Vacation: Tropical, all-inclusive (1 Viewer)

[offdee]

Looking into options to research further...help give me a starting point.

- Tropical destination

- all inclusive resort

- couple with two kids (ages 17 & 10). Note here, we don't want the place overrun with little kids...prefer more adult atmosphere that doesn't frown on kids being there.

- no passports needed (the kids don't have them)

- budget conscious (but still want quality and not stay in a dump)

- foodies, so good eats and drinks would be nice

- looking at early May dates (if that matters)

Drop some knowledge on me. General islands to look into, and even better if have specific resorts you'd recommend. Thanks guys.

 

[bigbottom]

Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big island. I think they have all inclusive specials.

Get your kids passports and you'll have a lot more options. Otherwise it's Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

Edit: or (per Dentist), U.S. Virgin Islands

 

[Dentist]

edit:

sorry, you said all-inclusive, budget conscious, and no passports

I've got nothing

i assume you're pretty limited to puerto rico and the US virgin islands, neither i've been to

 

[offdee]

Hawaii will probably be too expensive.

Is Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) really the only other options without passports?

 

[saintfool]

You don't need passports to Mexico anymore, do you? Plenty of resorts there.

 

[fantasycurse42]

I think you need passports for Mexico?

If that's the case, your only option is Puerto Rico or get passports.

 

[culdeus]

There is not a single resort anywhere that meets your criteria, period.

Consider a non AI in the Keys or rent a house somewhere along the gulf.

How are you looking at early May dates with a 17 and 10?

 

[Dentist]

Hawaii will probably be too expensive.

Is Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas) really the only other options without passports?

florida?

south padre island?

I'd consider driving.

I doubt much of anything is going to meet your budget

 

[Max Power]

I think others are right, you might want to get a passport. It's such an easy process, why not.

I took a trip with the family to the Virgin islands years ago. We didn't do the resort thing, but opted for an island hoping cruise liner. I think that would be the way to go. Each island was pretty fun for a day, but I don't think I'd enjoy spending a full week at one resort there.

 

[(HULK)]

Puerto Rico and US Virgins don't have many all inclusive resorts. Maybe none.

Marriott in isla verde Puerto Rico is nice IMO

 

[Reaper]

Not all-inclusive - But, we found a very reasonable place well suited for families.

http://www.southseas.com/

Before last year I was never on the West Coast of Fla... In the past 10 years I did a lot of trips to St Martin, Turks, Nevis, PR, St Lucia, Aruba, Keys, and cruises... When we drove to Captiva, I was like #### this is like the Carribean BUT, much easier!!!!

Plus while in St Lucia my kid got real sick... the "Hospital" was makeshift tents on the local soccer field which scared the #### out of us...

Southseas is a great location and offers anything from a hotel type room all the way to a private Mansion... Cool for kids - cool slide, nice pool and cool day trips near by....

You can try VRBO for a condo/villa - many have kitchens so, you can stock up alcohol and snacks / food on your drive in....

I booked through Jetblue vacations and the whole thing was relatively cheap....

Went back again this year - Great new restaurant on premises to watch games / drink "Doc Ford's Rum Bar"

 

[E-Z Glider]

1. All inclusive

2. Cheap

3. Tropical

4. Nice quality

5. No passport

You can have any 4 you want, but you cant have all 5. Punta Cana (DR) sounds like the perfect place for you, but you'll need passports. If that's not possible, then pick which 4 you want. Also, what do you want to see/do while there?

 

[phatdawg]

1. All inclusive

2. Cheap

3. Tropical

4. Nice quality

5. No passport

You can have any 4 you want, but you cant have all 5. Punta Cana (DR) sounds like the perfect place for you, but you'll need passports. If that's not possible, then pick which 4 you want. Also, what do you want to see/do while there?

Went to Punta Cana on our honeymoon a few years ago and it was great!

Get the passports and book your trip.

 

[glock]

St. Lucia- Windjammer Landing

Edited to add: My bad- didn't need a passport when I went...

 

[offdee]

1. All inclusive

2. Cheap

3. Tropical

4. Nice quality

5. No passport

You can have any 4 you want, but you cant have all 5. Punta Cana (DR) sounds like the perfect place for you, but you'll need passports. If that's not possible, then pick which 4 you want. Also, what do you want to see/do while there?

Went to Punta Cana on our honeymoon a few years ago and it was great!

Get the passports and book your trip.

Punta Cana is definitely on the radar. Where did you stay?

 

[msommer]

What's with the no passport stuff? Can't you prove the kids are yours? Want to avoid them showing up on the governments surveillance lists?

 

[culdeus]

What's with the no passport stuff? Can't you prove the kids are yours? Want to avoid them showing up on the governments surveillance lists?

he's probably trying to save the 300 bucks or whatever they charge for 2 passports now.

 

[culdeus]

1. All inclusive

2. Cheap

3. Tropical

4. Nice quality

5. No passport

You can have any 4 you want, but you cant have all 5. Punta Cana (DR) sounds like the perfect place for you, but you'll need passports. If that's not possible, then pick which 4 you want. Also, what do you want to see/do while there?

I doubt you can really have 3 of those. There an all inclusive+no passport doesn't really exist. At least not at a low cost.

 

[phatdawg]

1. All inclusive

2. Cheap

3. Tropical

4. Nice quality

5. No passport

You can have any 4 you want, but you cant have all 5. Punta Cana (DR) sounds like the perfect place for you, but you'll need passports. If that's not possible, then pick which 4 you want. Also, what do you want to see/do while there?

Went to Punta Cana on our honeymoon a few years ago and it was great!

Get the passports and book your trip.

Punta Cana is definitely on the radar. Where did you stay?

We stayed at Excellence Punta Cana on our trip, which is geared toward couples, so it wouldn't be a family spot.

 

[bucs4life_99]

Why don't you just get the kids passports?

 

[top dog]

Get the passports. They are good for 10 years. You can go on more trips later without worrying about it.

 

[AcerFC]

10: Almost flawless and very rare. Tropical and all inclusive with top chefs and on its own island. Need a passport


9: The hottest resort in the area. need a passport


8: One of the better resorts in the tropics. Need a passport


7: Cute resort with a club. but not tops locally. Need a passport


6: Fairly decent, no major flaws but maybe minor ones. Still need a passport


5: Starting to be unattractive, but certain qualities work. Nothing major, but minor problems are more common. need a passport


4: Not attractive. Major flaws start piling up. No passport needed


3: One of the uglier resorts out there. No passport needed


2: The ugliest resort in the area. Would not want to stay here. No passport needed


1: Absolutely disgusting and hard to look at. Young children point and adults look away upon seeing it. Will pay you to stay there. Dont even need a drivers license for this place

 

[Shaft41]

This is an all-inclusive resort on St. Thomas, USVI. I was there in 2000 and it was nice. Not sure on price, but I suppose USVI would not require a passport.

http://www.sugarbayresortandspa.com/

 

[(HULK)]

10: Almost flawless and very rare. Tropical and all inclusive with top chefs and on its own island. Need a passport

9: The hottest resort in the area. need a passport

8: One of the better resorts in the tropics. Need a passport

7: Cute resort with a club. but not tops locally. Need a passport

6: Fairly decent, no major flaws but maybe minor ones. Still need a passport

5: Starting to be unattractive, but certain qualities work. Nothing major, but minor problems are more common. need a passport

4: Not attractive. Major flaws start piling up. No passport needed

3: One of the uglier resorts out there. No passport needed

2: The ugliest resort in the area. Would not want to stay here. No passport needed

1: Detroit

FYP

 

[kutta]

We stayed at club med in cancun and it was reasonable and pretty awesome for the kids. I would recommend.

 

[McGarnicle]

Knights Inn, Windy Hill Road, Marietta GA. The continental breakfast is not to be missed. Take the kids to nearby Cumberland Mall for a little window shopping and lunch at Fresh to Order. You won't need a passport, but you won't believe you never left the lower 48 after experiencing such luxury.

 

[gameday]

1. All inclusive

2. Cheap

3. Tropical

4. Nice quality

5. No passport

You can have any 4 you want, but you cant have all 5. Punta Cana (DR) sounds like the perfect place for you, but you'll need passports. If that's not possible, then pick which 4 you want. Also, what do you want to see/do while there?

Went to Punta Cana on our honeymoon a few years ago and it was great!

Get the passports and book your trip.

Punta Cana is definitely on the radar. Where did you stay?

We stayed at Excellence Punta Cana on our trip, which is geared toward couples, so it wouldn't be a family spot.

Just booked a week at Excellence in Punta Cana. We stayed at Excellence before in Mexico and it was fantastic. Can't wait.

 

[gianmarco]

Knights Inn, Windy Hill Road, Marietta GA. The continental breakfast is not to be missed. Take the kids to nearby Cumberland Mall for a little window shopping and lunch at Fresh to Order. You won't need a passport, but you won't believe you never left the lower 48 after experiencing such luxury.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Caribbean is a waste of money, go to Florida beaches.

 

[Judge Smails]

Knights Inn, Windy Hill Road, Marietta GA. The continental breakfast is not to be missed. Take the kids to nearby Cumberland Mall for a little window shopping and lunch at Fresh to Order. You won't need a passport, but you won't believe you never left the lower 48 after experiencing such luxury.

Dude - you're killing me lately. Just spit iced tea on my keyboard!

 

[flranger]

We didn't need passports for the Bahama's. ID and birth certificates for the kids were sufficient.

Maybe consider one of the cruise options out of Miami or Port Canaveral with a couple day stay at an all inclusive in Bahama's?

 

[E-Z Glider]

1. All inclusive

2. Cheap

3. Tropical

4. Nice quality

5. No passport

You can have any 4 you want, but you cant have all 5. Punta Cana (DR) sounds like the perfect place for you, but you'll need passports. If that's not possible, then pick which 4 you want. Also, what do you want to see/do while there?

Went to Punta Cana on our honeymoon a few years ago and it was great!

Get the passports and book your trip.

Punta Cana is definitely on the radar. Where did you stay?

We stayed at Excellence Punta Cana on our trip, which is geared toward couples, so it wouldn't be a family spot.

Just booked a week at Excellence in Punta Cana. We stayed at Excellence before in Mexico and it was fantastic. Can't wait.

There are some blowout deals right in Punta Cana / Riviera Maya right now. Tropical Princess for $105/person/night. Never been there, but hard to imagine going wrong at that price.

 

[belljr]

Another like of Excellence for couples, not for the op

one of our best vacations, we got roped into the club upgrade no idea if it was worthit

 

[Evilgrin 72]

What difference does it make what island you're on if you're going all-inclusive? If you want to get out there and explore, eat the local food, etc... then why waste the money on an all-inclusive? Just find a nice hotel and pay as you go.

 

[Polish Hammer]

Offdee - what did you end up doing? I'm looking at a Punta Cana vacation possibly soon.

 

[sbonomo]

10: Almost flawless and very rare. Tropical and all inclusive with top chefs and on its own island. Need a passport

9: The hottest resort in the area. need a passport

8: One of the better resorts in the tropics. Need a passport

7: Cute resort with a club. but not tops locally. Need a passport

6: Fairly decent, no major flaws but maybe minor ones. Still need a passport

5: Starting to be unattractive, but certain qualities work. Nothing major, but minor problems are more common. need a passport

4: Not attractive. Major flaws start piling up. No passport needed

3: One of the uglier resorts out there. No passport needed

2: The ugliest resort in the area. Would not want to stay here. No passport needed

1: Absolutely disgusting and hard to look at. Young children point and adults look away upon seeing it. Will pay you to stay there. Dont even need a drivers license for this place

That was funny! I thought this offdee guy was money (pardon the pun). Now i have to reevaluate the way i look at women.

 

[offdee]

Offdee - what did you end up doing? I'm looking at a Punta Cana vacation possibly soon.

Didn't end up going. Girl I was dating at the time (8.5) and I ended things before this got booked...she was a beautiful trainwreck.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

As others have mentioned, all inclusive + cheap + no passport does not exist.

The resorts need the cheap local labor of poor countries to make profitable all-inclusives that don't cost a fortune.