There was a ton of sargassum in Tulum last month but it's not a big deal IMO. Just walk over it.
OT: Caribbean Vacation
- Thread starter Scarlet Bri
- Start date
Which hotel? When I was there it wasn't bad at the Grand, but it was bad at the other 2 hotels.
We loved Moon Palace in Ocho Rios. Funny enough, years ago, as a different resort, it was the location of my Wife's high school graduation. When we got married in 2018, she wanted to show me around her home town and we decided to stay there.
The best part of our vacation "honeymoon" was that it was the first week of Sept. So, the resort was still full staff but the resort was barely half full as school was just starting.
One of the things we got as part of our Honeymoon package was a lobster dinner on the beach. We also got a ton of excursion points to use.
Swimming with the Dolphins was something I had thought would just be a touristy type of thing to do but became one of the favorite things I have ever done.
They screwed up our trip to Dunn River Falls and our dinner on the beach was horrible. The steak was like rubber, the lobster tails were ok but they forgot our bottle of wine and the server was non existent. And of course, we had not realized that you are sitting at a table with 10 other tables set up pretty close together.
The young lady that was the concierge, heard about our dinner and the Dunns River failure. And we did not know at that time that she actually knew Jackie's family. So, she promised to make it up to us.
She comped us another excursion of choice and set up another beach dinner. So, we get dressed up for our dinner again and werent really all that excited. But the girl tells us, it will be something we will talk about for years.
So, she walks us down to the beach area - we are seeing signs indicating a "private party" - she actually the dinner area for the night to be private just for us. So, 1 single table set up and there are 3 servers standing there for us. I here my wife go "what the ****!" and she lets go of my hand and runs toward one of the servers. It happened to be her best friend from high school that she had not seen in 30 years. Knowing the family, the concierge found out that this friend worked at a resort nearby and asked if she could have her for the night.
Now, that is the way to treat clients. What a night.
Recently booked a trip to Curacao in the fall. I don't want to do much, but any suggestions? It's not an all inclusive.
Take the day trip to Klein Island. Well worth the day.
Spent time in all of them but slept at sunrise. Sargassum wasn't bad early on in the trip but by the end of the week they had trouble keeping up.
That's incredible, we liked the moon palace in Cancun a lot. Heard great things about Jamaica but the trip from airport to resort has me reconsidering.
They're also opening a brand new on in DR in Nov that promises to be better than Grand in Cancun.
What do most people use when booking these vacations? Anyone still using travel agents or just book the hotel and flights themselves? Any advantage to using a third party sites like Expedia, Cheap Caribbean ect were everything is packaged? Wifey and I thinking about going to Aruba later this year.
I just stayed in the Bahamas again last week and went back to Atlantis this time(last time in 2018). I prefer Baha Mar by far. Much nicer and the water park is better outside of the slide experiences. I had a great time at the variety of restaurants and kids loved it but not my favorite.
If you have young kids yo Can’t beat the Bahamas. I’ve been everywhere else in Caribbean outside Antigua and it’s tops for kids
If you have young kids yo Can’t beat the Bahamas. I’ve been everywhere else in Caribbean outside Antigua and it’s tops for kids
I’ve booked a few vacations through Costco. Very satisfied with the service and accommodations. Things like transfers to and from the airport are usually included, so you don’t have to worry about that. Then you usually get some extra perks, as well as a Costco cash card when your trip is complete.
Since someone woke this thread up- this was the first I saw of your response? What is your airport to hotel concern? We usually take the normal hotel shuttle when we arrive, it takes about 1.5 hours but it goes fast. On our return, even though the shuttle is free- we really like to use Club Mobey. It is really inexpensive and usually a private car but sometimes it may be shared. But the real perks are that it comes when you want it to, it has it's own private lounge at the airport - and this is better than almost any airport club lounge I have used- food and drinks included. And then it has it's own international checkin to help avoid lines. Now- if going to Negril- the shuttle will be maybe an hour longer. but in either case, sit back, enjoy the drink or beer you picked up at the airport and consider it part of your trip.
My aunt and uncle went to Aruba for 30 years in a row. They loved the island. As for us, we are heading back to Oahu in 2 weeks! Yeah.
Interesting how lots of folks enjoy vacationing to the certain destinations again and again...30 years in a row per the post above is an impressively long streak. Perhaps it doesn't become old hat or growing tired of the same thing. I suppose familiarity/known quantity is part of the attraction since they've figured out something that works for them, provides a consistent experience, and avoids the brain damage of planning for and figuring out new/different places.
Could see some benefit to that after awhile though my general desire for vacations is to try to visit many places around the country and the world before going back to somewhere I've been to already (social/family visits that recycle at a periodic frequency notwithstanding). With so many different things and places to see and experience (and I've been to quite many already over the years) that I'm still going to run out of time on this earth before I can get to the bottom of my bucket list and then consider repeating a vacation destination. The one caveat is unfortunately having to go back to Disney World for hopefully the last time in the next couple of years because our youngest hasn't yet been.
Could see some benefit to that after awhile though my general desire for vacations is to try to visit many places around the country and the world before going back to somewhere I've been to already (social/family visits that recycle at a periodic frequency notwithstanding). With so many different things and places to see and experience (and I've been to quite many already over the years) that I'm still going to run out of time on this earth before I can get to the bottom of my bucket list and then consider repeating a vacation destination. The one caveat is unfortunately having to go back to Disney World for hopefully the last time in the next couple of years because our youngest hasn't yet been.
It's funny, back when my wife was a kid- her Dad ran a bar/restaurant in Runaway Bay Jamaica that was on property at one of their major resorts. She remembers how it used to be the same families year after year that would come in. She would pretty much remember what week to expect them and since most of them had kids- she was always looking forward to seeing them. And would be so sad if a family didn't show up any particular year...
If someone went to Turks and Caicos 30 straight years, I would totally get it. As good a time I had in the Maldives and Mallorca and Kerala backwaters, I had a best time in Turks and Caicos. It’s the consistency of optimal experience that people enjoy. Once you find your place, nothing else compares. If I don’t know where to go, I usually find myself back at Turks.
We honeymooned in St Martin/Marteen many years ago. Maybe we picked the wrong island in the Caribbean. But we never felt compelled to go back to any island. When the kids were young, it was Disney, Europe, and Sedona, AZ (with a few other places in the US). We fell in love with Sedona, and so did to the kids, to the point were purchased a home when they were cheap, and went there twice per year. At one point, the kids said they preferred Sedona to Disney, and we never went back to Disney. Kids are adults now, and it is still our happy place. We know the lay of the land, we often spend time in Scottsdale/Phoenix, day trip to the Grand Canyon and other places within driving distance to Sedona. We are into hiking and mountain biking, and Sedona is our go to place. In retirement, we may explore some more countries in Europe, and check off the remaining 5-8 US states we have not seen. We don't feel like we are missing anything. Time away from home is shared memories with family, and as long as each family is happy with their choice, that's all that matters.
It's funny- when my kids were in that 10-12 age range...I kept trying to get them to do a vacation like a rafting trip or camping and hiking the Grand Canyon and such- but figured I would give them options as well- both of them actually love hiking, fishing, camping. But of course- the first time- they picked Disney. The following year- they picked Jamaica...
I never did get the Grand Canyon or rafting trip. lol
Of course we did get to go to Arizona in 2005- but on our day off after the bowl game- we only did that big circular drive that takes about 8 hours through all the canyons and such...
Maybe having grown up "on the beach," the Caribbean does not hold appeal to me. Put me in a combination of mountains, forest and red rocks, and that is a slice of heaven.
We were looking at some Carribean options for the upcoming fall/winter. Flights out of EWR were pretty brutal, like 1000-1200 per person to get to most islands.
We ended up booking Islamorada in the Keys, which is one of my favorite places on earth, but my wife and kids have never been there. So i'm looking forward to something slightly different than usual, with fishing, beach, tropical feel, but in the keys.
We ended up booking Islamorada in the Keys, which is one of my favorite places on earth, but my wife and kids have never been there. So i'm looking forward to something slightly different than usual, with fishing, beach, tropical feel, but in the keys.
Islamorada is terrific. Stayed at the Cheeca Lodge for a conference.
The Best Islamorada Resort | Cheeca Lodge & Spa
Cheeca Lodge offers luxury accommodations, first-class dining, and a host of activities that make our Islamorada resort the ultimate Florida Keys escape.
Typing from Aruba as we speak
I could come back every year
We've been thinking about the Keys/Key West, but honestly, not sure where to stay. Need to do some research. We are accustomed to modern fancy resorts, which I assume isn't an option there.
Cheeca is our go to place, however it was just sold this month to Bass Pro Shops for $300 million, hope they don't change things!Islamorada is terrific. Stayed at the Cheeca Lodge for a conference.
The Best Islamorada Resort | Cheeca Lodge & Spa
Cheeca Lodge offers luxury accommodations, first-class dining, and a host of activities that make our Islamorada resort the ultimate Florida Keys escape.www.cheeca.com
Be careful about Key West, several cruise ships come in many days & the place gets so crowded you literally can't move.
I usually stay at Opal Key Resort and Marina
245 Front Street
Key West, Florida 33040
expensive but worth it. At foot of Duval Street
Thanks for the heads up on that! We avoid cruise ship destinations due to the chaos.
Something familiar and something new every year is fun, if you're able to take a few trips every year.