Tom Legens


Travel Agent
by Tom Legens on September 30, 2014

Apple Vacations 2014 Crystal Apple Awards

Apple Vacations Best of the Best 2014!

Apple Vacations Crystal Awards have become some of the most honored awards handed out in the travel industry. Winners are chosen by hundreds of thousands of travelers just like you who complete the Apple Vacations satisfaction questionnaire. These following resorts, brands and destinations work very hard to pleasure us all with everything they offer from food and beverage service, nightly entertainment, cleanliness, exceptional staff & destination knowledge on a daily basis. If you want the Best of the Best, here they are!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2014 CRYSTAL APPLE AWARD WINNERS!

IBEROSTAR Playa Mita

Apple Vacations Best All-Inclusive Family Resort
IBEROSTAR Playa Mita

Located near the charming fishing village of Punta Mita, the IBEROSTAR Playa Mita welcomes families, friends & couples to make the most of this all-inclusive resort. Endless activities, excellent dining & unlimited relaxation gaurantee an unforgettable getaway.


Best Staff & Service – Mexico
Now Amber Puerto Vallarta

Welcoming couples, friends & families to an Unlimited-Luxury escape with luxurious amenities, lavish accommodations & pristine facilities. The resort is perfectly situated on a golden sand beach showcasing infinite views of the sapphire waters of the Banderas Bay.


Best Staff & Service – Caribbean
Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar, Don Pablo Collection

Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar, Don Pablo Collection is an adults-only resort situated within the Grand Bahia Principe Complex. Guests will receive exquisite treatment from the staff that has been trained to meet guests’ highest demands. Relaxation gauranteed.


Riu Palace Costa Rica

Best Staff & Service – Central America
Riu Palace Costa Rica

Riu brings its luxurious Palace Level brand to beautiful Costa Rica! Fully prepared to provide the best service to its customers, it includes four swimming pools (one with a wet bar), Jacuzzi, gym, steam bath & wellness center and Renova Spa with different treatments and massages.


Best Staff & Service – Hawaiian Islands
Kaua’i Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach

The only resort on Kalapaki Beach,the sand bottom beach is perfect for all ocean activities. The resort has the largest swimming pool in Hawaii, complete with 5 full-size jacuzzis. Hawaiian Sand Dollars Promotion gives you every 4th night free PLUS daily buffet breakfast for two.


Best All-Inclusive Hotel
IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Rose Hall

Set in an idyllic spot on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, this is a fabulous adults-only all-inclusive resort. Magic is the sensation that envelops you as soon as you arrive. Preferred service, elegance & luxury exemplify days of relaxation, sports, celebration.


Best Hotel Chain: Secrets Resorts & Spas

Step into a world of attentive hospitality, dynamic upscale accommodations and amenities & pristine beaches as your vacation begins at a Secrets Resort. These stunning adult-only, all-inclusive beach resorts offer the best in unforgettable romance whether your destination is Riviera Maya, Montego Bay or Punta Cana.


Best Destination: Cancun

Modern luxury, world class hotels, glitzy restaurants, nightclubs & gorgeous white sand beaches make Cancun Mexico the gateway to your Dream Vacation. All tastes are catered to in this Caribbean paradise from ultra-posh & chic to funky & laid back. Cancun hotels are Mexico’s most popular beach vacation destination!


by Tom Legens on September 4, 2014

Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall Fall is on it’s way which means the end of summer… for some. Kids have gone back to school and now is the time for the adults to have their vacation. I’m thinking the All-Inclusive Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall in Montego Bay Jamaica. Twenty minutes after landing at Sangster International Airport you could be laying around the huge swimming pool overlooking the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea or hang out in an outdoor cabin and be waited on by your own personal butler. Try golf, windsurfing, kayaks, scuba diving or just relax in the spa and health club and unwind from the hectic lifestyle you left behind.

Last minute, end of summer travel? Now is the time to book. The weather is the same as summer but prices are lower. Call us to book today for some personalized R&R.

by Tom Legens on December 19, 2013

I’m at work on a gray, rainy day tending to our customers vacations and wishing I was planning my own. I’m sure everyone knows what I’m talking about when I say daydreaming of relaxing on a beautiful beach without a care in the sky. It’s nothing new, we’ve all done it! But for me, it’s an everyday occurrence. How could I not? So…where would I go? There are so many choices. Where do I start? I want a nice secluded beach, big pool, butler service, all the food I can eat (it’s allowed when your on vacation), a spa, tours of the area and ATV riding. Mostly I just want a place to relax and do what I want. I mean it is my vacation, right?
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by Tom Legens on November 11, 2013

This Veteran’s Day, Dream Vacations would like to ask you to join us in the time honored tradition of saluting those who have so bravely served this country.

Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world and falls on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended WWI. In 1919 U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day a holiday saying “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.

In 1938 we saw the day become a legal holiday. In 1953 an Emporia, Kansas shoe repair shop owner, Stephan Riod, had the idea to expand the day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in WWI. The Emporia Chamber of Commerce determined that 90% of Emporia merchants supported closing their doors on November 11 to honor all veterans. On May 26, 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the holiday into law. Since that time Americans have observed the day in may different ways. Schools are closed, no mail is delivered and non-essential federal government offices are closed. The holiday has often been celebrated by having a ravioli meal. This tradition dates back to the ending days of WWI when President Woodrow Wilson, aware that the returning soldiers would be longing for home cooked meals, invited 2,000 soldiers to the White House and helped his staff chefs cook them ravioli.

Our nation’s soldiers serve every day to protect our country and its ideals. America was and is founded on the principle of freedom, justice and liberty for all. Let us all take a moment to remember those who sacrifice their lives every moment to achieve peace and democracy. In the words of John F. Kennedy, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

May we all endeavor to earn the freedoms and liberty all veterans have purchased.

by Tom Legens on July 2, 2013

Very few times in my life have I been able to take advantage of “The best of the best” anything. I mean lets face it…many of us have to budget everything we do…gas, groceries, movie night out, even our vacations. Working for the best travel agency out there I’ve been blessed with a vacation to a resort that was and still is “the best of the best”. In the fall of 2011 my husband and I went to the Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. It was out of this world. I have never been pampered the way I was there. Champagne & a cool towel when we checked in, personal butlers, swim up bars in the pool, fabulous food (restaurants and buffets), beautiful suites,  and Star treatment all the way. Very few places in my day to day life do I get called “Mrs. Collins” everywhere I go. Never before had I experienced anything close to it. I felt like a queen for a week. I never wanted to leave. Before we went I had been told by the agents I work with to go to the “best” for our first vacation. Well, it paid off. I’m completely sold on the Iberostar brand.

With that said, when it came time last spring to decide where we were going…let’s just say it wasn’t rocket science. Of-course it would have to be Iberostar, but where? We would love to return to the Riviera Maya, but we also want to see other countries if possible. So with a lot of research we landed on… Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro in Punta Cana, DR. Currently it is ranked #1 out of 67 top resorts in Punta Cana. Here are a few of the headlines of the most recent reviews. “Paradise”, “Simply Spectacular”, “Totally Recommend!!!”, “Wow-what an amazing place”, and my favorite “Ultimate Luxury!”. In May of 2012 we got to experience perfection…yet again. The hotel was absolutely beautiful. The staff was outstanding.  The suites were, again, luxurious in every way. Whirlpool tub overlooking the room balcony which overlooks the garden courtyard. Bathrobes & slippers. On-site 18 hole golf-course. Complimentary snorkeling, which my husband took advantage of everyday. Two pools with “bali-beds” around them…where I spent most of my time reading a good book. A replica of the Spanish Galleon which was a music bar docked right next to an outdoor dance floor. Picture it…listening to romantic music and dancing under the stars. We were king & queen for 7 days. Again…we didn’t to come home.

The talk among many at both resorts was the same…Iberostar is the best all inclusive you can go to. I know some will disagree and that’s ok. Everyone’s preferences are different and there are many other resort brands that are just as incredible. But my heart lies with Iberostar. If you’re looking for a 5+ star resort located in Mexico, Jamaica or the Dominican Republic call one of our vacation specialists today and we’ll set you up with a trip you won’t want to come home from.

by Tom Legens on March 13, 2013

An equinox occurs twice a year (around March 20th and September 22nd), when the sun, in its orbit around the earth, passes directly over the Earth’s equator making the length of the daylight and evening hours equal. Most of us refer to these dates as the First Day of Spring or the Last Day of Summer. Not a normal, celebrated day for people in the U.S. But it is in Mexico.

In September of 2011 my husband and I took our first vacation to the Riviera Maya. Wanting to be sure and see ‘Mexico’ we had pre-booked an excursion to Chichen Itza – an ancient Mayan City and archaeological site on the Yucatan Peninsula. The main pyramid is known in Mayan as “El Castillo” or the castle and since July of 2007 has been listed as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. On the day before our excursion, we were contacted at the hotel and advised Amstar (our tour guide) wanted to move our date up 1 day so that we could take advantage of the Summer Solstice Celebration. We agreed but did not fully understand the significance of this occurrence to the Mayan people. We quickly found out this is huge there. Thousands of people were there that day. After a guided tour of the ruins everyone gathers in the center of the city to witness a phenomenon of light and shadow on the steps of El Castillo pyramid. The shadow of the ‘plumed serpent’ of light descending the steps is said to be the ancient ‘serpent’, Kukulkan, making his way to the well of sacrifice nearby. How does this work? As the sun passes over, seven isosceles triangles are formed and compose the body of the 37 yard-long serpent that creeps downward until it joins the serpent’s head carved in stone at the bottom of the stairway. Don’t worry… there was and is no sacrifice conducted… today. This could not always have been said. Definitely a wonder to be seen and experienced.

A normal person would think just being at a beautiful resort with unlimited food, drink, entertainment,   incredible beaches…non-stop luxury would be enough of an amazing vacation. Then all us ‘normal people’ would be wrong. While you are on your amazing vacation there are some pretty amazing excursions that are a must, depending on where you are. Chichen Itza is rich in it’s history and grandeur. You won’t be disappointed if you include this in your vacation.

Once you have your trip booked, ask your agent what there is to do where you’re going. Each of our agents have either been there or know where to send you to guarantee a wonderful time.