knor0177

My mother is treating me to a caribbean vacation in January. The only thing that she asks is for:
1. a great All Inclusive hotel (most important to her and she is paying!)
2. soft white powdery sand and crystal clear blue water without a lot of seaweed and gunk).

I have other things that I need:
1. Good area for snorkeling
2. Not overun by kids (some are fine, I mean I am with my mom)
3. Nightlife is not essential but I would like some cool restaurants
4. No risk for chilly weather - I want nice warm weather that I can swim in everyday

I have been to St. John and loved it. I have been to the Domican Republic and thought it was ok. My mom has been to aruba already twice and does NOT want to go again. Been there done that. Any ideas?? I would really love to get some good All-Inclusive Hotel names and locations. THANKS!!

girlonthego

White sand, clear beautiful water, good snorkeling, good restaurants would be Grand Cayman. I don't think there is an all inclusive there though. Marriott Hotels sometimes offer meal plans.
Aruba of course came to mind as well, but the snorkeling part is not as good.
St. Thomas has the Wyndam which is all inclusive.
Mayan Riviera in Mexico has white sand, blue water and lots of all inclusive hotels/resorts. Not sure if there is good snorkeling or not.
Kids will be everywhere. The best is to go after holiday break and all the kiddies go back to school. This way there will be less.

virginia

maya riviera coast of mexico will meet all your criteria. try to find an AI just south of playa del carmen. in addition to the ususal search sites (expedia, etc.) take a look at www.locogringo.com
if you go, check out x-caret and xel-ha, 2 eco-marine parks with great snorkeling. also yal-ku lagoon in akumal. if you email locogringo and tell them you want a sandy beach and snorkeling they will suggest a couple resorts.
there are some pretty cool restaurants and beach bars in akumal, lo-ha, la buena vida, la lunita.

KVR

I agree with the Playa del Carmen area of Mexico. Some of the best snorkeling is in Cozumel. You can take the 45 minute ferry from Playa to Cozumel for a nice day trip.

Grand Cayman does have 2 AI hotels; Beach Club Colony located on 7 Mile Beach and The Spanish Bay Reef located off 7 Mile Beach. Both are small properties and not very luxurious. We wouldn't have any problems staying there, but research it good if your interested. We're not picky with accomendations, but others are and those hotels are not for everyone.

If you liked St. John, look at Antigua. They have a few AI hotels.

doug_stallings

You might also consider the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus in the Dominican Republic, but you'll still find families there. To avoid more families, go right after the first of the year and do not include the Martin Luther King holiday in the dates of your trip.