Excellence Punta Cana OR Sandals Royal Bahamian OR Valentin Imperial Maya... Resort Help!

[beng]

Okay, so we are between 3 places/resorts for a January getaway. We'll be kid-free so we picked some good adults all inclusives. ....My first question is... if you have been to any of the three in the title, could you share your experiences? My second is... of those three destinations (Costa Maya, Punta Cana, & The Bahamas) are there any concerns with weather in January (rainy seasons, cold spells... that sort of thing). ...and my third question wpuld be, what have your experiences with the food been at all inclusive resorts like these.

TIA for your help.

[amish_matt]

Haven't been to any of the specific resorts in question, but I have been to two Sandals resorts in Jamaica: Royal Caribbean and Montego Bay.

The good: All inclusive is cool for the convenience factor. No need to carry money for anything. Pools were clean, staff was friendly.

The bad: Drinks were decent, but not great. Beer selection was poor. Red Stripe or Red Stripe. The worst part about the drinks was that they were always served in crappy plastic glasses - the kind that cheap diners use, that are always hazy/dirty looking.

Food was not very good. It was fine, but I expected better than fine. I can cook better than fine. Wife got food poisoning from one of the restaurants.

Dress codes at restaurants. WTF, this is vacation? You want me to put on long pants and closed toe shoes to eat mediocre food by the beach. And while there were a lot of restaurants, the hours were terrible. At an all inclusive resort, where the bar is always open, there should be more than crappy bar food to eat at any hour of the day.

Rooms were ok. Not insect proof. By the end of the week I had enough of the mosquitoes in the room and was ready to go home.

So, it was easy, convenient, but I'll never go to another Sandals. IMO, they're the McDonalds of resorts.

[beng]

Interesting. ...Im leaning more and more away from the Sandals option. ...based on reviews like your. The Valentin Imperial seems to have stellar reviews across the board, and no stigmas of being a "corporate" brand with now attention top detail or character.

My boss is going to the Riu Costa Maya next week, so that may become an option too... depending on his expeience.

[Yzerman]

After getting back from the Cayman Islands I think all inclusive is over hyped. I don't go away on vacation to pig out and get stupid drunk, I go for the beaches and relaxation. If you are leaning towards a non all inclusive, consider Cayman..

My friend just got back from Magestic Colonial in Punta Cana and loved it for what it's worth. Hurricane season is June 1 - November I think so keep that in mind.

[beng]

Well, Excellence Punta Cana is out. ...my friends who just returned with stories of 7 days of food poisoning As far as all inclusive vs normal... My wife and I typically plan everything out from restaurants to excursions, but this time around... for a 5 night getaway... we dont feel like doing the work. We'd rather have everthing taken care of (and included in the price).

My boss came back from the Riu Riviera Maya with very high marks... so we're leaning that way