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Old     (Flavadave)      Join Date: Oct 2013       01-17-2016, 2:06 PM Reply   
I always see some great responses on here so I thought I'd reach out to my Wakeworld family...

My girl and I have a bunch of Southwest points to use so we plan on flying out somewhere in the Carribean at the end of May. We would prefer to stay at an all-inclusive but want to explore the surrounding areas as well. So far, we've looked into Belize, Costa Rica, Aruba, DR, Jamaica. We stayed in Playa del Carmen last year and fell in love with the town so we are looking for something similar. Important things we look for is quality food, drinks, and culture.

What countries and/or resorts should I look into?

Thanks in advance!

-Dave
Old     (Squamer)      Join Date: Oct 2015       01-18-2016, 6:16 AM Reply   
Depends on hotel budget, what you want to do and which islands Southwest flies to. Just got back from St Lucia and enjoyed every minute of it.

Have been to every island on your list except Belize and I have stayed all inclusive and enjoyed all of them. Each are different in their own way, Aruba is more desert, St Lucia was more rain forest. Example: if you dont like the hot and dry and prefer hot and humid that may influence your travel destination between those two and etc.

Do you want to sit on the beach and do nothing? Do as many water sports as possible? Explore the island and do tours? Scuba dive/ snorkel? Shop? Golf?

If you ocean surf Costa Rica has some pretty good surf schools. My girlfriend stayed at Witches rock last May and loved the instruction she was given. Took her boat riding to a new level when she got back.

DR to me is sadly the new Cancun, doesn't mean it is not nice because it is, but it just seems like the next 18-25 year old destination to get belligerently drunk and party. ( I know I was that guy a few years ago)

Jamaica has plenty of AI resorts. Sandals for one is huge on the island, I am sure you aware of the safety concerns in Jamaica. I personally have never had a problem but there is always the chance.

One big thing is everyone's opinions are going to vary. I like islands X Y Z but the next poster will favor islands A B C. Hope you enjoy your trip!
Old     (DenverRider)      Join Date: Feb 2013       01-18-2016, 7:25 AM Reply   
I've heard that Jamaica is disappointing. Mexico is cheap and great. Going to Cancun for like my hundredth time in March with the family for 8 days at a cost of 2300 for a family of 4 all inclusive with a United flight. Average beach hotel. Dominican Republic is almost exactly like Mexico.

Aruba, Nassau, St Lucia, St. Martin, Fiji, Grand Cayman, etc. are all WAY better than Mexico and DR but they are also WAY more expensive. I haven't been to Costa Rica or Belize yet but I imagine that they are also better than Mexico but also more expensive. It's all about how much you want to spend.

Use discretion when reading reviews about hotels on travel websites. It seems that the only people who bother to write those reviews are those who are completely bitter and jaded. Either that or they are used to the Westin and didn't realize that when you pay 20% of the cost of the Westin, you don't get the Westin. Every hotel I've stayed at had mostly bad reviews but they have all been pretty much the same and I have always been happy.
Old     (allzway)      Join Date: Feb 2014       01-20-2016, 6:07 AM Reply   
We go to Mexico just about every year. It is hard to beat for the price. Jamaica is okay, but you just can't hardly leave the resort you go to.

Playa and the entire Sun coast is hard to beat.

Here is a video I put together after last years trip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN-pg-yzmRI

This is resort we really like. There is great snorkeling and is a really nice resort.
Old     (iShredSAN)      Join Date: Apr 2012       01-20-2016, 6:50 AM Reply   
Went to the Excellence Resort in Punta Cana, DR for our honeymoon and it was awesome. If it is just you and your girl going I would go to an adults only resort for sure. Went to Jamaica a few months ago and it was alright, but I wouldn't go back. If you go to Punta Cana, do the dune buggy excursion... they take you to a private beach that looks like something out of a magazine and to an underground cave, etc... Take a gopro!
Old     (denverd1)      Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tyler       01-21-2016, 12:27 PM Reply   
Playa is hard to beat. Good mix of culture without safety concerns, good nightlife but no shot girls with whistles and good to great beaches depending where you stay. Check Cabo too, not sure if SW goes there yet. Went there in May and really enjoyed it.

curious how many points it ends up costing you. Got quite a few points (I think) saved up as well and thinking about our next trip.
Old     (Flavadave)      Join Date: Oct 2013       01-25-2016, 12:22 AM Reply   
Thanks for the responses everyone. Looks like we'll be skipping Jamaica, lol. We would prefer more of a rainforest type of vibe and plan relaxing for the most part. I'm assuming the majority of our time will be spent drinking and eating within the resort but we also want the option to leave and eat/drink/explore. With that being said, what AI resorts should we consider for a $1500/per hotel budget? Nacho, after some research it looks like a round trip flight would be anywhere from 15,000-20,000 pts...not bad.
Old     (tripsw)      Join Date: May 2006       01-28-2016, 6:59 PM Reply   
Costa Rica is great, plenty rainforest too. And beaches. And adventure stuff. And wakeboarding But do yourself a favor and get a car and move around, don't stay at one resort. If you need any info about CR message me, been living here for 10 years now.
Old     (DenverRider)      Join Date: Feb 2013       01-29-2016, 3:07 PM Reply   
Costa Rica is probably awesome when it comes to rainforestyness. I haven't been there yet but it's on my list. If you really want to go crazy with a rain forest vibe, I highly recommend Thailand. The flight is long and expensive but once you're there, it's quite affordable. Stay during the last week or so of October which is on the trailing edge of the rainy season. Prices double in November when their prime season begins. $100 dollars per night will get you a palace in October. I spent one night in Pattaya where we practically had an entire floor of the hotel with a giant beech front deck for $60. The most expensive part of the trip was in *****et but that's where I was when it flipped over to November 1st. I didn't pre-book anything before I left other than the 1st night.
Old     (DenverRider)      Join Date: Feb 2013       01-29-2016, 3:08 PM Reply   
Let me know if you can't tell what city in Thailand would be censored by this website.
Old     (rdlangston13)      Join Date: Feb 2011       05-18-2016, 12:45 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by iShredSAN View Post
Went to the Excellence Resort in Punta Cana, DR for our honeymoon and it was awesome. If it is just you and your girl going I would go to an adults only resort for sure. Went to Jamaica a few months ago and it was alright, but I wouldn't go back. If you go to Punta Cana, do the dune buggy excursion... they take you to a private beach that looks like something out of a magazine and to an underground cave, etc... Take a gopro!
We did that excursion and my wife got mad at me cause I was hitting every bump as hard as i could and i at one point knocked the drive chain off. ooops

We stayed at the Iberostar Grand Bavarro and it was really nice. All inclusive adults only, had good shows at night and a big ship thing that doubled as a night club.

Last edited by rdlangston13; 05-18-2016 at 12:49 PM.
Old     (denverd1)      Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tyler       05-20-2016, 1:59 PM Reply   
I'm over the Carribean. Check out Cabo. Ha! Not the first time I recommended Cabo, I see
Old     (bstroop)      Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Athens, Alabama       05-20-2016, 5:35 PM Reply   
I did Punta Cana in the DR as well and loved it. Stayed at the all inclusive Grand Bahia Ambar. All inclusive there included the amenities of the two resorts on each side. It was great and was 4k for a full week including airfare from Oregon.

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