Thanksgiving or Christmas - Caribbean or Mexico

First, there's not more than a 1 or 2 degree F. difference in average daytime temperature for any given location in the Caribbean or Mexico between the end of November and the end of January. And there's not more than a 5 degree F. difference in average temperatures between the northern most and southern most Caribbean Islands as well as most "beach" destinations in Mexico for pretty much the entire year. What that means is temperature isn't going to be a major issue. Keep in mind though that the further south you go the warmer the weathe and water will be. FYI - avoid the Bahamas in December as they are not in the Caribbean and could be cool.

Second - are you sure you don't me "non-stop" instead of "direct" when you are talking about flying from Atlanta. In airline parlance "direct" means a flight that makes one or more intermediate stops before reaching the final destination but you usually stay on the same plane. "Non-stop" means just that, you fly from point A to point B without any intermediate stops. Destinations that can be reached "non-stop" from Atlanta will most likely be the larger islands such as the dominican republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, Cancun, Aruba and maybe St. Martin, Barbados and/or St. Lucia. Sorry, not too familar with Atlanta so can't give you any specifics. I'm not a Mexico expert so can't really advise which destinations to conside. You might want to post your question on the Latin American forum for more help.

Third - there are literally hundreds of resorts in the Caribbean that could meet your definition of "4* hotel". Tell us more about what type of experience and resort you are seeking for us to make meaningful suggestions. Make a list of the 10 or 15 "things" that are important to you in a tropical vacation. That will help us narrow down your choices. Tell us as much as you can about yourselves and your likes and dislikes - after all we are not mindreadrs. Give us an idea of your dollar budget (don't say "reasonably priced" or "affordable" as thoise terms are meaningless without a point of reference. Each island destination is different and no one island "has it all". Click on the "Destinations" link at the top left of this page and click through to the Caribbean (and Mexico). There you'll find brief descriptions of what each island has to offer. Read them to find out which destinations most appeal to you. That will help you eliminate some places and narrow your places of interest. Once you do that you can then concentrate on finding the right accomodations.

Fourth, you should know that "Christmas" is the most popular time in the Caribbean so you can expect to find the highest room rates of the year. Many hotels and resorts have minimum stay (7, 10 or 14 days) requirements and many are book up to a year in advance so if you are planning to travel for Christmas 2008 your choices of resorts may be limited.

Fifth - Airfares around Thanksgiving and Christmas are often higher than at other times so don't be surprised if you experience sticker shock. If you are flexible with your travel dates you might be able to find lower fares. Like resorts, at tjis late date you may find it difficult to find available seats if you are flying on peak travel days.

Wow - that is an incredibly helpful response - thank you!

Yes, I did mean non-stop. Unfortunately, due to my husband's work commitments its hard to find holiday time and as such we often end up booking at the last minute. We are, in fact, hoping to go the weeks prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas but I guess that will still be busy. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of choice......

What are we looking; to spend between $6-8k including flights. Ideally the hotel should have the following:

Luxury but in a relaxed way - not stuffy!

The room should be a decent size - as we will need a crib - and have an ocean view.

Great room service - as our little boy will be going to bed early - hence a lovely room and balcony/terrace as we will be stuck in too!

A great beach and pool - kid friendly - but not over the top with activities and I am not keen on All Inclusives but maybe they have improved.....

I really don't think we will mind finding ourselves not wanting to leave the resort - we need a vacation!

A choice of restaurants or even a kitchen in the room with onsite deli but I would LOVE to have room service too.

I appreciate it will be crowded. We loved the look of the Four Seasons, Nevis but there is no availability and there are no non-stop flights to St Kitts at this time of year (that I could find anyway).

A fitness facility and spa.

Playground - maybe a neighbouring resort or somewhere on the island that would be fun to take our two year old if we ever venture out.

We will really just want to chill out, sleep, eat, swim at the pool and play on the beach - so no surf. Maybe do the odd bit of exercise.

Does this help - by the way, thanks for your note on the Bahamas as The Four Seasons there does have availability.

Really looking forward to any suggestions you may have....

you can fly non-stop to grand cayman, cancun, montego bay jamaica, san juan, st. maarten, turks & caicos, aruba or belize city.
t&c and grand cayman are small islands so airport to resort is very quick trip. under 30 mins. restaurants are quick to get to also. both have gorgeous beaches, gc's seven mile beach on which most resorts front, t&c has 11 mile long grace bay beach.
provo in t&c has quite a few condo style hotels with onsite restaurants. put blamona in the search box and read her posts as she has excellent reviews included for almost every resort. provo has an island service where you can order from various restaurants to be delivered to you - you could dine on your balcony...
i've been to mexico and love it, but your son is too young to allow you (or him) to enjoy all the great stuff they have to go do/see. so i might save that trip.
i've not been on other non-stop islands so can't help with those.

Thanks so much Virginia - out of the islands and resorts do you have a favourite?

so far my personal favorite is provo. i just felt at home and at peace there. the beach is gorgeous with powder soft oh so white sand. they have an amazing selection of great restaurants. i am very much a beach person, i love to just sit and read and watch the ocean. not much nightlife which is fine with me as i'm normally in bed by 10 and like to be up to stroll the beach at sunrise. i am single and often travel with a girlfriend and her mom. (our men like to hunt & fish on their vacations - sigh) and always felt completely safe. we like to rent villas (provo has lots of options)and get a car to explore - which is easy as island is small and you really can't get lost. we are way into snorkeling & provo offers good beach snorkeling and wonderful snorkel excursions.
you might find this thread helpful for hotel choice: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=5&tid=35125600&numresponses=8&start=0&keyword=321&searchText=blamona
keep in mind i've only seen provo, usvi's (not st.croix) several of the bvi and maya riviera coast of mex. we head to grand cayman in april. i expect it to be a lot like provo - with great snorkeling...

i've been reading on fodors for several years and i have to say that it seems every island has it's special charms and offers a slightly different experience. almost everyone comes home pleased with there vacation from the caribbean.

For your budget you should be able to find lots of choices.

You might want to consider staying at a condo/resort. This will give you all the amenities of a hotel with the comfort of your "own" apartment including full kitchen facilities. There's lots of them on Providenciales's (Provo) Grace Bay in the Turks & Caicos. For starters check out Ocean Club and Ocean Club West - those "sister" resorts have exactly what you are seeking. You'll find lots of families there during the "holiday" periods so perhaps your son might find a playment. If that doesn't suit you there are plenty of others on Grace Bay to choose from. FYI - we had no trouble finding "short notice" accomodations at OCW for Christmas a few years ago. Lastly, the beach on Grace Bay stretches for almost 12 miles, it has soft pure white sand and is lapped by calm bright torquoise blue waters - perfect for young children.

Cancun and the Dominican Republic have lots of nicely priced AI's that might apeal to you and there are lots of villas and condos for rent in the Dominican Republic.

FYI - Four Seasons, Nevis is closed (undergoing repairs due to recent hurricane damage). It is scheduled to re-open for Christmas but, like always at that time of year, the resort is fully booked.

Good Luck finding your destination.

Aruba is not my favorite island in the Caribbean, but for weather and water temps,, it's probably a pretty safe bet for the end of December. We've had not so great weather in many of the other islands at that time of year- overcast, light rain, etc.

Last Thanksgiving, we stayed at The Radisson on Palm Beach, which offers a lot of amenities for families. Plus, it's right on a beautiful long section of beach. I know it's expensive over the holidays, but you might be able to find an air/hotel package through Expedia or Travelocity. Good luck!

The further sourth you go in the Caribbean, the better the weather will be at that time of year.
We have also been to Mexico during Christmas and loved it. Look into the Playa del Carmen area.
Check out Apple Vacations and Fun Jet for some good package deals.

We go to the Carib every Christmas--mostly Anguilla and last year to Provo. You will be limited by availability as it's the busiest time of the yr and things get booked at least 6 mo's ahead including flights. With the economy there may be more options. Provo is very nice as are the BVI's, Anguilla, GC--check flights.

I agree with the person who mentioned Playa Del Carmen. You can probably get the flight you want into Cancun, then it is a short trip to Playa. The whole area of the Mayan Riviera and Yucatan Peninsula has all sorts of great activities. Tulum is beautiful. The best part is, it is pretty inexpensive, even for 4 star hotels. Here is a website with some great info on the Mayan Riviera www.greatwildlifevacations.com Hope this helps you.

I think it's really difficult to compare the Caribbean Islands to Mexico. I know they are considered to be one in the same, but I think the islands of the Carribean have a distinct flavor of their own that you won't feel in Mexico.

We have been to Mexico about 6 times during Nov./Dec. The weather has been about 50/50 for us. Some years cool and rainy and others perfect weather. The last time, we experienced two mornings that were clear, breezy and in the 60s, which was too cold for me! We needed sweatshirts on the beach. Other years have been cloudy, cool, and rainy for a few days straight. Then at times warm, beautiful and in the mid 80s.

The islands are generally warmer and more consistent that time of year. If you want perfect weather, go to Curacao. The USVI and BVI are also nice.