Vacation Input

[guido911]

Anyone ever taken advantage of the "all inclusive" vacations? Any ideas on last minute vacation destinations/deals?

[nathanm]

Anyone ever taken advantage of the "all inclusive" vacations? Any ideas on last minute vacation destinations/deals?

I know a few different folks who have enjoyed all inclusives in the Dominican Republic, but I can't recall which resort.  (Obviously, there are a fair number)

I stayed at a friend's house in Casa de Campo (just outside La Romana) last summer. Pretty awesome for just relaxing. Great beaches and quite a few things to do in the resort itself. If you like to golf, do horseback riding, or anything like that, they've got it. Altos de Chavon is a neat little recreation of an Italian village quite nearby. The scenery there is awesome.

My guess is renting out a house would be rather expensive. IDK what the hotel is like.

It's also only a couple of hours from Santo Domingo. The nice parts of Santo Domingo are pretty nice, although the way people drive there is a constant reminder you're in latin america. It's definitely worth a day or two of off-resort exploration, especially Zona Colonial if you're into old architecture.

I'll see if I can dig up a few pictures from my trip here in a bit.

[heironymouspasparagus]

St. Thomas once.  Sat on the beach and walked around the island.  Trip was incredible.  The travel there was ok, but the flight back - through San Juan was interesting.  Probably too interesting.

Would never do it again.  Like more free form too much.

[Conan71]

I'd suggest you go to traveladvisor.com and get opinions but keep in mind it's usually chronic complainers who write reviews. I've never done an all inclusive resort and have always had the idea that food and drinks are going to be sub-par. Having said that, I did do a weeks cruise on Carnival Liberty three years ago and was quite impressed. I never figured I'd enjoy a cruise since I generally vacation so I don't have an itinerary for a week or two and the idea of grazing like a cow at a buffet the whole time did not appeal to me.  I had no idea there were so many made to order options on the standard meal plan.  

[Gaspar]

Never done an all inclusive.  They are typically more expensive than taking a cruse, and I love cruises.  We are getting ready to go on our 7th cruise this fall.  We've been on almost all of the lines except Disney (this fall).  Carnival is the best for food & service.  Norwegian has great ships, but the food sucks.  Alaska is the best destination we've hit so far.

[Townsend]

The Aura in Cozumel, Mexico.

Get a swim up suite.

Don't ignore the rest of the island though.  Rent a jeep and take the road that circles the island.

The windward side of the island has some great beaches and restaurants to visit.  Excellent snorkeling and water sports all over the place.  Downtown Cozumel is alot of fun if you decide to live younger than our years.  The square is cool too.

There's an Italian place near the DT square upstairs with a great balcony owned by a guy from the states.  Super nice guy and the cubano pepper salsa can't be skipped.

The wife and I have stayed at several other places and we keep talking about the Aura and it looks like we're going back.

[Conan71]

The Aura in Cozumel, Mexico.

Get a swim up suite.

Don't ignore the rest of the island though.  Rent a jeep and take the road that circles the island.

The windward side of the island has some great beaches and restaurants to visit.  Excellent snorkeling and water sports all over the place.  Downtown Cozumel is alot of fun if you decide to live younger than our years.  The square is cool too.

There's an Italian place near the DT square upstairs with a great balcony owned by a guy from the states.  Super nice guy and the cubano pepper salsa can't be skipped.

The wife and I have stayed at several other places and we keep talking about the Aura and it looks like we're going back.

Cozumel looks like a great vacation bargain.  That's where the second ex Mrs. Conan and I were going to honeymoon until Hurricane Wilma wrecked it a few weeks before.  Should have been an ample omen.  I also understand you don't have a lot of the issues with crime and being overly touristy as there are in other parts of the Yucatan like Cancun.  I've been to Cancun twice and don't really see the need to return. 

We stopped at Costa Maya a couple of weeks before Hurricane Dean dismantled the place in '07 on our cruise.  I loved it because it was still somewhat un-spoiled and had an open market area as well as some pristine beach sites.  I highly recommend it and I believe it's all rebuilt now since the disaster.