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You might check to see what type of deals Groupon has....we've gone on two of their trips (one to the Middle East for two weeks and one for a week in the Dominican Republic) and they were EXCELLENT! Great prices, beautiful accommodations. Just a thought that would save you some money...
It's not Groupon that are running those trips. Sharing the name of the travel or tour agency that offered and managed the trios would be very helpful.
Nothing 'wrong' with Cancun, in our experience.
I sort of prefer Rivera Maya, however.
If OP is looking for all inclusives, here are some top rated from TA:
If OP does get to Mexico coast, worth doing a half + day to Chichen Itza imo, but the puddle jumper plane ride is rec'd over the bus or cab ride, or driving a rental in our experience.
Caymans are fine, though GC is like Miami Beach these days, but twice as expensive.
The rest of the Caribbean is a series of plane rides, or further down the archipelago.
GL, mD
I'll second the recommendation for Playa del Carmen. You have some good beaches, watersports activities, lots of shopping/dining/nightlife on 5th Avenue. Very commercialized on the main streets but a few blocks away it is not that commercialized. It is a pretty busy town though.
Tulum is where PDC was 10-15 years ago. Much quieter but growing. You have the Tulum seaside ruins right there and a short drive inland to Coba where you can still climb a 200' pyramid. Nice beaches. Nearby cenotes you can swim or snorkel in. You can hit all these attractions from PDC if you rent a car or take a bus plus there are organized tour$ that will handle the logistics.
Another option is one of the all-inclusive resorts located from PDC to Tulum.
We went to Cancun over the summer, beautiful. That said, if you are looking to go soon it's spring break haven. It will be full of drunk college kids. A second for Playa del Carmen.
It's not Groupon that are running those trips. Sharing the name of the travel or tour agency that offered and managed the trios would be very helpful.
It IS Groupon that offered the deals. We bought the deal for DR through Groupon because the resort wouldn't match that price when we contacted them directly before buying the Groupon, but for the Middle East, we simply contacted the company in New York that put it together (flights to and from/flights to and from Oman and hotels in two countries/several excursions) and they gave us the same price as if we had bought the Groupon. And the name of the company is different based on what deal it is -- for the Middle East, it was Pacific Holidays. For the DR, the hotel was Al Sol Luxury Village and we booked our airfare separately through Priceline. Dirt cheap on both accounts, but top notch experiences!
Akumal, about 50 minutes south of Cancun, is absolutely beautiful. Very nice beaches, snorkeling, water sports and not as touristy as Cancun. Akumal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Akumal is spendy but definitely a paradise. You can snorkel with the sea tortoises there in the ocean for about $25. American per person. If you have your own gear it is free. The advantage of a guide is that he will take you to the sites of sunken Spanish ships from the time of the occupation. You may have a problem finding lodging this time of year.
Cozumel has a few ruins but nothing like the ruins in the state of Quintana Roo so if you want to see Chichen Itza , Tulum or Coba you will need to take the ferry to Playa del Carmen. That can also get expensive depending on your budget.
I prefer Puerto Morelos. It's half-way between Cancun and Playa, not as crowded, has more of a local flavor and you can get some good bargains on places to stay and great food. If you use airbnb, flip-key or VRBO you can find unique apartments at good prices, nearly everything is close to the beach and as a rule you will be treated very well. The town is quiet. Well, as quiet as Mexico can be, anyway and the spring breakers don't seem to hang out there.
PM also makes a good jumping off place for travel to those other sites and all are close enough for an afternoon's visit. You can skip the taxis and commercial buses if you like (although they are available) and take the smaller collectivos (local people's buses) which will take you all the way to Tulum for a few pesos. The transportation there is excellent.
If you prefer not to use these services you can make arrangements locally to join a tour. Don't make your arrangements when you book lodging or you will pay a lot extra.
You may find it fun to travel to a cenote (cave or open cave) in the jungle and have a cooling swim. Some of these are very natural and beautiful.
@charlygal: you beat me to it! to the OP: Please Consider a cruise. Went on a cruise in January. We hit Cozumel, Isla Roatan/Mahogany Bay- (part of Honduras) & Belize City. 2 pools on board, you can eat all day & most of the night, lie around in lounge chairs on the Lido with the hoardes or in the quiet on Serenity deck (no one under 21 there). Loungers also away from pools. Small casino, bars of all kinds - indoors & out. Full stage productions @ night, karaoke, piano bar, adult comedy club, dance clubs @ night, fabulous food in main dining rooms, buffets on Lido, a library, a full service spa.....anything you would want within walking distance. All manner of adventures via shore excursions or just stay on board. We zip-lined in Roatan, then spent the rest of the day on the beach eating & drinking. In Belize City we took a bus into Jaguar's Paw & cave-tubed. Shopped, lunched & drank in Cozumel.
Never been on a cruise before. When I was younger (teenager) I would go deep sea fishing with my father. Never been sea sick, but a few hours sitting in the deep ocean did get to me. I know a cruise ship would obviously be moving, so probably not the same, right?
Cruise is something to consider I guess. But was never much for cruises. Something about being confined to a boat for an extended period of time always bothered me. I don't know, that's just me.
Me personally, would not want to travel during "spring break". I know there's plenty to do in Mexico and there are plenty of areas where we can avoid the spring break crowd. But because of our schedules this is the only time we will be able to travel this year.
We've been to Aruba a few years back, and Costa Rica two years ago. Didn't think much of Aruba, Costa Rica was great. We've also been to Hawaii (Oahu). My thing with Mexico is that it may end up being a typical Caribbean resort vacation.....with the generic things to do like in Aruba, or one of the islands.
I have family in Italy, she has family in the Philippines. Although never been, I know we will end up there at some point (when my family in the US decide to take a family vacation out there). Those destinations are on the bucket list......as well as Bora Bora (probably honeymoon in a few years) and New Zealand/Australia (maybe). For now, just looking for a quiet getaway for a few days that is inexpensive.
I have a ton of family in Florida, and have been to every part of the state several times.........so Florida is definitely out of the question for now.
Any other suggestions?? Cruise is a great idea, and thanks for sharing!
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