Resort tips

Enter the Jamba Juice “Pitaya Paradise” sweepstakes by February 29, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a five-night trip for two to the Aqua Wellness Resort in Nicaragua, including air, hotel, airport transfers, and daily breakfast.

For many vacationers, Acapulco means sun and fun. For one major cruise line, it means the potential for violence and mayhem from Mexico’s spreading drug wars. And while travelers seem mostly oblivious to the danger, the cruise company is acting on its concerns.

At a time when the distaste of consumers and the scrutiny of lawmakers would seem sufficient to shame hotels into ending their widely derided resort fees, Caesars Entertainment is doing the opposite.

Paris Hilton hasn’t been much in the limelight lately, and now we know why. The 35-year-old socialite and media magnet has been busy developing a new line of luxury hotels to open in Dubai, New York, and Las Vegas.

How high can mandatory resort fees go? Sky high, apparently.

There’s an intriguing theory, fully articulated by the liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, circulating on the Internet that Donald Trump has no real interest in winning the race for President. Rather, the theory goes, Trump’s true goal is to enhance his personal brand, in the process driving more business to his current portfolio of enterprises and setting the stage for the creation of a Trump media empire.

Enter the Copa Airlines “My Paradise” sweepstakes by July 5, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a four-day trip for four to Nassau, Bahamas, including air, transfers, hotel, some meals, and a dolphin swim.

The U.S. State Department this week added two of Mexico’s most popular leisure destinations to its long list of Mexican cities that Americans should avoid, or where they should exercise extra caution.

Enter the Travel Channel “The Trip: 2018” sweepstakes by March 30, 2018, for a chance to win the grand prize: a trip for two to Antigua and St. Lucia, including airfare to, between, and from the islands, six nights’ accommodations in Antigua, 13 nights in St. Lucia, spa treatments, a swim with sting rays, a cooking class, a jet ski adventure, a water ski lesson, a scuba lesson, and a catamaran cruise.

The “Do Not Disturb” sign is a ubiquitous part of the hotel-stay experience. And many would argue that it’s essential to a restful stay. After all, who wants to come out of the shower to find a housekeeper tidying up your room?

In yet another assault on the pocketbooks of visitors to Las Vegas, hotel resort fees continue to rise, with no end in sight.

I’m old enough to remember when Las Vegas was as much about cheap as it was about sin. The sin itself might cost you, but everything else was a bargain. Cheap room rates. Cheap all-you-can-eat prime rib buffets. Free cocktails. Penny slots. And free parking.

When someone raises the question of travel rights, the focus is usually on airlines and not hotel guest rights. That’s probably because air travelers have lots of rights, many guaranteed by government regulations and airline contracts. Moreover, key government-enforced rights have teeth: Failure to honor your rights often leads to some combination of mandated traveler repayments and airline-paid fines. But on a typical trip, you spend more on a hotel, resort, or at vacation rental than airfare. So what are your resort, vacation rental, or hotel guest rights?