A friend of mine is planning a group trip to Aruba for November and it's a very good rate so I thought I'd put it out for everyone to look at and if anyone is interested please let me know.

There will be about 40 people going (at present count), so it's a great way to meet new people. Here's the info on the trip.....

Nov 13-20, 2004 (week before Thanksgiving)
Holiday Inn All-Inclusive
Island View $1295pp
Partial Ocean View $1417.50pp
Deluxe Ocean Front $1490pp

All rates are based on double occupany and includes airfare out of Allentown, PA (ABE). If you're interested in another airport, please let me know and I'll have my my friend price it out. We have a group
rate at the Holiday Inn, so only the airfare could change. We also
have single rates available.

Thanks for listening!

Nancy

Nancy:
You might want to rethink the AI part of your plan for 2 reasons.
First, the price isn't a special deal, since anyone can book the same all-inclusive package on Holiday Inn's website for $899/person without airfare.
But more importantly, Aruba has a lot of good restaurants, and if you eat even a single meal away from the hotel while on the AI plan, you're essentially paying twice for that meal. The food price in the AI package is ~$80/day per couple. The Holiday Inn's food is nothing special. Why pay almost $600 per couple to eat mediocre hotel food 21 meals in a row?
Just book the room and pay for food as you go. You'll have the freedom to eat when/where you like, enjoy some better quality meals off site, get more variety, and probably not spend any more money than you would have otherwise.
AI plans aren't a good idea on islands with good restaurants IMO.

I agree with travleis. Having stayed in the HI Aruba, I can vouch for the fact that their food is nothing special and there is just TOO MUCH good food everywhere else on the island to be stuck with mediocrity for a whole week.

Have fun!
Mark

Some of the group like to drink and others don't like to leave the hotel so the AI typically works out better for a group of this size. The rates I posted include taxes and service chages, which I know can add up (19% additional). It also includes roundtrip transportation to and from the airport.

I've been to Aruba a few times in the past, so I know what great restaurants the island has to offer. My husband and I split our time between the HI and the Wyndham b/c we could not leave with the group b/c of his job. This way we can spend some time with the group at the end of their trip and the rest of the time we can enjoy the various restaurants on the island.

Thanks for the input, but according to the planner the reservations are a done deal.

We are planning a stay at this resort this Spring....anyone have any thoughts on this resort..vs. the highrises,beach area, etc.

Sorry ..wrong thread.

The Holiday Inn AI leaves a lot to be desired so do not recommend that option. Also, for a group rate in a slow period it is not that good. Only advantage is that the group leader gets to go free.