Donna Alkarmi
McKinney, Texas Travel Agent
Lone Star Travel, a Internova Travel Group Network affiliate agency
Email Me
Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist, Europe
With over 25 years working in the travel industry, I love to personally curate detailed trips around the world for my clients who live all over the USA. I am proud to have been 1 of 9 Travel Professionals throughout the US to be chosen to be on the 1st Travel Weekly/Travel Age West Advisory Board. I also serve on a few hoteliers boards throughout Mexico and the Caribbean. I currently have 10 independent contractors on my team who all specialize in different destinations.
I was awarded Top Producer and Top Destination Wedding sales with Playa Resorts in their inaugural year in Jamaica as well as Hard Rock Resorts Showstoppers Awards in Punta Cana, DR. Currently my agency is top 10% producing boutique agency in the USA. We currently are a Diamond Elite Preferred Agency with ALG/Hyatt Corp as a top producer in the USA for international and Hawaii destinations.
Please note, I will not promote a destination that I deem not safe or a resort that does not exceeds my expectations.
So, let me plan your next family, couples or group vacations. With groups of 5 rooms or more to Mexico or the Caribbean, I can get a discount code for your group and deposits are quite flexible. My prices are never more than those .com sites and you get a real person who actually travels around the globe frequently to offer you 1st hand knowledge.
Client Review
www.LonestarTravel.com
Donna did an OUTSTANDING job of planning and organizing our fabulous 11 day trip for 10 people to Italy in April 2014. We landed in Florence and spent 3 days in the Tuscany region then drove south to Rome where we turned in our rental cars for 4 days in Rome. Donna set up a half day city tour with our own private tour bus and english speaking guide one day and another half day guided tour of Vatican city. Next we picked up our rental cars and headed south to Sorrento for 4 more days of beautiful sightseeing. This is our third trip (Mexico & Dominican Republic other 2) we have booked with Donna and can say we have never been disappointed with anything she has ever recommended.
My Areas of Expertise
Exceeded Expectations
Reviewed By Soto - Dallas, TX | Traveled to Cancun ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
Donna,Live Aqua was amazing and totally exceeded our expectations.
Thank you so much!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
32 of 55 people found this review helpful
Amazing Time in Cancun
Reviewed By Mere - Dallas, TX | Traveled to Cancun ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
It was amazing!!! We loved the Hyatt Zilara Cancun!! All of the restaurants were fabulous, the spa was incredible, beach was so fun and all the staff were so friendly and professional. We did a day trip tour and loved it. We were soooo sad Kelly and Evan weren't there to enjoy it but you were available to cancel their trip last minute and get then their refund!!! Loved loved loved our vacation, thank you for booking!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
Thank you for your kind words. I was sorry your friends needed to use their cancel for any reason insurance the night before, but SO glad they had it! Looking forward to booking you and your friends for your next adventure!
Thank you for your kind words. I was sorry your friends needed to use their cancel for any reason insurance the night before, but SO glad they had it! Looking forward to booking you and your friends for your next adventure!
30 of 55 people found this review helpful
European Perfection
Reviewed By DanielT - Dallas, TX | Traveled to Europe
Donna at Lone Star travel is absolutely amazing. My wife and I were wanting to go to Europe for our Honeymoon and didn't know where to start. I called around to a few travel agents in Dallas and never received an email or a call back. The ones we did talk to i never really got a warm and fuzzy feeling. Especially traveling overseas. I called Donna at Lone Star travel and she answered my call the first time and responded to every single email there on out. She was very professional and had no problem answering our 50 questions. We had no doubt that she was going to make this our dream honeymoon. We gave her a list of places we wanted to go and our budget. She built our entire 14 day trip around that with lots of different options. It was so painless and easy. It also helped that she travels over there each year and knew exactly where to go and not to go. From the moment we left on our trip Donna was checking in on us to make sure everything was going well. You are the best! I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
Thank you SO much for your kind words, You were both such a pleasure to work with and planning honeymoons are one of my favorite things in the world to do! Looking forward to planning many more trip for you!
Thank you SO much for your kind words, You were both such a pleasure to work with and planning honeymoons are one of my favorite things in the world to do! Looking forward to planning many more trip for you!
29 of 55 people found this review helpful
NO stress, NO pressure
Reviewed By Shannon - McKinney | Traveled to Playa Del Carmen ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
I called Donna on a Saturday and left a voicemail, not expecting a response until Monday but she called back just a few moment later. She asked several questions about what I was looking for, budget, etc. Within an hour, I had 5 destinations to choose from and all were within my budget. No pressure to make a quick decision. We choose The Royal, in Playa Del Carmen. 2 weeks prior to our trip, she sent a travel packet with details, and a fact sheet about the Cancun Airport, she even told us what our driver would be wearing! When we made it to resort, we were greeted with champagne! The resort was absolutely amazing! On that note, there was never a time in Mexico where I felt uneasy. With the bad wrap it has gotten lately, we were concerned about travelling there. Even when we ventured off the resort, we felt safe. We will definitely go back! I will never book another trip on my own. From now on, I will use Donna for her expertise! It was the best trip my husband and I have ever taken.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
I am glad you trusted me enough when you were concerned with the recent media frenzy surrounding Mexico. Once I separate fact from fiction for you, I knew you would have a wonderful time! Thank you again and can't wait to hep you add more stamps to your passport.
I am glad you trusted me enough when you were concerned with the recent media frenzy surrounding Mexico. Once I separate fact from fiction for you, I knew you would have a wonderful time! Thank you again and can't wait to hep you add more stamps to your passport.
24 of 46 people found this review helpful
Perfect Girls Trip Getaway
Reviewed By Teresa - DeSoto, KS | Traveled to Isla Mujeres ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
I wanted to personally thank you for the wonderful job you did putting our trip to Isla Mujeres together. Cynthia and I had the best time! I would love to go back again next year. Loved the resort!!! May I give your contact info to people that would like to plan a trip to this location? Thank you again for a fabulous vacation! I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
Pat, thank you again for allowing me to send you both to a quiet corner of the island. Looking forward to helping you plan your next adventure!
Pat, thank you again for allowing me to send you both to a quiet corner of the island. Looking forward to helping you plan your next adventure!
26 of 51 people found this review helpful
Best Bang for the Buck 5 Stars
Reviewed By Colby - Plano, TX | Traveled to Playa Del Carmen ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
Donna went above and beyond our expectations to get us a wonderful stay in Playa del Carmen for our 20th wedding anniversary! We had all the bells and whistles added to our package that made our trip priceless! I highly recommend her and will be personally using this place again to plan our 25th anniversary.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
20 of 40 people found this review helpful
European Honeymoon Perfection
Reviewed By Daniel - Plano, TX | Traveled to Europe
Donna at Lone Star travel is absolutely amazing. My wife and I were wanting to go to Europe for our Honeymoon and didn't know where to start. I called around to a few travel agents in Dallas and never received an email or a call back. The ones we did talk to i never really got a warm and fuzzy feeling. Especially traveling overseas.I called Donna at Lone Star travel and she answered my call the first time and responded to every single email there on out. She was very professional and had no problem answering our 50 questions. We had no doubt that she was going to make this our dream honeymoon.
We gave her a list of places we wanted to go and our budget. She built our entire 14 day trip around that with lots of different options. It was so painless and easy. It also helped that she travels over there each year and knew exactly where to go and not to go.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
Thank you so much for your kind words. I love designing European itineraries to make sure you don't miss a thing! Thank you for trusting me and for your referrals, that is the best compliment I can get!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I love designing European itineraries to make sure you don't miss a thing! Thank you for trusting me and for your referrals, that is the best compliment I can get!
32 of 64 people found this review helpful
Amazing Trip!
Reviewed By Shellie - Celina, TX | Traveled to Hawaii Island ~ Hawaii ~ USA
Donna planned a trip to Maui for us in April 2017, it was absolutely amazing! We loved every minute of it! The hotel location was great. Amazing snorkeling right off of out hotel beach!
I would recommend staying there again and would recommend Donna in a heart beat.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
Thank you Kelly! I love working with you and your family, you all have the most fun on vacations. Keep sharing those photos!
Thank you Kelly! I love working with you and your family, you all have the most fun on vacations. Keep sharing those photos!
23 of 46 people found this review helpful
Takes the stress away!
Reviewed By Hillary - Newark, TX | Traveled to Cancun ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
I've worked with Donna twice now and she's been a god send! First time, I had to switch a passenger last minute and she was able to do this without me worrying ! Where she booked us was beautiful, and we had no issues. Second time I had to cancel due to medical issues and she was able to get my refund and call everyone for me without hassle!
I definitely recommend using her as your travel agent rather than paying for something online and have to pay all at once ! With Donna, you can make payments at any time before the due date and gives you a good window to plan ahead!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
What a testimonial! Hate that you had to cancel, but glad I was able to make it easy for you. Let's get planning on your next adventure!
What a testimonial! Hate that you had to cancel, but glad I was able to make it easy for you. Let's get planning on your next adventure!
20 of 42 people found this review helpful
Destination Wedding
Reviewed By jorgibbs - Dallas, TX | Traveled to
Donna made our destination wedding process very simple and easy. She helped us select a resort, initiated contact with the wedding coordinator and even helped us switch the date quick when we found out a corporation booked up the majority of the rooms. She helped all of our guests (35 people) book their flights and hotels which took a lot of the stress and pressure off my fiancé and myself so we could focus our time on planning the wedding. We ended up getting a really nice refund right before the wedding from Donna & Apple Vacations for all of our guests that booked! It basically payed for our entire trip!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
Thank you for your kind review. Destination Weddings and Honeymoons are so much fun to plan and book and I LOVE being able to tell my couples that they are getting a refund for having all their friends and family book through me. I hope you saw the value of using me, a travel agent and would love you to share your experience with your family and friends. Looking forward to planning your 1 year anniversary!
Thank you for your kind review. Destination Weddings and Honeymoons are so much fun to plan and book and I LOVE being able to tell my couples that they are getting a refund for having all their friends and family book through me. I hope you saw the value of using me, a travel agent and would love you to share your experience with your family and friends. Looking forward to planning your 1 year anniversary!
30 of 62 people found this review helpful
Perfect Pick for our Family
Reviewed By Jeff P - McKinney, TX | Traveled to Playa Mujeres ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
I just wanted to let you know that our Mexico trip was great. My wife and I were worried after we read most of the reviews. We knew the resort was new so, we figured they had to work out the bugs. This was my wife and I 6th trip to the Mexican Riviera. We have stayed in mostly 5 star places, but we are pretty laid back and thought most of those place were to nice for us. This place was absolutely perfect. It was exactly what I was wanting when I thought of taking my kids to Mexico. The resort was beautiful and very clean. I know it was new but there were dozens of people cleaning all the time, and every night they scrubbed the entire place. They had by far the best beach we have been to. The beach was amazing, and with no resorts around all the room in the world. The food was pretty good. We only ate at 1 restaurant because the main buffet was so good. My 9 year old girls cried when we left because she wanted to live there. My wife and I want to go again (without the kids) soon!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
You and your family are so much fun to work with and thank you once agai for trusting me with your precious family time. Looking forward to planning a special romantic getaway for you and your wife.
You and your family are so much fun to work with and thank you once agai for trusting me with your precious family time. Looking forward to planning a special romantic getaway for you and your wife.
24 of 52 people found this review helpful
Exceeded Expectations
Reviewed By Soto - Dallas, TX | Traveled to Cancun ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
Donna,Live Aqua was amazing and totally exceeded our expectations.
Thank you so much!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
23 of 53 people found this review helpful
Best Family Vaca
Reviewed By Kelly - McKinney, TX | Traveled to Cancun ~ Quintana Roo ~ Mexico
Donna is simply Amazing! From start to finish our family vaca was spot on and we couldn't have asked for more. She spent time listening to what we wanted to do and accommodating my children's ages so that all would have an exceptional time. Thank you so much....We cannot wait to plan our next adventure with you.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Donna Alkarmi responded:
Thank you for trusting me with your precious family and vacation time. As you kids get older, I will make sure to continue to match their activity level and personalities to the RIGHT resort!
Thank you for trusting me with your precious family and vacation time. As you kids get older, I will make sure to continue to match their activity level and personalities to the RIGHT resort!
23 of 61 people found this review helpful