Narrowed down or trip to St John or Akumal for sometime Janurary-February 2008.

Travelling with 3 kids 5,10,12 and needed a good reccomendation for accomodations. Tried RCI points but no availibilty

Villa/condos or resort for abt $2500-3000 a week budget

Off beach snorkeling, great beach, some variety/day trip options are primary drivers.

Take a look at Gallow's Point in St John and see if it appeals to you. There's lots of detailed info on these boards about it. (You'd want a top floor unit.) If you get interested in Gallows, you can check Trip Advisor also.

p.s. I think Gallows may be a bit cramped with 3 kids that age-- but maybe not. Or, depending on your budget, if you really really like the idea of Gallows, perhaps you could rent 2 of the (less expensive) downstairs units)?

In Akumal there are many condos and hotels along Akumal Bay and next door Half Moon Bay from which you will have good snorkeling right off the beach. I was there in January and stayed at Akumal Beach Resort which is an all-inclusive. We paid under $700 per person for a week. We booked through a fabulous web site "www.locogringo.com". The people who run this site moved from the States to Akumal several years ago. THere is a great forum on the site for trip reviews and questions. You've got day trip options and a fantastic beach in Akumal not to mention good snorkeling and a reasonable price. I have not been to St. John but from what I have read I doubt the snorkeling in Akumal can hold up against that to be found on St. JOhn but it is easily accessible - no driving is necessary as it is right in front of your lodging. Lots of coral (though somewhat damaged from hurricanes), turtles, rays, squid, barracuda, parrot fish, etc. etc.

Couldn't help but notice that you requested "great beach" and don't think that Gallows would qualify but certainly the island would! You'll be beach hopping if you stay on STJ. Maybe looking at the places on STT (timeshare that has good snorkeling and great beach on site would be Sapphire. The Elysian, with not so good snorkeling, is another but don't know if they are RCI or not or how that works). It's a quick ferry ride away from STJ (20 mins from Red Hook which is nearby both places) and gives you the same options for the day trips. Not many spots on STJ on the beach and they will go for prime rates in prime season.

We went to Akumal last September. We are going to St. John this August. I'll let you know about St. John after I return, and how it and Akumal compare/contrast.

As far as Akumal, we really liked it. It was quaint and pretty authentic for that area. It was an easy trip in that the flight to Cancun is a snap, we arranged for a private transfer to Akumal, which is if I recall correctly about a 45 minute drive from the airport. And, it is close to both Tulum (Mayan ruins) which is south of Akumal, and Playa del Carmen, which is north. We had a great time--I've been to Cozumel before which I did not care for, but liked Akumal.

I think that Akumal would be ideal with kids because of the proximity to a lot of kid friendly activities (atv's, cenote swimming, water park, etc.). In order to get around the area, we used the bus collectivos, which are air conditioned and run constantly up and down the highway that connects Playa del Carmen to Akumal to Tulum. The cost is very nominal--you just tell the driver where you want to get off when you get in the van.

I'm excited about our St. John trip. I think that it would be easier to fit in your budget in Akumal and greater restaurant selection of kid friendly places in the Riviera Maya area. I second the recommendation of locogringo.com--the posters there know there stuff, and most of them go to Akumal many times a year. You can also rent villas and condos from them. Unless you stay at Caneel Bay, or to a lesser extent Westin, you will not be beachfront on St. John as most of the accomodations are in the hills. That may be a factor with kids as it seems that would add some inconvenience.

thanks . that will be great to know. We are thinking of staying at a villa in around Coral Bay..