All Inclusive in Caribbean or Mexico?

Old Jul 16th, 2013, 06:39 AM
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All Inclusive in Caribbean or Mexico?

My husband and I are looking at going to the Caribbean or Mexico for our 10 year anniversary next summer (July-September) for a week. We are coming from Texas. We have never traveled outside the US before and are a bit overwhelmed on where to go. So many beautiful places. We want to stick with All-Inclusive. Romantic, white beaches, good food, not too touristy/ over-crowded - preferably couples/adults only. With fun activities/excursions - snorkeling and golf either on the resort or close by. Any suggestions would be appreciated on location and resorts! We've looked at Antigua, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Cabo but are absolutely open to any other suggestions! Any advice or favorite spots? Thank You!!
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Old Jul 16th, 2013, 07:41 AM
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Check out all the listings for the Riviera Maya. There are tons of amazing AIs there, from fancy to casual, and all price ranges. That area will have all the activities you can handle, and the beaches are fantastic. Probably the best bang for your buck when it comes to AIs.
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Old Jul 16th, 2013, 08:43 AM
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I also would point you towards the "Mayan Riviera", the coastline of Mexico that faces the Caribbean. From Cancun, down to Playa del Carmen, and on to Akumal and Tulum. To me that offers the best of both the Caribbean (white sand, turquoise waters) and Mexico (more bang for your buck).

Cabo San Lucas is nice, but most of the All-Inclusive properties sit a ways outside of the town along the tourist "Corridor". It's desert scenery, rough and rugged, and the ocean is not swimmable most places. But there is golf, and you could take boat excursions for snorkeling.
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Old Jul 16th, 2013, 04:13 PM
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Wonderful! Thank you both for the feedback! I really appreciate it! Will take a look!! thank you.
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Old Jul 16th, 2013, 04:42 PM
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You may get more out of Riviera Maya but you need to choose your AI carefully so you get a beach that meets your expectations. Some parts are not easy to swim & other beaches that are for snorkelling are rocky which is necessary otherwise there would be no fish to see.
Antigua's beaches are by far more beautiful but there is no snorkelling to speak of. You can take several excursions to see various sites eg Nelsons Dockyard, stingray city, Montserrat, Barbuda etc. If you are looking for non touristy then Riviera Maya is not the place to go as it is more crowded than Antigua. But if you have not travelled outside the US it could be the easiest intro to the Caribbean area.
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Old Jul 16th, 2013, 09:17 PM
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We are you n Texas? We are in Texas also and find getting to some destinations in the Caribbean to be very difficult. We go to Mexico often because it's easier and less time consuming to get there. Mexico also has the better, more lux AI resorts at better prices than the Caribbean.

In the Riviera Maya look at the Royal Playa del Carmen, the Secret resorts, the Excellance resorts, the El Dorado resorts, the Iberostar Grand Parasio, the Valentin Imperial, Zoetry, Grand Velas, Royal Hideaway or Moon Palace just to name a few.

Though we loved Cabo, the beaches and snorkeling are pretty meh compared to the Caribbean side of Mexico. We went knowing that upfront. The food was fabulous though. There is more things to see and do in the Riviera Maya.

August - September is the start of hurricane season. We've been many times to Mexico/Caribbean and took our chances. We don't go during those months anymore. It's too hot and too humid. Watching the weather channel constantly to see if our vacation was going to get canceled was annoying. We ended up going a couple of times after a hurricane had already hit. Too much damage to establishments so things were closed or not working properly. We prefer the 3rd week of May, the 1st or 2nd week of November or the 1st or 2nd week of December. However, in November and December, the pools are too cold in Mexico. The ocean temps are fine though.
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Old Jul 17th, 2013, 09:25 AM
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For Mayan Riviera check out this website:
www.locogringo.com
to get started.
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Old Jul 24th, 2013, 09:21 PM
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Thank you so much for the feedback! We are in Dallas. Thank you! Still trying to decide!
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 03:24 PM
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WOW! LOL! I am also looking for a place for our 10 yr, and we too are here in Texas. Please let me know what you find. I have roughly 15 months to plan the perfect vacay. I use "Book It" for the best deals, but we want a very fun vacay too.. Scuba, zip lining, dolphins, room service, the whole kit and caboodle.
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