Does this place actually exist?????
 

Help! I'm looking for an all-inclusive family resort (my children are 7 & 8 years old) that is:
1. easy to get to from NY (preferably a non-stop flight)
2. has a nice sandy (not rocky) beach
3. has multiple pools (preferably either a water park or lazy river pool) and
4. Good food.
We want to travel in November. Any suggestions?????

Atlantis resort in the Bahamas

One thing that makes what you are seeking difficult is the combination of All-Inclusive and Good Food. Most AI's, except the extremely high-end properties, have average food, at best. If by "Good Food" you mean decent food in the form of large quantity buffets than your goal is attainable.

Atlantis does fill that requirement. You'll also find a variety of All Inclusives in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica (too many to mention in a short post).

Beaches is a family oriented All Inclusive on Providenciales (Turks & Caicos) - reachable non-stop from NY. It has everything you are seeking with the exception of the "water park lazy river pool". By the way, that's one attraction that most resorts will not have although quite a few will have pools with small water slides.

Cancun, Cozemel and Playa Del Carmen (about a 40 minute drive south of Cancun) are other destinations which you can reach non-stop from NY and that offer quite a lot of All Inclusives. You should know that most of the bigger A-I resorts will have large or multiple pools with slides but may not have an actual water park/lazy river pool.

Hope this helps.

Atlantis is not an all-inclusive resort, though it does offer a meal plan (and perhaps an AI plan). It's also very expensive for what you get.

There are alot of AIs that would fulfill your needs. Look at the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Providenciales (the Beaches resort there), Cancun, or Cozumel (for the Riviera Maya). All these destinations have nonstop flights from NY and all have good AIs. You'll get much more for your money in Mexico than anywhere else in the Caribbean, but I've been to several AIs in the Dominican Republic, and I have enjoyed them tremendously.

In the DR, you might take a look at the Club Med in Punta Cana; it's one of the family resorts and it's on a very good stretch of beach on the Caribbean side of the peninsula (unlike most of the resorts, which are on the Atlantic side). The AIs in La Romana are also nice.

Riviera Maya!
Went there in November a few years ago, with our family and another family. Lots to do, Reef Club Playacar was where we stayed - slightly lower than average pricewise, value was awesome. You could spend more and get better food, but the kids loved it - walkable to town, lots of activities, they had their own room, snorkeling from the beach. Still remember the fun we had teaching american baseball to an Italian family - but they sure beat us on Dodge ball! ;)

Doug, what about the Malaria issue in DR? I just researched for my daughter's honeymoon, and we ended up picking Mexico because of the Malaria issue. Apparently some doctors recommend shots, some say only if you go off-property. What's the "regular guy" opinion?

The kids pool at Beaches in Turks and Caicos has small slides (perfect for the age group) into the pool, other pools through out-with water fall, etc. The kid's pool actually has a swimup "bar" for kids for sodas, and a 24 hour restaurant that they will love. (shaped like a giant pirate ship.)

The beach in T&C can't be beat-probably the kids friendliest anywhere, and great to learn to snorkel-it's like a big giant swimming pool, no seaweed, no rocks.

Direct flight from NY/

If you're thinking during Thanksgiving break, tons of resorts in Caribbean are already filled up-you may want to look now!

I don't see Malaria being a big enough issue that you should really concern yourself. The CDC does not currently have an advisory about malaria in the DR. This was a problem a couple of years ago after a hurricane, but I just don't hear about that being a problem these days.

Be much more concerned about Dengue Fever, not usually fatal but just as debilitating as Malaria. Denge can be found all over the Caribbean, including the Yucatan. It's much, much more common than Malaria.

You have to protect yourself from mosquitoes no matter where you go.

I fell ill two days after returning from the DR. After many tests and bloodscreens for such things as malaria and dengue, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. From my own, deer infested, backyard! Stay away from NJ, lol.

I stayed at the Occidental Grand Xcaret in 2004. It's an AI in Playa Del Carmen. There's a man made beach there, multiple pools. It is adjacent to the XCaret archaeological park. A one day pass is included in your stay. The park has a lazy river (it's HUGE!) Swimming with the Dolphins, cultural displays, shows. The food is decent. The main restaurant is buffet style and I didn't eat the same thing twice, there were so many options.

To get there, we took a nonstep flight from JFK to CUN. You can also fly non-stop from Newark. The resort is in Playa Del Carmen, so you'd need to arrange a transfer (either shared taxi from the airport) or arranged via the hotel. We arranged via the hotel and we paid $50 each way for the transfer in a private car.

They also have a Kids Club, if you want to let the kiddies "play" with other kids their age.


http://www.occidentalhotels.com/grandxcaret/index.asp

There are activities to keep you occupied in the day and shows at night.

the iberosatr lindo in riviera maya has the lazy river ride. We are going to the iberostar grand next week, it is the ib with adults only, but it gives us access to all the other resorts including the lindo. I will let you know when I get back what we think of it. It is a 4 star ai.With good reviews from our ta and the internet so far.

Actually, Doug, the CDC still recommends malaria prophylaxis (chloroquine) in La Altagracia Province, including the resort areas (i.e. Punta Cana and Bavaro).

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBoo...everTable.aspx