Looking at surprising wife with an all inclusive trip to Mexico next fall as a gift this Christmas. Looking for great views, great food and of course great CC's. Please pass on any links to resorts or experiences. Thank you very much in advance.

Drew?

?

I am partial to the Yucatan. In the Riviera Maya, in the area between Cancun and Tulum, you can find many types of all-inclusive resorts. My wife and I stay at a few different ones for weekend getaways. Our favorites include Riu Playacar or Riu Palace, there is also a great spot between PDC and Cancun, called Ocean Maya by H10. It is very private and very beautiful and I liked the dining options there the best.

If you need to be in walking distance of other attractions and restaurants, you could find several all-inclusives discounting big time this year(at least until the december holidays, in the Hotel Zone, in Cancun. The only one I would avoid is the Gran Parnasus, a FAMILY-FRIENDLY resort.

Enjoy your holiday.

Cheers
Drew P

Depending on what you are looking for in a vacation that area has a lot to choose from. The Mayan ruins are spectacular and I think a vacation to the Yucatan and visiting them is a must.
Chizen Itza is almost unbelievable as is Tulum

Some of the resorts I liked best in that area were the Riu chain in the Playa del Carmen area.

My wife and I have stayed at the Riu Palace, the Yucatan and the Playacar, you will find that their resorts are very consistent on the high quality of their food , service and accommodations the latter two are dated but still classy places. We have not stayed at the Riu Tequila but have eaten and partied there, their rooms are off the beach but built around a golf course if you play.

I can also vouch for another resort chain, Iberostar. We have been to the Iberostar Lindo Which is a great place, good food services and rooms. Riu and Iberostar are Spanish owned and operated, and both have the hospitality industry well in hand.

The Barcelo hotels in that area where we have stayed are quite good as well but the food quality seemed to have down hill in recent years. We have stayed at their Beach resort and Toucan properties. I don't think we would go to the Maya Bach resort again. A few months after we stayed there, a Canadian couple were brutally murdered and the perp has still eluded capture.

We did not like the Eldorado hotels, which are Mexican owned. I want a good beach when I vacation and their beaches rocky with lots of coral in the water. Their one hotel was all ocean front rooms which were nice but the place was ala carte at the time and service was absolutely horrible, it took a half an hour to 45 minutes to get a another glass of wine with our meals.

You can google the names and pull up photos and property lay outs of the places I mentioned and look to see what suits your wants.

If we went to that area again I would not hesitate to go back to the Riu or the Iberostar

Oh yeah, cigars! Take your own. There is an LCDH there, I have not been to it but am told the prices are astronomical. If you don't have access to Cuban cigars at home buy a couple to try, but for boxes, forget about it.
5th Ave. in PLDC abounds with shops selling fakes as will the "flea Market" nights at most hotels. You will get a Kick out of the "glass top" Cohiba offerings.

It all depends on your budget. I've been to some palace resorts, they are very good, specially playacar palace (although there is no beach there now). If you can spend a little bit more consider Grand Velas in Vallarta, great hotel, food and service, there is also a new one in playa del Carmen but is more expensive.
As for cigars, be careful with fakes, try to buy only with reputable vendors.

i stayed at the Allegro Playacar. enjoyed it. beach was washed out though, because of a hurricane a few years back. so you might want to choose another hotel.

best part though was it was walking distance to town. lots to do and see there. plus, yes, there are legit cigars on the strip. not hard to tell which are real, prices aren't that bad, especially if you can find some nicely aged cigars.

I recently went to Cabo. I had everybody down by the Marina hit me up with Cohiba's..I knew they were probably fakes and they wanted premium $ for them but when I refused the prices came down! One guy sold me a 5 pack of Torpedo's for $1 a stick! Oh well, they were ok for the $ spent!

We're heading to Cancun early next month, staying at Aqua Cancun across the street from the La Isla, and right near the LCDH...and not far from the new Cohiba Atmosphere lounge...

I was in Cancun last September. Stayed at the Le Meridien for a steal of a price. It was a short walk or bus ride to the LCDH. Hit me up with an email if your still looking.

Aqua looked really nice, but I know they were grabbing some premium dollars for their rooms. Any place that has Bentley's sitting out front for hotel guests is expensive. Well I did get to use the one in Chicago at the Fairmont.

Hit up Harry's for a great steak dinner. I smoked a Cohiba LE on there terrace and from beginning of the dinner to the end we were there for 4-5 hours. Place rocks. If you happen to go please find out what the 23 year old rum was that I was drinking. It was not cuban, so I can pick it up here. I have a good idea, but it was fabulous with the cigar and the desserts.

Ron Zacapa 23yr old Guatemalan rum is very popular with some in this part of Mexico. It makes for a delicious pairing with the H. Upmann #2.

Cheers
Drew P

quote:

Originally posted by ldfkr14:
I was in Cancun last September. Stayed at the Le Meridien for a steal of a price. It was a short walk or bus ride to the LCDH. Hit me up with an email if your still looking.

Aqua looked really nice, but I know they were grabbing some premium dollars for their rooms. Any place that has Bentley's sitting out front for hotel guests is expensive. Well I did get to use the one in Chicago at the Fairmont.

Hit up Harry's for a great steak dinner. I smoked a Cohiba LE on there terrace and from beginning of the dinner to the end we were there for 4-5 hours. Place rocks. If you happen to go please find out what the 23 year old rum was that I was drinking. It was not cuban, so I can pick it up here. I have a good idea, but it was fabulous with the cigar and the desserts.

That ron Zacapa is maybe one of the best right now.

I'm in Cancun right now!! Staying at the Excellence Playa Mujeres. Fantastic resort. I'd also recommend the Excellence Mayan Riviera or the El Dorado Royale. All of them are couples only and have excellent food.

The Excellence resorts also have proper cigar lounges stocked with Cubans too. I brought my own stogies but the prices are good here.

All three resorts are top notch. Check www.tripadvisor.com for recent comments from guests.

Good luck!

Thanks indeed brother. I am going to pick a bottle up. That is the one I thought it was, just not sure.

Cheers!

quote:

Originally posted by Don Andres:
Ron Zacapa 23yr old Guatemalan rum is very popular with some in this part of Mexico. It makes for a delicious pairing with the H. Upmann #2.

Cheers
Drew P

quote:

Originally posted by ldfkr14:
I was in Cancun last September. Stayed at the Le Meridien for a steal of a price. It was a short walk or bus ride to the LCDH. Hit me up with an email if your still looking.

Aqua looked really nice, but I know they were grabbing some premium dollars for their rooms. Any place that has Bentley's sitting out front for hotel guests is expensive. Well I did get to use the one in Chicago at the Fairmont.

Hit up Harry's for a great steak dinner. I smoked a Cohiba LE on there terrace and from beginning of the dinner to the end we were there for 4-5 hours. Place rocks. If you happen to go please find out what the 23 year old rum was that I was drinking. It was not cuban, so I can pick it up here. I have a good idea, but it was fabulous with the cigar and the desserts.

Its the best I have ever had. I tried a few of the Havana clubs on the rocks, but this was top notch. Went well with the 06 Cohiba LE and the cake Harry's gave us for our anniversary.

quote:

Originally posted by Xavier1975:
That ron Zacapa is maybe one of the best right now.

Its not all inclusive, but the Tides Riviera Maya is amazing resort, in Playa del Carmen.