svkal

Hi
we are from cleveland and are looking to have a break before the birth of our child.
we are looking for a nice relaxing getaway with a budget of $1500.
Out of the three places, jamaica, aruba and the cayman islands, which is the key beach area in each of the three locations for first timers to stay at.
also are all inclusives a good idea or are they really cheesy?
we are planning to go in mid may

greenie

Does your budget include air? If so, then cayman is out. And the Jamaica AI's are pretty pricey (the good ones anyway).

AI's not cheesy if that's what you want. It's what you want that counts. Personally, I think it depends on where you go. Certain areas it's a good value. Some places it's not. If there are tons of great restaurants in an area, why go AI? If you are going to stay mainly on the resort, why not AI, it's more convenient!

Try Playa del Carmen (or mayan riviera) area in mexico or even cancun. The beach is spectacular and there are a bunch of AI's to choose from in the Mayan Riviera that are within your budget with air by booking charter.

Or you could try Punta Cana. All AI's and the beaches are beautiful; fringed with Palm Trees and you can walk forever! You could book a charter.

My 5 cents! Hope this helps. Greenie =)

KarenM

Here's a couple places to check based on room price for St. Martin. U.S. Airways has a sale that might help:

http://www.visitsxm.com/
http://www.sxmtravelguide.com/
http://www.lepetithotel.com/main.html
http://cheapcaribbean.com/

I also found this that is close to your budget:

http://www.libertytravel.com/Vacatio...sp?spcode=5001

The other thing you could do if you can go last minute is subscribe to these websites. They send out emails for last minute sale packages that are quite good:

http://www.travelzoo.com
http://www.smarterliving.com/

Travelzoo email is sent out on Wednesdays usually around 11:00 eastern time and I think Smart Living too. They have had some outstanding bargains but as soon as the email comes in you have to make up your mind and book.

Good luck, hope you find something that works.

MeganandJ

Caymens are over your budget from my research. We are going to Aruba in September and it is pretty affordable and safe. I have been advised against an all-inclusive there since there are many highly recommended restaraunts so you may not want to eat at your hotel each night. The high rise area of Aruba has the bigger hotels (Marriot, Hyatt, etc) and the low rise area is on Eagle Beach and has more low-key secluded hotels (Bucuti). We are staying at Bucuti.

Morgan

Is $1500 your budget for the total trip including air? If so the least expensive destinations would be Jamaica, Punta Cana and Cancun.

cartera45

I think Negril Jamaica would be nice for you. It is pretty quiet there in May and the water is perfect. Check out the BeachCam on Coco La Palm's website. www.cocolapalm.com You can tell that there are not many people on the beach - there is shade right down near the water and the staff is great there. Expedia has packages there as does www.tourscan.com and www.escapetoeden.com You can also book them and others through www.negrilonestop.com but you'll have to do air separately. Other comparably priced places that get good reviews are Rondel Village, White Sands, Whistling Bird and there are many more that others can recommend.