Looking to do an allinclusive carribean vacation - need recommendations

[lisaross]

Looking to. Ok an all inclusive vacation for the family. Needs to. E family friendly - our boys will be 13 and 15

Looking to go presidents week in February

Best place to book? Where would u recommend? Thanks

 

[Lisaloo]

Value: Dreams Punta Cana
Deluxe: Beaches Turks and Caicos

We have been to both and the kids would go back to either in an instant.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Grand Pineapple in Antigua was wonderful, but when my boys were teens, they really enjoyed cruises w/ the teen clubs. Other than going to the islands and dinner together, I rarely saw them the whole week. They were playing games, meeting new friends, concerts, dance parties etc..etc... Norwegian Cruise Lines has the best family friendly ships out there. Royal Caribbean ships are a teeny tiny bit more upscale, but they are not super family friendly like NCL is with their Freestyle concept (dine when you want). You can purchase a beverage package to make it truly all inclusive. Many promos throughout the year will include this alcohol beverage package.

 

[lisaross]

We have gone on 2 cruises with the kids - looking to try something different. Both these places look real nice - do they offer water sports for the kids? I want a nice beach and pool husband and kids will be looking for activities - oh and I don't want too long of a ride from the airport - no further then 45 minutes

 

[Lisaloo]

Both offer water sports. The beach at Dreams is vastly different than the one at Beaches. You get what you pay for...still nice but not pristine. I loved sitting on the beach (with bar service) while the kids and hubby stayed on the water most of the day. The food at both places was fine, we always found something we liked and the service was excellent at both. We have been to the Dominican several times because it is just so darned affordable. We also stayed at Catalonia in punta Cana and it had nice tiki huts on the beach but we stayed on the adults only side, I'm not sure about the family side. Both rides were 20-25 minutes from the airport.

 

[blondietink]

Keep in mind that you are going at one of the most expensive times of the year, President's week. Just the airfare will be off the grid.

 

[Lisaloo]

It may cost more, but we usually go tropical for that exact week in February.

 

[tinka-belle]

Any of the Iberostar resorts would be a good choice, there are several of them in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, a few in Jamaica. Each location has one adults only property, but the others are very family oriented. They are all well run, good food, great pool area, lots of activities, several restaurants. They do tend to sell out in advance for peak travel weeks.

I would keep away from the really cheap resorts that might come up in your searches. They don't offer much in the way of activities or food/restaurant variety, and sometimes not on the better beach locations. No reason to break the budget, but you do get what you pay for.

 

[LSKN]

Cozumel, Cancun, and Playa del Carmen have some really nice, family friendly AIs that won't break the budget. We are planning a trip to Barcelo Maya in Playa del Carmen this fall. Huge resort with lots of things to do and close to several eco-parks with even more to do.

 

[lisaross]

Do u book straight thru resort or expedia ? What about airfare that you have to book separately right

 

[LSKN]

Do u book straight thru resort or expedia ? What about airfare that you have to book separately right

You can sometimes get a better deal booking it all together on Expedia, Orbitz, etc., sometimes not, you just have to shop around. This far out, airfares would probably be too high, so you are most likely going to be better off booking your air separately about 2-3 months out.

 

[mum of two pirates]

Playa del Carmen has a park called excaret http://www.xcaret.com/ The park looks awesome. If you stay at the hotel you can have unlimited access to the park and not pay $100 per person per day to get in. They have a hotel hooked to the park. you can book this hotel through Costco. We have booked our cruises through them and have gotten really great prices. I don't know about airfare. Good luck and have a great time.

 

[Lewisc]

I'll second the suggestion of Playa. Cruise ships aren't as all-inclusive as AI resorts. Cruise fares don't include gratuites, adult drinks, soft drinks etc. Most if the restaurants on NCL have an up charge.

Xcaret admission isn't included with some of the deeply discounted hotel rates.

 

[My3kiddos]

We have went to Punta Cana the last 3 years, but this year we are going to Akumal, Mexico (Riviera Maya) and staying at Bahia Principe complex. There's 4 resorts within the complex. We are staying at Akumal because it's beach front and you can use the facilities at all the other resorts (some you cannot). We got an awesome deal through Sams Club, but we recently booked for a friend on Travelocity and got a good deal. We leave in 2 weeks so I'll let you know what it was like when we get back. I do know they have an onsite Dolphin encounter and snorkeling. Most AI's have a teen club too.

 

[Darcy03231]

Our family also loves the Iberostar resorts. We found them to be very family friendly with plenty to do, or not do as you choose. We've stayed in several and have never been disappointed.