Help me plan an All Inclusive Vacation

[Starbrite]

DBF has decided he wants to go to an All Inclusive resort somewhere next year. I've never been, so this is a new adventure for me!

It will definitely be Caribbean, but I need suggestions on where to go.
- Preferably somewhere with several flight options.

- I think I would like somewhere with other stuff to do. I would probably be OK staying in the resort all week, but I think I would prefer getting off the property and checking out town one night. For those who have been somewhere....did you ever leave the resort? Did you feel the need to?

- Doesn't need to be adult-only, Even though it's just us two, we wouldn't be bothered by a few kiddos roaming around.



What time of year is best? Least crowded...least expensive...best weather

What's a reasonable price to expect for this? Hoping to keep it under $5,000. Is that do-able?

Anything else I need to know?
Let's hear your recommendations!

 

[Maddle]

What you need is a really good travel agent. They live for this kind of question and often have great packages they can offer you.

The first decision is what is your budget?(I see you are targeting $5000.) A travel agent can help you find the resort that will meet your target budget and provide the experience you hope to have.

Maddle

 

[cvjw]

We have been to multiple all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Beaches/Sandals are our favorites, hands down. Our favorite destination so far was Turks and Caicos. Keep in mind that alot of these islands are not like the US - they have armed guards posted at the property edges. Once you get there it is paradise, but not safe to venture out on your own.

If you must leave the resort, I would rule out Jamaica and the Mexican rivera.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

We have done the Jamaica, Rivera Maya (Mexico) and Dominican Republic. We love the Ibeorstar chain and the Punta Cana, Dominican Republic area, but there is not a lot to do off the resort there IMHO. I am not sure why the earlier poster would rule out Jamaica and Mexican Rivera if you must leave the resort. In both of those it was easy to leave the resort and lots to do. I never felt the least bit unsafe in either place. (Actually the number of police in the Mexican Rivera was amazing.. they want those tourist dollars... )

Fall is the cheapest, but also the riskiest as it's hurricane season. High season for these places tends to start at Christmas and run through the winter (makes sense)

 

[cvjw]

Yes, you can leave the resorts in Jamaica and in Mexico, but we did not feel safe doing so. When we saw armed guards at the property lines, we felt pretty sure there was a reason that the armed guards were needed, and we wanted to stay on the right side of the line to be protected.

We also watched the local Jamaican news one night, and there were reports of people being killed in home invasions with machetes - we stayed put on Beaches property and enjoyed our vacation.

 

[Darcy03231]

Here's another vote for the Iberostar resorts. We've stayed in several and have never been disappointed.

 

[shoney]

I think the Mayan Rivieria section of Mexico would be perfect! More specifically, the playa del Carmen area. You can safely leave the resort and head to playa for dining/shopping/drinking. There are also many different things to do in the area.

I would start with a site like allinclusiveoutlet.com and play around with dates. Resorts in your budget will come up.

I would go on tripadvisor and look at the review there.

 

[nunzia]

We have done the Jamaica, Rivera Maya (Mexico) and Dominican Republic. We love the Ibeorstar chain and the Punta Cana, Dominican Republic area, but there is not a lot to do off the resort there IMHO. I am not sure why the earlier poster would rule out Jamaica and Mexican Rivera if you must leave the resort. In both of those it was easy to leave the resort and lots to do. I never felt the least bit unsafe in either place. (Actually the number of police in the Mexican Rivera was amazing.. they want those tourist dollars... )

Fall is the cheapest, but also the riskiest as it's hurricane season. High season for these places tends to start at Christmas and run through the winter (makes sense)

I've also done Iberostar and they have very nice resorts. The Mexican Riviera is fine..several good excursions that can be booked at the resort to places like Tulum, Xel Ha etc, are perfectly safe.

 

[My3kiddos]

We have been to the Dominican Republic the last 2 years and love it. Last year we stayed at Caribe Club Princess in the VIP section and I thought it was great! We used vacationexpress dot com both times and everything went smooth. We went in July and August and both times had great weather. The main factor for us going was the price. We paid less than $1k (last year was $700!) per person including flight and transportation. Vacation Express has all inclusive packages to various Caribbean destinations and from my experience they are cheaper than Apple Vacations.

ETA: We went off the property this last year (went to Jellyfish Restaurant and the big market since we stayed next door last year and couldn't find anywhere like it)and actually found a taxi driver our last day that spoke very good English that offered to take us to Higuey and give us a tour of the city for $120 (this included 4 hours of him showing us different places). He said that if you have a taxi driver take you places they are responsible for your safety and if something happens they are prosecuted so they take good care of tourists.

 

[set1208]

Check groupon for fantastic all inclusive rates

 

[karenbaco]

We went to the Barcelo Maya Colonial and really had a great time. Lots to do, plenty of choices at the buffets and the place is immaculate! It was an issue getting reservations at the restaurants but we didn't mind that much. We don't go on vacation to eat, we go for a good time and a beautiful beach. Any of the Barcelo Maya properties are highly recommended.

I am interested in going to Punta Cana next. Hoping to find a budget place comparable to our time at the Barcelo Maya.

 

[cndij]

I would be very leery of the Groupon suggestion, I have heard some horror stories from a couple of friends who went that route and it was very badly mis-represented. However, I have had good experience with travel consolidators myself over the years. I have used Apple Vacations, FunJet and Vacation Express, loved the service, the package that included roundtrip transfers from the airport, and also a Tour Representative/employee of Apple etc on site at the hotel to help with any issues, I have been to the Cancun/Cozumel/Playa DelCarmen corridor using consolidators about 7 times now. Also have been to Jamaica, and the Bahamas. I would far recommend the Mexican resorts over the other just because of the harassment factor we experienced on the other islands if you left the resort, trying to sell you silver, pot, hair braiding etc. If you go for the extreme low season (period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have gotten 4 night packages, air, transfers etc, as low as $500 a person including taxes.

 

[Alexle2007]

We've gone to Beaches Negril the last 2 years in May. It was AMAZING! The service was top notch. We didn't leave the resort but there was no need to. My son chose going to Beaches over DisneyWorld last year. He loves Disney but clearly Beaches is fantastic! I am not sure he would choose it over a Disney cruise though

 

[crisi]

We've stayed in a private villa on the Mexican Riviera - i.e. not in a resort at all in someone's beach home - it was BEAUTIFUL. We'd walk into town every day for breakfast and groceries for lunch, cook lunch at the villa, venture out for dinner. Never felt the least unsafe. The guy we knew owned the house for several years - it was never robbed and he never had any issues with safety (it did get hit by a hurricane and he did eventually sell it because he just didn't get use out of it).

 

[busy mom]

We recently returned from the Grand Palladium in the Riviera Maya. I would return in a heartbeat. It is a (very) large complex, with several sections. Lot's of walking, but we enjoyed discovering the resort. The beach was beautiful, and the staff could not do enough for you. It is one of the few resorts that have unlimited ala carte restaurants included, plus many buffets to choose from, so we never got bored eating at the same place.

We ventured off site several times via Collectivo (local van that runs up/down highway). We visited Xel-ha, the Tulum ruins and Akumal beach to swim with the turtles. We felt very safe.

I shopped around on many of the online sites (vacationstogo, allinclusiveoutlet, etc) and ended up booking directly from the Palladium site with a special they were offering on Facebook.

Good luck to you with your planning.

 

[Iowajes]

We just did a week at the Sunscape Sabor in Cozumel. It wasn't luxury- but it was very servicable for the price (under $100 a night for 2; flights were reasonable). We were pleased with the food and drinks. The resort had some activities, but we mostly left during the mornings to go scuba diving, so I'm not sure if there was a week worth of stuff to do at the resort or not- guess it depends if you consider laying on the beach an activity. But there were kayaks and catamarans, volleyball nets, water basketball, ping pong, dance lessons, etc- they do book many off site excursions for guests though. The afternoons we were there we were certainly not bored, even on the rainy days.

We went into town multiple times. The only problem is that the cab ride to town is about $15 each way (for up to 4 people)- so it could get a little expensive if you want to go in a lot.

You can also take a ferry to the mainland.

 

[4forMe]

When you decide on your location, be sure to google the monthly precipitation for that area to know which months to avoid. We have a friend who was dead set on going to the Dominican Republican even though it was during what's considered their rainy season. She had wished she chose a different location.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

www.cheapcaribbean.com is a great source for looking and booking.

my husband and i have been to the couples resorts on jamaica twice now, and we really enjoy them. we have recommended them to multiple friends who have also enjoyed them. they are very laid back and friendly, and most importantly, adults only. i know you say you don't mind kids running around, and neither do we normally, but there really is something nice about adults-only when you aren't traveling with kids. we both teach, so it's especially nice for us to have that break.

we like couples negril and couples swept away and would recommend them both. we have never left the resort, as there is plenty to do, but lots of people leave the resorts every day on excursions. i think as long as you do an official excursion through your resort or travel agency, you are going to be safe.

last summer we did 5 days at couples swept away for $2600 TOTAL for both of us including airfare. we went in june, which i would not do again bc it is "rainy" season. we're restricted to summer travel since we teach, but it rains less in july and august, even though the risk of a hurricane is higher, (it's still very small though) so next time we'll go in july or august.

 

[Jules123]

When figuring the cost of an all inclusive, what other things will I have to pay for? Besides the airfare and cost of the room. Excursions off property? Anything else? Does anyone just stay on property and not spend any more money?

 

[DizneyLizzy]

When figuring the cost of an all inclusive, what other things will I have to pay for? Besides the airfare and cost of the room. Excursions off property? Anything else? Does anyone just stay on property and not spend any more money?

One of the things that we like about Couples Resorts is that they have a VERY strict no tipping policy. The staff will literally be fired if they accept a tip. This means the only money we bring with us and spend (we have never done an excursion) is for tipping the luggage handlers and van driver at the airport. Just a few small bills. We literally do not spend a penny over the airport tips once we are en route. I imagine if you do an excursion you would want to bring cash to tip the drivers since they are not resort employees.

My parents have recently been to a resort in the Dominican (Excellence Punta Cana) and they felt like they had to tip EVERYONE in order to get better service. The resort claimed tips were included, but everyone was tipping anyway. I heard a similar story from friends who stayed at a Secrets resort in Mexico. It's not like they spent hundreds of dollars tipping like you do on a cruise, but it was just something else they had to think about, whereas we did not

Another thing we like about Jamaica is that we don't have to worry about getting sick from the water. We brush our teeth and take pills with the tap water and have no problems. In Mexico and the DR you have to brush your teeth with bottled water.

We take these type of vacations to relax, and we literally don't want to worry about ANYTHING - even little things like who we should tip/how much we should tip and if we accidentally swallowed water while in the shower.