All inclusive for families of 5?

[100AcreWood]

Any suggestions for an all inclusive in the Caribbean for a family of 5?

I'm finding it difficult to find a resort that fits 5 in a room. Two rooms really add to the expense.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Try FDR in Jamaica--they have condos. You can get 2 or 3 bedrooms, as needed.

 

[woody5]

Barcelo Maya Palace in the Riviera Maya. The palace rooms have two queen beds and two futon/daybeds. We stayed with three older teens and had plenty of room.

 

[juju12345]

I second the FDR in Jamaica. I’ve been twice and I love it’s charm- it’s not fancy but more “authentic” Jamaica. You just can’t beat having your own personal nanny for your kids. It’s wonderful and my kids loved it.

 

[Gracomom]

We took our 3 kids to Dreams Playa Mujeres outside Cancun a little while after it opened last January, and it was nice. Finding AI resorts for 5 is hard, especially if you’re not looking for a multi bedroom lavish suite and more of a budget room, but still at a nice resort. “The world was made for families of 4” my mom told us when we decided to have our 3rd kiddo

 

[shoney]

How old are the kids? If 2 are in their teens then it is usually isn’t much more to get 2 rooms.

If there are all under than take a look at royalton riviera cancun. Really nice resort.

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

Beaches resorts. I know Turks & Caicos has bigger rooms. The resort is not really budget friendly but maybe at the time of year you're going you can find a deal. There is a less expensive Beaches resort in Jamaica.

 

[100AcreWood]

Thanks for the replies! I'm looking into all of your suggestions.

So we have 15, 11, and 9.

 

[Hikergirl]

I have the same issue OP. The problem isn't really the size of a room it is a maximum capacity issue so alot of places only allow 4 in a room.

 

[HeatherC]

We always had the same problem and found that booking two rooms almost doubled the cost of the vacation. As a result, we switched to cruising and love it. Kids can have their own cabin and we get some privacy and the cost is much more reasonable.

Would love to do Beaches one year but it always prices out to like $10,000 for a week for five of us. As a comparison, we are doing an 8 Night Royal Caribbean cruise in February with two rooms for $3600.


I hope you find one you love! Have fun researching and planning!

 

[100AcreWood]

That's a crazy deal on the RCCL cruise! Our oldest is in High School so we can't take her out of school. That narrows it down to summer break. We did two 4 night Disney cruises and they were great but I get sea sick so I'm looking for a vacation for land lovers .

 

[holden]

Our room at Beaches Turks & Caicos could sleep 6. One king, 2 bunk beds and a sofa bed.

 

[100AcreWood]

Beaches is definitely out of budget for us. But I found a neat resort in the Dominican Republic that seems reasonable. With flights it's $5300 for 6 nights. We would spend more than that on a Royal Carribean cruise this summer and we would have to drive 9 hours to get there. So, I'm leaning toward that.

 

[luvdisney00]

We went to Barcelo Aruba last year and absolutely loved it.

 

[katie111]

Barcelona Mayan Palace, Sandos Caracol, and Grand Palladium are 3 that we've stayed at with 3 kids. All are in the Mayan riviera and all are great.

What is the resort you found in the DR? We are looking for somewhere new this year but with flights the DR always seems to price out much higher than Mexico for us.

 

[Alexle2007]

Beaches is definitely out of budget for us. But I found a neat resort in the Dominican Republic that seems reasonable. With flights it's $5300 for 6 nights. We would spend more than that on a Royal Carribean cruise this summer and we would have to drive 9 hours to get there. So, I'm leaning toward that.

Which resort in the Dominican? We just stayed at the Bahia Principe Esmeralda over Christmas. It was our 4th stay at that Resort. There are several other Bahias on the complex but we like the Esmeralda since it is the closest to the beach and smaller in size but we also get access to the other onsite restaurants. Oh, and it includes wi-if that DH and DS can’t live without.

 

[100AcreWood]

Barcelo Bavero in the DR.

 

[ranman1973]

We are a family of 5 and have avoided all inclusive resorts for that reason. Upgrading to a suite or 2 rooms is cost prohibitive. Here are some options for you:

1. Find a resort you like and call them. Explain your situation and ask for a discount. Not sure this will work, but it is worth a try.

2. Have you considered a cruise instead? They are all-inclusive (except alcohol). My family of 5 is going on an 8 night cruise for under $550 per person (tax and port fees included). When you consider this includes food, it's actually quite an amazing price. Carnival seems to be the most family friendly in terms of offering units for 5 guests. Note, we will be crammed into a very, very tiny room. However, we don't intend to spend much time in the room.

3. If you are going with friends or family who have less than 4 in their party, have them add one of your kids to their reservation. The child doesn't need to sleep in their room. We did this a few years ago at Club Marival in Puerto Vallarta. Our 5th family member was booked with her grandparents and was supposed to stay in their room. We bought an air mattress and asked for extra blankets. Not a problem.

Hope these suggestions help.