Tropical vacation.

abbalish

Help, I need input!  H is going to be traveling for work A LOT in the next few months so we want to take a week for ourselves in March, and go somewhere warm.  For the life of me, I cannot decide where to go!  The front runners at this point are Puerto Vallarta, Bahamas, and Puunta (seriously, Knot?!) Cana - although I've also been looking at Aruba, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.  We like the idea of doing an all-inclusive although it's not an absolute requirement.

Does anyone have any experience with traveling to any of these places?  Where would you recommend?

If you wanted to go away somewhere warm for a week but didn't want to completely break the bank, where would you go?

Mrs.B6302007

So, um, FL isn't on your list? 

Never been to any of those places.  We went to St Lucia on our HM and enjoyed it immensly! 

abbalish

Mrs. B, we're going to Orlando in June!

kellyjellybelly

What kinds of things do you like to do on vacation?  Are you lay on the beach all day people or go off the resort and do things kinda people?  I've been to Puerto Vallarta, Puunta Cana, Bahamas, Aruba and Puerto Rico.  

abbalish

I guess for this trip we're looking for something as relaxing as possible since we've things are going to be so busy at home.  I'd be perfectly happy reading at the beach all day although having some options for excursions would be nice.  Being near a casino would be nice too.

littleluckypenny

US Virgin Islands not on the list? It's a great place, whether you want to lay on the beach all day, golf, or go shopping till your feet hurt. Plus, you don't have to worry about passport issues (no passport required) or currency conversion as you are not leaving US soil. Plus, it helps the American economy by spening money on an American destination. You said you want excursions and casinos? You can snorkel, windsurf, explore ruins and historical sites, and go to the casino or slots.

Mrs.B6302007

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_tropical-vacation?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2ae7e4b5-f0a4-4273-861e-9b1f24d8a699Post:3b5740af-3666-42ca-a3cc-af64197fcbbe">Re: Tropical vacation.</a>:
[QUOTE]Mrs. B, we're going to Orlando in June!
Posted by abbalish[/QUOTE]
 Bring your sunscreen! <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" />

trixie549

We originally thought about doing one of the Carribbean islands for our late-Febraury honeymoon and quickly realized that we could get a lot more bang for our buck in Mexico. We're going to The Royal Playa del Carmen - it seems like a fab choice for PDC all-inclusives!

kellyjellybelly

IIRC Puerto Vallarta doesn't have the best beaches.  We were also there right after a hurricane, so they were really rocky - we didn't go to the beach at all while we were there.  Just stayed at the pool and did a lot off-resort.  Puunta Cana was very nice, though I was only there for a 3 night girls weekend, so we didn't look into doing anything off-resort.  I know my brother and SIL went for their honeymoon for 10 days and loved it - they did a lot of excursions off-resort. 

As far as beaches go, I think Playa del Carmen has some great AIs and you can always arrange excursions around there.  We like to go to ruins and stuff, and there are some nice ones not too far away.

I have only stayed in San Juan in PR, but I've always wanted to go and stay at one of the resorts - looks beautiful

I'm really not any help.   

kellyjellybelly

If I were booking a trip for myself, I would pick Puerto Rico.  But that's because I haven't been to the resorts there yet

abbalish

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_tropical-vacation?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2ae7e4b5-f0a4-4273-861e-9b1f24d8a699Post:b7451b9e-e671-484d-b98a-4f5f90cc4093">Re: Tropical vacation.</a>:
[QUOTE]If I were booking a trip for myself, I would pick Puerto Rico.  But that's because I haven't been to the resorts there yet :)
Posted by kellyjellybelly[/QUOTE]

I actually went there in 2004 and have ZERO memory of it!  I couldn't even tell you where I stayed.

Thanks for the suggestions, ladies!

mica178

I'd go to Cozumel or Playa del Carmen.  I think they have some of the most affordable AIs (from previous research), and if you decide you want something mildly cultural, you can take a day trip to some of the Mayan ruins.

cbvcru67

We recently did a similar trip to PVR and had a great time.  We went in December and the weather was gorgeous!  That said, we stayed by the pool all day - the beaches are on the ocean and the water is cooler and the beaches are a little rockier because of this.  We stayed at the RUI Palace Pacifico and felt like the resort was very very nice - clean, up to date and great service.  When we go again, probably next Feb, I think we are going to try one of their other resorts - we heard great reviews on their facility in Cabo and are also looking into resorts in Playa Del Carmen.  For great beaches, the gulf side is probably your best bet.  And also, coming from the midwest, flights are shorter if you go gulf side vs pacific side of Mexico  (duh).  To get to PVR, we did a 2 hr flight to Dallas and then another I think 2 or 3 hour flight to PVR.  For us, it would be nice to cut that down a bit on our next trip.

jessicabessica

We went to Puerto Rico as a mini-moon of sorts.  It was great.  

We did 2 nights in one of the big hotels in San Juan (in Condado, outside the old city).  Most of the hotels in that area seem to have beach access (so-so beaches, IMO), nice pools, casinos, and a few restaurants.  We went into the old city both days and went to the forts and the Bacardi factory, and then spent late afternoon and dinners around the hotel.  Then we did 3 nights at the Ceiba Country Inn (far from AI resort, but I cannot recommend highly enough).  It was really relaxing--you could hear the coqui frogs all night.  While that inn doesn't have a pool or anything, it was easy to drive to Loquillo beach (nicer than San Juan beaches, IMO), the rainforests, and boat things in Fajardo (we did a day-trip on a catamaran and an evening kayaking trip to the bioluminescent bay).  The car rental was reasonably priced.  

I was pretty pleased with our trip, and we pulled it together pretty last-minute.  Feel free to PM me if you want more info or restaurant reccs or anything. 

[Deleted User]

I've heard Puunta Cana sucks. I'd go to either Fernandez Bay Village in the Bahamas, or the Caves in Negril. Or Anguilla or Turks and Caicos.

bmoruzzi

I'd recommend The Sandals resort, the Royal Bahamian in the Bahamas.  Quick flight and they treat you very well.  There are many restaurants and it's AI.  The beach is very nice and there are quite a few pools.  

housewifehobbiest

I'm going to Breezes Bahamas for a week on Monday.  I stayed there a few years ago and really enjoyed myself.  The beach is beautiful, the pools are lovely, and its a really great all-inclusive package with activities, food, and drinks.

number55

In 2011 We stayed at the Bahia Principe Cayo Leventado in the Dominican Republic and it was lovely. We were in Villa 5 and it was perfectly located but if you don't mind walking a bit they are all very nice.  We also stayed at Smuggler's Cove in St. Lucia for four days and it was amazing but we were in the highest category of room - we did hear other guests saying that lower category rooms had not been renovated recently and weren't as nice (but we loved the resort).  I know the island of St. Lucia very well so if you wanted to hear about any other resorts there I could probably tell you a bit, especially about the smaller boutique resorts (many of which do have AI options). 

mollyehren

Years ago I went to Puerto Rico and stayed at the resorts and checked out Old San Juan. It was a blast and I want to go back again so such.

Hays2be

Just remember that March is spring break for many colleges--prices may be jacked up for that.  We are going on a cruise for break and the airfare is crazy high because of the time.

[Deleted User]

If you just want to relax on the beach and be pampered, I'd recommend Zoetry in Puunta Cana. Great beach, excellent service, AI but wonderful, organic food and great accomodations.  My H and I went to Secrets Capri in Playa Del Carmen for our pre-wedding trip and it was very nice. Jamaica has some great resorts. I go there all of the time because I can always get cheap airfare. 

tpender13

I'm kind of late on this one, but JIC you're still looking at responses...

I went to Puerto Vallarta a little over 10 years ago, and I loved it. The thing I really liked is that it's tourism that sprung up from an old Mexican town, and not a city that kind of started because of tourism, KWIM? So you can get around just fine if you don't speak Spanish, but it doesn't feel generic and cookie-cutter.

Since you don't really have your heart set on any one place, you could just decide on a budget and keep your eyes open for online special, Groupon offers, and things like that.