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All inclusive beach vacations


Tpoppa
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Who's done them?  Where did you go?  Would you do it again?

I'm considering taking the GF on vacation in Feb.  I've been looking at Atlantis in the Bahamas, but open to other locations.

Budget is around $1,500 per/person for airfare and all inclusive accommodations.  Ideas?

 

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The wifey and I have been doing Mexico twice a year for the past 5 years!  All-inclusives are the way to go!  Best bang for the buck has been here:

http://www.secretsresorts.com/en_us/resorts/mexico/aura-cozumel.html

Good enough that we bought into the membership.   SO, if you want to go to a Secrets (Adults only) or one of the other AM resorts, you can get a one-time membership rate through ME, and I will earn a free night!   :D  This time of year you can likely get that resort for just over $100/per night/ per person, plus air.  (you just gotta listen to an hour of sales talk)

We are going to try Cap Cana (Dom Republic) next month for something new for about the same $.

http://www.secretsresorts.com/en_us/resorts/dominican-republic/cap-cana.html

 

 

 

 

Edited by Qman
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We went to Beaches in La Romana DR in September.  The week between Irma and Jose.  This is the first time we've ever gone anywhere other than the winter time.  That won't happen again.  It's freaking miserably hot and humid.  DR was fine, but resort is outdated.  A/C didn't work for about 30 hours after a tropical storm.  We got 7 nights all inclusive including air for $2600.  That included upgrading to the exclusive adult section, and upgraded seats in the air, among some other small upgrades.  We spoke to another couple that used travelbybob to a different resort, and they got a very similar trip for just under $2k.  English is not their first language here, and it can be hard to communicate if you don't know Spanish.

We went to Riviera Maya two winters ago to a brand new Secrets Akumal Bay.  It was really, really nice.  About $4k all inclusive with air.  January

Secrets Negril Jamaica was around $4500.  

We didn't go to Mexico in September because the travel agent wasn't too comfortable with all of the crap that has been going on.  Not to say this stuff wasn't happening before, it just seems a little uneasy down there now.  

 

Hope this helps.

Edited by Ron505
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17 minutes ago, Tpoppa said:

I'd rather go to the Bahamas than Mexico.  A cruise is also an option. 

Norwegian cruise line has a free at sea promotion going on most of the time and you can choose unlimited drinks as one of your free options. 

Edited by 2talltim
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44 minutes ago, max power said:

Do they have these that are like three or four days? Was wanting to look in to something the week between Christmas and New Year's but haven't had time yet.

You can do one day at a time.

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1 hour ago, Ron505 said:

 

We went to Riviera Maya two winters ago to a brand new Secrets Akumal Bay.  It was really, really nice.  About $4k all inclusive with air.  January

 

Secrets Akumal is pretty swank!  The beach is incredible, and you can snorkel with the giant sea turtles right in front of the resort.  ..but you're not gonna get that place for the same $$.

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We did Sandals in Antigua for our honeymoon. I absolutely loved it but my wife not so much. She has no chill mode and got bored. Which meant I no longer got to relax and just sit by the pool and get drunk

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Me too.  There is nothing like child care expenses to put all other costs in perspective.

We did an all inclusive trip to Punta Cana about 10 years ago, and it was a great vacation.  It was nice to be able to eat and drink anything you want anytime you want.

 

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We've done all-inclusive to Riveria Maya, Cancun (2X) and Costa Rica. Also been on 3 cruises. I would and will do them all again.

Riveria Maya was at El Dorado Royal for our honeymoon 2007. It was like 2 miles off the rain road on a private drive. It was secluded and nothing to do but relax and hang out. We did an excursion to the Aztec ruins which was a blast but like 3 hours away. 

Cancun #1 was at Golden Parnassus 2010. It was cheap and you could tell as it was an older resort. But the staff and food was great. The room was clean, just outdated. 

Cancun #2 was at ME 2011. It was a newer hotel and more expensive than #1 but it wasn't as fun. The entertainment wasn't as good, less to do during the day and food not as good. I also ended up being allergic to the pool chemicals. I would get a hive/rash if i went in the water. 

Costa Rica was at Riu Palace 2014. A bit more than you want to spend but this place was amazing. The fresh fruit every morning was the best i have ever had. We did zip lining in the rain forest and got rained on which was cool. There were 4 liquor bottles in each room mounted on the wall. The native language is english and everyone we dealt with was so nice. We got massages on the beach for like $20. The wife galloped horses on the beach for like $20; she's experienced on horses so they said do whatever. We will be back here at some point. 

All three cruises was with Carnival in the Caribbean 2012, 2015 and 2017. Food always great and different every day. They always have weird stuff to try; ox tongue is delicious.  Lots of stuff to do on the ships. Different ports everyday. Downside is drinks not included and the casino doesn't pay out very well. You can either be lazy and do nothing or be busy from morning till night. 

 

 

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I can spend more than 3k.  That was the number I came up with after pricing a 5 day trip to Atlantis.  I'd be willing to spend more for something better.

Criteria is drinking rum out of coconut shells on the beach, eating fantastic seafood, swimming with dolphins or turtles sounds pretty cool.  I'd prefer to not have to take an insanely long flight or be kidnapped and held for ransom.

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Conventional wisdom says to put childcare money toward college after the kids no longer require childcare.

The wife and I did Riviera Maya for our honeymoon in May, 2009.   At the height of the swine flu scare.  There are 5 hotels on the property, if you include the "royal suites" as a hotel.  Anyway, because so many people cancelled their trips, afraid of catching swine flu, only 3 of the hotels were actually open.  They upgraded everyone to the top 3 hotels, and closed the other two. 

this had an interesting effect - the private pool at the royal suites was nearly deserted.  It was us, and one other couple that we saw.  Maybe two.  It also meant that the largest pool was the only place to really interact with other people, and that the folks who had paid a lot less had access to amenities they weren't "supposed" to be able to access.   One family was there for the grandparents' 50th anniversary, and the grandkids in their early 20's were pretty fun to hang out with (we were 26 at the time).

The other result was that we did not venture outside the resort, because of swine flu concerns, and also because I am a weenie who didn't want to get robbed in Mexico.  The staff layoffs were probably a blessing for us...  Every single employee we encountered spoke at least 5 languages.  Most more like 7-12.  And they were incredible. Think how well your company or place of employment would function if you only had to retain the top 1/3 of your staff. 

next time around, I want to book a cruise, with a group of our friends.  Plenty to do - or NOT do, if you just want to relax.  All-inclusive drinks, and everyone has their own room to retreat to for sleep, sex, or to avoid being dragged to drag queen karaoke ...again.  (Maybe this is only an issue with MY friends, but I've had underwear ripped from my body, while otherwise completely clothed, on two occasions.  I was blind drunk the first time.  I had to be told about the second time...)

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On 11/3/2017 at 3:36 PM, Qman said:

Secrets Akumal is pretty swank!  The beach is incredible, and you can snorkel with the giant sea turtles right in front of the resort.  ..but you're not gonna get that place for the same $$.

Also Sting Ray.  

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14 minutes ago, Tpoppa said:

I just priced 5 nights plus airfare to Secrets Aura Cozumel (all inclusive).  For 2 People in mid-February its about $2,700.  Seems pretty nice.

Is it better to book extra stuff when you get there...dolphins, turtles, etc?

 

Yes, book extras when you get there.  There may be different groups offering the same excursion for different prices.  They're almost all willing to negotiate some.

There are direct flights from CMH and CVG to CUN.  Only way to go.

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I would pre-book and eliminate the mystery/worry.  The resort should have a shuttle service.

Ours did.  The guy asked if we were Canadian, then when we said "American," he replied with, "...oh.  I'm surprised they agreed to pick you up."  Still not sure if he was joking.

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