This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Groupon Getaways. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you remember how I told you guys a week or so ago that Groupon Getaways are a great way to save money while traveling? You can book hotel rooms, cruises, vacation packages that include airfare, get great deals on activities during your vacation - ring a bell? Well, I have something else to share with you today. It's pretty amazing...I just booked two Groupon Getaways for myself! I am working with Groupon to show you guys how you can make your travel dreams come true for less and they're treating me to two Groupon Getaways of my choice for #MyGrouponGetaway.

My first getaway is going to be at the nearby Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. Sunny Isles beach is commonly referred to as the Florida Riveria, and it is quite lovely! I really don't know why I don't go there more often, it's only a short drive away. I think that sometimes we take the beauty right there in our own backyard for granted.

If you're not familiar with Sunny Isles Beach, just think South Beach, but without the college kids! Chris, Angeline and I will be staying at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort for a weekend in April, and redeeming a few Groupon Bucks for fun activities and local restaurants during the weekend as well!

Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort in Sunny Isles Beach

The Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort is a totally cosmopolitan hotel with a beautiful stretch of beach, lovely views, restaurants, cabanas, pool, spa - they have it all! It's really the perfect place for a little weekend getaway for us sort-of-locals, and a fabulous vacation destination for families craving a little sunshine in this long and dreary winter.

Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort Features:

Onsite restaurant Kitchen 305 offers an upscale dining experience with hearty steak and fresh seafood. There’s frequent live music and a weekly line-up of events.

The Aveda Seven Seas Spa and Salon offers hot-stone massage, customized facials and more!

In-room amenities include a microwave, refrigerator, WiFi, TV, and jetted tub; some suites even overlook the ocean!

Aventura Mall is just a few miles away, with stores like Burberry, Tiffany, and Louis Vuitton - or Angeline's favorite, H&M.

About Sunny Isles Beach

Sunny Isles Beach experienced a renaissance in the late 1990s, when the main thoroughfare, Collins Avenue, transformed from a rambling row of motels into a luxury strip of oceanfront high-rises and resorts. The city lies halfway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, with 2.5 miles of uninterrupted shoreline running along its length. Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort occupies a coveted spot next to the half-mile-long Newport Fishing Pier, the only remaining public pier in Miami-Dade County.

Starting daily at 9:15 a.m., lifeguards take to their stands along the city’s beaches. Samson Oceanfront Park is a family-friendly escape within walking distance of the resort. Even closer, Jet Ski King rents jet skis, banana boats, and waverunners for adventures on the Atlantic Ocean.

Okay, so that sounds pretty amazing, right? Well guess what? I got a Groupon Getaway for our stay at Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort for $69 a night!! Sounds like a steal, right?! Hey, I told you that you could stretch your travel budget farther with Groupon Getaways!

However, Groupon Getaways offers more than just hotel stays. You can also find all-inclusive resort stays, sightseeing tours, cruises, as well as vacation packages that include airfare, hotel stays, meals and tours.

These Groupon Getaways are an excellent value when you want a top notch vacation but can't really afford to pay for all of the pieces of the puzzle. Of course, every package is different, but there are so many options! Trips to China, trips to the Caribbean, to Bali, Australia, Europe, Africa....

Yeah, Africa. South Africa, to be exact.

AND I AM GOING THERE!

Angeline and I are booked for a 10-Day South African City and Safari Tour through Groupon Getaways for spring break in March! While we usually spend Spring Break cruising or hitting the local beach, this year she and I are heading to South Africa to cross another adventure off of our bucket list: an African safari.

Our trip will include...

Round-trip international airfare from New York via South African Airways and a domestic flight between Cape Town and Johannesburg.

All accommodations: a 4-night stay at the Cape Town Hollow Boutique Hotel with daily breakfast, a 3-night stay at the Ivory Tree Game Lodge with all meals...

 

 

On to the best part....our package includes six safari game drives in Pilanesberg National Park! It has always been a dream of mine to go on an African Safari, and it's the only thing on Angeline's Bucket List.

 

She wants to be a zoologist when she grows up and her favorite animals are all found in Africa!

 

What We'll Do in Cape Town

Our itinerary in Cape Town is wide open, with no scheduled activities. Angeline and I found a Groupon under the South Africa region for cage diving with great white sharks, so we are redeeming some Groupon Bucks for that activity! I am SO exited! We are also booking a tour of the peninsula through Africa Answers, the tour company that offered this Groupon Getaway. We'll visit Seal Island and go see the penguin colony too!

 

There are so many things to do in Cape Town!

• Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is home to rare plant and animal life, including Cape Mountain zebras, eland antelopes, and endangered fynbos plants.
• Boulders Beach: More than 2,000 penguins dwell amid these giant boulders; the best place to catch a glimpse of them is from atop the Foxy Beach boardwalk.
• Visit the trendy Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for shopping, dining, and people watching in Cape Town’s working harbor, which dates back to 1860.
• Party like a local: Watch the sun set behind the Indian Ocean while sipping a drink, or sundowner, on a restaurant terrace in Camps Bay.
• Where you’ll stay: Take in views of Table Mountain and the Dutch East India Company Gardens from many vantage points at the recently renovated Cape Town Hollow Hotel, which has a pool, lounge, and restaurant offering local wines.

Then We're Off to Pilanesberg National Park

Our next stop is Pilanesberg National Park, where we will be staying at the Ivory Tree Lodge, which includes 3 meals daily and two game drives daily. We are incredibly excited about this portion of the Groupon Getaway because we will have the opportunity to see the Big Five: African lions, African elephants, Cape buffalo, African leopards, and rhinoceros!

 

Things to Do in Pilanesberg National Park

• Two daily game drives will help you get to know the area and give you the chance to spot numerous animals, including wild dogs, sable antelopes, and more than 360 species of birds.
• Take a hot-air balloon safari to get an aerial view of the park. It includes a full breakfast and sparkling wine.
• A cradle of civilization: The park’s massive volcanic crater was caused by an eruption 1,300 million years ago, and several Stone Age and Iron Age archaeological sites are scattered around the reserve.
• Where you’ll stay: Get a massage at the award-winning spa, see a dance show put on by local tribes, and learn the art of African drumming at Ivory Tree Lodge before retiring to your spacious room, which is outfitted with a sophisticated African decor.

How to Book Your Travel Using Groupon Getaways

It was really pretty easy to set up our trips using Groupon Getaways. You simply purchase the Groupon then call the telephone number for the hotel or tour company with your Groupon in hand to give them your confirmation number. Once they verify that it was purchased, you'll make travel arrangements with them over the phone for your dates.

I recommend being very thorough and timely when doing this, and if you do not receive your confirmation for your package over the phone, or receive it immediately via email, CALL BACK. As my tour company only sold a limited number of Groupon Getaways for this trip, the original dates I wanted were sold out by the time I had my Groupon Getaways confirmation in hand. It took a few days for them to confirm dates for me, which was frustrating, but the key was to keep calling them and make sure that everything was progressing smoothly.

If your Groupon Getaways includes airfare, I recommend requesting your booking confirmation number and e-ticket number as soon as possible. Keep in mind that the seats booked on your behalf may not be the seats you would book for yourself. Once you have your booking number and e-ticket numbers, visit the airline's website and check out your seat assignments. I was fortunate in that my seats were perfectly fine, but it's better to be safe than sorry! You may also be able to add a frequent flier account number to your tickets if it's an airline you use often.

Adding Additional Tours

We will be adding tours in Cape Town, but booking them using Groupon Bucks to save even more money. I recommend looking into that option before purchasing additional tours from the tour operator. Remember the more money you save on each activity, the more activities you can do!

Have you ever taken a trip using Groupon Getaways? With spring break for the kids and summertime coming up soon, it's time to start planning our next adventure, and Groupon Getaways makes every corner of the earth a little more affordable to travel to!