Beaches/Sandals/Grand Pineapple

[severine]

Any of you ever go to one of these all-inclusive resorts? A few years back we went to Antigua for my sister-in-law's wedding at a Sandal's resort. We stayed adjacent in a cheaper resort, but Sandals was gorgeous and the fact that everything was included seemed pretty cool. I'm not the beach and spa kind of gal normally, but I'm intrigued. Anybody go to one of these? Would you recommend it considering the added expense? Would you recommend something else?

Just thinking out loud here... no immediate plans, but maybe "someday"....

 

[campgottagopee]

Did a Sandals in Jamaica---one of the best trips ever---do it!!

 

[Glenn]

Sandals in St. Lucia for our Honeymoon. It was an amazing vacation. The all inclusive thing was really nice. It was pricey though...but again..really nice.

 

[o3jeff]

I am not sure how long passports take to get now a days, but if you are planning on taking a trip and don't have one you should probably get that ball rolling.

 

[severine]

Not planning for this year, but thanks for the tip, Jeff. Will need more time than that to save up.

All these resorts run specials for last minute filling of rooms, which is cool. Definitely couldn't afford full price.

 

[St. Bear]

We went to Sandals in the Bahamas for our honeymoon on a recommendation from a friend who did Sandals in St. Lucia for their honeymoon. It was amazing, beautiful, great service, friendly staff, and outstanding food.

 

[Greg]

We stayed at the Atlantis in the Bahamas for our honeymoon. I didn't really care for it that much. It was too fabricated and fake throughout the resort. I vowed to not do a commercialized resort again. We didn't go back to the Caribbean until this year for our 10th anniversary. We went to Negril Jamaica with 4 other couples and stayed at a small private resort with about 6 or 7 huge villas. September is the offseason (school and hurricanes) so the vacation ended up being about $2K. Our villa was 5,000 square feet, and we had a private bartender and chef, private pool, etc. The beach was beautiful:

We had a great time just laying on the beach getting served rum cocktails and Red Stripe for 5 days. One thing about Jamaica though - the locals can be relentless trying to sell you everything under the sun. Within 30 minutes of being on the beach the first day I could have bought ganja, coke, mushrooms, fruit, necklaces, CDs of Reggae music, rented a wave runner, etc. Also, trust your driver if you leave the resort. The towns can be a little intimidating. It's a 3rd world country and these people are just trying to make a living, but it can be a little exhausting as they hound you to buy something from them. Still, I had some great conversations with some of the locals.

We're actually thinking about the Dominican this summer. Supposed to be wicked cheap. All I really need to have a relaxing time is a cocktail and nice beach so we're seriously considering it.

 

[HD333]

Stayed at Sandals Antigua years ago. For all inclusive it was great, Sandals is pretty much the benchmark for all inclusives.

Depending on the Island if you are adventurous and plan on or think you will want to leave the resort at all I would suggest not going all inclusive, we probably won't ever again. You tend to feel like you HAVE to eat at the resort and can't get drinks/food anywhere else becasue you paid a premium for the resort.

If you want to stay in the resort for the week and not explore the island by all means Sandals is the way to go. Tip the bartender on your first day and you will not be sorry.

HD

 

[St. Bear]

Depending on the Island if you are adventurous and plan on or think you will want to leave the resort at all I would suggest not going all inclusive, we probably won't ever again. You tend to feel like you HAVE to eat at the resort and can't get drinks/food anywhere else becasue you paid a premium for the resort.

Agreed. You can obviously work it out to be much cheaper by doing everything on your own, but for simplicity sake, nothing beats all-inclusive. IMHO, that premium you pay makes your week a lot more relaxed.

Plus it's nice when you meet other couples and go out to eat, you don't have any awkward moments about how to split the bill, who ordered what, whether to get dessert, or an extra bottle of wine with dinner.

 

[severine]

When we were in Antigua, we went off-resort into the city (don't remember which one)... I could have lived without that. I know that's sad to say, but it was a sad event--so many poor people. We also had our 9-month-old daughter with us, so it wasn't the "getaway" it could have been.

Greg, I remember the pics from your trip and the video clips. Very cool (and you have to understand that the locals are that way because that's how they scrape by... but you got that). I'm thinking the trip cost so little because you guys pooled together. Not sure we'd be able to do that, but it is a thought.

I'll admit that the all-inclusive seems desirable because of the simplicity... everything is taken care of, no worries, just relax. But what do I know? I didn't even plan the only tropical trip I went on...

 

[drjeff]

Stayed at The Moon Palace a couple of times now in Cancun (you can read into the fact that my wife and I went back a 2nd time as a sign that we liked the all inclusive concept a lot).

Just real nice to be able to go and not worry about paying every 10 minutes for food, drink, and most activities, well worth the "tan line" issues that the bracelet you have to wear at many of the resorts gives some people

We're contemplating a 3rd trip back in the next year or so, this time with a few of our friends, and we think that the all inclusive concept will be perfect for this as it completely elinminates the "who owes what" for each and every meal/bar session.

 

[happyjack]

couples negril!!! we went 2 years ago for our 15th anniversary.

i NEVER thought my wife would be happy with the service at an all-inclusive...she's very particular...but she loved this place! i sh!t you not when i say i spent exactly $60 at that resort...and that was in the gift shop. make sure you book the sit-down restuarant every night...the food was great! the only "extras" for which you get charged are full bottles of wine or champagne. if you drink the house wines or wine-by-the-glass offered with the meal, then it's included. the standard rooms are fairly "standard". but the service is what makes this place. no attitude from any of the staff...only smiles. no one with their hands out waiting for a tip...the resort policy strictly prohibits tipping. apparently, according to one of the bartenders, couples is one of the better paying resorts in the country, so staff are scared to lose their jobs over begging for tips. the beach is awesome and all watersports are INCLUDED. even scuba, so make sure you're padi certified before you go. you can dive 3x per day if you want...although i think there was a nominal charge (maybe $10) for night diving. snorkling, catamarans, kayaks, even waterskiing were free. golf is available too...need to rent clubs if you don't bring your own.

couples negril was the best value and BEST SERVICE i've ever received...and i've stayed at high-dollar (overrated) places like the greenbriar, homestead and inn at perry cabin.

read reviews on tripadvisor -- couples negril rates very favorably to resorts that are 2-3 times more money. tripadvisor is a great source for hotel reviews...hasn't steered me wrong yet!

btw, we booked it online through apple vacations. i was trying to do a really nice trip on a tight budget and they had some of the best rates. they're one of the largest travel agents in the country -- so large, in fact, that they started their own airline (USA3000) to have more control over their customer experience. they do a great job too. nice lounge with free drinks when you land in the airport in jamaica.

the only other thing i would add about going to negril is that you are about an hour and a half shuttle ride from the airport...so, be sure to stops at duty-free and pick up some some booze for the trip! :beer:

 

[Greg]

the only other thing i would add about going to negril is that you are about an hour and a half shuttle ride from the airport...so, be sure to stops at duty-free and pick up some some booze for the trip! :beer:

The ride from Montego Bay to Negril is as interesting as it is beautiful. Did you stop at any "Beer Joints"? They sell beer and.........

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

look at IBEROSTAR, we went to the Riviera Maya and have recommended to about 8 other who all came back with rave reviews.

We also went to a Beaches in Turks/Caicos, wasnt impressed, was run down, dirty (mold on the pool bar tiles)

I'd go back to IBEROSTAR again and look at their other destinations as well.

I think the Rafel Nadal is sponsored by them or one of his uncles has a piece of it.

 

[deadheadskier]

Our honeymoon was at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef Resort on St. Thomas and was all inclusive. My only complaint is that I got bored with the food after a few days even with 5 restaurants on property. That said, outside of a few select franchised properties, Marriott's aren't exactly known for their cuisine, so I wasn't expecting much. We still had a fantastic time and the cost savings, especially on booze was enormous. Actually, if there was a booze and breakfast included option at resort, I might be more interested in that. I'd rather leave my dinner options open to explore local cuisine ala Anthony Bourdain. Then again, certain island destinations aren't exactly safe for foreigners to go where the locals go.

 

[Greg]

Speaking of all-inclusive, in Jamaica we opted out of that based on the recommendation of our travel agent/neighbor who was with us on the trip so she definitely had an interest in saving money too. I believe the all-inclusive was $1,000 per couple. At the end of the trip, the food/booze bill came to a bit over $400 per couple. Granted, we ate one dinner and one lunch somewhere else, and one night we all got pizza, but we drank our fool heads off and all were quite surprised/pleased with the bill. Apparently what this company does is goes shopping for your food and booze and simply passes the cost on to you. They even pro-rated partial bottles of booze. It turned out to be the much better way to go for us. There's no way we could have eaten/drank more than we did. Well, we could've drank more, but it might have ruined some of the days. Probably not an option at the big commercial resorts. Don't overlook the smaller private resorts. They'll work with you to get your business.

 

[severine]

Again, Greg, though...this seems to only work if you can get a group together to travel with you? Or am I mistaken? So you're talking at least $2400 per couple for 5 nights. Grand Pineapple (a division of Sandals/Beaches/etc) in Negril can be done for $1688 including airfare for 3 nights in the time frame I was considering... $866 of that was for the resort, the rest airfare, so that would still come in under your cost, and this is May. (Just quoted 5 nights and it's $2148.18, and that's with returning on a Sunday...)

 

[Greg]

Again, Greg, though...this seems to only work if you can get a group together to travel with you? Or am I mistaken?

I'm not saying that your final out of pocket cost will be as little as ours was. What I'm saying is you can probably find good value at some of the smaller resorts.

The resort we stayed at had 1-5 bedroom villas. Of course full occupancy at the 5 BR villa was the cheapest option.

 

[hammer]

Are the all-inclusives worthwhile if you aren't much of a drinker?

Haven't tried one yet...may have to wait until the kids are grown...

 

[Greg]

So you're talking at least $2400 per couple for 5 nights. Grand Pineapple (a division of Sandals/Beaches/etc) in Negril can be done for $1688 including airfare for 3 nights in the time frame I was considering... $866 of that was for the resort, the rest airfare, so that would still come in under your cost, and this is May. (Just quoted 5 nights and it's $2148.18, and that's with returning on a Sunday...)

Sorry - you edited after I replied.

We went 5 nights - airfare was about $1K, the resort was $650, food was around $450. Plus another couple hundred travel money, a dinner out, souvenirs. So about $2,300 total. I don't know what the accommodations are like at the Sandals place, but I assume a hotel room? We had 5 private suits (all 500+ square feet each), shared common space, a personal bartender and chef, private pool, etc. And yeah, this was only possible by getting 10 of us together to split the cost and it was the off-season.

Again, I just wanted to add some perspective and suggest looking into some of the private places too. You might spend the same or more, but the experience will likely be better.