Ultimate All Inclusive – Iberostar Resorts in Brazil and North Africa

Written By: Geoff Millar, Owner – Ultimate All-Inclusive Travel Inc.

 

 

This month we are going to look at some of the more unique all-inclusive hotels and resorts. Iberostar, being a Spanish family owned resort chain, has 51 hotels and resort in Europe, 3 in South America, and 10 in Africa. We will not look at every resort in the world but there are some that should be looked at because of the popular areas where they are located and the fact that they are all-inclusive. We have sold some of their all-inclusive resorts in Europe and have had great reviews from clients staying there. Iberostar tries to build their resorts to reflect the local culture of the region, not cookie cutter style hotels and resorts.

 

We will look at 2 resorts in Brazil, and also 1 of the top resort in North Africa.

 

The first one we are going to look at is so unique that it is not even a hotel or a resort but an Amazon River cruise ship, the Iberostar Grand Heritage Amazon. You can choose from 3 unique itineraries and experience the Amazon River and all its nature and adventure while still experiencing a high level of service, comfort, and dining. You can do a 3, 4, or 7 day trip throughout the year.

 

Accommodations on the ship consist of either double or king beds and are the same. The difference is where the rooms are located. The lower priced rooms are on the 1st deck, the middle-priced rooms are on the 2nd deck, and the higher priced rooms are on the 3rd deck. All rooms come with a balcony and bathroom with a shower. They all have room service from 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM. There is a one bedroom Suite category that comes with only a king bed but has a living room and large balcony.

 

Dining offers 2 choices a main dining room with breakfast and lunch buffet. In the evening the restaurant serves a sit down A La Carte menu. On the top deck is a snack bar that serves a continental breakfast and a buffet lunch as well as snacks throughout the day. There is a bar in the main public space serving cocktails as well as wine and beer.

 

Activities abound on this cruise with daily tours of the amazon s well as visiting local villages. Tours are conducted on very comfortable small boats that can reach the smaller river areas to view the jungle and its wildlife. The have fishing for Piranha, viewing the pink dolphins, and jungle treks. Unlike some of the smaller Amazon cruises, this ship, because of its size, is limited to the main rivers but the small boat tours will take clients on some of the smaller tributaries to get that full Amazon experience.

 

This 4-star cruise is well worth taking for the price. The only issue that is starting to show up is several of the village visits are really just opportunities for the villagers to sell the passengers their crafts. If this is on your bucket list I would do it sooner than later as it, like many destinations, is becoming more and more commercialized. May and June and July are the best month to visit as these months are in between the rainy season and the dry season. Rainy season runs from mid-December until May and the dry season runs from August until mid- December. Naturally temperatures are cooler during the rainy season. This cruise is in the central Amazon, there are also the Eastern Amazon and the Peruvian Amazon areas. Surprisingly you may see more wildlife during the rainy season as that is when more plant bloom and food is more readily available.

 

Our second resort we will look at this month is another Iberostar resort, the Iberostar Selection Praia Do Forte in Praia Do Forte Brazil just north of Salvador. This resort is a wonderful ecological resort. The area is home to 4 different species of sea turtles and sits next to a nature reserve. It sits on a beautiful beach and is a full all-inclusive resort. It also has its own Pete Dye designed golf course.

 

Accommodations are made up of their Double or standard rooms with a beautiful garden view, Standard Spa rooms with access to the spas water treatment, Ocean view rooms, Double Superior with pool and ocean views, Garden view Jr. Suite, and Ocean view Jr. Suite. All rooms come with free WIFI, 24 hr. room service, and upscale amenities.

 

Dining offers a lot of selections with 5 sit-down A La Carte restaurants and an International Buffet. A La Carte restaurants are made up of Gourmet, Italian, Asian, Grill House, Brazilian, and the Waffle Food Truck. As far as drinks there is a choice of 5 bars, the Lobby bar, the entertainment bar, the adult only nightclub bar, the pool swim-up bar, and the Star Cafe coffee bar with a wide variety of coffees and light snacks.

 

Activities include a full gym, a fantastic spa, tennis, volleyball, nightly entertainment, the beach, and 5 pools. The resort has a turtle watching turtle station where there are education activities and turtle watching for 4 different species of sea turtles. The resort has a fantastic kid’s club for kids 4-7, 8-12, 13-17 and includes outdoor and indoor games, sports, a kid’s pool, a kid’s show and special kid’s menus at the restaurants. There is golf at the resorts 18 hole course with practice area and driving range. Off site tour the Nature reserve.

 

This resort is a nice 4-star resort and is great for those that want an upscale experience with an eco-tourism flavor but with activities for the whole family set on the beautiful Brazilin coast.

 

Next, we will take a look at the top Iberostar resort in Africa. It is an all inclusive resort as well. The one we will look at is the beautiful Iberostar Club Palmeraie Marrakech.

 

The Iberostar Club Palmeraie Marrakech is a beautiful resort designed in the traditional Moroccan style. It sits just 15 minutes from the downtown area of Marrakech. The resort provides transportation between the downtown area and the resort. This is a great family resort with a lot to do for every member of the family. This resort is in a great location for those that want to experience and explore this area.

 

Accommodations for this resort consist of Standard rooms, or what they call Double rooms, Garden View rooms, Pool view, Mountain view, and what they call a Suite but is really a large Jr. Suite with a separate living area. All rooms come with the standard amenities, mini bar, free WIFI. There is no room service at this resort.

 

Dining includes a Buffet, an A La Carte Moroccan restaurant, and a food truck serving hot dogs, hamburgers, crepes and other snack food. There are 3 bars to quench your thirst, a Lobby bar, a Zen Bar by the pool, and a night club with full bar service.

 

Activities include 3 pools, a main pool, an adult pool, and a kid’s pool. The have a great kids program divided into 2 sections, kids 4-12 and kids 13-17. There are game galore like capture the flag, and others. They can learn to fly on the trapeze or learn to DJ. It also includes an outside area with a splash pool with slide and water jets. The resort also includes 2 tennis courts a full fitness center, a running track, volleyball, and archery. There are also 9 golf courses nearby (at an extra cost). There is a fantastic Spa and finally you can take trapeze lessons.

 

This resort is great for people who want to explore the Marrakech area but stay in a beautiful Moroccan designed western style resort.

 

That concludes or look at some more of the Iberostar resorts for this month. Next month we will conclude our look at Iberostar resorts. They are one of the largest resort chains in the world and while we will not look at every one of their resorts, we will look at a great selection of them. Until then safe travels and good selling.