Any advice would be helpful...
 

Hi all, i'm new to the board and wanted to get the advice from some of the seasoned vet's on this site. I have a unique situation/opportunity that needs careful consideration. I have a friend that is a pilot and said he would charter a flight for 8 friends, myself and the pilot of course. He said the flight shouldn't be too expensive, were all recent college grads so the idea of taking a Caribbean vacation on a private jet sounds amazing. I'm just curious what yall think? We would like to do an all-inclusive deal if at all possible. We would like a destination that will have a younger crowd, the last thing we want is to be those kids ruining everyones vacation. I'm a traveler myself, so i would love a place that also has great views, sites, and local culture!! No need to party every night away when there is so much other great stuff to do.

Thanks in advance!

Mexico.

Look into some of the AI's in the Playa del Carmen area.

St Lucia sounds like it would fill your requirements. You didn't mention time of year for the trip. St Kitts would be another excellent place - a little bit of everything to do.

Not to throw your plans out of whack, but you may want to consider some more difficult places to get to, rather than A1'ing on an island that is otherwise easily accessible.

What a wonderful opportunity! I didn't make it as far as Bermuda until I was 26. We took advantage of the "Bermuda Shorts" specials where it was flight and 3 nights for under $500. Well, that was a long time ago. Anyway, I agree with SaNParis, this is also a chance for you to be more creative. AI's are okay but the downside is you have less choices in where and what you eat. Alcohol is inexpensive in the Caribbean just about everywhere so personally, I don't see the point in committing to an AI. 8 friends is already a built-in party so you don't necessarily need to find a hotel. You might think about renting a villa which would end up in most cases costing you less per person than a hotel. It also provides you with the ability to prepare some of your own meals at a reduced cost. For starters, check out just one of the many villa rental sites: www.caribbeandays.com What about St. Thomas? Great villa choices, there's nightlife and endless amounts of watersports. The other Virgin Islands are also very close and accessible. The Wyndham there is an AI. Back when I was a kid, Tortola was discovered by college/recent college crowd. It's got a variety of accomodations and of course, the famous "Bomba Shack" check it out on the web. It's kind of like the neverending Spring Weekend. Good luck and have a great time! Don't forget to write a trip report. You could really benefit the forum.

Thanks for the replies so far. I'll be sure to keep the info discussed about the All-Inclusive in mind. Renting a villa sounds like the perfect plan, that way we can go out when we want or cook at home as well. I figured drinks would be much cheaper than in the States, but i didn't know if it was best to get the AI. It's nice to know that we don't need to look specifically for AI trips.

Here are a few more details for anyone else who reads this.

We would like to go during the Chicago winter time, probably February 2009. We also are thinking about a 5-8 day stay as well.


Tuxedocat was exactly right, the group going will be able to have a blast wherever we go, I personally am hoping to find a place that is great to interact with other visitors and locals, and has a lot of really interesting things to visit and see.

I would strongly suggest Playa Del Carmen. It has everything you are looking for. It's a very fun place!

With 8 friends sharing the cost I agree with the other Forum member who suggested renting a villa. There are many sources for doing so, one was already mentioned and I would add to that Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO).
Negril, Jamaica with its 7 Mile Beach would be great (I personally would avoid it though during SpringBreak). I would look for accommodations right on the beach. You would not need a car because you can walk in either direction on the beach to other restaurants and shops and water activities and music venues. Many of the restaurants even will send a cab to pick you up and then you just tip whatever you wish.They do returns as well. Most of the hotels can arrange for you to be picked up at Montego Bay for the hour and a half drive to Negril. If you go to Negril on the web and search for accommodations you will find all variety of options as far as type and costs.

i agree with the villa and location around playa del carman. i think your group would like this area.

i like vrbo, but i have looked at perhaps a thousand houses in the caribbean & am getting good a figuring what the catch phrases really mean. perhaps an easier alternative is the big rental companies. wimco, villascarib, caribbeanvillas, islandhideaways,mclaughlinanderson, unusualvillarentals.
you can contact them with your dates, house needs and price range. they'll send you back a list of specifics available for you. saves a lot of net time.
as well, each island has several companies that deal exclusively with that location. type in choosen island and villa.
for not too expensive flts you might choose: jamaica (tons of villas and they come with staff also lots of activities and nightlife) or grand cayman (great snorkeling/diving lots of villas). i would normally suggest provo, turks & caicos, but it's a little cooler in feb.

now back to playa del carman. there are tons of vills (most w/staff) and ai's in every price range. there is more to do in this area than you can fit into 2 weeks. zip-lines, snorkeling/diving, tennis, golf, cenotes and caves, 2 wonderful eco-marine parks (xcaret and xel-ha) several ruins in day trip distance (tulum, coba, chichen itza) and the shopping in playa is a hoot. also should you decide a night or 2 of serious partying is desired playa has some fun bars.
a great site to investigate the area is www.locogringo.com . i have used them to locate a villa south of playa near tulum. i gave them my info they sent back a list of avail. i picked one - it was very easy process, and worked out perfectly. (we had casa cavu)

Playa del Carmen or Puerto Vallarta Mexico (the second I realize is not on the Caribbean side, rather the west coast).

Depends on the exact resort, how much you drink, what your standards are for food, if an all-inclusive is necessarily a good idea or not.

I guess my primary question is do you want to really take advantage of this opportunity & have the adventure of a life-time, someplace off the beaten path OR, do you want to go to some A1 which could essentially be any resort, on any island, anywhere in the Caribbean ? The latter seems like a tremendous waste of resources, too me.

Because of your age and stage of life I was one of those who suggested Playa but I think it really starts off with the range of the plane and fuel and rental costs unless you are flying commercial from Chicago then picking up your rental farther south? I may be naive about plane rentals but I think that is the first thing you have to completely determine before you make other plans about villas, etc.- are you limited in destination by flying time or cost?

We only have to pay for the fuel cost. Our pilot friend is going to get in touch with us regarding the price of that, if that turns out to be too expensive we can always book a commercial airline and figure it out from there.

I've been looking at most of the places that have been suggested and i'm really amazed by how great these places look.

Since we are all fairly young, we don't really need the best place in the world, most of us are guys so once again food isn't much of an issue either, we will eat pretty much anything. A place that has a lot of natural beauty and entertainment is basically what were looking for, and it seems like a lot of the places mentioned cater to our two most important needs.

Keep in mind even though we are young, we don't plan on being those college or high school kids who can be annoying. We like to have a great time, but we also have a lot of respect for the people around us.

Once again thanks for the continued advice and suggestions.