kellyengelkes

Looking for place with easy and fast flights from Iowa...all inclusive, like to lounge on beach all day, enjoy good food and a little culture...any ideas?

RoamsAround

Lots of All Inclusives in the Dominican Republic (the All inclusive capital of the Caribbean), Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Concentrate your search to those destinations. They are all relatively close to the US so fights are quick. Doubtful though that you can go non-stop to anywhere in the Caribbean from Iowa so you'll probably have to connect through Chicago, Miami or Atlanta.

Many experienced Caribbean travelers will tell you that unless you are staying at a high-end property the term All inclusive and "good food" is an oxymoron. Most AI's offer food, whether or not it can be describe as "good" depends on the sophistication of your taste buds.

kellyengelkes

RoamsAround...Do you have any favorite resorts in the DR?

JeanH

Being from Iowa myself, I can guarantee there are no nonstop flights to the Caribbean.

I consider myself lucky if I can get to an island in one day. But, I tend to pick the less traveled islands.

Your best bet is probably Cancun, and further south to Tulum.

However, see what you can find in Jamaica. The beach at Negri is awesome, the resorts appear low key (you couldn't pay me to stay at an all-inclusive), but Couples Swept Away looked pretty nice. Low rise, loungers weren't all packed together.

If you wish to venture off resort, there are a wealth of wonderful restaurants in Negril.

blamona

Since you're interested in AIs do a search for KVR, I consider her the expert here on all inclusives.

I can probably say this safely, sorry if I'm speaking for RoamsAround, but we travelers that have been everywhere tend to shy away from AIs, as it's hard to get the culture part that way. Majority of AIs seem to stay put and enjoy all the activities. The nice thing about KVRs opinion is they enjoy AIs and do get out and explore.

Please give her a little more info though, such as how many travelers, time of year, budget!

RoamsAround

Agree KVR is the "resident " All inclusive expert on this forum. She/he has responded to several recent posts so scroll down and open a few and click on his/her screen name and you'll find tons of info. She even posts a link to a very good website that lists all the All Inclusive resorts in the Caribbean.

to answer your specific question my favorite resort in the Dominican republic is Casa de Campo (it's a very high end property.). Other than that I'm not an All Inclusive fan so it's best left to others to make specific AI resort recommendations.

KVR

Thanks guys.

The majority of all inclusives are located in Mexico, Jamaica and the DR. We prefer Mexico as we can find more lux type resorts at the better prices. Also, there are tons of things to see and do off property. We enjoyed Jamaica also as we found plenty of things to see and do. We've been to the DR once and never returned. It's a good destination to just veg at your resort and do a few guided tours, which is not our vacation style.

Before recommending specific resorts, what type of AI accomendations are you looking for. Family, adult only or couples only? Also, what is the budget for air and resort?

Good food is highly subjectalbe. Typically, the higher end/adult only/couples only AI resorts have the better tasting food. However, we have found exceptions with Sandals, their food was awful. We have found good food at some of the lower end properties in Mexico. Resorts that offer an AI plan and for-pay to people who choose not to buy into the AI plan tend to have the better food. The exception was the Holiday Inn in Aruba. It was not good.

Here is a list of AI resorts in Mexico:


http://www.mexicoallinclusive.com/me...ve_resorts.cfm


Here is a list of AI resorts in the Caribbean:


http://www.caribbeanallinclusive.com...ve_resorts.cfm

The lists can be overwhelming, which is why more specific information is needed to help answer your question.

kellyengelkes

Thanks everyone for your comments. I booked a flight to Punta Cana (depart des moines, short layover in Atlanta and land by 3...my idea of a quick flight) I have stayed at the Melia before and it was fine (we had royal service) however looking for something different this time.. Any recommendations? Only reason I chose AI's is that I dont like to think about money all week..if that makes sense?!

schmerl

We have been to Excellence Punta Cana and really liked it. It's an adults only AI. It is about an hour drive from the airport though.
Nice beach, great pools, food was good.