Cancun

One of the world's best loved beach spots, Cancun is back and it's better than ever!

There is simply no Caribbean like the Caribbean at Cancun, where warm, clear and bright turquoise water greets startling white sand beaches. A modern resort infrastructure and airport welcome visitors from absolutely every corner of the world. And people come back year after year after year.

The vast Nichupte Lagoon, between Cancun and the mainland, is home to numerous marinas and boat launches. It's surrounded by waterfront restaurants, great shopping, a couple of golf courses, islands, inlets full of wildlife and there's a fantastic sunset every single night.

With a wealth of nightclubs and discos, there's always a party too and Cancun is also terrific gateway to some of the most important historical and archaeological sites anywhere in the Americas.

Every visit is richly rewarded and long remembered.

Cozumel, Quintana Roo

Caribbean... and then some. 

Cozumel is legendary for the sun drenched, unblemished natural landscape combined with all of Mexico's charming, inviting and comforting culture.

Cozumel is reachable via numerous international flights from North America, as well as by bus and ferry from the airport in Cancun and other points on the mainland. Almost completely flat, most of the island is covered by jungle, and every stay here is remarkable, bright, vibrant and fulfilling.

Super kid-friendly, it's also the perfect island for adventure, scuba and snorkeling, and frequent cruise ship stop-overs (up to 11 ships will dock on some days). Scooters, Jeeps and even more interesting vehicles are available for rent at points all over the island, perfect for exploring and getting even further into everything Cozumel has to offer.

The only natural Sea Turtle sanctuary on the Riviera Maya is at Akumal Bay, just minutes down the coast and most of the island is a natural reserve of protected land set aside for wildlife. That can include a huge variety of birds, caimans (small crocodiles) and no one leaves the island without noticing the resident population of iguanas.

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

... the Pacific always remembers.

Beautiful Puerto Vallarta is still one of the very top recipients of international tourists in Mexico, easily beating all others on the mainland Pacific coast. Famous since the filming of the 1964 classic "Night of the Iguana," Ava Gardener and Richard Burton never had it so good. Vallarta still shelters an air of the sultry, the exotic and the redemptive. That's just part of what makes it so popular with Royal Holiday travelers.

In addition to the perfect bay and beaches, visitors pour in for the whale watching, the landscape and the perfect balance between man and nature. The city, which has grown by leaps and bounds, is well managed if not always perfectly ecologically balanced. Ecotourism and related attractions continue to outpace more traditional seaside activities though there are plenty of those too. Sightseeing excursions, art exhibitions, sailing, shopping and plenty of nightlife make it as fun a vacation spot as any on Earth.

Puerto Vallarta has hosted Royal Holiday travelers since the club's founding in the early 1980s. More club members visit more steadfastly than anywhere except Cancun and many would not think of traveling anywhere else.

Acapulco, Guerrero

What Acapulco undoubtedly has going for it, is its stunning bay: a sweeping scythe-stroke of yellow sand backed by the white towers of the high-rise hotels and, behind them, the green jungle foothills of the Sierra. Even though there are hundreds of thousands of people here throughout the year, most of the big hotels remain nearly full - it rarely seems oppressively crowded. Certainly there's always space to lie somewhere along the beach, partly because of its sheer size, partly because of the number of rival attractions from hotel pools to parasailing and "romantic" cruises.

By day, if people aren't at the beach or asleep, they're mostly shopping. If you only do one thing in Acapulco, though, make sure you see its most celebrated spectacle, the leap of the daredevil high divers at La Quebrada. About the only place in Acapulco that gives even the slightest sense of the historic role the city played in Mexico's past is the Acapulco Museum in the old town. It's situated inside the Fuerte de San Diego, an impressive, if heavily restored, star-shaped fort built in 1616 to protect the Manila galleons from foreign corsairs.

Along the Costera, downtown is packed with shops, restaurants and a futuristic discos. It is also home to the Centro Cultural, which has an art gallery, a crafts store and a theatre and also hosts a regular program of cultural events with a regional bias. Geared up for bored kids, the Parque Papagayo on Costera at Playa Hornos, offers boating, roller-skating and fairground rides. Further east round the bay, near the Centro Acapulco, the aquatic park CICI has water-based rides and puts on dolphin shows. Your kids will love it!

San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur

Ocean, desert and mountains! The two towns of Los Cabos are famous the world over for this intriguing, startling and thought provoking combination.

Elements, atmosphere and never-ending natural beauty, the Baja California peninsula is highlighted by these two ultra-chic and exclusive destinations.

San Jose del Cabo, much quieter than nearby Cabo San Lucas, boasts world class beaches facing the beautiful Gulf of California. Some of the world's most beloved snorkeling waters are also open for swimming, kayaking, water skiing and scuba diving.

San Jose del Cabo is the perfect romantic getaway for two. Less than a two-hour flight from LAX, it's also a truly exceptional family vacation spot, a golf paradise and a remarkable natural landscape.

Ixtapa, Guerrero

Ixtapa is a quiet secret among Royal Holiday jet-setters. Established, refined, extensive - it's just not prominent in the English speaking beach lovers set. About halfway between Manzanillo and Acapulco on the same rugged Pacific coast, Iztapa is a planned resort community, with the nearby fishing village - Zihuatanejo - thrown in for charm.

16 miles of golden beaches grace the coast, and as Ixtapa is still far more popular with families from other parts of Mexico, low season is long and dreamy year after year. Only part of the coast is punctuated by luxury hotels. Two fantastic championship golf courses, extensive bike trails and horseback riding make it some of the most fun and refreshing coast anywhere. There's still plenty of nature - and the occasional crocodile - to go around.

Of course, on the sea, there are even more ways to enjoy yourself. The world famous marina on the northern end of the Ixtapa hotel zone hosts a number of charter and boat rental outfits, and the beaches are frequented by smaller craft happy to whisk visitors out to Ixtapa Island. An afternoon in one the Ixtapa's area's most pristine natural environments includes numerous unique beaches and shallow water pools perfect for swimming and snorkeling and all connected by secluded island footpaths.

Royal Holiday members frequently adopt Ixtapa as their home away from home and come back to visit every year. In Prime Season, it's one elegant party after another, and the rest of the year, it's just a perfectly relaxing and beautiful natural get away.

Huatulco, Oaxaca

High on the Southern Coast

Huatulco is one of the newest and most ecologically sensitive resort communities anywhere on the Mexico coast.

At the southern tip of the Sierra Madre Mountains, known for high, rugged mountains and deep, fertile valleys, Huatulco sprang up on ground that borders a vast inland of waterfalls, plunging rivers, enchanted forests and mountains that touch the sky. From May through December, the jungles are alive with friendly visitors and beasts of all shapes and sizes. The plants blossom with all variety of flowers and a huge variety of eco-tours make it all accessibile to you!

Huatulco's resorts and vacation spots are jealously guarded - almost secret holiday getaways - but Royal Holiday travelers have access to some of the finest, and for a long romantic getaway, or a quick breakway south of the border, there's no finer place on Earth.

Orlando, FL.

Fifty years ago Orlando was but a high spot in the Everglades. Today it's a big Royal Holiday favorite especially for members with kids and grandkids. Of course, that's mostly because it's known worldwide as the Theme Park Capital of the Universe.

Disney's Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 and since then there've been such a succession of parks that kids heads actually spin. Epcot Center opened in 1982, then Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom. Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach soon followed. In addition there are Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, plus Wet 'n Wild, the SeaWorld Orlando Resort and Aquatica, Discovery Cove and the newest, Legoland Florida which opened in 2011.

The nearby port in Cape Canaveral means Orlando is also a popular stop-over point for people leaving on cruises to points all over the Caribbean. But there are plenty of things to do and see in and all around Orlando.

Downtown Disney offers an amazing variety of shops and restaurants, and greater Orlando is loaded with things to see and do. There's never been another place like it and Royal Holiday has been sending members to Orlando for more than a quarter century.

Atlantic City, NJ.

Old School Atlantic City is among our most popular resort locations - in part because it's just so convenient.

Within 3-4 hours of the entire eastern seaboard, it's still a terrific bargain. And what you save on time, you can make up for enjoying the luxury, first class details and full blown home-away-from-home feel of a prime Jersey Shore condominium. And you hardly know you've taken the quick break you deserve.

In addition to the terrific Atlantic City beaches, boardwalk and casinos, there are a wealth of sports and outdoor recreation sites. Just minutes from the Jersey Pine Barrens, Brigantine Beach offers excellent golf courses, bike trails, canoeing and kayaking and with a selection of spas and wellness centers, you'll find that even a quick, close trip to the Jersey Shore pays off big.

Lake Placid, NY.

Adirondack Park is a good six million acres of beautiful, mountainous forests and the eastern United States' most famous ski slopes. Outdoor recreation, year-round events and attractions and a unique cultural environment make the Lake Placid area into a popular and invigorating vacation spot.

With stunning mountains to scale, rivers for fish, the perfect lakes for year round kayaking and more evergreen forests than you can cover, it's a refreshing, dynamic and majestic natural environment. The region also boasts 13 golf courses including five signature championship layouts.

Just one hour's drive from the airport in Burlington, Vermont, no matter where you are arriving from, Lake Placid is set amidst some of the East Coast's most scenic and enchanting landscape, and a vacation here is remembered for years after, and who knows? Maybe for a lifetime!

Poconos, PA.

The Poconos are classic Americana. For more than 150 years, this corner of Pennsylvania has inspired, refreshed, enlightened and exhilarated the countless visitors who pass through every year.

Still remembered as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World," today's Poconos offer a more contemporary take on recreation, with increasing emphasis on ecological sensitivity, the great outdoors and plain old back-to-nature fun. Classic Lake Wallenpaupack is but one of 150 lakes that dot this impressive region, and from the tops of the slopes, you'll see that the mountain ranges go on for miles in every direction.

Quaint, historical towns - Hawley, Stroudsberg, Jim Thorpe - all offer a treasure trove of antiques and shopping across the four county area. And it's all close to the east coast's biggest metropolitan centers while still being perfectly, refreshingly rural.

Come for the golf courses, horseback riding, hiking trails, skiing & snowboarding, or one of the area waterparks. In every case, the Poconos offer a terrific vacation for folks arriving from near and far, in a corner of Pennsylvania just like you'll remember it.

Palmas del Mar

High on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico, but 20 minutes from Humacao, and 45 minutes across the island from San Juan the Caribbean is as turquoise and brilliant here as anywhere in the Caribbean basin. The largest master-planned community in the Caribbean, the resort is 2,750 acres of beachfront, palm trees and 25 different neighborhoods.

With a world class equestrian center (and horseback riding on the beach), two golf courses and 20 tennis courts, it’s a jet-set resort that’s a long time favorite with Royal Holiday travelers from the world over.

Royal Holiday-ers enjoy 16 restaurants, a casino and a country club with spa. Of course, there’s a beach club, and 24 hour security and access control.

Much of Puerto Rico is reporting near 100% occupancy and the island continues it's streak to the top of the Caribbean vacation market. Guests arrive from Miami in two hours or from Chicago in just about 4.5 hours.

Oranjestad

What can we tell you about Aruba?

The biggest surprise for Royal Holiday travelers is that - unlike lots of tropical, jungle covered islands, Aruba is DRY! Mostly covered in desert, temperatures are in the mid-80sF (about 30C) year round. Just 27 miles offshore from the Venezuelan coast, it's a holiday destination of world renown.

About 100,000 people inhabit the island permanently and 30,000 of them live in the island's capital city. Oranjestad has palm-lined streets pastel-painted, old Dutch designed buildings and plenty of tiny shops, eateries and pubs to choose from.

Oranjestad attracts shoppers from everywhere in the world. Malls and boutiques and shops cater to all of them, and line plenty of streets in the downtown and the Seaport Village areas. The city wharf teems with activity as merchants trade in produce and fresh fish - often right off the boats. Royal Holiday travelers sometimes buy souvenirs in the same market for dollars or local florins and island schooners and houseboats anchored nearby just add to the port's considerable ambiance.

Whether you're arriving by land or sea, Oranjestad has a handful of museums and churches worth a long look, but most travelers come to worship the sun and to drink in the island's unique, luxurious and life-affirming position exactly between both sea and sky.

Bariloche

Soaring mountains, crystal clear lakes, and endless yellow, purple and blue wildflowers make it hard to believe that San Carlos de Bariloche is real.

In the very center of Argentina's Lake District, it's the country's most popular ski resort, but the spectacular scenery make it a popular spot for visitors all year round.

On the shores of the ultra-placid Nahuel Huapi Lake, and at the center of a national park of the same name, Bariloche is the principal destination city at the Northern Edge of the Patagonian region that extends southward to the antarctic circle. It's also the Chocolate Capital of Argentina, a fact which mixes nicely with the Alpen-Swiss inspired architecture.

Afternoons spent fishing or boating are richly rewarded and, of course, in the summer months up north, an abundance of ski slopes and outdoor activities make it a holiday you'll never forget.