All inclusive resort for anniversary

[twhitaker]

My husband and I are looking to book a vacation in March to an all inclusive resort that would cost us around $3000 or less. Looking to stay anywhere from 4-7 nights and would love any reviews and tips of places you have been. We have thought about Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman or Mexico.. Would like our airfare to be included in the $3000 price if possible. Thanks!!!

 

[disneydacey]

Mexico (Riviera Maya)is almost always the best bang for your buck. We have stayed at Iberostar Paraiso Beach and Barcelo Colonial. Both were wonderful. For adults only I know some who have stayed at the Valentin Imperial Maya and raved about it.

I'm sure you could find good deals anywhere but anytime I have done the research (and I'm a little obsessed with researching travel destinations) Riviera Maya, Mexico always comes out on top. And FWIW, I've been to Antigua, Bahamas, Hawaii, etc. and Mexico has the most beautiful water.

 

[canadianjovigirl]

We have been to all 3 places. Mexico is the best deal money wise and has beautiful beaches. We loved Gran Velas and they had fabulous dining as well, have also enjoyed the Palace Resorts, Gran Caribe Real and others (but more family friendly so wont recommend them for anniversary).

Grand Cayman is beautiful, but is not an all inclusive place. You would be best to rent a condo on 7 mile beach and then walk to dining as they do have fabulous dining. It is not a budget location by any means, but we spent 2 weeks there with a family of 4 over Christmas and managed to not blow the budget we had set.

Dominican Republic - Punta Cana has the beautiful white sand beaches, Puerto Plato has the soft brown sand beaches. We liked the Bavaro Resorts there, but surprisingly did think the food was better in Mexico.

 

[twhitaker]

Where is the best place to research and get prices for these resorts? Should I go straight to the resorts website or go through a travel agent?

 

[canadianjovigirl]

I always use sites like expedia, bookit.com, cheap carribean etc. I have lists upon lists of resorts that fit our needs and wants and the kind of rooms we like at each resort and then it all comes down to numbers for me. What ever site offers the best deal is the one I book with and I have never had a problem. I mind you are almost always better off to book your room/airfare together from those sites to get the best deal. I have also rented weeks thru people for certain resorts and have saved money that way as well.

When we rent condos in Grand Cayman, Hawaii, Florida etc I use vrbo

 

[ellochka]

Regular travel web-sites like Orbitz and Expedia are best to check out the prices. We booked our November vacation in Mexico on Expedia.

 

[My3kiddos]

We have been to Punta Cana the last 3 years and I have found from our location it's the cheapest. I love everything about Punta Cana. This summer we were lucky enough to have a work associate who lives in Santiago come stay a couple nights at the resort we were staying at and took us on a tour of Higuey and Santo Domingo. It's a completely different culture, but interesting and worth seeing. I enjoyed most of the food except the sea snails we tried one night. We did discover that the room service food at the resort we stayed at was completely different and much better than anything the buffet offered. We have used both vacationexpress dot com and orbitz to book our rooms.

 

[mrsp1030]

Secrets Playa Mujeres is opening in Nov. They are offering a preooenig special of almost 50% off rates. All Secrets have excellent reviews and this is the newest one. We got $4000 rooms for $1600 for next August.

 

[twhitaker]

Secrets resorts looks amazing with good prices!! What's the best time to go? It's looks like Febraury and March are higher in prices that in May. Is the weather bad at that time?

 

[Bbbethei]

We've done quite a few all inclusive resorts and I also like Secrets. We've stayed at both Maroma and Huatulco. For an anniversary, you can't beat the adult only environment!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Have you considered a cruise? It's all inclusive for food & non-alcoholic drinks but even with airfare should be less than $3000 for 2 people. When I looked into an escape from winter last March, I found that airfare directly to an island or MX was really expensive, like $600+ pp RT. Yet, for less than half we could fly to FL and board a ship. For ds14 & I, a 3 nt cruise with DCL was less than $1000 (with onboard booking discount 10%) but still it was an inexpensive getaway.
We're not big drinkers so even with dh our bar bill on a cruise is very low but still, with the savings in airfare, one could buy a lot of drinks.

 

[hunner]

I was just at the Iberostar Bavaro Suites in Punta Cana. Booked the trip through Apple Vacations for 7 days, 6 nights for about $1,300 per person. We really loved the beach and the service. It was all inclusive, including alcohol, if you care about that sort of thing. I'd go back again, and it thought it was nicer than a cruise. More space to relax, and no worries about being nickle and dimed on drinks. We only carried a few singles with us for tips to bartenders, which weren't necessary but were clearly appreciated. Good luck with your search!

 

[Hisgirl]

Last month, I went to Iberostar Quetzal at Playa Del Carmen on the Mexican Riviera. I was like you...wanting a wonderful budget minded vacation. But...I was quickly overwhelmed by all the choices.

Booking through travelocity or orbitz with a coupon is an option, but I chose to book through delta dream vacations. One interesting thing is I had my epidemiologist daughter along and she gave me the CDC run-down on why I needed a typhoid and Hep A&B shot before our trip. This was not done easily!

We had a great time and spent about $2400 for a 6 day trip. This was also booked last minute so the flights weren't discounted. The Iberostar Quetzal has this beautiful little jungle you walk through to get to the magnificent pool and beach. And there are peacocks and monkey throughout!

You can get a massage on the beach for $20!

 

[J'aime Paris]

Unless you are set on all-inclusive, I'd look into condos on Grand Cayman.
We've been to Mexico, not Dominican Republic--but Grand Cayman was sooooooo much better. One of my favorite vacations ever!!

 

[Darcy03231]

Our family really likes the Iberostar resorts and have never been disappointed when staying at any of them.

However, DH and I took a trip to Sandals Whitehouse last April and we both agreed that it was right up there as one of the best trips we've ever taken. (Young Island edged it out slightly, but was more than double the cost). We both liked it so much we booked to go back in May 2015 for two weeks.

 

[JanaDee]

Unless you are set on all-inclusive, I'd look into condos on Grand Cayman.
We've been to Mexico, not Dominican Republic--but Grand Cayman was sooooooo much better. One of my favorite vacations ever!!

That's interesting. We found Grand Cayman to be one of the least-attractive places we've been.

Mexico for us would win, hands down.

OP, I would look at an AI in Mexico, in the Riviera Maya area. There are so many beautiful resorts in that area.

 

[havaneselover]

That's interesting. We found Grand Cayman to be one of the least-attractive places we've been. Mexico for us would win, hands down. OP, I would look at an AI in Mexico, in the Riviera Maya area. There are so many beautiful resorts in that area.

I think the water is beautiful there and I enjoy it for a cruise stop but there's a huge difference between a condo and an ai.

Easter 2013 our cruise stopped in gc and we had some friends who rented a condo there for the week. It was nice but not fancy. On the beach with a pool. They had no groceries because everything was closed for Easter Monday and I believe grocery stores aren't open on Sunday. Anyway my point is that is a lot of hassle for a vacation vs an ai.

But then again I prefer to cruise

 

[twhitaker]

Has anyone stayed at the Valentin in Rivera Maya?

 

[Praying Colonel]

For our 25th anniversary last year, DW and I stayed at Live Aqua Cancun. It's a quiet, adults-only, spa-type all-inclusive, and we just loved it. It was $3300 for airfare and 7 nights in June. It would probably be a little more in March, but you can look around and see if you can get some deals. We checked several different places and got the best price through Travelocity.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I think the water is beautiful there and I enjoy it for a cruise stop but there's a huge difference between a condo and an ai.

Easter 2013 our cruise stopped in gc and we had some friends who rented a condo there for the week. It was nice but not fancy. On the beach with a pool. They had no groceries because everything was closed for Easter Monday and I believe grocery stores aren't open on Sunday. Anyway my point is that is a lot of hassle for a vacation vs an ai.

But then again I prefer to cruise

We were actually there for Easter 2013. We rented a condo that was gorgeous! We were provided with so many suggestions of activities and insider information, we felt very prepared to see all the best Grand Cayman had to offer. The owners informed us of the grocery store closing for the holiday. They provided us with a contact at the local grocery store to set up a delivery. The grocery store delivered the groceries to our condo and put the perishables in the fridge, all before we even landed. It was wonderful!
I will concede that Grand Cayman is not as beautiful as some destinations, above water….but they have the best underwater world. The Caribbean is so warm and gentle. We had better snorkeling and diving there than Mexico and Hawaii.
Different strokes, for different folks I guess!!!