LLindaC hates Mexico, even though she has barely spent any time there. She has stated this many times on many different threads on these forums.

I'm truly sorry SFG she has chosen to come on this thread to spread her misinformation.

I can't apologize enough. It's my fault. LLindaC often shows up after my posts just to make trouble.

Sunflowerguy is a sincere and nice person and does not deserve such a negative comment about his vacation plans, from someone who does not know what they are talking about.

Suze, please don’t worry about it, I took the suggestion at face value and thought little of it. I would have been tempted to give it more attention had there been any reason given as to why Mexico is not the destination for us but as there was not more or less ignored it. Don’t blame yourself it was really a none issue for me.

Thanks again all I will let you know once we have it booked and all the details settled, until then pray for nice weather come the end of September :)

Mexico and Jamaica were just rated the 2 newest "most dangerous" honeymoon locales.
http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/06/2...oon-locations/

Yes, the very popular tourist locales are somewhat safe, but that's not what you seemed to want. Even "suze" mentioned Hawaii.

I think you ought to consider the British Virgin Isles. They are without crime. They have several islands to visit and enjoy either by water shuttle or plane (Anegada)

At this time of year, your budget will be just great. We took a 10 day honeymoon there and loved it. "Nightlife" is on a few places on the beach. Not touristy, just safe, laid back and ultra beautiful.

The Yucatan in NOT one of the "danger" areas in Mexico.
Gee..there were murders in NY and Phila. and Chicago yesterday. Better not go to the USA!!!! Common sense is needed whether traveling or at home. People get into car accidents every few minutes so I guess we shouldn't drive.
If you live your life being afraid, then you are not living!

LLC, the link you site states the following:

<i>"Mexico's coastal beaches make the list of the <u>top five most popular</u> options for places to go once the bouquet has been tossed."</i>

The article does NOT site Mexico in general or Yucatan in particular as being dangerous.

BTW: Following quote from the State Departments site regarding British Virgin Isles.

<i>"CRIME: Theft, armed robbery and other violent crimes do occur in the BVI. Visitors should take common-sense precautions to guard against petty crime. Travelers should avoid carrying large amounts of cash and use hotel safety deposit facilities to safeguard valuables and travel documents. Do not leave valuables unattended on the beach or in cars, and do not leave them in plain view inside rental properties or hotel rooms. Always lock up boats when going ashore."</i>

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1079.html

Ok here is a question, I have planned to book this trip the other day but things happened and it did not get done. I just looked at orbitz and now the very same trip is cheaper. So how soon should I book this dude? Should I wate until a few weeks out? Would I get a better bargin?

hi SFG~ I'm not sure how the pricing runs but end of September is not a particularly busy or popular time for Mexico for reasons we've mentioned (weather). If you're seeing prices dropping it might not hurt to wait a few more weeks and see how things go? Have you compared the Orbitz offered package to prices shown on the resorts own website? That might give you a better idea and comparisons.

I just returned (last night) from an absolutely glorious 10 days solo in Jamaica and made it out alive. And 20+ trips and counting to various places in Mexico without incident. Guess I'm just lucky.

I don't know about the British VI, but a teenage tourist was recently shot in St. Thomas (USVI) while in town on a bus tour off a cruise ship, caught in gang cross-fire. so hardly "without crime".

Check CheapCaribbean and Apple Vacations for the property you're interested in. They're both generally well priced.
Have you done any reading on Tripadvisor?
You'll find a very active board if you're interested in the Yucatan.

SFG, I hope you are still able to go on your trip. I took my kids to Playa Del carmen last year and it was fantastic!

A bit of a problem has come up. I think I may have waited to long to book the hotel. The package for the same time, hotel and flight have risen by leaps and bounds.

So I went looking to see if maybe it was just at orbitz that the price was higher and started at the recomended cheapcaribbean website. My word there are a load of cheap vacation deals.

Now I have another question Welch have you or anyone else herre ever booked with them before. I want to make sure these are not too good to be true. Thanks

You might try contacting the hotel directly, Sunflowerguy, to ask if the deal is "too good to be true". That's the safest way to know for sure. If the hotel says they are indeed working with cheapcaribbean, then you can feel pretty confident. You might even try calling your original hotel choice to see if they will offer up the deal you saw first. However, is it the hotel portion that is more or the air fare that's driving the price up? I typically find that air is the cheapest about this time of year -- the cheapest to purchase even though we will travel in February. Air for a Sep trip should be very inexpensive unless the airline has pulled some of their flights reducing the total number of seats available. Have you tried putting the trip together yourself -- purchasing the air and booking the hotel seperately? Its easy to do and you really shouldn't need to use either expedia or cheapcaribbean. Just use the airline that has the best fare and book the hotel through any source or directly -- which ever gets you the best price.

SFG: I just checked the Maltekal Resort web site. They are running all kinds of summer specials. 40% off for dates between July and December 2010. A garden view room is only $101 per night and includes breakfast and lunch or dinner everyday. Even with the 14% tax and VAT, your hotel should only cost about $800 total. I don't know where you fly from, but round trip air from Atlanta (for example) to Cancun is only $218 PP right now for September dates on U.S. Air and many others. So the air and hotel "package" should only run a little over $1200 for the two of you. If the package deals you're seeing are more than this, they aren't a <u>deal</u>. Book it yourself.

That's my question too, SFG. Have you looked at booking your own vacation? Doing the air fare & hotel separately? Mexico in September should not be expensive (or sold out).

If you haven't booked yet, I have to second the vote for HUATULCO as a beach destination. With 7 bays and 36 beaches and Sierra Madre Mountains as a backdrop, it is stunning. The deep coves allow for snorkeling, even though snorkeling and scuba aren;t what you normally think of on the Pacific. Two small towns are part of this region, with local culture and, as mentioned, the fabulous Oaxacan cuisine. Safe. There are some great little inns in town as well as AIs and larger resorts, like Dreams. We are staying in a 5-suite villa with friends, with our own chef, infinity pool and walk down the hillside to a semi-private coved beach. For low money, you can book a tour on a boat that will shuttle you to secluded beaches for hanging out or snorkeling, or some with little palapa restaurants to put your toes in the sand while you munch barbecued fish and a cold beer. We also have a deep sea fishing excusion planned for our Jan. trip. Friendly people, minimal party scene (but a few places to hear music)...sounds like it could be just what you are looking for. The place we are staying is: Villa Pacifico. Not much on this forum for Huatulco, but check out: Tomzap.com or Tripadvisor.

At the time I was looking at this package booking things on my own (air and Hotel) was in line with the Orbitz package. For some reason it did not even pass my mind to look at that again. Will do and will report back my findings.

Cheapcaribbean is on the up and up but I'm all for the west coast of Mexico!
That said, for a very inexpensive AI property in the Yucatan, I don't think you can't beat Catalonia Royal Tulum.
Check the prices and know it's on the most gorgeous beach, bar none! I think it's much nicer than Maroma, personally (and it's not in Tulum).
I know this board is not travel agent friendly- and there are a lot of bad agents out there, but if you know one you can trust it can certainly make your job easier!

Wow,

I cannot believe that no one mentioned costa rica yet!

From your statement, "While I don’t mind being in a more touristy location I want to be able to experience more than that, visit small towns take in the culture etc. I want to AVOID cities that thrive on the drunken party and night life that is not our idea of a good time."

You should probably enjoy a different country besides mexico. I am sure there are some good places in mexico like you described, but you're almost writing a description of puerto viejo, costa rica. It's a small town in costa rica with a some (but not an overwhelming amount) of tourists year round. Great activities, and a lot of relaxing on the beach. Here's a map that includes activities and hotels nearby:
http://www.costaricabeauty.com/ViewM...5170288&BID=61

Forget mexico, you're describing the Caribbean side of costa rica and you don't even know it :)

SFG~it's often a crapshoot on when you book.....good luck, and enjoy whatever you choose! I've been to Costa Rica, Mexico, and Hawaii, and I would return to all three, even though there are posters who loathe them.

http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...uerto-rico.cfm

Bad news see the above thread...