O/T Warm Tropical Christmas 2017 Vacation ??$

[bababear_50]

I am looking for ideas and suggestions.
Where is the best bang for your buck,,,,,warm,tropical, weather.
Our family is trying to organize something and we are flip flopping all over the place.
Cuba--when to book this?Does 3 stars mean 3 stars?
Florida--Orlando but open to other places in Florida.
Spain???
Bahamas??Freeport Nassau??
Mexico is out as we have one traveler that was sick the entire trip and doesn't want that option.
Vegas?? (It is an all adult vacation).
I personally want all inclusive if possible.
Do you think we will be able to find something around $1,000.00 each or am I aiming to low?
When should I start looking for flights and packages?? Where should I be looking?
We are open Dec 23 2017 -to Jan 7th 2018
Your thoughts and ideas would be appreciated
Hugs Mel

 

[minnie56]

$1,000 pp over Christmas / New Years ?
And yes, 3* is 3*
You get what you pay for ..

You need a travel agent to help guide you towards a trip that fits.

 

[pigletto]

I think travelling in that specific time period it will be very difficult to keep the costs low because it's such a prime holiday period and the prices reflect that. However, one persons "impossible" is my "Let's see what we can do!". There are ways to save money for sure.
For example, renting a house in Florida somewhere might be best bang for your buck. Not even Orlando necessarily but maybe somewhere on the Gulf coast, or Ana Maria Island... Flights would be high but you could keep the other costs manageable. The weather is unpredictable though, and it could be anything from beautiful to very cold.
For an All Inclusive in Cuba or the Dominican $1000 is likely too low at Christmas time. I would suggest Trip Advisor forums to narrow down options and get ideas and then once you have a few ideas go to a good agent with an idea and see if they have any specials.
Good Luck. It can be overwhelming but you have lots of time for research and planning is half the fun!

 

[starvenger]

I agree with pp about renting a place. By doing this you will get a place for less than the per day cost of however many hotel rooms you need. Airbnb, VRBO, homeaway and booking.com should provide a variety of options on that front.

Florida and other places on the eastern starboard would be good candidates for a road trip. For flights within the continental US (and mind you, I haven't checked prices), Phoenix and San Diego are sunny, warm(er) places.

And then there is Hawaii. Go to Maui or Oahu, and again, rent a place.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I think Mexico is cooler at that time of the year. Definitely not as warm as Cuba, DR, Jamaica, etc.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We are also going to be booking a Christmas holiday this year. I have decided to close my business for the week between Christmas and New Years so that I can have a holiday without worry.

I was looking at Cuba just a few days ago for Christmas week. We went last August to a new resort and LOVED it. The weather over Christmas will be very similar to Florida...unpredictable. If you want great weather you have to go to the southern Caribbean. Anyway, the resort I went to in Cuba is $1800 per person departing on December 24, 2017. It is a 4.5 star and for comparison I paid $800 per person in August. There are several brand new resorts on Cayo Santa Maria and all are 4.5 - 5 stars. In Cuba you must book no less than a 4 star but really you should book a 5 star. They are not equivalent to a North American 4 or 5 star the standards are much lower. A 3 star, don't even think about it. Dominican Republic is the same in terms of resort star levels but the weather will be a little better. You will pay a fair bit more to go to the DR.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I think Mexico is cooler at that time of the year. Definitely not as warm as Cuba, DR, Jamaica, etc.

The weather in Mexico is better than Cuba or the DR and would be similar to Jamaica. It is more consistent.

 

[efrant]

[snip]

In Cuba you must book no less than a 4 star but really you should book a 5 star. They are not equivalent to a North American 4 or 5 star the standards are much lower. A 3 star, don't even think about it. Dominican Republic is the same in terms of resort star levels but the weather will be a little better. You will pay a fair bit more to go to the DR.

^^ Certainly agree with this. Cuba and DR are not on the same level as other places. A 5-star in Mexico is a 5-star, while a 5-star in DR or Cuba is more like a 3-4 star.

 

[loves to dive]

We have been to Belize twice in December and it was hot, I'm talking summer in Orlando hot. Not sure about prices since we were on dive trips and doing live aboards (dive version of cruises) but I would think they wouldn't be too high. We've been to Grand Cayman in December and it's pretty warm that time of year and so is Turks and Caicos. We stayed in a condo in Grand Cayman, again it was a dive vacation and not on the cruise ship side of the island but I know it was less than $1000 per person and that was including a rental car and 3 dives a day. Turks and Caicos was another live aboard dive trip so can't say about prices but the weather was warm. We've been to Vegas at Christmas and it wasn't all that warm, we had to wear sweater and long sleeves but we are from Georgia so it might be warmer for you.

 

[dancin Disney style]

The PP is correct, Vegas is rather cool from Dec-March. I've been to Vegas more times than I can count we estimate 25 times covering nearly every month of the year. Many resorts close their pools/outdoor areas at that time of year.

 

[bababear_50]

Thanks for all the information everyone ,,we took a vote this weekend but we are still narrowing it down a bit.
Hugs Mel

 

[tgropp]

We have rented a four BR house in Orlando for Dec 2017 for $1,000.00/wk. It was such a good deal that we are only staying there for five days and letting two days unused. We were looking for cheaper accommodations between the 26'th and the 31'st as a 2 B/R Disney Resort requires too many points. We have spent many Christmas vacations in Florida and even if there is a cold snap, it only last 2-3 days. Not tropical warm though but better than here. If only two people are travelling, go to the Caribbean !