cheryl_b

Hello Fodorites!

i am the official planner for my family's 2nd annual trip. we range in age from 2-76 years old; 10 adults and 13 "kids" from 2 years old to 21. last year we went on a cruise, which worked out well in terms of things to do, places to eat and accommodating different schedules. but, a couple of sailors didn't take to the sea very well, and i'm trying to find a resort instead. we're looking for mid-range prices.

any best bets?

virginia

without much info from you about your likes and dislikes i'm going to go out on a limb and suggest you choose one of the giant ai's near playa del carmen on the coast south of cancun. playa is a town of some size so offers restaurants, bars/clubs, and fun duty free shopping. the larger ai's in the area have numerous restaurants on site and nightclubs for teens and over 18's. also bar/clubs for adults. beaches in the area are very nice, however some resorts are not on good beaches. if you choose this area to visit there are ppl on the latin america/mexico board that have current beach quality info.
there is so much to do in the area: tennis/golf, diving/snorkeling, cenotes & caves, ruins to visit, horseback, atv jungle rides, zip-lines. there are 2 nice ecomarine parks - xcaret which is large & busy and has a night show. xcaret has jaguars. or xel-ha which is smaller, more laid back. xel-ha has snuba and a dolphin swim.
cancun is normally easy to fly to and not expensive. many ppl think you get the most for your money in mexico or dominican republic. given the options for things to do in close proximity i like mex.
we rented a villa south of playa, closer to tulum and had a wonderful time exploring the area.
this web site is packed with info: www.locogringo.com

cheryl_b

thanks for posting virginia. we do not want to rent a private home or villa. a little too much togetherness for this group, LOL.

my personal preference is not to go AI, however it's the option that makes the most sense given the size of the group. otherwise, each meal is a large-scale production. the cruise took us to mexico, belize, guatemala. many of us have been to jamaica.

i agree that mexico is a great option cost-wise. any particular resorts?

any dominican republic resorts that someone has been to that seems a good choice for the 23 of us?

eileen

All I can say is God Bless You, what a responsibility! I have always thought a cruise was the absolute best solution for this type of trip, but since you have already done that, and if you want to consider a non-AI trip, I am going to suggest the Marriott Aruba, Ocean and Surf Clubs. It's three resorts in one so people could choose the type of accomodations that best fit their needs (a room at the actual hotel or a condo unit at the Ocean or Surf Clubs). There's lots to do and many restaurants within walking distance at the various resorts along the beach so it would be easier to be more flexible for meals with the various "sub-groups" able to do their own thing. There are water slides and a river pool for the kids, lots of water sports available, kids club, good golf and Aruba is safe, clean, friendly with lots of reasonably-priced dining choices (we found Aruba to be more affordable than some other islands). I have been to Playa Del Carmen, and it also is a good suggestion but yes, many of the beaches are eroded (we stayed at Royal Hideaway and from recent pictures I can see the beach is pretty much completely gone now).

doug_stallings

You could certainly go to the DR. There are a lot of large resorts there, but almost all of them are all-inclusives. I think Mexico is a better option. There are lots of really good hotels in Cancun and Cozumel on beautiful beaches, and the deals are unbelievable right now. The Riviera Maya is probably more conducive to a family trip, but it's a little harder to reach because it requires a drive once you land in Cancun, but it's worth it. It's expensive generally, but there are some places in he mid-range.

Finally, the Turks & Caicos might also be a good choice because it's close and almost everything is condo-style, so you can either eat in or out. But it's solely a beach/snorkeling destination. There really isn't much else to do there.

virginia

the riu's and iberostar's are nice.
rui has 6 resorts on the south side of playa del carman all in close proximity and you can stay at one/use facilities at all.
http://www.riu.com/en-us/Paises/mexi...hoteles_en.jsp
iberostar has 5 resorts in playa del paraiso- a bit north of pdc and 2 in pdc.. these share facilities too, i believe.
http://www.iberostar.com/EN/Mexico/h...tml?pest=hotel
friends have used several of these resorts and enjoyed them a lot.

another option (where other buds have been & liked) is the occidental grand xcaret: http://www.occidentalhotels.com/grand/Xcaret.asp
huge very nice resort (11 restaurans/10 bars) that is attached to the ecomarine park xcaret making it easy for parts of your group to go into the park to play at night while others are "home".

if you enter particular hotels in the search on trip advisor you'll immediately get dozens of reviews.

do check to see if your group warrants any sort of discount for size.

thefamilytraveler

All inclusives are wonderful for multi-generational groups. It's really important to know where all the family members are flying from in order to determine the best options as air costs can add up quickly for most families and most folks appreciate being able to fly non-stop. Does anyone want supervised child care? Few resorts offer this for age 2. Generally the very best pricing and selection of all-inclusives is in Mexico and the DR. Lots of terrific choices. But sometimes I am surprised to find good air to other islands like Jamaica that then convert into a great value for all. Some of my favorite chains in both places include Iberostar and Grand Palladium which offer a range of prices with different levels of resort quality. Some resorts will also prebook space in the restaurants for groups (not all at one table, but together in the same area). Others can help organize group events. Let me know if you need any help.

Lauren
The Family Traveler

cheryl_b

you are all awesome, thanks so much. and yes, it's a heck of a responsibility, but like all of you, i love to travel and planning is part of the fun!

we all live in chicago (so why do we need more of each other?!?) so coordinating flights is not a problem except for the last-minute nature of the trip.

we are down to ixtapa vs. mazatlan, based on total package cost and available seats on planes. presidente intercontinental in ixtapa and riu emerald in mazatlan.

has anyone been to both, or have a strong opinion of either place?