Six women are planning 40th birthday 5-day getaway to an island. We have looked into several islands but cannot come to a consensus. We are looking for an island resort that is all-inclusive or if not, is close to restaurants. The majority of us are married but would prefer a resort that is not all couples and definitely no kids! A beach front resort that has restaurants and nightlife but not like Hedonism. We also prefer a spa at the resort that likes to pamper its clients. And this may be pushing it but we would like non-stop flights from DC area or at least a flight that is under 5 hours. WE have about $1800 each to spend. Are we totally out of minds thinking we might find something that fits all our needs (and wants)????

My recommendatioin would be the Ritz Carlton in Jamaica - -great fun, but tasteful.. You also need to go the all-inclusive route.. They offer Ritz Carlton Service, at an all-inclusive price... -

My suggestion would be Half Moon Resort and Golf Course in Montego Bay. It is a gorgeous property with everything from golf course, to tennis courts, squash courts, an excellent spa, a shopping centre with lots of great shops, some decent beaches on the property, at least a half a dozen resturants on property and you can get an all inclusive plan with dine around options so you can try the different restuarants. In terms of accomodation, Half Moon has it all from the standard guest room to a four or five bedroom villa. I was there on a conference about 2 years ago and because I was there with several colleagues, our company put us up in one of the five bedroom villas. We each had our own beautiful bedroom which comes with all the amenities and each villa is complete with dining room, courtyard, its own pool etc - fabulous. Each villa also comes with its own cook, butler and maid who are at your disposal! The cook made us wonderful breakfasts every morning - you just tell her what you want the night before and everything is served fresh in the a.m. All of this sounds expensive but in my books, it is quite affordable - the six of you can get a villa. You would surely have a great time. You can check our Fodor's reviews of the hotel on the "destinations" page of this website and you should also be able to find the website address for the Half Moon there so you can check out the rates. And I am sure you can get a non-stop flight from DC to Montego Bay without a problem.

I'd say the Ritz at Rose Hall, but don't know that they are in your price range.<BR><BR>I agree with the other poster about the Half Moon Resort, that resort has The Bodyworks Spa onsite. They might have pkgs within your price range.<BR><BR>Coral Canoa Resort and Spa in the Dominican Republic would be a consideration for you gals. They DO have an area devoted to kids, tho.<BR><BR>Any of the above would have flights about 3-1/2 hrs. from D.C., especially Air Jamaica.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.

Here's another vote for Ritz Carlton at Mobay. It's a super property! <BR>For your needs, I'd say Half Moon is a close 2nd.

I thought Half Moon permitted CHILDREN and offered family packages. Am I wrong?

Sure Half Moom permits children but the property is so huge that the changes of them becoming a nuisance are negligible. Especially if you go for the villa with its own pool - you can have your own little party and will have complete privacy away from the rest of the resort. For me personally, children were not a bother when I visited.