Hi all....I got back from Mexico on Sunday and I'm just getting around to catching up here. Geesh, you guys were busy....10 pages I have to read. If you are interested I can share a few pics of the resort we went to. It was even more incredible than I had hoped. It is by far the most beautiful and unique place I have been. We were upgraded to the premier spa building. Unfortunately we never got around to taking advantage of the additional inclusions that it offered. We zip lined, drove ATV's through the jungle, swam in underground rivers, kayaked, paddled boarded, took long walks on a natural beach, spent entire days sitting on a lounge chair at the pool and drank colourful, fruity drinks until my liver hurt. Many, many staff members that made us feel like they were going above and beyond. Food was the best we have had at a resort.....fresh seafood every day, steaks you could cut with a butter knife and cooked to perfection.
@Donald - my hero the resort I just got back from is the only place I've ever been that you could have all your meals, B/L/D, al a carte without needing to pay for an upgrade in service. January is the lowest priced time for winter travel but unless you go to the southern Caribbean the weather can be hit or miss. I know Cuba came up in the convo before. The weather there is on par with Florida at that time of year. We stayed in Cuba on the island of Cayo Santa Maria which it an hour and half away from the airport but all but 2-3 of the resorts on that island are 1-5 years old. It's a tad far but very worth while and if you happen to get a day time flight the bus ride is like a free excursion....there is a guide on the bus and you will see and learn a ton about Cuba. They were building more resorts on the island but after the hurricane last fall the new construction stopped to put all materials and labour into repairing the other resorts. Since nothing moves quickly there it's going to be a while until the new resorts open. One of the new ones is a Paradisus. I recommend Ocean Casa del Mar, Valentin Perla Blanca(adult only), the Iberostar and the Royalton. Generally, in Cuba do not stay at anyplace less than 4.5 stars. Wifi in Cuba is not always available. The resorts are not in control of it...it's the service provider. Last time we were there we arrived on a Saturday and there was no Wifi until Wednesday night. Also, you have to pay for it by the hour....it's cheap though. If you hubs needs to work via the internet while away Cuba is not the place to go unless you have your own data plan available to use.
Dominican Republic will have slightly better weather in January but it's still questionable because it's not that much further south than Cuba. The better resorts are in Punta Cana but there are also nice ones in other areas. The best beach is in Punta Cana. In the DR you don't go with any less than a 4 star. The places we have stayed there never sell off so the prices are high. Our favourites are the Catalonia and Catalonia Royal. Other good ones....Royalton, Bahia Principe complex, Bavaro Princess, Memories, Sirenis Cocotal, Majestic, Riu Palace. There are still resorts in the DR that don't have Wifi at all. It's been a couple of years since we were there so it may be less now. As far as all al a carte dinning the more expensive 5 star resorts will give you that option but it's going to cost you. Lower priced resorts might give the option for 24 hour room service but you generally would have to upgrade to privilege level for that and it can cost a lot....$500-ish per person.
The Bahamas might be a good option for you food wise. The bring all their food in from the US. Here again, weather is similar to Florida in January. There are LOTS of options here to rent a timeshare which would allow you to cook....but I guess that doesn't fit in with the plan to use those AM vouchers.
I'm happy to offer any further info you would like. I LOVE LOVE LOVE talking vacation!
your help was deeply appreciated.
