Hellobee Boards

- Did you use a travel agent?
Yes. It was our first time and we were overwhelmed with all the possibilities. I did check online before we booked though, to make sure we were getting the cheapest deal.

- Did you buy everything together (air & accommodations)?
Yes, everything was together.

- Any tips on making the right choice? Or ensuring we have our bases covered?
I usually read reviews online before booking. If most reviews are good, then I feel like it's a safe bet.

- Would you have chosen an all-inclusive (once you've experienced it)? Or something else? If I'm looking to relax, I would do the all inclusive. The food is only okay but I enjoy everything being covered under one cost - one less thing to think about.

- Did you use a travel agent? Nope. But we were going for a wedding so the resort was chosen for us.
- Did you buy everything together (air & accommodations)? No
- Any tips on making the right choice? Or ensuring we have our bases covered? Check out reviews and tips on Trip Advisor.
- Would you have chosen an all-inclusive (once you've experienced it)? Or something else? I liked it more than I thought I would. For the large group we had, it was great because we could eat together (or not), there were no bills to work out and most of us just stayed on the property so it was easy to hang out and spend time together.

I can't report too much because we have t taken our trip yet, but we are going to PV in April. I used TripAdvisor to look for reviews and asked questions about hotels on the forum. I also like Famiky Vacation Critic. We booked the hotel directly and the flights through the airline. You can definitely find good deals on packages and agent might be able to get you a deal since you are booking so many rooms. However I've found that the agent can sometimes get you freebies, but the actual rate may not be that different. We didn't buy a package because we wanted a suite and the packages usually come with standard rooms. Look at the ages of kids clubs if you plan to use them - most start at age 3. Overall I'm all about picking the amenities that the adults want though because the kids will have fun anywhere!

We are going to PV in April. I've done AI before with my family (when I was 18) but DH never has. Normally we prefer to get a condo and DIY our vacations but we wanted to do AI this time so we could take advantage of the kids club (i.e. free daycare).

- Did you use a travel agent? Nope
- Did you buy everything together (air & accommodations)? Yes, got an insane deal via Expedia including nonstop flights on our favorite airline.
- Any tips on making the right choice? Or ensuring we have our bases covered? Top things to consider: do you want to find a resort where you can put LO in a separate room during naptime and early bedtime, or are you okay sticking a PnP in the bathroom of a regular hotel room? Do you want a place with good kids club/daycare so you can get a little adults-only time? (With a group that large I think you probably want to make this a priority).
- Would you have chosen an all-inclusive (once you've experienced it)? Or something else? Haven't done the AI trip with LO yet, but for comparison, I can say we loved our Hawaii trip when LO was 3 months old in a VRBO condo with separate bedroom and kitchen, and we just drove all over with her and visited a bunch of different beaches and had a great time.

[ETA] Given that you are going with a large group, an AI resort could be nice just so you can all hang out together in the pool area or whatever, versus if you had condos you'd be limited to packing into individual living rooms, coordinating trips together to whatever beaches you're going to, etc. It will probably be nice not to have to coordinate food since it'll just be there for you. Do any of your family members typically offer to watch kids at all? That could be a big bonus, if you go to a place where the kids' club doesn't work out for whatever reason.

Random suggestion: Stay in the marina area instead of far away in Nuevo Vallarta, so you have the option of walking to places outside the resort. If the food ends up being on the mediocre side, you can wander off and get some delicious cheap local tacos that way.

Before I had my son, there is no way I would have considered a resort vacation (or a cruise, for that matter). I like to experience local culture and food, and resorts typically shield you from that. It feels very inauthentic to me.

Last summer, though, we took our 18mo to a resort in the White Mountains in NH. It was not all-inclusive, but it was really convenient to have two pools (indoor/outdoor), a playground, and other grounds for our toddler to run around.

That particular resort was also next to a big mountain range, which was perfect for my outdoorsy husband. And it had a lovely spa and a big wraparound veranda with a fantastic cocktail menu, which was great for me. So, it didn't feel like a compromise to any of us despite the sentiment I mentioned above.

The food was ok but not amazing, and we got really tired of the menu by the end of the week. (Note: It was not all inclusive, but other local options were very limited since we were in rural NH.) And restaurants 3x per day with a toddler was a bit rough.

My company has an annual offsite, and the last two that I attended were at AI resorts in Mexico (Cabo and Puerto Vallarta). I was skeptical when I got on the plane, and many of my concerns were validated. It definitely did not feel like I was in Mexico; it was a totally sanitized experience. The food was mediocre at best (Hard Rock Puerto Vallarta) and pretty terrible at worst (Dreams Cabo). But. It was a great venue for our company because it allowed people to interact casually in a large facility while containing us all on the same campus. (Previous events when we were smaller were in Vegas and felt too scattered during downtime.) So overall it was a great choice despite the fact that it would not be my first choice for a travel destination.

I still think I'd be hard-pressed to choose a huge all-inclusive resort for a family vacation, but I can see how it would simplify things. I would be more likely to look for a smaller place with a pool and a private beach so there would be common space to hang out but hopefully a less touristy experience.

@LAZB: i want to try moon palace when the kids are older- looks super fun with all the activities! And right by the airport.

@littlejoy: no travel agent, yes on an air/hotel combo for AI- we booked online, read Yelp reviews.

Honestly we stayed at an above average all inclusive in Cancun and I did not enjoy it. The food was awful. I'm concerned that being vegan at an all inclusive besides the buffet will be difficult with the language barrier. The benefit of staying at an AI is trying to get everyone out of the hotel into a restaurant several times a day it would be difficult . But renting a large house may work? We booked for our honeymoon via VRBO in PV. You should also check out Cabo.

ETA- I like walking around and being part of the city, not just being at a resort all day. So it depends what your collective group is looking to do. The resort in Cancun was isolated so we never left. Also we went to Dreams Tulum for a wedding. I liked a Dreams over Now for AI

I definitely recommend a travel agent. I think it makes things so much easier.

If possible, I would choose a resort based on recommendations from someone you actually know and trust. In my opinion, it's kind of hard to filter through all of the reviews online.

When we booked everything was together- airfare and accommodations. I think the all inclusive is great! So nice to leave for vacation knowing that everything is taken care of and there shouldn't be any unanticipated costs.

Have fun wherever you end up going/deciding!