Seeking Recommendations on All-inclusive Trip to Mexico

My husband and I went to Secrets Maroma Beach last year and it was amazing. I didn't think it would be that nice in Mexico. We travel a lot and have been to Jamaica, Caymen Islands, Bahamas and several other tropical destinations and we both agreed that we want to go back to Secrets Maroma Beach. It's an adult only resort, all inclusive and very romantic. We got a swim up room which was also very nice. We have already talked about going again this year.

Any of the Riu's are nice. I would suggest using something like Apple vacations. They have reps at the airports and right in your hotels to make sure everything is going well and you get what you need. It gives me peace of mind when out of the country. If you want to sign up for an excursion to snorkle etc they sign you up and get you transportation. Very nice.

Cancun is hands down the cheapest place to fly to from the MSP airport. I think we paid $250 a ticket. When we got there we walked out of the airport and hopped in a bus to Playa Del Carmen for $13/each. NICE couch bus too w/AC which is a MUST. Then we traveled down the coast to Playa and hung out there for 3 nights. My husband had free hotel nights, so we ended up at the Holiday Inn Express. In Playa you really don't NEED an all-inclusive. The beach is free and the street food is cheap. Cabs are CHEAP, safe and plentiful, so do not rent a car. My hubby and I walked all over Playa at all hours of the day and night and never felt in danger. Everyone speaks english and is SUPER friendly. It's a very international town and no need for spanish. Fifth Ave is the place to be. Tons of excellent shopping and food. You can even hop on the ferry to Cozumel (something like $24 for 2 roundtrip) for some EXCELLENT snorkeling. We bought snorkeling gear at Target here in WSP and brought it with us. I would recommend a tiny dive shop and restaurant on the water with free water access. Tell your cabby to take you to "Playa Corona". That will cost you about $26 in cab fare roundtrip. Playa is a great place for a laid back and fun adventure. You'll LOVE it. =)

I stayed at the Moon Palace outside of Cancun. The spa and golf course were beautiful and since there are multiple Palace locations you can go use other Palace facilities. The only downside when we went is that there were tons of 18-22 year olds that made staying at the main pool unbearable and the main pool was super crowded all the time. The solution for us was that there is a small pool by the golf club house that was never crowded and we could sit by the pool and read peacefully. I would definitely go back and stay at one of the Palace locations. I don't know too much about the price because it was a trip my husband won through work. If you guys are adventurous I recommend doing the zip line tour by Salvateca (spelling maybe off). It was awesome and they highlight of our trip. There was 14 zip lines (I think they added more) a pond to swim in and lunch. 2 years ago we only paid $70 for the zipline trip.

It sounds like a lot of people really like Cancun. My family has always enjoyed Puerto Vallarta. My parents have a time share there. The water and beaches aren't as nice because it's on the ocean side as opposed to the gulf, but the surrounding mountains are beautiful, and the area really has character with a real downtown and walking area along the oceanfront. The downtown has markets, restaurants and an Old Town area. Puerto Vallarta is world known for its fine dining and has a lot of amazing restaurants. My family likes to get out and explore and try new places so we aren't really familiar with the all-inclusives in the area (although I know there are plenty of them), but if you want recommendations on hotels or activities in the area please send me a message. It is about a 4 hour direct flight from MSP.

Mayan Riviera...absolutely!
http://mayanriviera.com/

You can also check it out on tripadvisor.com.

I agree with Sarah on using something like Apple Vacations. That's who we use. =-)

Hope you & Hubby have a fabulous time where ever you go!!!!

My boyfriend and I went to Mexico last November. We stayed at the NH Riviera Cancun. It was amazing! It is a relatively new resort, built within the last few years or so. If you are looking for a quiet relaxing place, this is it. Food was good, service excellent, rooms were also great. I booked through BookIt.com, which also included airfare and travel to and from the resort. Here's the link http://www.bookit.com/mexico/abreojos/hotels/nh-riviera-c...

We loved staying at The Royal resort in Playa Del Carmen. It's an easy flight into Cancun and the resort was amazing. It's adults only and we liked it because it had 6-7 different restaurant choices all included. Gets great reviews on all the travel review sites.

If it's just you and your husband, check out the El Dorado Royale (not El Dorado), which is between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. The food is fantastic, all drinks are top shelf and included, and it is just heaven on earth!! It is adults only.