I just got back from the Barcelo Deluxe Palace in Cabo a week and a half ago and it was really nice! I was down there for a vow renewal of only about 10 people but it was a really nice service, and the next day they had a wedding from Alberta with over 100 people and it seemed like they could incorporate a lot of people. Also the food was great!
El Dorado Royale had great a la carte restaurants and some of the best food I've ever had at a resort. Plus it has a no rugrats policy.
I went there last year as my parents are members there and I would highly recommend it for someone looking for a really nice resort with great food! There isn't much of a party scene though so if you're looking for that then I would look for something else.
I must say they really look after you at this resort though and the food is great, best food I've ever had at an all-inclusive. That and I loved the top shelf liquor and 24hr free room service for when you come home trashed and hungry haha
If I were you I'd postpone Mexico until October. Just too damned hot and humid in August to properly enjoy it. I'd do a couple nights at Lake O'Hara Lodge or something similar in August, then Mexico later.
PV is awesome. Stayed at Velas Vallarta in the marina area in January 2010 and Dreams Villamagna in Nuevo Vallarta in October 2010.
Velas Vallarta - incredible. Fantastic food, beautiful grounds and first class service. Only drawback might be the water - when we were there the waves were huge and dangerous. Beach is nice though. Get at least a one bedroom suite because the studio units are on the outside perimeter of the complex with no balconies. If you're considering a honeymoon splurge, look into Grand Velas in Nuevo Vallarta, a sister property. It's newer and the NV beach is superb, with gentler waves than in PV.
Dreams Villamagna - very nice but a notch below Velas Vallarta. You are on the great NV beach though. 25 minute cab ride into downtown, whereas it's maybe 15 minutes from Velas Vallarta to downtown. Dreams PV, their sister resort, would also be a great choice. It's just outside downtown PV and has its own beach. Spent an evening there and enjoyed ourselves. Older property than Villamagna.
Isla Mujeres - I know you want the west coast, but depending on when you go, you may wish to consider this small island a 20 minute ferry ride from Cancun. Stay at either Privilege Aluxes or Ixchel Condo Hotel but don't do AI. Tons of great food and drinks for very reasonable prices within a 3 minute walk of either place. We just got back from the island and would go back tomorrow if we could.
The only other place I'd consider on the Cancun side is The Royal Playa del Carmen. 5 star AI right in town. Nice to be able to walk out the front doors of the hotel and stroll the town in the evening. Many nice AIs along the Mayan Riviera outside of Playa del Carmen, but unless you want to be taking taxis or shuttles all the time you end up being a prisoner of the resort.
Congrats on the wedding, and have a great trip wherever you go.
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Got to kick in my two cents. Mexico...Honeymoon... Dude!
What is your budget?
Honestly pick a Caribbean island, and take your wife there. The hidden gem of the Caribbean, Turks and Caicos. You will pay more then going to an all inclusive in Mexico, but if your wife means anything to you she sure as hell will thank you for it.
Second choice, St. Lucia.
If you love island culture, and want to see a awesome city, eat amazing food, and do the all inclusive resort thing, Barbados.
Anywhere in the Virgin islands, or Antiqua.
Trust me, much much much nicer then Mexico.
__________________
"we're going to win game 7," Daniel Sedin told the Vancpuver Sun.
Got to kick in my two cents. Mexico...Honeymoon... Dude!
What is your budget?
Honestly pick a Caribbean island, and take your wife there. The hidden gem of the Caribbean, Turks and Caicos. You will pay more then going to an all inclusive in Mexico, but if your wife means anything to you she sure as hell will thank you for it.
Second choice, St. Lucia.
If you love island culture, and want to see a awesome city, eat amazing food, and do the all inclusive resort thing, Barbados.
Anywhere in the Virgin islands, or Antiqua.
Trust me, much much much nicer then Mexico.
However I do have a budget thanks for that though. And I would hope that how much I love her isn't solely based on where we go on our honeymoon FFS. Not to mention, like I said in my original post, we are trying to avoid hurricane season, which occurs right around the caribbean, hence the whole 'west coast' thing. If you would like to help pay for a honeymoon that will cost twice as much I would appreciate it, but otherwise please just try and be helpful rather then implying that I don't care enough or am too cheap to take her somewhere else.
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...Dreams PV, their sister resort, would also be a great choice. It's just outside downtown PV and has its own beach. Spent an evening there and enjoyed ourselves. Older property than Villamagna....
I stayed there last spring. It is definitely an older property. When I first arrived I was disappointed as it looked a bit more run down due to its age than the other resort I have stayed at. After the initial impression, however, I really enjoyed it. The rooms were nice inside (all have patios or balconies that face the ocean), the service was very good and the food was excellent (I gained about 10 lbs). They also have a new section of the hotel, but I didn't see any of it. The impression that I got was that the new section was a bit more expensive to stay in.
The beach is not very long, but it is private as it is blocked off at both ends by natural rock cliffs. It is outside PV, but the cab ride into town (we went to the open market) is cheap (only about $5 if I remember correctly) and around 5 to 10 minutes. If you want to see all the sights and check out the night life you would probably be better off at one of the resorts right in PV, but if you just want to relax and enjoy the weather and the food this place might work for you. I would stay there again.
UPDATE: I just looked on Selloffvacations.com. A week at Dreams Puerto Vallarta runs about $1300 to $1400 per person (including taxes).
Last edited by John Doe; 04-26-2011 at 09:13 AM.
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Got to kick in my two cents. Mexico...Honeymoon... Dude!
What is your budget?
Honestly pick a Caribbean island, and take your wife there. The hidden gem of the Caribbean, Turks and Caicos. You will pay more then going to an all inclusive in Mexico, but if your wife means anything to you she sure as hell will thank you for it.
Second choice, St. Lucia.
If you love island culture, and want to see a awesome city, eat amazing food, and do the all inclusive resort thing, Barbados.
Anywhere in the Virgin islands, or Antiqua.
Trust me, much much much nicer then Mexico.
Brutal post - the guy states what he's asking for and why, and you proceed to rip it apart? May have been wiser to keep your mouth shut.
I am going to second the recommendation of the Palace resorts. I have stayed at Cancun Palace, Vallarta Palace and Le Blanc Spa (another Palace owned resort in Cancun) and have been impressed every single time. Never had a bad meal, nor a bad experience. You can also transfer easily from Palace resorts to try out different pools and different restaurants. Moon Palace is huge and there is a golf course there if you are into that.
I also would want to throw out a recommendation for Aruba. It is a bit further, but price wise it was actually pretty reasonable. There are also Casinos everywhere. Great weather and beaches. We stayed at the Marriott there.
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I went to Huatulco this January and had a blast. I know the tourist season stops in the summer time because it is so hot, so you might not be able to book for late August/Early September but worth looking into.
Stayed at the Dreams resort and I have zero complaints. Top shelf booze like Grey Goose, for buffet food it is pretty damn good, and the Al la Carte restaurants are amazing, with five total it is never hard to get a table. The week we were there they were at near max capacity but it was never a problem to find a pool front chair (they have three infinite pools that face the ocean, along with 3-4 more swimming pools in the direct area.) You can always find a crowded or a private spot, and chances are when you are there they wont be at max capacity.. since we were there on the "busy season".
They get on average 30-40 days of precip a year, so you will also more than likely get away with great weather. I saw 3 clouds the entire time (climatologist, so I actually look at that stuff regularly ) and the coldest day at peak time was +35 C.
I have only ever been to Playa Del Carmen, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.. and I was with a wedding party of 75, so between all of us we had pretty much all of Mexico/Dominican/Cuba/Jamaica/Cruises etc.. covered. And everyone said at the end of the trip that Huatulco was by far the best they had been to in terms of quality of resort, cultural experience and overall friendliness of the people.
Specifically comparing it to PV, there was apparently "no comparison, Huatulco hands down."
At one point I noticed a lot of locals at our resort, and I was told they come here to get away from the tourists when on vacation.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
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Nah sorry I wasn't trying to sound insensitive. Was just trying to point out the other options better then Mexico. Sorry. Ive been all over the place in the last year and was just saying as for a honeymoon spot there can be a much more, "private" place.
Yea during hurricane season makes things difficult, I had read your post awhile ago before I posted, and forgot about that aspect of it. With that being said, have you thought of Hawaii, or even heading farther south then Mexico to Costa Rica, or Panama? Or are your set in stone on Mexico?
__________________
"we're going to win game 7," Daniel Sedin told the Vancpuver Sun.
My first trip to Mexico I said I would never go back, after my second trip I would go again tomorrow.
Just like you can have a good or bad trip to the gym, there is such a thing as a bad vacation, and it isn't always dependent on the location. Sometimes everything from your mindset going in to what you ate the morning before you left can affect how your trip is going to turn out both in the short term and the overall. Even short bursts of unpleasentness are enough to ruin a week long trip, if you let them.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
I just got back from the RIU Palace in P.V. on friday and would highly recommend it. You can upgrade to a jacuzzi suite where the jacuzzi is on your own private deck with an awesome view of the ocean. Food was really good, and the service was exceptional.
I should be booking Oasis Cancun for the months' end. I'm looking for a low budget party resort this time just to booze and party. How is Cancun in November? Much of a party?
Having no experience ever with all inclusive deals, wondering if anything new or better has come along that someone cares to share.
We are looking to go for 10 days in mid-april and she is somewhat set on the mayan Riviera area. Though that is not set in stone.
Any and all info would be appreciated.
We stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Beach and her twin (forget the name) on separate trips. Just an excellent 4 starish resort - not top of the line but really solid. Big property but spread out - never felt crowded.
Was around $8000 for 4 all inclusive including flights and transfers. Not the cheapest but worth the money in our experience.
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If you're just looking for the standard Mexico experience, then fill your boots with whatever floats your boat. Mayan Riviera is a solid choice.
But if you wan't something a little different, then look into Huatulco. Its a relatively "new" destination that has yet to be 100% Americanized and commercialized, but still has everything you expect from a Mexico vacation.
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) and the coldest day at peak time was +35 C.
