All Inclusive Resorts In The Caribbean?

[elvisfan]

Can anyone recommend an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean?

[McQ]

We went to Atlantis (Paradise Island Bahamas) last winter. It wasn't all inclusive but they did have a pre-paid meal plan. The resort was wonderful but I did think it was too expensive overall. There were lots of other pregnant ladies there which was nice and it would be a fun place to take the kids later on but I would look for a special or something.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[egoldber]

For a family? Or for just you and DH? As far as families go, there are only two all-inclusive chains I know of that cater to families: Club Med and Beaches. But there are lots of smaller resorts that offer all-inclusive meal plans. Alcoholic drinks may or may not be included in that plan.

As far as all inclusives for couples, our favorite is Swept Away on Jamaica.

For family resorts that offer meal plans, we have stayed at:

Coyaba Beach Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica
http://www.coyabajamaica.com/

Harbour Village Beach Resort on Bonaire
http://www.harbourvillage.com/

We stayed at this place on the Turks&Caicos before it was converted to a Beaches resort:
http://www.beaches.com/main/tc/tc-home.cfm

Of these, I would most recommend the place on Bonaire. A nice (but not huge) beach, very child friendly, several restaurants. And the most amazing snorkeling you could ever imagine.

I have a great travel agent who specializes in the Caribbean if you want to use him. I don't get anything for recommending him, but I have referred lots of folks to him who have been happy.

Our agent is trying to convince us to go here in January:
http://www.youngisland.com/

HTH,

[elvisfan]

This is the honeymoon we never had...no kids:)

[rrosen]

I highly recommend the new Sandals Resort in St. Lucia, the St. Lucian Grande. My husband and I have been to to Sandals twice and both times we had the best time. This particular resort is very nice and you can use the facilities at the other two Sandals on the island so you have many many choices for places to eat.

Have fun!
Rebecca

[liya]

Where!!! LOL...I live in the Caribbean!! I have tons and tons of info you can use!! email or pm me with details of what you would like!!

[Annette_C]

I know that you can get great all inclusive deals at the Dominican Republic for a cheap price.
My daughter went last years with some friends and loved it! She said that even alcohol was included.
Check out www.cheapcaribbean.com for great deals.
Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

[JustMare]

It's not all inclusive, but these two resorts in St. Thomas offer the Entertainment Card 50% off rack rates:

http://www.sapphirebeachresort.com/

http://www.pointpleasantresort.com/

DH and I were able to spend 7 days at Point Pleasant Resort in November (several years ago) for something around $700. We had a beautiful villa with sunken living room, views of the beach, kitchen, etc.... It was a steal for the price! :)

The only thing is you have to contact the resort yourself to book the room and mention the Entertainment Card rate. You can purchase the Entertainment Card (book) at any bookstore for $24.99. The savings are amazing! (FYI, you can also get 50% off at WDW Swan & Dolphin resorts too!)

[newbelly2002]

We actually went to this for our honeymoon 5 years ago. And, no offense meant, but I wouldn't recommend it. Before you decide on an all-inclusive think about what you want in a vacation and what kind of traveler you are.

For us, the Sandals, while lovely, felt too...sterile. Everything was gorgeous but felt fabricated somehow: perfect flowers, pristine beaches, crystal pools, white glove service for food and locked gates. The organized games and "nooky time" (was it a coincidence that NO organized activities occured between 3-5 PM!) felt--to me--like summer camp. I wanted more of St. Lucia, more of the culture and people, other than what I saw through the windows of the bus tour to the rainforest. It reinforced, for me, what was important on a vacation.

The one thing that WAS great was not having to worry about monney. To that end, as Beth suggested, there are a number of hotels and resorts that offer pre-paid meals and pension and half-pension deals.

DH and I boiled it down to sort of the difference between traveling and vacationing. Neither is worse than the other, just different. And it's important to know what you and your partner want.

Paula
Mama to Dante, 8/1/02

[Sarah1]

We LOVED Swept Away in Negril, Jamaica (cheesy name, AWESOME, non-cheesy place!) Especially if you happen to like tennis--they have goregeous clay courts and workout facilities. The food was GREAT, and they had live entertainment and dancing every night. Everything is included, except spa treatments...but those are reasonably priced!

[millerpjm]

It's not on an island, but we went to the Iberostar Toucan in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, a couple of years ago. It's about 40 minutes south of Cancun in what they call the "Mayan Riviera". We LOVED it!!! Nice beach, all inclusive (except for the spa) and since it was on the mainland there was stuff to do off-resort. We went on a day trip to some Mayan ruins which were really cool. You can also take the ferry over to Cozumel (about 45 minutes or so) and there's scuba diving and other stuff to do over there. I would definitely recommend it (and we're actually trying to decide when we want to go back!)

Jen

Proud mama to Thomas 2/3/03

[slknight]

>Our agent is trying to convince us to go here in January:
>http://www.youngisland.com/
>

Oh my gosh, Beth! This place looks soooooooooo much like our favorite place in Hawaii, Kona Village:
http://www.konavillage.com

We absolutely love Kona Village, but it is so far away (and pretty darn expensive). I've been looking for something similar in the Caribbean, and it looks like you've found it. Check out KV's website that I posted, so much of it looks similar.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Susan and Alex (04.18.03)

[spu]

Beth,

How was turks&caicos? We looked into going one year, but went to St. Lucia instead. I heard they have the most amazing gorgeous white soft sand beaches with teal water that you can walk and walk and walk. and it looks nice and safe for the little ones. Though, the travel agent said other than the resort, there's nothing. not even any sightseeing, etc.... what did you think?


susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte + else

http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/bash/nonflash/year.html

[egoldber]

Well your agent is right. There isn't a lot there. If you scuba dive, the diving there is supposed to be good, not spectacular, but good. We actually LIKE that in an isalnd, not being terribly night life oriented. We like to go, lay on the beach and thats about it.

Unfortunately, when we were there, there was a hurricane in the Caribbean. It didn't threaten the island at all, but is was close enough that we had a lot of rain, the water was really cloudy and the surf was rough. DH dives (I don't) and the diving visibility was very poor when its generally supposed to be excellent.

Soooo, that was a long way of saying our trip was not terribly representative of what the island had to offer!

[mattiew]

We loved Caneel Bay on St John's in the US Virgin Islands. You can day trip to the sister resort Little Dix on Virga Gorda or split your time betweeen the two. I should mention, if you are into night life this is not the place for you.

Happy Vacation Shopping!
Carrie

[spu]

Carrie,

that is our next goal to go to St. John. What did you like about it? I'm looking for something with fabulous swimmable beaches and calm teal waters and floury white sand. Is Caneel Bay an all-inclusive? I've read about Caneel Bay awhile ago, and also another big place on St. John - the Westin I think? Did you peek at that one too? What did you like about Caneel Bay? Would you recommend it with a family of 4? (ie... 2 babies approx. 2 years old by the time we actually go...)


susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte + else

http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/bash/nonflash/year.html