gpratt

we're a little older and are looking for an all-inclusive with a multi-national crowd. we love our kids and grandkids but want to escape. we've read up alot on debbie's dominican republic site and find ourselves a bit confused by all the reviews. we don't want to be too very far from an airport, would enjoy some of the local culture, would relish in a service-oriented smaller resort, and of course want the most bang for the buck. planning to travel in january. asking too much? any recommdations would be welcome.

Nancy

Hello, I think Playa del Carmen on Mexico's Caribbean coast would be a good fit for you. It's a very multi-national locale with a mix of Americans, Brits, Germans and Italians making up most of the tourists. Almost all of the AI's are south of town. It's about 45 min to an hour to the airport in Cancun.<BR>The beaches are gorgeous there, and it's within easy reach of the ruins at Chichen Itza, Tulum and Coba. <BR>Prices in Mexico are better than the rest of the Caribbean in January also. <BR>I'd actually recommend one of the smaller, more scenic non-AI hotels on the beach in town - El Faro, etc. - rather than the large AI's, as there are many great places to eat in town that you would miss out on. Maroma is another good choice if you want pampering and luxury.

weezie

Try the Jolly Beach Resort in Antigua. A good value AI and not many children. Buffets and 3 sit-down restaurants. Great pools and beautiful beach. Very reasonable.

tee

You can try The RIU PALACE in Playa del Carmen, or the RIU PALACE MACAO in Punta Cana. They're both nice, elegant AI resorts with international crowd and very , very few kids(one reason for that is they don't give kids a discount like some other resorts)The RIU Palace in PLaya del Carmen is nicer than the one in Punta Cana, and Playa Del Carmen is a small but "real" town, while Punta Cana has no town ...but a few flea markets....The Riu Palace will be more money than the Riu Macao though.

barbara

iberostar in puerto plata is a beautiful all inclusive. it is the best hotel in the area. not too far from the airport. pool and grounds are beautiful. beach is nice. you can go for long walks. staff is friendly. food is ok. there is a buffet and 3 ala carte restaurants, but to me all the food tastes the same. they have a show every night. not much to do outside of the resort. however, the jeep safari was great. we choose it after reading reviews on debbie's dominican page.

Keely

Myhusband and I never would have considered Jamaica, much less an all-inclusive, for a restful get-away-from-it-all romantic kids-free vacation, but Swept Away was recommended very highly to us. We went and liked it so much we returned the following year. The thing we liked about it was there was no pressure whatsoever to get involved or do any of the activities, yet there were plenty available, especially health and fitness and relaxation oriented things like yoga, tai chi, couples massage, etc. The food was healthy and delicious, with lots of Jamaican specialties, the staff was warm and helpful, and the rooms are unique. Mostly Americans but lots of Europeans; our closest neighbors in the villas were from France, England, and Germany. You can email me privately if you'd like more info - [email protected]. Good luck wherever you go.

Keely

P.S. We also paid a visit to Grand Lido Negril nearby, which is more service oriented. My husband loved it and we would have stayed there except they're in the middle of renovations right now.

Sharon

I would suggest the Bucuti Resort in Aruba with a large white sand beach and usually no children. It is not an all inclusive but they do have an excellent restaurant--the French Steakhouse next door at the Manchebo Resort. Also, plenty of taxis to take you anywhere else you want to dine--we love the restaurants at the Wyndham Hotel, as well as Madame Jeanette's and Pavarotti etc. It's a safe island and the beaches are beautiful.<BR>Also, the Crystal Resort in Barbados is wonderful and if you're on a budget trip than "PEACH and Quiet" Resort usually has a multi-national crowd on extended trips although it is not all inclusive.

gpratt

thanks for all the recommendation!!!

gpratt

after reading an unbelievable number of reviews and checking prices out of washington-dulles (we're in richmond, va.), we have finally decided on the secrets excellence in punta cana through apple vacations for the middle of january. many of the pans for apple scared me a bit but we just could'nt resist the price of about 1250.00 per person. we decided to purchase travel insurance outside of apple. not sure if this was wise, but i just could'nt see getting reimbursed thru apple travel vouchers if something were to prevent us from traveling. this insurance stuff really puzzles me. with all the fine print, i'm still not sure if our investment is protected. i try not to be an alarmist, but in these times, not sure how to handle this. we've traveled to mexico and europe for many years. we have always purchased insurance, never having to test it. any thoughts on this? thanks for any responses.

DR

One of your requests was not to be too far from the airport. Well, you will be approx 1 hr away.<BR>If Secrets Excellence is the old Royal Uvero Alto, Debbies Dominican site has removed all the previous bad reviews, guess she thinks that was only fair to do as they had changed hands. But ask yourself this....a supposedly 5 star resort (by DR standards ONLY) is open for one year....then sells? Wonder why?I was one of the people who hated it. It has a beautiful pool, rooms are okay (people who rave about them are used to Holiday Inns I think) and the service was only so so. And you are in the middle of nowhere. Just wasnt my type of vacation. I know many people love DR and loved this resort. I didnt. The attraction, as far as I can tell, is the price. In my opinion, it is like many resorts, marketed to appeal to the masses, throw in a little something, and people think its upscale. But I will give it that it is a lovely resort. I just didnt enjoy my trip. Sorry. You may very well be one of the people who goes and loves it. Best of luck.