Hi! We are looking for a vacation spot that a family of 35 people (babies to grannies) can stay on the Yucatan Peninsula for a week in late December. Any suggestions?

Akumal - look at locogringo.com for accommodations...<BR>Tankah<BR>Cozumel<BR>

Hi Jenni,<BR><BR>Good advise from Nancy. If you want to book for the holidays or anytime during winter 2003, do so now. My house has been booked for the holidays and about 1/2 of my winter/spring 2003 is booked with repeat guests. Certain villas have a lot of repeat guests and they tend to book a year in advance for the busy season. http://CasaTropical.com

If you want a holiday that EVERYONE can enjoy (no grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.), definitely book into an all inclusive resort. EVERYTHING is looked after and you know the EXACT price of your holiday. The only "extra" costs will be any non-included activities and those are controllable. We have travelled in large holiday groups for many years....nearly always at Christmas...with families and this works the best. You arrive at the resort, they put a wristband on your arm and you can just put your wallet away. Everyone can just eat and drink wherever and whenever they want. Usually we found the kids were hungry at different times than the adults and that was never a problem!! The absolute BEST family resort we've found so far (and I've been to many) is the Barcelo Maya Beach resort. While the resort is large, you never have to walk any futher than the length of your building to reach either the lobby area or the beach. If you want to walk further, the grounds are beautiful and you can walk and enjoy. For complete reviews, visit these websites:<BR>www.caribbeanopinion.com<BR>www.cancu nandrivieramaya.com<BR>www.debbiescaribbeanresortr eview.com<BR>www.playaguide.com (this is a web board but several people have posted wonderful reviews of recent Barcelo trips)<BR>It would NOT be a restful if you rent a house or condo. Also, you'd have to rent MANY houses/condos to fit everyone. Believe me, the all inclusive way is the best for this large a group and you should be able to get a significiant reduced price due to the group status (15 or more). People who visit the locogringo.com board are VERY committed to their condos/small resorts and you will get a distorted view of all inclusive resorts from that website. In fact, if you write in about all inclusive questions on any but the all inclusive board, you will be "blasted". They seem to love finding new little restaurants to visit but if you are with kids/grannies, do you really want to pack up for each meal to find a restaurant? That kind of holiday is more suitable for adults only/alone. Or do you want to be bothered with grocery shopping/cleaning? I say, no way...it's my holiday too and I need a rest just as much as everyone else. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll agree!!!

Jenni,<BR>While I respect Diane's opinion, I do not agree with her on several points.<BR>Firstly, locogringo.com has a lot of different kinds of accommodations (hotels, etc.) - not just villas or condos.<BR>Secondly, there are several very large villas in Akumal with 5 or more bedrooms - some with their own pools. Many are on the beach right next to each other. I doubt if Jenni's group wants all 35 of them together often!<BR>Thirdly, it's not for Diane to judge whether or not it would be a restful vacation or not in villas for Jenni - that's a personal choice. <BR>I personally find nothing at all restful about a resort at Christmastime, with screaming kids at the pool and people jostling for the free drinks. The fact that I can't stand all-inclusives has nothing to do with it.<BR>There must be reasons why so many people bash the all-inclusives - I was unlucky enough to stay at two before I wised up. I stay at resorts far more often than I do in a villa, but sometimes, the resort route just won't cut it.

Jenni, of course you can decide what will work for you but if you check the other websites and read reviews there, you will find many extremely positive reviews about all inclusives. The fact that a villa has 5 bedrooms doesn't mean that the configuration will fit anyone's needs (single/queen/king????) plus you will have to stock the fridge and cook. You must decide but there are many, many, many happy all-inclusive resort goers who would agree with me about the accommodations. Plus, with all-inclusives, you get a lot of protection. They usually have a doctor on call 24 hours a day (and we've used the doctor services almost every trip...some small problems and some large problems...thank God they were available), day programs for the kids as well as babysitting services, countless resort staff to help in case of emergency/difficulty of ANY kind. When you're in a foreign country, this kind of support is wonderful. As for the "screaming kids" at the pool, I have never experienced that and we've been 7 times at Christmas to an all-inclusive resort. Most families control their kids very nicely and if a kid is screaming, it's usually because they're hurt. Do what works best for you but when I saw the reference to the LocoGringo board, I felt I had to caution you about the "tone" of that board. It can be very hostile if you don't agree with their point of view. The other boards don't seem to have that same tone and give a better representation of what all-inclusives have to offer. That many people can't all be wrong now, can they???? You're much better informed now to make a choice that suits you...whether it's a condo/villa/all-inclusive....I really don't care but you needed more options than those presented previously.