described as a “private” dining room which if you and your family were there alone with a waiter/waitress it would have been a fun experience. In our case the staff proceeded to break down the room around us as we ate and used the room to store then retrieve chairs, glasses and tables. Needless to say the constant distractions dampened any conversation and at times we simply had to stop talking until the staff had finished moving a table out of the area.
To add insult to injury, most restaurants had a buffet for your appetizer and dessert and were quickly picked over. The desserts were comparable to what you would receive on a low level cruise or the packaged dessert you would buy in bulk at Sam’s Club. Most of the bread based/puff pastry desserts (cream puffs, vol-a-vue, pastries) were stale and hard to cut much less ingest. We had expected the food to be affected by the humidity and made allowances for that. But we found a majority of the bread /pastry products were not “freshly baked” and the bread they served was virtually tasteless. It was difficult if not impossible to get a salad unless you raided the condiment section of the burger buffet and used the lettuce, tomato and onion as a basic garden salad. A majority of the items in the buffets at lunch and dinner involved a lower cost cut of meat drenched in a number of sauces that ranged from very oily to low end butter substitute.
A majority of the cooks/servers in the buffet did not speak English so it was not unusual to get a mystery omelet if you did not sit there and make sure they put the requested items in. The lack of proficiency in basic English was really an issue at the bar. Now keep in mind, this is an all inclusive resort were we spent close to $10, 000 for a week and a majority of the waitresses did not have a basic understanding of English. My son served as our translator but when he wasn’t available we had a problem with the waitresses not understanding any request for any drink that was not a “straight rum and coke”. On a number of occasions we were left with a decision as to do we drink the mystery drink or ignore the waitress and ask the bartender (who were usually very good to deal with) for the drink.
A major issue for us was the fact that a majority of the cooks/wait staff did not wear gloves and made minimal attempts to observe any sense of hygiene. I observed the cook at the omelet station cooking multiple omelets wiping her hands on her apron and sleeve, fixing her hair and leaning on the counter as she added one condiment after another without washing her hands or making any attempt to ensure that the raw egg batter stayed away from the utensils or food.
In fairness to the resort the waiters were very nice and most of them tried their best to make sure we had a nice dinner experience. However, whenever we raised a concern the response was always the same…we can get you another lobster/steak. If we just had a terrible meal for the 4th time and we can see the cooks preparing the meals (and know that we will receive the same thing) why would we try another reheated lobster? After the first time we “tried another meal” and found it to be just as disappointing we made a point of trying to fill up at the buffets and not anticipate a decent meal at night.
The resort did have a nice set up at the beach. If you have a family with a couple of kids that love the beach and burger and fries Iberostar does a nice job with the beach portion of their resort. At the beach you can enjoy great water, views, sand, semi comfortable beach chairs under your own umbrella and the wait staff will bring you food (burgers and fries) along with drinks all day.
The beach also has fairly clean bathrooms and a number of activities that would keep your kids busy all day. The Paella cooked on the beach was a fun experience for everyone as the cooks made a point of getting the entire beach involved in the process. If you wanted to live at the beach, were not concerned with the above referenced dining issues and did not want any other activities I think you would have a decent time at this Iberostar resort.
In regards to our choices of restaurants, It was not until just before our departure did we find out that the resort had two Italian and two Mexican Restaurants and you had a choice of either the buffet or a “sit down” style. What bothered me was we made a point of asking for a “sit down dining style restaurant” and our concierge totally missed that point. I do not contribute his failure to make a reservation at the sit down Mexican/Italian restaurant to a misunderstanding or inability to communicate. Quite frankly, the reservation process for those restaurants involved an additional step and he simply did not want to take the time to make sure we got what we asked for.
Security
We all felt that the Iberostar Resort did a nice job with security once you were on the bus and/or in the resort. I had no problem walking around late at night and I felt that the staff were all trustworthy (by that I mean I used the safe in the room but did not have any issues with leaving money in my clothes in the room while I was at the beach or In the pool), the issue I had was at the airport. Immediately upon exiting the immigration screening section you were descended upon by everyone from baggage handlers, taxi drivers, time share resort salesmen to people trying to sell you anything you could think of. I think Iberostar/Apple should have had a representative at the gate (we arrived in a Apple chartered plane) to save us from having to fight these people off. I realize that everyone has to make a living but when you are trying to get your luggage and find the right exit while making sure your family stays together the last thing you need is a time share salesmen literally breathing down your throat.
Flight
Our flight was a charter booked by Apple that left Logan Airport (Boston, Mass) at 6:50 am which meant we had to get up at 2 am to catch the limo at 3 am to get to Boston by 4:30 am to allow us time to get through customs.
My issue was not the 6:50 am departure, it was the fact that we arrived at the Resort at 11 am and could not get into our room or any room until 3 pm. If Apple is booking the charter and as such they know exactly what time we will be arriving to require us to sit around for 4 hours in 90+ degree heat until our room is available is unacceptable.
They could have made arrangements to have our luggage brought to an area that had showers so we could have changed into our bathing suits and gone to the beach or pool for a few hours or made a number of excursions available to fill that void. We would have been more than happy to pay an additional fee to fill the gap with something productive rather than sitting around for 4 hours.
Room Service/Chamber Maids/Cleanliness
We were very frustrated with the chambermaids as they basically cleaned your room when they got around to it. There was no definitive schedule so you could not plan on taking a nap, playing cards or watching TV around the scheduled maid service. Our chambermaid would arrive somewhere between 11am and 5pm. Now, when you are trying to get showered and dressed for dinner and the chambermaid shows up after 5pm to clean your room and it would take them anywhere from 50 minutes to 1 hour to clean it that creates a problem as our schedule is now impacted by theirs. Overall;
a. The room was not “spic and span” it was clean,
b. We did not have any local critters so that was nice,
c. The air condition ranged from “kind of working” to being ok,
d. The room was all tile so it was very slippery when wet which present a problem when you consider the humidity in Mexico and the fact that this resort is a pool/beach based resort. We witnessed a number of people slip on the wet tile and take a nasty fall. This resort had very little to no carpet and due to the presence of the tile you were always watching were you walked due to the fact that the tile was so slippery. If anyone in your party has a walking disability I would not recommend staying at this resort as they will have a difficult time getting around due to the slippery tiles unless they stayed at the high end Grand resort which has carpeting and due to the fact that it is an adult only resort you do not have to deal with kids running from pool to pool to their rooms getting the floors wet.
e. Most of the chambermaids did not understand English so you needed to get a hold of the concierge to get almost anything done to include having the maid refill the bottle water in the refrigerator, get an extra pillow etc.
f. The resort was quite large so you had the opportunity to request that a golf cart pick you up an drop you off at your destination. This was a pleasant surprise especially if you were dressed up for dinner and did not want to arrive at the restaurant soaked due to the near 90 percent humidity. The problem was waiting for a golf cart or the “train”. If you called from your room they would be there anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes and were very accommodating. If you were on the grounds of the resort and waited at the train stop or in front of the shopping center you could be there for quite some time as they did not keep to any regular schedule so in most cases it was quicker to walk.
g. When you ordered room service you got your food within a reasonable period of time but it was not always warm (forget hot) and they usually did not bring any condiments.
h. As I had stated above we were taken back by the lack of cleanliness. To be clear the resort is very well maintained. Iberostar has workers on site all day cleaning, repairing the facilities. Our issue was with the people handling our food. It was clear that a majority of the people working there did not understand or if they did did not care about the transmission of viruses and transmitted food borne illnesses. You can dress someone up in a nice white chefs uniform but if they won’t wash their hands after touching eggs, poultry or rare meat before preparing your meal then there is an issue.
Entertainment
The entertainers were local and most spoke pretty good English however their “Hollywood reviews/stage shows” were equivalent to a High School Musical (my apologies to Disney). In some cases they had an entertainer who did a very nice job but that was the exception. In our case the onsite entertainment was not on our radar screen when we booked this resort so it made no difference to us.
If you are looking for a cruise line quality production you will not find it here.
The TV is ok, a majority is in Spanish of course. A majority of the TV shows are old and the movies are at least 2 years old. As this is a beach resort we did not expect to have HBO but it would have been nice to have that option.
Complaints
There were a number of times when we had a legitimate issue which did not get addressed due to Iberostars failure to have anyone with any authority on hand.
Specifically, we had a number of what we considered to be legitimate issues to include;
a. The low quality of our meals,
b. The concierge failure to book us for a “sit down restaurant” despite two requests,
c. The fact that we could not get dressed for dinner at 5:15 due to the fact that the maid had just started to clean our room and we had to go searching on many occasions to find a maid to get refills (toilet paper, towels),
d. The fact that the grounds people decided to spray for bugs in a populated area as we were going from one resort to the other and despite the fact that they could see us approaching continued to spray in front and behind us which resulted in us having to deal with the bug spray/fog for about 100 yards,
e. The fact that a employee had charge my daughter $8.00 (American) for a bag of cheetos,
f. The fact that we did not have hot water in our bathroom for most of our stay,
g. The fact that the train operator had failed to make his scheduled pick up at the shopping center requiring us to walk back to our section of the resort,
When we asked for a manger the front desk representative suddenly developed amnesia and her English immediately began to deteriorate. We had to ask her twice before she approached another front desk employee who then started to giggle (seriously) and told us they did not have one. At that time she told us she could take our name and have a person from PR speak to us later.
We did not hear anything and when we had the issue with the staff members dismantling the dining room around us at 7pm (during our meal) we went back to the front desk and was asked to wait a few minutes and a representative from PR would be right over to talk to us. The young lady from PR showed up about 10 minutes later and was very attentive and apologized for the quality of the meals and the fact that we were not “having a good time”. She told us she would have to turn this matter over to her supervisor who was not there and that her supervisor would be back the next day between 8 and 9 am and that the supervisor “would contact us as soon as she was in”. The next day I sat in my room from 9 to 11:20 am waiting to hear from this “supervisor” and after leaving a message with our concierge left for the beach to join my family. Upon our return late that afternoon we had a message left for us on our bathroom sink that the PR supervisor had called to talk to us at 11:30am and that we could go to the front desk to meet with her. At that point I was disgusted with the whole process. I expected the “supervisor” to contact us when her subordinate told us to expect a call – not 2.5 hours later and why would I at 4pm have to rush up to the front desk (a decent walk) to catch her before she left for the day? It was clear to us that we had received lip service and would continue to receive the same treatment. From that point on we accept the fact that the representations in Apples web site and in their literature had been grossly embellished and that Apples rating system had no direct relationship to the actual service at the resort. After returning home I contacted both Apple vacations and Iberostar with my concerns and never heard back from either group... a fitting end to a subpar vacation.
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Apple vacation survivor
May 22, 2010
Apples discription of the resort cannot be trusted
My family booked a all inclusive vacation at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Resort in Mexico (40 miles South of Cancun) based upon Apple's recommendation/rating system and the reviews they posted online. Apple advertises the Paraiso Lindo as a "ALL INCLUSIVE VALUE ADDED" Resort with a 5 + Orange rating. The Iberoster webpage describes the resort as:
IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts, the hotel division of Iberostar Group, is one of the most renowned Spanish hotel chains at the global level. Founded by the Fluxá family in Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) in 1986, it has come to offer top-level accommodation in major travel destinations around the world.
As a brand name, IBEROSTAR is synonymous with quality in the fifteen countries where it operates, providing outstanding service and personal assistance to ensure full guest satisfaction. With a star as its symbol, the chain has managed to win over customers with its philosophy and values, and its efficient, professional staff.
Considering guests as the backbone of the organisation, the IBEROSTAR brand and the firm’s business strategy are aimed achieving customer satisfaction by providing the best quality service. In this regard, the company’s staff –an innovative, multitasking team– seek to apply the latest trends in every field. Heavy profit reinvestment in hotel renovation and refurbishment is one of IBEROSTAR’s key strategies to accomplish these goals.
The Apple and Iberostar websites boost:
• The world’s most important tour operators entrust their clients to Iberostar, because its hotels are distinguished by:
• Meticulous care over service and a significant volume of investments in all the chain’s establishments, allowing for excellent reception and treatment of guests Comfortable facilities with wide open spaces and modern decoration.
• Privileged locations of establishments, situated on the beach front with easy access to the main places in each town and surrounded by gardens and green areas.
• Varied gastronomy, with exquisite buffets, traditional cuisine, cafeterias, pizzerias and theme restaurants.
• Qualified, specialist staff.
• Expert entertainment teams and sports and entertainment programmes.
Apple in its literature posted online and disseminated to travel agents boosts of Iberostar’s superior service and quality of the dining facilities. Our complaint lies in the fact that the Paraiso Lindo is at best a 3 Star Resort and Apples rating system and their on line reports are disingenuous at best.
As examples of the issues we had at this resort and with Apples misrepresentations:
Food
My family and I have also been on a number of Cruises and have had an opportunity to sample “cruise line” food with both the middle to higher end cruise lines, traveled overseas (Europe, Korea, Ireland, Africa, Costa Rica) throughout the Caribbean ( 17 islands), Mexico, Canada and Bermuda and have had the opportunity to sample the local cuisine so I believe we entered into this vacation with reasonable expectations.
Prior to our arrival in Mexico we had no illusions that we were not going to be staying at the Hilton but expected that at least one of the 7 restaurants advertised at the Iberostar resort would be comparable to a 4 Star restaurant based upon Apples 5+ rating.
We made a point of asking our concierge to book us at “sit down restaurants” as we did not want to deal with a buffet at dinner and based on the literature provided by Apple and Iberostar we were looking forward to 4/5 star dining. We understood that breakfast and lunch involved buffets and we were fine with that.
Well, the food in plain terms was mediocre. It was difficult to find a decent meal. A majority of the food was either pre-prepared food that was then micro waved or reheated.
On our first night we tried the Italian restaurant and three of the 5 meals were just plan horrible. The other two ranged from “ok” to not bad with the “not bad” meal being the equivalent of a fast food chain restaurant (Applebee’s, TGIF’s).
On our second night we tried the Steak House and the meat was tough and very greasy and the vegetables mashed and soaked in oil. Everyone was in agreement that no one had a decent meal that night.
On our third night we tried the “Gourmet French Restaurant” and again no one had a decent meal. The steak/tenderloins were tough, the fish was overcooked. I complained that night and was met with a number of apologies and a visit from the “Head Chef” but we were left with a situation where we needed to “find” something to eat at 9 am that was not Burgers, Carbs or a picked through buffet.
On our fourth night we tried the Mexican Restaurant which we felt would and should be terrific in light of the fact that we were in Mexico. Well, it was horrible. Two of us had a lobster that had been cooked and reheated and was so dry that we gave up on trying to “dissect it”. Our remaining three meals were again reheated and rubbery. We were once again relegated to the buffet to grab some grilled chicken and guac. Of all the restaurants this was the most disappointing as we expected a wonderful meal prepared by the “Iberostar 4/5 Star Chefs” and ended up with a meal that a wait person at Ruby Tuesday would have sent back.
On our fifth night we tried the fish restaurant and four of our meals were overcooked and rubbery which is hard to do with fish and scallops. My daughter had a nice piece of salmon and my vegetables weren’t too bad.
On our sixth night we went back to the “Gourmet French Restaurant” as the people we met at the pool and beach had warned us to stay away from the Japanese Restaurant with comments like “our meal was just plain terrible” to “we had to ask our waiter to please find us someone who could speak English and tell the cook to prepare a meal based upon our requests and not his interpretation of what a Authentic Japanese meal should taste like”. At that point we had a choice…..back to the burger/chicken/carbs buffet or “upgrade” at a cost of $40.00 per person to eat at one of Iberostars two Five Star Restaurants at their high end Grand Resort. At that point in our vacation we did not want to spend $200. extra on a meal plus tip hoping that it would be better than the other 6 restaurants so we went back to the “Gourmet French Restaurant” and two of us had a decent meal in that the meat was not overcooked and the vegetables (which were steamed) were tasty. At this point our rating system had gone from - is it a 4 star meal to is it edible.
Seriously, a majority of our dinners were just plain terrible and most of the staff was oblivious. At the beginning of our 2nd visit to the “Gourmet” restaurant we were escorted into what was described as a “private” dining room which if you and your family were there alone with a waiter/waitress it would have been a fun experience. In our case the staff proceeded to break down the room around us as we ate and used the room to store then retrieve chairs, glasses and tables. Needless to say the constant distractions dampened any conversation and at times we simply had to stop talking until the staff had finished moving a table out of the area.
To add insult to injury, most restaurants had a buffet for your appetizer and dessert and were quickly picked over. The desserts were comparable to what you would receive on a low level cruise or the packaged dessert you would buy in bulk at Sam’s Club. Most of the bread based/puff pastry desserts (cream puffs, vol-a-vue, pastries) were stale and hard to cut much less ingest. We had expected the food to be affected by the humidity and made allowances for that. But we found a majority of the bread /pastry products were not “freshly baked” and the bread they served was virtually tasteless. It was difficult if not impossible to get a salad unless you raided the condiment section of the burger buffet and used the lettuce, tomato and onion as a basic garden salad. A majority of the items in the buffets at lunch and dinner involved a lower cost cut of meat drenched in a number of sauces that ranged from very oily to low end butter substitute.
A majority of the cooks/servers in the buffet did not speak English so it was not unusual to get a mystery omelet if you did not sit there and make sure they put the requested items in. The lack of proficiency in basic English was really an issue at the bar. Now keep in mind, this is an all inclusive resort were we spent close to $10, 000 for a week and a majority of the waitresses did not have a basic understanding of English. My son served as our translator but when he wasn’t available we had a problem with the waitresses not understanding any request for any drink that was not a “straight rum and coke”. On a number of occasions we were left with a decision as to do we drink the mystery drink or ignore the waitress and ask the bartender (who were usually very good to deal with) for the drink.
A major issue for us was the fact that a majority of the cooks/wait staff did not wear gloves and made minimal attempts to observe any sense of hygiene. I observed the cook at the omelet station cooking multiple omelets wiping her hands on her apron and sleeve, fixing her hair and leaning on the counter as she added one condiment after another without washing her hands or making any attempt to ensure that the raw egg batter stayed away from the utensils or food.
In fairness to the resort the waiters were very nice and most of them tried their best to make sure we had a nice dinner experience. However, whenever we raised a concern the response was always the same…we can get you another lobster/steak. If we just had a terrible meal for the 4th time and we can see the cooks preparing the meals (and know that we will receive the same thing) why would we try another reheated lobster? After the first time we “tried another meal” and found it to be just as disappointing we made a point of trying to fill up at the buffets and not anticipate a decent meal at night.
The resort did have a nice set up at the beach. If you have a family with a couple of kids that love the beach and burger and fries Iberostar does a nice job with the beach portion of their resort. At the beach you can enjoy great water, views, sand, semi comfortable beach chairs under your own umbrella and the wait staff will bring you food (burgers and fries) along with drinks all day.
The beach also has fairly clean bathrooms and a number of activities that would keep your kids busy all day. The Paella cooked on the beach was a fun experience for everyone as the cooks made a point of getting the entire beach involved in the process. If you wanted to live at the beach, were not concerned with the above referenced dining issues and did not want any other activities I think you would have a decent time at this Iberostar resort.
In regards to our choices of restaurants, It was not until just before our departure did we find out that the resort had two Italian and two Mexican Restaurants and you had a choice of either the buffet or a “sit down” style. What bothered me was we made a point of asking for a “sit down dining style restaurant” and our concierge totally missed that point. I do not contribute his failure to make a reservation at the sit down Mexican/Italian restaurant to a misunderstanding or inability to communicate. Quite frankly, the reservation process for those restaurants involved an additional step and he simply did not want to take the time to make sure we got what we asked for.
Security
We all felt that the Iberostar Resort did a nice job with security once you were on the bus and/or in the resort. I had no problem walking around late at night and I felt that the staff were all trustworthy (by that I mean I used the safe in the room but did not have any issues with leaving money in my clothes in the room while I was at the beach or In the pool), the issue I had was at the airport. Immediately upon exiting the immigration screening section you were descended upon by everyone from baggage handlers, taxi drivers, time share resort salesmen to people trying to sell you anything you could think of. I think Iberostar/Apple should have had a representative at the gate (we arrived in a Apple chartered plane) to save us from having to fight these people off. I realize that everyone has to make a living but when you are trying to get your luggage and find the right exit while making sure your family stays together the last thing you need is a time share salesmen literally breathing down your throat.
Flight
Our flight was a charter booked by Apple that left Logan Airport (Boston, Mass) at 6:50 am which meant we had to get up at 2 am to catch the limo at 3 am to get to Boston by 4:30 am to allow us time to get through customs.
My issue was not the 6:50 am departure, it was the fact that we arrived at the Resort at 11 am and could not get into our room or any room until 3 pm. If Apple is booking the charter and as such they know exactly what time we will be arriving to require us to sit around for 4 hours in 90+ degree heat until our room is available is unacceptable.
They could have made arrangements to have our luggage brought to an area that had showers so we could have changed into our bathing suits and gone to the beach or pool for a few hours or made a number of excursions available to fill that void. We would have been more than happy to pay an additional fee to fill the gap with something productive rather than sitting around for 4 hours.
Room Service/Chamber Maids/Cleanliness
We were very frustrated with the chambermaids as they basically cleaned your room when they got around to it. There was no definitive schedule so you could not plan on taking a nap, playing cards or watching TV around the scheduled maid service. Our chambermaid would arrive somewhere between 11am and 5pm. Now, when you are trying to get showered and dressed for dinner and the chambermaid shows up after 5pm to clean your room and it would take them anywhere from 50 minutes to 1 hour to clean it that creates a problem as our schedule is now impacted by theirs. Overall;
a. The room was not “spic and span” it was clean,
b. We did not have any local critters so that was nice,
c. The air condition ranged from “kind of working” to being ok,
d. The room was all tile so it was very slippery when wet which present a problem when you consider the humidity in Mexico and the fact that this resort is a pool/beach based resort. We witnessed a number of people slip on the wet tile and take a nasty fall. This resort had very little to no carpet and due to the presence of the tile you were always watching were you walked due to the fact that the tile was so slippery. If anyone in your party has a walking disability I would not recommend staying at this resort as they will have a difficult time getting around due to the slippery tiles unless they stayed at the high end Grand resort which has carpeting and due to the fact that it is an adult only resort you do not have to deal with kids running from pool to pool to their rooms getting the floors wet.
e. Most of the chambermaids did not understand English so you needed to get a hold of the concierge to get almost anything done to include having the maid refill the bottle water in the refrigerator, get an extra pillow etc.
f. The resort was quite large so you had the opportunity to request that a golf cart pick you up an drop you off at your destination. This was a pleasant surprise especially if you were dressed up for dinner and did not want to arrive at the restaurant soaked due to the near 90 percent humidity. The problem was waiting for a golf cart or the “train”. If you called from your room they would be there anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes and were very accommodating. If you were on the grounds of the resort and waited at the train stop or in front of the shopping center you could be there for quite some time as they did not keep to any regular schedule so in most cases it was quicker to walk.
g. When you ordered room service you got your food within a reasonable period of time but it was not always warm (forget hot) and they usually did not bring any condiments.
h. As I had stated above we were taken back by the lack of cleanliness. To be clear the resort is very well maintained. Iberostar has workers on site all day cleaning, repairing the facilities. Our issue was with the people handling our food. It was clear that a majority of the people working there did not understand or if they did did not care about the transmission of viruses and transmitted food borne illnesses. You can dress someone up in a nice white chefs uniform but if they won’t wash their hands after touching eggs, poultry or rare meat before preparing your meal then there is an issue.
Entertainment
The entertainers were local and most spoke pretty good English however their “Hollywood reviews/stage shows” were equivalent to a High School Musical (my apologies to Disney). In some cases they had an entertainer who did a very nice job but that was the exception. In our case the onsite entertainment was not on our radar screen when we booked this resort so it made no difference to us.
If you are looking for a cruise line quality production you will not find it here.
The TV is ok, a majority is in Spanish of course. A majority of the TV shows are old and the movies are at least 2 years old. As this is a beach resort we did not expect to have HBO but it would have been nice to have that option.
Complaints
There were a number of times when we had a legitimate issue which did not get addressed due to Iberostars failure to have anyone with any authority on hand.
Specifically, we had a number of what we considered to be legitimate issues to include;
a. The low quality of our meals,
b. The concierge failure to book us for a “sit down restaurant” despite two requests,
c. The fact that we could not get dressed for dinner at 5:15 due to the fact that the maid had just started to clean our room and we had to go searching on many occasions to find a maid to get refills (toilet paper, towels),
d. The fact that the grounds people decided to spray for bugs in a populated area as we were going from one resort to the other and despite the fact that they could see us approaching continued to spray in front and behind us which resulted in us having to deal with the bug spray/fog for about 100 yards,
e. The fact that a employee had charge my daughter $8.00 (American) for a bag of cheetos,
f. The fact that we did not have hot water in our bathroom for most of our stay,
g. The fact that the train operator had failed to make his scheduled pick up at the shopping center requiring us to walk back to our section of the resort,
When we asked for a manger the front desk representative suddenly developed amnesia and her English immediately began to deteriorate. We had to ask her twice before she approached another front desk employee who then started to giggle (seriously) and told us they did not have one. At that time she told us she could take our name and have a person from PR speak to us later.
We did not hear anything and when we had the issue with the staff members dismantling the dining room around us at 7pm (during our meal) we went back to the front desk and was asked to wait a few minutes and a representative from PR would be right over to talk to us. The young lady from PR showed up about 10 minutes later and was very attentive and apologized for the quality of the meals and the fact that we were not “having a good time”. She told us she would have to turn this matter over to her supervisor who was not there and that her supervisor would be back the next day between 8 and 9 am and that the supervisor “would contact us as soon as she was in”. The next day I sat in my room from 9 to 11:20 am waiting to hear from this “supervisor” and after leaving a message with our concierge left for the beach to join my family. Upon our return late that afternoon we had a message left for us on our bathroom sink that the PR supervisor had called to talk to us at 11:30am and that we could go to the front desk to meet with her. At that point I was disgusted with the whole process. I expected the “supervisor” to contact us when her subordinate told us to expect a call – not 2.5 hours later and why would I at 4pm have to rush up to the front desk (a decent walk) to catch her before she left for the day? It was clear to us that we had received lip service and would continue to receive the same treatment. From that point on we accept the fact that the representations in Apples web site and in their literature had been grossly embellished and that Apples rating system had no direct relationship to the actual service at the resort. After returning home I contacted both Apple vacations and Iberostar with my concerns and never heard back from either group... a fitting end to a subpar vacation.
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jdk
February 15, 2010
Late flight
I have taken 5 Apple Vacations and have had problems with at least 3 of them. My husband & I were going to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico the first week of February, 2010. Our flight was scheduled to leave O'Hare at 6:30 a.m. All of the passengers were boarded & then the captain came on & asked us to de-board as the windshield needed to be replaced. Long story short, we did not get out of O'Hare until 4:00 p.m. Apple Vacations owns their own airline & doesn't partner with anyone else, therefore they couldn't bring in another plane to take us, nor did they have another USA3000 plane available, so we sat at the airport all day. Why be there at 4:00 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight if we are going to lose our entire first day at the resort? This is not the first time this has happened with Apple Vacations.
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Bullock
October 13, 2009
Avoid at all costs
I would not recommend booking a vacation through Apple Vacations by TravelTrek in Woodland Park for the following reasons:
We booked our vacation a year ahead of time and put down a deposit to lock in the price. We thought at this point we could move on to other things knowing our vacation is locked and secure. We were very surprised to receive a letter in the mail a week later stating that they hoped we enjoyed our vacation. A bit confused by all this and afraid that our vacation may have left without us, we called to make sure everything was okay and were assured that it was a computer glitch and that everything was alright. We also applied for vacation insurance that we found out later was never applied. A little apprehensive now we decided to keep tabs on our status but did request that they move us from the elderly travel agent to perhaps one with a better memory.
Three months later we were surprised to receive a letter in the mail from Apple Vacations stating that because of rising gas prices they were going to increase our vacation charges by $350. We called and complained that since we put a down payment on our vacations that should have locked in the price. Apparently Apple reserves the right to increase your vacation price any time they choose but they also reserve the right not to decrease the pricier vacation when gas prices fall. We think this is a ripoff and recommend steering clear of TravelTrek and Apple Vacations in Woodland Park.
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November 8, 2008
refund
i am awaiting my refund for my cancellation due to health problems.
i was told, as was my travel agent, that it would be forthcoming
by friday october 31st 2008.
what is the status of my refund as i am in a very serious financial, crisis at this time, with fraudulant activity on my checking account, which has left me possibly, facing an eviction.
my booking # is 18219659
please contact me asap
i can be reached at one of the following 2 numbers
1-920-536-1515
1-920-713-5129
i will be waiting for your response asap
sincerely, , cindy degeneffe
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