I am trying to plan a quick 5 day trip for my son and I. I thought an all inclusive would provide us greater flexibility. Thinking about the Caribbean or Florida. I remember one poster (old fort, perhaps) suggestioning that Club Med might be preferable to Paradisus in the DR which we are also considering. We be much appreciative for any and all advice.
There is a club med in Turks and Caicos, and the beach there is beautiful, but the resort actually looked a little run down.
I think Club meds are not as nice as they once were. You should look for other brands
I went to Sandpiper about 8 years ago. It was ok. My friend went there recently with her husband and enjoyed it. Great for those who like tennis and golf. The “beach” is an inlet of the river is I remember correctly. I would not go there for water sports.
I am a little partial to Club Med:
My wife and I met at Buccaneer’s Creek Martinique— in 1987. I was with a male friend and my wife was with a female friend. We got married the following year, in September 1988. My friend and her friend got married 3 months after we did! (Unfortunately, their marriage ended several years ago but we are still going strong!!)
Edit: My wife calls me a “professional Club Medite” because Buccaneer’s Creek was my 3rd successive Club Med after Cancun (gone now?) and Moorea.
Club Med is probably nicer today than before. They have renovated many of their clubs and they made some part of the resort more upscale (you pay up for it).
I went to Paradisus at DR. I stayed at their nicer section with butler service, etc. Do not waste your money. All of us (my whole family) said we wished we have gone to Club Med. At Paradisus, like other all inclusive resorts, we had to tip for everything - when they prepared the lounge chair, drinks at the bar, after every meal. We had to make reservations for dinners. It was really stressful.
If you are going for only 5 days, I would go to Cancun, Punta Cana or Turks. Turks has a beautiful beach, but it was a bit run down. They renovated after the last hurricane and increased the price. Punta Cana is a large resort, and also has a nice beach. They renovated their room recently. I like Cancun because of the food and their evening outdoor live music. The Jade Club is very nice - serving real Champagne at night. The beach is open to public. I wouldn’t go to the one at FL. It is on a river and has baby/kids club. My favorite is Columbus Isle at Bahamas because of the beach and how remote it was, but if you only have 5 days then it may not be worth it due to travel time.
Thank you all, especially @oldfort for the detailed information. I had heard that many Club Med’s have been fully renovated and much different than when I went in the 80’s! Of course, after spending time on their website and speaking with their reservation department, nothing was available for the last week in March except Martinique (which despite @jshain great experience there) has not been renovated. Thanks also for the heads-up on Paradisus. The reviews on Tripadvisor were so positive, that we were definitely considering it.
I am now thinking of a regular hotel in either Turks & Caicos or Grand Cayman. I welcome any and all recommendations.
We have not been to Turks but came very close once as the home rental opportunities are compelling. We have been to Grand Cayman a few times and really like it. A few things though. GC is on the expensive side and the exchange rate is 1 Cayman Dollar = $1.20 USD (I think). One of the reasons we like GC is that the diving there is excellent (not sure you’re into that). Restaurants are many and really good. No experience with all inclusives, but the resort we stayed out had a pristine beach with crystalline water and many beach activities available. Our kids took a sailing lesson then spent lots of time sailing up and down the beach. They also tried kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding (both deemed to much work).
Thank you @Rivet2000 for the info on GC. We don’t dive, but love snorkeling and sailing. Would you mind sharing the name of the resort you stayed at. I am on a short time frame, so I am hoping to find availability!
We stay at the Ritz Carlton GC. Tripadviser is a good source for more options.
Thank you @Rivet2000. The Ritz Carlton looks wonderful but is completely booked as is the Westin and the Marriott. I will definitely check out Trip Advisor, though I generally find CC my best source for travel and all other information. Thanks again.
This is where my SIL has stayed a couple of times and highly recommended. She has family there and has been at least 20 times. It looks like they have availablity the last week of March. https://www.silversandscayman.com
Thank you so much @deb922. The Silver Sands looks fantastic. Since I will be traveling just with my post college age son I think he’d prefer more of a resort feel with water sports and other activities right on the grounds. I am definitely thinking of booking this for Christmas 2019 for our family for a week! Thanks again for this great recommendation!