Good Options For an All-inclusive Vacation (1 Viewer)

[culdeus]

Sandals PM used to be a timeshare called ventaclub.  Back in the mid 2000s Bush rented out the whole place for a vacation for his family while they were trsnsitoning to Sandals.  For the money it still has the best beach of any AI anywhere.  

 

[Worm]

@WormWhich of those you listed above would you recommend that is the most bang for the buck? 20th wedding anniversary coming up. 

Also, who do I go through to schedule? Please explain it to me like I have never down something like this in my life. 

I'd pick one of the Excellence properties.

And just book direct online. You will get the best deal direct from what I've found.

 

[culdeus]

You can good flight+hotel packages with airlines often times, Excellence will usually price match pretty aggressively or offer upgrades for their base rack rate.  

Depending on time of year they will double upgrade you just calling in and asking nicely.  

Once they offered to put us up in a two twin bed for one night then rooftop ocean view for the rest of the trip.  We said yes, and by the time they got there it was available the whole trip provide we could wait to #### until 6pm.  

These AI places make money just staying full, they have a hard time selling the upgraded rooms to the budget travelers that are going for price so they want to have as much capacity on the base room as possible at all times.  The delta they make from base to club or whatever is nothing compared to leaving a base room demand closed off for a empty upgraded room. 

It used to be you could be coming "for your  honeymoon" and this would usually get them to bump you up, but they started looking for wedding licenses finally.  

 

[Zow]

We have gone to the Dominican Republic the last 3 years. It is awesome and the people are fantastic.

For $4-7k you can get a very nice room at a good brand of resorts (this is important). I really think the DR has the best value for what you get.

We have been to:

- Excellence Punta Cana

- Breathless Punta Cana

- Excellence El Carmen (last week for a short trip)

All three were great. Breathless is a little more "party". Food was really good at all three. The two Excellence resorts were very nice, and similar in quality. Staff is awesome and very friendly, and they really take care of you. Beach servers will just keep bringing you whatever you want at your chair under your palapa. Want a full bottle of champagne in an ice bucket on the beach? No problem. Plenty of pool areas and swim up bar service. If you want to participate, the entertainment staff are good people and will do some fun stuff. The nighttime shows are fun. Got to see Queen with Dominican Freddy Mercury last week which was awesome and hilarious. The night club/dance club wasn't open last week but we had fun doing that our first two trips as well.

Couple food pictures from our trip last week. Pizza/burger bar right on the water. Lobster House restaurant overlooking the ocean with a nice filet and shrimp that tasted like lobster.

Cannot recommend the Excellence brand enough and can point you to more resources if needed. This trip they even included private transport in a badass Suburban with roadie beers. Can't beat it.

Edited to add - we got an ocean view room for our trip last week for less than $400 a night. Three years ago we had an absolutely amazing room at Excellence Punta Cana, upper floor ocean front with a giant terrace that had a private plunge pool for less than $500 a night.

Did my honeymoon at Excellence. It was excellent for the reasons stated. 

 

[El Floppo]

It's been a few years but my wife and I liked this place alot and would go back...

Excellence Playa Mujeres

This is probably the most can't miss of these.  It's not going to blow you away in any one area, but has all the elements at least at a B+ level.  

They offer a lot of upgrades once you get there and before. I've never paid for one, and when having them felt no difference in the experience.  Get a room in the back facing in.  

Is this on Isla Mujeres?

We stayed at Mia Reef there...little cay attached to the main island by a small bridge and separated by a stunning sandy lagoon/inlet. AI, absolutely fantastic location that made up for the meh food. 

 

[culdeus]

Is this on Isla Mujeres?

We stayed at Mia Reef there...little cay attached to the main island by a small bridge and separated by a stunning sandy lagoon/inlet. AI, absolutely fantastic location that made up for the meh food. 

No it's on the mainland, but you can get over there easily for a day trip.   

 

[Bossman]

It's been a few years but my wife and I liked this place alot and would go back...

Excellence Playa Mujeres

This looks really nice.

Seems the seaweed is not much trouble in the winter months when we travel.

Also strong consideration for Couples Negril ....which I've learned is different than Couples Swept Away, also in Negril.

 

[El Floppo]

This looks really nice.

Seems the seaweed is not much trouble in the winter months when we travel.

Also strong consideration for Couples Negril ....which I've learned is different than Couples Swept Away, also in Negril.

Fwiw, we're in that area just about every year, some time between Thanksgiving and April. The seaweed from Cancun to Playa del Carmen and down has been uniformly bad for the last 12 or so years for us- like, don't want to swim, air stinks from it, bad. This year Christmas time was an exception...and I know other people have had better luck.

We go to Cozumel where the water is a lot clearer and there aren't the same seaweed problems for some reason.

 

[culdeus]

For better or worse the Cancun area has hired boats to go scoop up the stuff while still in the water and haul off to (somewhere else).  The grass is driven by global warming and other effects of weather patterns and is predictable even a month out or more.  There are seawall type barriers in spots now that snag a lot of it since early 2020 that seem to be working.  

The weather patterns this year might result in the stuff never making landfall even without those measures.  

The stuff is actually good in a way with global warming having that covering a portion of the gulf does keep it somewhat cooler, while providing some CO2 sink.  Though I'm sure there's some downsides for certain sea life.  

 

[The Z Machine]

OK, I'm looking for recommendations for a long weekend stay in the Cancun / PdC area.  We're already in the Yucatan, so we'll be driving over to the hotel.  Would like a resort atmosphere to get a break from the "city" live we lead now.  It's me, wife, MIL, and 2 8 year olds.  Don't want to break the bank... 

 

[El Floppo]

OK, I'm looking for recommendations for a long weekend stay in the Cancun / PdC area.  We're already in the Yucatan, so we'll be driving over to the hotel.  Would like a resort atmosphere to get a break from the "city" live we lead now.  It's me, wife, MIL, and 2 8 year olds.  Don't want to break the bank... 

Maya Reef on Isla Mujeres.

Eta...it's AI and the only one Ive stayed in in that area. I assume you want AI?

 

[matuski]

OK, I'm looking for recommendations for a long weekend stay in the Cancun / PdC area.  We're already in the Yucatan, so we'll be driving over to the hotel.  Would like a resort atmosphere to get a break from the "city" live we lead now.  It's me, wife, MIL, and 2 8 year olds.  Don't want to break the bank... 

Secrets in Maroma (a bit south of Cancun) was awesome.  Clean, good drinks, good food, great pool, great beach, stuff to do.

eta - now I think about it, I didn't see any kids while we were there.

 

[Instinctive]

Secrets in Maroma (a bit south of Cancun) was awesome.  Clean, good drinks, good food, great pool, great beach, stuff to do.

eta - now I think about it, I didn't see any kids while we were there.

Secrets resorts (at least all I've been to) are adults only. Maroma is highly recommended but havent been myself. 

Love the Hyatt Zilara as well. 

 

[El Floppo]

It's "Mia Reef"...not Maya Reef, fwiw.

Went there with the kids a few years back and they loved it. Not a ton to do, but the water is unbelievable at that spot even if the food isn't.

 

[Lehigh98]

Almost forgot, will be going to an AI in Jamaica in a couple months.  It's for a wedding so we didn't get to pick the resort but looks like it has pretty good reviews...

Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites

Will have the kids with us so Adults Only was not an option.

Anyone been to this one before?  Any tips for Jamaica?  Haven't been there before except for a few hours during a downpour while on a cruise.

 

[The Z Machine]

Anyone know anything about the following resorts? Sandos Playacar, Iberostar Paraiso Beach, Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, or The Fives Beach Hotel?

 

[The Z Machine]

It's "Mia Reef"...not Maya Reef, fwiw.

Went there with the kids a few years back and they loved it. Not a ton to do, but the water is unbelievable at that spot even if the food isn't.

Too spendy, but thanks for the rec.

 

[El Floppo]

Too spendy, but thanks for the rec.

Oh...damn. I think we got an off-season deal.

 

[El Floppo]

Or my wife pulled a fast one on me.

 

[The Z Machine]

Yeah, I'm looking pretty short notice here so prices might be high only 8 days out.

 

[El Floppo]

Yeah, I'm looking pretty short notice here so prices might be high only 8 days out.

What about airbnb?

We stayed in a nice beachside apt in Akumal once about 10 years ago. Recommend the spot 

 

[culdeus]

Yeah, I'm looking pretty short notice here so prices might be high only 8 days out.

Rates I see all over Cancun are low, people don't want to deal with the test stuff. You might be shocked.

 

[culdeus]

Anyone know anything about the following resorts? Sandos Playacar, Iberostar Paraiso Beach, Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, or The Fives Beach Hotel?

I've heard a lot of good things about the fives.  The iberostar was the place where they were swapping booze and people were dropping dead, no?

 

[El Floppo]

Anyone know anything about the following resorts? Sandos Playacar, Iberostar Paraiso Beach, Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, or The Fives Beach Hotel?

I've heard a lot of good things about the fives.  The iberostar was the place where they were swapping booze and people were dropping dead, no?

We stayed at The Fives in PDC- nice spot. Great rooftop pool and bar. Right in the thick of things in PDC in a good and bad way. I'm not a PDC beach fan though. I assume The Beach version is different than where we were.