HELP! Need Vacation Ideas

[BeerAdvocate]

Me and the wife want to take a vacation. Somewhere with a beach, clear blue warm water, and free flowing beer. I am thinking an all-inclusive resort is the way to go since all we want to do is lay on the beach, swim, and drink.
Does anyone have any experience with any all inclusive resort?
What do you recommend?

[fissure]

The wife and I got back from Punta Cana in the DR a couple weeks ago. All inclusive with great beach and free flowing beer (local draft). Was very nice. Went to the Don Lucas cigar company to see a demonstration on cigar rolling and then bought a few:tu Saw some other nice resorts, and some to stay away from.

[md4958]

A cruise can be a lot of fun.

Try www.vacationstogo.com they have some great pricing.

[BeerAdvocate]

The wife and I got back from Punta Cana in the DR a couple weeks ago. All inclusive with great beach and free flowing beer (local draft). Was very nice. Went to the Don Lucas cigar company to see a demonstration on cigar rolling and then bought a few:tu Saw some other nice resorts, and some to stay away from.

What resort did you stay at???

[icehog3]

Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau. :tu :al :wo

[marge796]

One can never go wrong with Key West the wife and I love it there.

[kaisersozei]

Some friends of ours swear by Excellence Resorts:

http://www.excellence-resorts.com/all-inclusive-resorts/riviera-cancun-mexico/cancun-overview.htm

The wife & I were supposed to hit their Cancun property this winter but we couldn't swing it. Maybe next year.

[bobarian]

I hear Ohio can be beautiful around Mid-August!:dance::dance::dance:

[Junior]

The family and I always make a trip to Destin FL each summer. The beach is beautiful, and it is on the gulf side so the waves aren’t that bad.

We always get a condo, and have a great time. There is also a great Cigar store in town as well.

[mosesbotbol]

Not an inclusive resort, but Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo Mexico certainly fits the bill with nice water and super cheap. Although the island is not an all inclusive, if you are paying $30 a night hotel, $1.50 a beer, and $5.00 for dinner; it may end up being cheaper...

[fissure]

What resort did you stay at???

Bavaro Princess

[Tio Gato]

One can never go wrong with Key West the wife and I love it there.

:tpd: Great place for a cigar smoker. Cheap during the off season too!

[KidRock]

The family and I always make a trip to Destin FL each summer. The beach is beautiful, and it is on the gulf side so the waves aren’t that bad.

We always get a condo, and have a great time. There is also a great Cigar store in town as well.

X2 Destin have some very nice homes you can rent!

[Lucky_Hippo]

We just got back from Secrets Maroma Beach last month. The resort and beach were both beautiful, and adults only (read relaxing here). Though we have made the decision to remain in the states for a while, we couldn't have been treated any better by the resort staffs themselves.

[colimo]

from where you are at, mazatlan and cancun are inexpensive and easy to get to, maybe not all inclusive, but mexico is so cheap that it may be just as good...

[dubnick]

I just got back from punta cana aswell. We stayed at dreams palm beach. We also toured th don Lucas factory. That's where I met fissure .

[ChicagoWhiteSox]

St. Thomas

[floydpink]

from where you are at, mazatlan and cancun are inexpensive and easy to get to, maybe not all inclusive, but mexico is so cheap that it may be just as good...

call me paranoid, but there's a million places I'd go before Mexico at this time.

I personally love the Dominican Republic, although I never stayed all inclusive.

Might as well have been as the beach is full of more than willing guys who will set you up a chair and umbrella, run for beers, get you lunch and do whatever you need for very little money. the beaches are awesome and the cigars are good if you stay away from the fakes.

[omowasu]

For rest and relaxation, there is no better place than Hawaii from my own experience. And the best couples resort in Hawaii has to be the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. Yes, you would have to pack your own cigars (there are two B&Ms on Maui that are good just in case) and smoke outside most of the time, but what a relaxing vacation it will be. I cant wait to get back there someday.

I dont think there are any true all-inclusive "with alcohol" deals on the islands though... I would rather pay for beer in Hawaii than go elsewhere FWIW.

[surf100012]

St. John USVI :wo

[marge796]

Just go too Lake EDUN for a long week end!


:r :r :r :r

[mosesbotbol]

call me paranoid, but there's a million places I'd go before Mexico at this time.

I'd call you paranoid...

I would not vacation in a border town of Mexico. Violence is happening all over the world. Plenty of people are dying in Jamaica and DR too. Isn't there still civil war in Kingstown? The vacation areas of Mexico are pretty insolar to drug gang violence of current.

[BeerAdvocate]

I think most of the Resorts in Mexico and pretty much closed off and safe from the violence. Most of it is near the border.

[Lucky_Hippo]

I'd call you paranoid...

I would not vacation in a border town of Mexico. Violence is happening all over the world. Plenty of people are dying in Jamaica and DR too. Isn't there still civil war in Kingstown? The vacation areas of Mexico are pretty insolar to drug gang violence of current.

Just my opinion, but it's still wise to be cautious I think. My wife and I made a mistake and went a few weeks ago with this exact line of thinking. We were then "asked" for a "secret gift" of 200 bucks by Mexican emmigration as soon as we stepped off the plane in Cancun. Another member of our party was shook down for an additional 60 bucks by a police officer after stopping their taxi for speeding. In both instances we were threatened. My wife and I with not being able to poceed on our trip together, and our friend with jail if he didn't pay up right there on the side of the road.

Bottom line, It's not Disneyland and shouldn't be looked at as such.

When we talked to American emmigration on our way back into the states we we're strongly advised on how dangerous it should be looked upon at this time to travel to Mexico. Even just to the resort locations.

Corruption can take many forms other than violance my friend. It's one thing to be pick pocketed by some street rat and quite another when it's the authorities doing the crime themselves. If/When the drug cartels decide to push on the resort districts I wouldn't have any trust in the local authorities to save my @ss after the experience we just went through.

A life lesson learned in my book.

:2 :2


** Sorry for the long winded post. I guess it's still fresh under my skin.

[floydpink]

I'd call you paranoid...

I would not vacation in a border town of Mexico. Violence is happening all over the world. Plenty of people are dying in Jamaica and DR too. Isn't there still civil war in Kingstown? The vacation areas of Mexico are pretty insolar to drug gang violence of current.

Jamaica was a shithole last time I was there and that was far away from Kingston in Negril. Sure, a girl was taken in Aruba and St Thomas and St Kitts prolly have there share of problems, but I'd go there over Mexico any day. Personal preference I guess, but after watching a program about the couple from California who have been travelling into Mexico for 25 years and recently got robbed and gunpoint by bandits posing as police and beaten, and the corruption as well as the outlaws outgunning the military, it doesn't seem to be very safe right now and seems to be getting worse in a hurry.

My thoughts have changed drastically since I had kids, and back when I was single and more adventurous, I took a trip to Medellin Colombia with some friends due to the overwhelming beauty of the place and women there. I almost missed my connection in Miami as I was held up nearly an hour explaining to Customs why I was in Medellin.

That was historically one of the most dangerous places you could go and I still have a picture from my trip to Pablo Escobar's grave. Mango's the largest disco in South America has bomb sniffing dogs outside the entrance. 10 years ago, that seemed cool, but I wasn't travelling with my wife looking to soak up sun and drink beer.

Hopped a flight from Santo Domingo 7 years ago with 2 friends to Havana and went up to Holguin as well with complete disregard to fines and all that other crap as well. Wouldn't do that again with a wife and kids, but thank God I decided to go.

Guess that makes me a hipocrite, but I don't really give a rat's ass and won't be doing anything similar with a wife or kids with me.

I'm sure Cancun is great and there's probably all kinds of travel deals right now....