My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary next November. We think that there will be anywhere from 3 to 10 couples traveling. All adults.
We attended my nieces wedding at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios in June with a group of 16 and had a ball!
This was our first experience with an A/I and we actually didn't mind it at all. I think with the group we anticipate that an A/I is what we want for this trip.
Husband would rather not go to Jamaica (it is still a possibility) since we have been there twice. We have also spent weeks in St. Thomas and St. John and some other islands on cruise stops.
We want adults only. I think some will be more concerned about the budget that others, so something for everyone would be nice. Like the beach and snorkeling (we have one diver), and really like swim up bars and parties!
At night if there is not to much in the way of nightlife it is fine as long as there is a bar of some sort still open that we can make our own party at.
I have been looking at El Dorado Royale and Sea Side on the Mayan coast (I have been to Chichen Itza years ago, my group would find the tours awesome).
Maybe St. Lucia?
St. Lucia is more expensive? Maybe Jamaica is more in the price range?
Costa Rica and Belize are both very beautiful I understand from some friends.
We fly from Omaha or Kansas City, so airfare is basically $500 pp on top of everything else.
Any ideas??
Thanks so much,
Lori

The El Dorado Royale is nice.
You may also want to check out the Royal Porto Real. It's righ tin Playa del Carmen so you can actually walk into town if you want some local flair.

Bumping this up. Maybe someone can help me?
Thanks schmerl.

What about a cruise ? I would think any of the lines would meet your needs. If interested in a different kind of cruise what about a Windjammer or Windstar?

Jamaica and Cancun (or Riviera Maya area) will get you the most for your $$. The El Dorado Royale is a good choice for Riviera Maya area. Lots of options in Jamaica. Maybe trying Negril this time for a different location. If you want to go the AI route, RIU hotels will probably come in cheapest.

The Dominican Republic is another island to consider if keeping costs down is a factor. Most resorts in the DR are AI, although I can't make a specific recommendation about an adult-only property. DR has good beaches (Punta Cana, La Romana) but I don't think it has the best snorkeling or diving. You might also realize some savings by buying a package with airfare included.

In terms of St. Lucia, I think it is probably middle of the road overall in terms of Caribbean island cost. The adult only AI resorts there include: BodyHoliday at LeSport (spa/fitness focus, not really a party place, minimum age 16 most of year), Rendezvous (couples only), Sandals resorts - Halcyon, Grande, and Gulf Resort and Spa (some or all are couples only). I don't know about the prices for any except LeSport (minimum of at least $450-500/couple/night in Nov), but it doesn't seem like it is what you are looking for anyway.