All inclusive resorts?

[packrat]

I've not been on a vacation since February 2003. Not that I really went anywhere prior to that-for about five summers I spent a week fishing w/my parents, uncle and grampa. And in 2002 JD and I went to Florida. That's the extent of my travels. One of my childhood friends and I were talking on FB recently about priorities-she travels extensively and thinks nothing of dropping lots of money on that-while I would think ooooo the jewelry I could buy w/that money, and she would rather wear a simple band. I mentioned that my husband has been on five vacations since we've been married and I've stayed home. I'm pretty sure he saw it.

The other day he told me he wants to take me on a really nice vacation next year. He said an officer he used to work w/offered for us to go w/his "group", but knowing we don't really fit in w/that group, he said he's going to let me decide what we're doing.

I have *no* clue. We went to Vegas (2003-and we came home w/London, tho we didn't know it at the time haha!), and we've been to Florida to Disney, and to Nassau. That was a stupid vacation, sadly--one of those time share things, you know? That trip we got to spend a couple days on a cruise...now the boat was miniscule compared to an actual cruise ship (which we didn't know until we docked next to a Disney ship and we had to crane our necks back to even see their portholes..hahahaha omg that trip was something else) but it was still fun.

So that is our vacationing experience together. Knowing that you guys are way more worldly than I, I thought you might have some ideas on where to start for planning? JD wants to do something all inclusive. I know there are resorts, like Sandals, and I think some cruises are also all inclusive? Any places that you would suggest, like Cancun or..Atlantis or..I don't even know where else. We don't drink, we don't golf. We've seen places where you can do things like zip lining, which we would totally do. We like to sight see. I'm about half scared to go anywhere sunny b/c I don't tan anymore, so I don't spend much time in the sun--but I love water.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Gypsy]

Do you have passports and can you get them in time? There's one all inclusive resort chain I've had on my list: Grand Vellas: http://bookit.com/mexico/puerto-vallarta/hotels/grand-velas-riviera-nayarit-all-inclusive/?gclid=CIO-0fTKusMCFcVgfgodJWwAZw

 

[azstonie]

Hi Packrat.

I've done a good bit of leisure travel. The first thing to ask yourselves is how much work you want to do on the vacay meaning making all your arrangements and itineraries and those resulting decisions. I've done all that myself and I've traveled with Trafalgar. My DH and I loved the Trafalgar trips because we just relax and they do all the work. You can be as friendly and social with the other people in the group or not, everyone's wishes that way were respected. We had lots of Canadians and Aussies and Kiwis in our group and oh man, they were F.U.N. people!! On the trip, you can choose the extra experiences/side trips. We did them all except one and they were top notch, glad we did them. For all the trips, we got there a day or 3 earlier or stayed later in say, London or Paris or Rome where there were many things for us to see and good transportation we were confident with. On one trip through the UK with Trafalgar, we had tours through places that were closed---Trafalgar has pull. We stayed in some lovely boutique hotels we normally could not have afforded without Trafalgar's negotiating power.

I've done all inclusives and liked them but for those I did a lot of research because if you don't like the place or the food/beverage, you're going to want to go off property to eat and drink. I like a little of both, going off property for say lunch while sight seeing and shopping, and being on property for cocktails and dinner. Figure out if you want a family experience (lots of kids) or you're interested in a more grown ups property.

Figure out if you want foreign travel or domestic, how comfortable would you be not speaking the native tongue if the population isn't bilingual, is there a good public transportation network in place for you.

Set a budget and then add 20% to that. Get a visa or Amex with a chip. Determine if you need a cellphone/wifi compatibility with your location.

Manage expectations to avoid disappointment for you and JD---how much shopping, golfing, fine dining, dancing, beach days, zip lines, etc will you include.

I recently visited Vancouver and Whistler, BC, and had a great time, safe places, great food and drink, low stress. On our own in Vancouver and took a group daytrip to Whistler, had a great time.

In my neck of the woods, many friends have had a great time at The White Stallion Dude Ranch in Tucson.

Seattle is a polite city, take the high speed catamaran over to Victoria, BC, to get a taste of London!

If you are thinking of Alaska, lemme know, I lived in various locations there and can advise.

Our fave? Ireland. Wonderful. On your own, with a group, or combo of each. Highly recommend.

 

[packrat]

Gypsy, we do have passports, got them when we went to the Bahamas. I think they expire tho, so we would need to renew them. It won't be till next year, so luckily we've got time. I don't know if it would be during spring break, so next March, or during the summer once school gets out. I will check out that resort!

Some places we'd love to see, I'm not sure how expensive they would be, so at least for our first foray into a real "I'm a big kid now" vacation, we better keep it simple. I gotta work up to getting him to taking me to Australia...tho my friend is up for it down the road If he's not!! I'd love to see Sweden, where my family comes from. JD would go for Ireland I'm sure. I would too-hell, I'm giddy when we drive to Omaha for tattoos-I'm excited to go *anywhere*! Alaska is a dream for both of us. We've talked about a cruise, seeing the whales, and there's a train too, I think?

I would like something pretty low key, as far as activities. Having a few things planned but not to where there's little free time to sit still and enjoy where we are, but if we want to go do something, we can. I'm not entirely sure I can get him to fly over the ocean. He did enjoy being *on* and *in* the ocean, however.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I've not been, but Dunns River Falls in Jamaica came to mind reading your posts. I know a few who go regularly and really enjoy it ...

 

[PintoBean]

I was looking at Costco travel when we were planning on a 2015 vacation. I was cross referencing resort reviews with travelocity and tripadvisor. Costco seemed reasonably priced.

 

[arkieb1]

Let me know if you want to come to Australia, to get the most out of it I'd recommend staying at different places, Sydney, maybe Melbourne as well, Cairns or one of the places North of where I live to see the reef and Ayers Rock....

 

[partgypsy]

I'm going to be following this post because not this March but the following March will be hubby's and I's 20th anniversary. So I brought up us going on a nice vacation. It will be different from Packrat's suggestions maybe because we will be bringing the kids (who will be 9 and 13) but I'm someone who enjoys daydreaming and planning things (for both Disneyworld trips for the multi family group I did the research/ itinerary and meal reservations).

We all like nature, animal watching. We all love water and swimming (pools, beaches, waterparks). I also love learning about another culture but that will be optional as it more about a trip can relax. As we will have the kids would be great to have a situation where we can do some things as adults and kids do other activities (a possibility for a cruise, but not sure about other places). We have passports. I don't really want to spend more than 3K but may need to up the budget.

I'm torn between planning something I know I will enjoy (Disneyworld, Atlantis) and trying something new. Dream trips for me would be going to Europe (Greece, France, Italy) but not in the budget, maybe for 30th,...

 

[RandG]

Does it have to be an all-inclusive? Have you thought about the Florida Keys?

 

[momhappy]

I've not been, but Dunns River Falls in Jamaica came to mind reading your posts. I know a few who go regularly and really enjoy it ...

I've been to Jamaica twice (once by choice, and the second time because we had to for a destination wedding). To be honest, it's fine, but not somewhere that I'd return. If you go, I'd recommend finding a resort close to the airport. We had lengthy drives both times and it was fairly chaotic at times (speeding through cluttered roads, dodging goats & cattle, etc.).

As far as all-inclusive vacations are concerned, do your research and read reviews! All-inclusive can be a good way to go because you can plan your costs up front. Choose your "stars" carefully (as in how many stars a hotel has) - chances are, the lower the stars, the lower the quality (of food, beverage, etc.). Also, know exactly what a package includes or excludes )for example, some exclude certain activities, some exclude certain types of adult beverages, etc.).
I have some friends that go to Beaches (all inclusive) Resorts every year and while it's expensive, they like that everything is included, which requires less thought on their parts.

 

[blackprophet]

In terms of all inclusive, I've only been to Cuba, which was great, but not an option for you.

Suggestions:
Costa Rica: Up and coming all inclusive country. Still relatively affordable because its not as popular. Because of the rainforest, there should be a good selection of things to do.
Dominican Republic: Go to Punta Cana not Puerto Plata (resorts are much better)
Jamaica: Food is really good, but beaches aren't great

If you want more up-scale St. Kitts, Aruba, St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos all are popular but on the more expensive side.

And I will put in a little shameless plug for my parents home country: Grenada. Everyone I know who's gone says its their favourite Caribbean country (I admit to being biased!). Grand Anse Beach used to be in the top 10 beaches in the world (not sure where it ranks now). Go for Carnival in the beginning of August. But be forewarned it is also a lot more expensive than the other places on this list (in terms of resort prices). BUT they are building a sandals there, so there might be deals to be had when they open.

 

[momhappy]

^I remember the opposite of Jamaica - beaches pretty, but food just okay

 

[blackprophet]

^I remember the opposite of Jamaica - beaches pretty, but food just okay

Compared to other countries in the Caribbean, they are just ok. (According to extensive discussions with people, seems to be a consensus)
A lot of the beaches in Jamaica are man made actually.

 

[tyty333]

^I remember the opposite of Jamaica - beaches pretty, but food just okay

That's what I remember. I really did not like Jamaica. If you stay put in the All-Inclusive hotel you are probably ok but if you
like to get out and explore...it's a no-go for me. Matter fact, my hubby was going to propose to me there but he disliked the
place so much he didn't do it. Waited until we got back home. Didn't want our engagement associated with Jamaica.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

How about a cruise? A floating all inclusive--and depending on the itinerary, the port excursions can be fun.

cheers--Sharon

 

[monarch64]

I would never do an all-inclusive in Jamaica. I've never heard anything great from friends who've gone that route, and I'm totally biased because my experience there was that we stayed on an estate owned by friends of ours my ex knew through work. We had a private cook, driver, and had the run of the island. In 10 days, we spent very little time on the beach and in the ocean until we came home at night. We went to Kingston for the day, went down the Martha Brae river, did Dunns River Falls (such a tourist trap but very beautiful), went to local nightclubs (we had locals with us otherwise that would not have been safe), ate a lot of local fantastic food (Jamaica won't touch U.S. chicken because ours is so loaded with hormones and antibiotics), and really got to see what the tourist industry there would rather you not.

If you don't like the beach that much, are not into sunning, and JD doesn't want to fly over the ocean, why not do Alaska or Canada? I would LOVE to go to Whistler. And Alaska, someday. So much stunning scenery and plenty to do for the type of person who doesn't want to loll on the beach all day or play golf and drink. That crap is for Spring Break when you're 21, you guys need to take a real grown-up trip now!

Sweden could be saved for when your girls graduate high school, that would be a great trip to take them on as a gift to all of you. That's something to really save up for and plan far in advance, imo.

 

[momhappy]

I would never do an all-inclusive in Jamaica. I've never heard anything great from friends who've gone that route, and I'm totally biased because my experience there was that we stayed on an estate owned by friends of ours my ex knew through work. We had a private cook, driver, and had the run of the island. In 10 days, we spent very little time on the beach and in the ocean until we came home at night. We went to Kingston for the day, went down the Martha Brae river, did Dunns River Falls (such a tourist trap but very beautiful), went to local nightclubs (we had locals with us otherwise that would not have been safe), ate a lot of local fantastic food (Jamaica won't touch U.S. chicken because ours is so loaded with hormones and antibiotics), and really got to see what the tourist industry there would rather you not.

If you don't like the beach that much, are not into sunning, and JD doesn't want to fly over the ocean, why not do Alaska or Canada? I would LOVE to go to Whistler. And Alaska, someday. So much stunning scenery and plenty to do for the type of person who doesn't want to loll on the beach all day or play golf and drink. That crap is for Spring Break when you're 21, you guys need to take a real grown-up trip now!

Sweden could be saved for when your girls graduate high school, that would be a great trip to take them on as a gift to all of you. That's something to really save up for and plan far in advance, imo.

Monarch - your Jamaica experience sounds very similar to my first visit there. We traveled there with a friend who spent several weeks each year in Jamaica (and made friends with a small group of locals), so we avoided the resort scene and got to participate in a lot of non-tourist activities. We visited the local market, went out at night in the local nightclubs, etc. Again, a fun trip, but I wouldn't go back because there are so many other places I'd prefer over Jamaica.
I agree that Alaska or Canada could be fun. Cruising can be fun too - although we've only ever done smaller, luxury, boutique-type cruising ( I would never step foot on a large cruise ship like Carnival, etc.). I think that when my kids get older, DH and I would like to take one of those river cruises (Europe, etc.).

 

[Gypsy]

I've been to Australia multiple times and LOVE IT.

Seriously. Only problem though, you REALLY need 2 weeks. It's a BRUTAL flight. You can stop over in Hawaii or New Zealand but... the long stretch between Hawaii and New Zealand is still brutal. Doing it in less than 2 weeks, for me would not make me happy.

I've been to Sydney multiple times and have spent months there. I've also been to the Great Barrier Reef and I've been to Melbourne.

I adored Melbourne. It was very European. And of course, the Great Barrier Reef was lovely for the nature, but it is a very 'beach town' atmosphere: super laid back.

Sydney is lovely, but... it's just a city. If you want to go to Australia, I would make sure that you see Sydney... but make trips from there to the Blue Mountains (we stayed at a lovely BB and went to see gorgeous caves) and other natural beauties. Australia has a lot to offer.

Plus you know the language and the people are SUPER nice and warm and they actually LIKE Americans, which to me is important.

 

[msop04]

Hey packrat!

We've been to several different AI chains throughout Mexico and the Caribbean, and I can honestly say the Secrets and Excellence are my top two faves. Mexico is the by far the best bang for your buck. Jamaica, while lush and tropical, was a bit depressing and a little scary outside of the resort, so I will never go back there. Bahamas are beautiful, but soooo commercialized and too expensive for what it is, IMHO. Turks & Caicos is BEAUTIFUL, but more expensive.

Secrets Maroma Beach is fab, and Secrets is opening a new location in November 2015 that looks AWESOME!!

 

[packrat]

Oooo I come home from a boring/mind numbing conference today to find more posts on vacations! Yay!

So. Nope, it doesn't have to be all inclusive, we just figured that would be "easiest" for us I guess, since we reaaaally don't know what we're doing hahahaha!

Sweden/Australia will have to definitely wait. I really want London and Trapper to be able to go w/us on trips like that---they just would be trips of a lifetime. Australia is a MUST at some point-I've heard so much about It growing up-my grampa and gramma spent winters there for years, and my mom spent 3 weeks there when I was in 4th grade...she still gets stars in her eyes when she talks about It. If I start small, I can work up to getting JD across the ocean. That's my diabolical plan anyway.

My brother and his wife went somewhere...Cancun maybe and they enjoyed it. Jamaica would be crossed off-based on talking to people before we got married and planned at first to do a destination wedding or honeymoon there. Better cross the higher end places off too...

We do love the beach...my pasty fish belly skin probably couldn't handle much of it anymore, sadly. We'd be ok if there were other things to do also, rather than spending sun up to sun down on the beach. Shoot, when we were in the Bahamas, that was back when I tanned almost daily year round, and I *still* managed to get a little pink on the shoulders/nose!

Cruising, we loved the one we were on...tho now we tend to give it the narrow eye after seeing norovirus etc in the news on ships and thinking how awful that would be. Loved being on the ocean tho.

I will check out Secrets and Excellence-have only ever heard of Sandals and Beaches, so thank you for other ones to look into!

I never thought about the Florida Keys, that's something I will mention to him!

My parents went to Acapulco w/both sets of their parents before I was born and they loved it.

Just from what I'm gleaning here, for our first go-round, which hopefully turns into a yearly event--someplace in Mexico would be the idea for a warm vacation, and Alaska would be our other choice. Maybe we could combine a few things going the Alaska route...whale watching, a cruise, the train, sightseeing? And maybe it all depends on when we would be able to go, what is available to do? Alaska probably would be a place to go during the summer, and Mexico during our spring break.

 

[packrat]

I forgot to ask, momhappy, why you would never do a big cruise ship like Celebrity?

Aaand JD just looked over and says "How about a cruise next winter?" ha, after I'd figured he'd want to do something else. Shows what I know.

He looked up Alaska cruises and from what he looked at, mostly they port out of Canada, which doesn't work for us. So I guess I will have to cross that off. This might be harder than I thought.

Then he brought up Atlantis...is that in Negril? Cripes.

We're sitting on the couch on our laptops googling vacations.

 

[packrat]

This is where he's looking now, b/c his sister has been there often. http://www.palaceresorts.com/en

Anyone else been there? It says kids stay free--and I really don't want to deal w/lots of kids wherever we go.

 

[RandG]

The Keys have some of the best fishing in the world, especially if you like back country fishing on the Florida flats where the water is crystal clear, shallow and rewarding. The snorkeling, diving and overall water activities are incredible as the Keys are home to the only living coral reef in the United States. The Keys disease is a real thing. People go there and check out. Everything just slows down. You can find your high-end premium resorts with all the amenities you'd expect on vacation, but the efficiency type hotels, which are all mostly on the water are pretty good too and preferred by boaters and those who like a little more privacy and independence.

Other than a Hayman Island type place, also off the grid and outstanding, I don't know of any sunset that can feed the soul more than one in Key Largo.

 

[packrat]

Do you have any thoughts on places to check out?

 

[RandG]

I like Key Largo because of its proximity to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, but many prefer Islamorada because of the action. I'll offer up a few places but all your regular branded chain hotels and resorts are on the Keys too:

Key Largo:

The Marriott-- right on the bayside, the sunsets are outside your patio door. The hotel is well maintained and the location is ideal.

Azul Del Mar-- a very small boutique type hotel (private house) with just a few rooms. Super private and quaint, its my second best pick for Key Largo.

The Hampton Inn-- a little less expensive, also bayside, but perfectly quaint and reliable.

The Pelican-- this is more of an efficiency with little cottages on the bay. It's next to the best dive of a restaurant in town. Rooms are very reasonable, sparse and clean. It has its own boat ramp too.

Islamorada: (These are all Oceanside)

Cheeca Lodge-- This is the luxury spot for all the Keys. It's where George Bush senior used to vacation and hold his fishing tournaments. I've never stayed there but its supposed to be wonderful.

The Islander-- Moderately priced, this is my favorite hotel in Islamorada. It's a little rustic but has all the amenities you'd expect of a mid-tier hotel. I love the location. If you're doing back country fishing, its across the street from where many of the guides launch their boats everyday. No need to drive.

Holiday Isle-- this is a favorite for many. It started as one hotel, but the owner eventually acquired everything around it, including a small water park, several marina's, and restaurants. If you prefer deep sea fishing, I'd use this as a base camp. Holiday Isle has it all.

Key West:

The Westin-- its all about watching the sunset from the pier behind the Westin, then crawling along Duval street. Lot's of smaller boutique type hotels but its worth it to pay up for the Westin. Be sure to do the conch tour and visit the Hemingway house. The cats alone are worth the adventure.

Last tip: Fly into Fort Lauderdale airport and rent a convertible there instead of Miami. Stop along the way and buy/pack a cooler of essentials (beer, water, sunscreen) and towels. When you do the drive from Key Largo to Key West, there are great little spots to park alongside the road and walk out onto the water and sand bars, for miles. Bring a pair of shoes you don't mind wearing in the water.

I could write a book... its a magical place.

 

[msop04]

So. Nope, it doesn't have to be all inclusive, we just figured that would be "easiest" for us I guess, since we reaaaally don't know what we're doing hahahaha!

My brother and his wife went somewhere...Cancun maybe and they enjoyed it. Jamaica would be crossed off-based on talking to people before we got married and planned at first to do a destination wedding or honeymoon there. Better cross the higher end places off too...

I will check out Secrets and Excellence-have only ever heard of Sandals and Beaches, so thank you for other ones to look into!

Just from what I'm gleaning here, for our first go-round, which hopefully turns into a yearly event--someplace in Mexico would be the idea for a warm vacation, and Alaska would be our other choice. Maybe we could combine a few things going the Alaska route...whale watching, a cruise, the train, sightseeing? And maybe it all depends on when we would be able to go, what is available to do? Alaska probably would be a place to go during the summer, and Mexico during our spring break.

WARNING: PIC-HEAVY, LONG POST AHEAD

The reason we'll only do all-inclusives is the simplicity of it all... To us, it's nice to know that everything is available at no charge and we don't have to worry about budgeting (or lack of) during the trip. It's just stress free... I'll try to give a quick review of each place we've been -- hope it helps. Also, if I'm not being too intrusive, what kind of money are you looking to spend and how long would you like to stay?

Moon Palace/Cancun Palace (Mexico) - Moon Palace was nicer than Cancun Palace... it was more of a "honeymooner's hotel" and Cancun Palace was not impressive (esp after being able to compare to Excellence and Secrets)... Cancun Palace is located in Cancun's Hotel Zone, which I do not recommend unless you are a college spring breaker.

Beaches Negril (Jamaica) - It was "just okay" -- Pros: lush, tropical surroundings, cool jungle outings (Dunn's River Falls is super fun) Cons: the 2+ hour bus ride from Montego Bay to Negril on dirt roads was not fun, locals were constantly coming up to us on the resort's "private beach" trying to sell us marijuana, and the resort was campy and not luxurious at all. But, it's a Beaches, so... that's the standard. I wish I had more photos, but here ya go:



Beaches Turks & Caicos (Providenciales, T&C) -- Pros: BEST BEACH/OCEAN... period. This Beaches is the nicest we've been to... there are three "villages" (Caribbean, French, and Italian). You may visit each village and it's amenities, regardless of where your room is located. The Italian Village was the newest and it was really nice, but I preferred the Caribbean Village pools, as one had a super cool grotto (third photo) and it was not as crowded as the Italian Village pools. Cons: Airfare is pricy, since it's at the tip of the Bahamas chain. Here are some photos:



Excellence Playa Mujeres (Riviera Cancun) - Pros: very nice accommodations, pools, grounds, and restaurants. Extremely friendly and professional staff, LOBSTER HOUSE (enough said.) Cons: located on a "natural beach" that is beautiful, but on a preserve, so rocky and lots of seaweed (which the staff tirelessly removes from before sunrise until sunset)... the beach was pretty much the only "con" but not a big deal if you're a pool person anyway. MUCHO Photos:



Secrets Silversands (Riviera Cancun) - Equally nice to Excellence PM, slightly better restaurants with Secrets Resorts. Similar natural beaches (see photo 5). Secrets has amazing staff! Photos:


...stay tuned for Secrets Maroma Beach!

 

[April20]

We've done an all inclusive vacation every year since 2007. Here's my take.

You get what you pay for. DO NOT cheap out. If you need to pay 50% more to stay at a "5 star" vs a "3 star" all inclusive, then save your money longer and book the "5 star".

I've found that all 5 star AI resorts are generally the same when it comes to amenities. They're generally adults only, lots of bars with the good liquor and "a la carte" restaurants that don't require reservations at dinner. This is what you want. I would not book a resort that requires reservations for any restaurant at night (other than hibachi) and/or limits the nights you can do restaurants. This means you'd be stuck eating off a buffet at dinner the other nights and it's generally not that great. If you end up needing to take kids, boom a 4 star. That's generally 5 star amenities but not adults only.

As to beaches, I think the beaches in the Dominican Republic are better than in Mexico. Less sea grass. I do think the beaches on the "hotel strip" in Cancun are decent but they're less private due to all,the resorts in a row. The ones more isolated north and south of Cancun proper are nice, but do tend to have a lot of sea grass and can be a bit rocky.

In Cancun/Mayan Riviera we've stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres twice (hands down fav), the Valentin Imperial Maya (didn't like the grounds. It was too jungle like and you couldn't see the water without trekking down through growth to the water) and Secrets Silver Sands. I would go back to any of them but the Valentin. The Valentin had great food, but I just didn't care for the fact that you couldn't see the water. And I saw snakes there several times. Ummmmm. No.

In DR we have stayed at the Excellence Punta Cana (nice but not as nice as Playa Mujeres) and Breathless Punta Cana. Breathless was nice and we got a killer deal, but it wasn't our favorite. We stayed in Puerta Plata in Nov 2013 at the Lifestyles Tropical Beach resort with my in laws. It was $19 per person, per day (not including transport, of course). For the price, it was FINE. Seriously, we're else can you stay at a hotel and eat/drink for that cheap? It fit the bill for what we needed last year but it's certainly not our first choice.

Our very first year we did an AI we stayed at the Sunset Grande Ocho Rios in Jamaica. It was a 3 star and we knew nothing about AIs. We learned everything about what not to book for a vacation that first year. It wasn't so bad while we were there as we didn't know better but when I researched resorts we passed after we got home I realized how much it sucked!!!!

We have always booked through Cheap Caribbean online. Great customer service and we have always got a good price. We went for 8 nights this year. We did a "seas the deal" promotion where it was going to be one of three 5 star resorts, we just didn't get told until a week before we left which one we would be staying at. I think we paid $2300 all in (taxes, airfare, private airport transfers, the resort) for the two of us. We booked in mid August and went in early October. It was one of the best deals we've gotten.

Oh and a note on airport transfers. If the resort is 15 mins or less from the airport, book shared transfers. You will likely be first off at the resort and last on to go to the airport. Anything other than 15 mins, book private. It will only be you and you will go straight to the resort. It will save you at least two hours because you won't be dropping people at different resorts along the way. The way back to the airport is always shared, but who cares!

ETA: we live in a major airport hub so prices have always been pretty good for us. The first few years we did resorts, Mexico was cheaper and DR was always at least 50% more. It switched a couple years ago and now DR is less expensive. Go figure. We have never done any of the other islands as it is significantly more and once you're at the resort you could honestly be on any of the islands. The excursions are always the same no matter where you are (we never do them). Unless there's something specific on some island you want to see, I'd go wherever the best value is.

 

[momhappy]

I forgot to ask, momhappy, why you would never do a big cruise ship like Celebrity?

Aaand JD just looked over and says "How about a cruise next winter?" ha, after I'd figured he'd want to do something else. Shows what I know.

He looked up Alaska cruises and from what he looked at, mostly they port out of Canada, which doesn't work for us. So I guess I will have to cross that off. This might be harder than I thought.

Then he brought up Atlantis...is that in Negril? Cripes.

We're sitting on the couch on our laptops googling vacations.

Large cruise ships do not appeal to me at all and whenever I think of one, I think of norovirus
I have done a handful of luxury (smallish) sail boat cruises and they were absolutely fabulous. Before kids, we did quite a bit of travel in the Caribbean. I've been to Mexico (I have actually stayed at the Moon Palace too) and while it was lovely, again, it's not some place that I would go back to because there are so many other places that I would go before that.
Atlantis is in the Bahamas.

 

[packrat]

Oh gosh you guys, thanks for all the info on Florida and the AI resorts! So helpful!

JD really wants to go during our break from school next year-the kids can stay w/my parents, and I'll have 10 days off work. It will be about mid-March. I'm figuring to spend about 3k w/flights and everything, and be gone about 7 days, if that's doable in the price range.

I don't think it would be hard too impress us..which probably is kinda sad but it makes me laugh--we're pretty simple people to begin w/, and add that to we've never really been anywhere. Rube=us.

That said, I don't want to cheap out on it at all just b/c we don't know any better. I'd rather it be as child-free as possible, and as drunken fool-free as possible. Nice beaches, even tho we won't be glued to them. When we were in Nassau, we were on a little island and the beach was nice, but was pretty rocky.

When I was looking at some of the sites, like Secrets/Excellence and it has the asterisk by some things, like yoga or spa treatments, to show it's an extra cost...is it like a crazy amount extra?

I'll check out that Cheap Caribbean site too.

JD said he would like to do some parasailing or zip lining.

 

[packrat]

Momhappy, that's what I think of too, norovirus. I can't imagine being stuck on a ship and being sick like that for days. JD brought up an Alaskan Celebrity cruise next summer and I vetoed it. I'd rather take the kids and do whale watching tours and enjoy the outdoors.