My husband and I are not "worldly" travelers. We've never been out of the US. I've looked at the Carribean Islands for a place, but there just too much to choose from. I thought I'd cloudy the water even more by looking at Mexico, as it seems a little less expensive. We like to swim (although we're not that good), snorkel and relax on the beach. We're not the all night party type, but do like a good margarita or Corona. We don't like huge resorts with 8 pools and 10 resturants, but do like small resorts. We'd like a totally luxurious getaway, but can't afford it. What kind of room can we get for $300-400/day?

Camino Real is a very nice, luxurious and quiet hotel. <BR>http://www.caminoreal.com/puertovallarta/default_i.htm

$300 to $400 / day seems like an awful lot of money. I convert that into Canadian and it's a fortune! <BR> <BR>Seriously though, I'm sure you could find lots of nice places for that kind of money. Where are you flying from? The Yucatan in Mexico (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, etc.) has loads of nice places.

We live in Dallas, so would be flying out of DFW. I gave that price range based upon places we had looked at in the Carribean. I think we'd like something on the gulf side since we like protected swim beaches. But I'm not sure about Cancun since we've heard it's a party town.

I personally don't like Cancun. I do like Playa del Carmen which is about 45 minutes south. There are loads of hotels in Playa del Carmen - I'm sure you could find something very nice for less than $300 USD.

You would love isla mujeres. you could also take take most of your room money to save for your retirement--like us your may now have a 201k or 101k. It is a small, safe, laid back, inexpensive island with great beaches and snorkeling. It is ten miles off Cancun. We spend one month a year there and will gladly send you our extensive 20 page brouchure on the island and surrounds. Just e-mail us for a copy. <BR>Dan and Ginny

I luv the West coast south of Puerto Vallarta! Costa Alegre (Happy Coast!) <BR> <BR>Try www.hotelito.com, www.las-alamandas.com, www.careyes.com.mx, www.ghm.com.mx, www.grandbay.com, www.bluebayresort.com, and of course www.choice1.com/villamontana.htm. <BR> <BR>adios! <BR>[email protected] <BR>www.lamanzanillamexico.bizland.com/lamrentals

Candice, you listed snorkeling and swimming for your desired activities. <BR>I've been to Puerto Vallarta (PV), on the Pacific Coast several times and can tell you that it is much less desirable than other parts of Mexico. The water is colder and not nearly as clear -- certainly not that turquoise clarity I think you're looking for. <BR>I believe Cancun, Cozumel, etc. will meet those requests better. <BR>As with all of the best known destinations, avoid certain times of the year to minimize lots of children and loud partying by the college set...Thanksgiving week (this year falls on 11/22 in USA), Spring Break, Christmas, and the summer months. <BR>Try doing a bit of research yourself by using the 'Google' Search Engine at: <BR> <BR>www.google.com <BR> <BR>Type search words: <BR> <BR>Mexico best snorkeling <BR> <BR>Then, read from those websites, gather info about the resorts listed and see what most appeals to you and make your own list of those to get further information about. <BR>Be sure to read the older messages here on this Forum to see if those that interest you have received good reviews by people who have stayed at them. <BR>And, hopefully, you will get unbiased opinions rather than the obvious self-promotion of their own rentals by some people who have responded to your questions here. <BR>Good luck to you! <BR>