Help, time is short and so is our budget

[louie_2]

Hi all,

I know you all love the travel agent Sammy and I even contacted her, but that unfortunately did not work out . We are planning on coming back down for Spring Break 2008 with 5 in my family and 4 in the other family. I fully expect and want to get two rooms and our friends will try to stay in one room. Here is the deal, I am pulling teeth trying to get us out of cancun and down to Playa on roughly 1200 P/P. Sammy basicly told me it could not be done while local travel agents are doing just fine finding stuff for us. I need / desire / want a place between the two (cancun and Playa) preferrably in Northern Playa that meets budget and will keep us away from those nasty spring breakers. yeah yeah yeah, I know come back down during hurricane season like last time and there will be no spring breakers. So, please point me to nice preferrably AI places on the North side of Playa and I will be sure to buy you a "Dirty Monkey" or two. Oh did those ever knock me on my rear after Wilma.

[DavidB]

Originally Posted by louie_2

Hi all,

local travel agents are doing just fine finding stuff for us.

So just book thru your local travel agent.

[Susie Q Roo]

Originally Posted by louie_2

Hi all,

I know you all love the travel agent Sammy and I even contacted her, but that unfortunately did not work out . We are planning on coming back down for Spring Break 2008 with 5 in my family and 4 in the other family. I fully expect and want to get two rooms and our friends will try to stay in one room. Here is the deal, I am pulling teeth trying to get us out of cancun and down to Playa on roughly 1200 P/P. Sammy basicly told me it could not be done while local travel agents are doing just fine finding stuff for us. I need / desire / want a place between the two (cancun and Playa) preferrably in Northern Playa that meets budget and will keep us away from those nasty spring breakers. yeah yeah yeah, I know come back down during hurricane season like last time and there will be no spring breakers. So, please point me to nice preferrably AI places on the North side of Playa and I will be sure to buy you a "Dirty Monkey" or two. Oh did those ever knock me on my rear after Wilma.

Um, if this is the case, what do you need us for?


Oops... DavidB beat me to it.

[louie_2]

I am trying to use you folks for references. Travel agents do not know the local flavor or real reputations. You folks have read reviews on trip advisor, two people the same place, same room adn one loved it and one is looking for a lawyer. You are the experts and I was hoping you would be kind enough to help guide us.

[4wheeled]

it'll help if you list which AI's you are considering.

there are reviews on here too with the advantage of being able to post questions to them.

in northern playa i think the only AI, to my knowledge, is Grand Coco Bay. it is walking distance to town. reviews of it are good.

north of playa, driving distance, there are lots of resorts....no highrises like cancun but 2 and 3 storey buildings spread out with beautiful grounds.

[Shammy]

Originally Posted by louie_2

Hi all,

I know you all love the travel agent Sammy and I even contacted her, but that unfortunately did not work out . We are planning on coming back down for Spring Break 2008 with 5 in my family and 4 in the other family. I fully expect and want to get two rooms and our friends will try to stay in one room. Here is the deal, I am pulling teeth trying to get us out of cancun and down to Playa on roughly 1200 P/P. Sammy basicly told me it could not be done while local travel agents are doing just fine finding stuff for us. I need / desire / want a place between the two (cancun and Playa) preferrably in Northern Playa that meets budget and will keep us away from those nasty spring breakers. yeah yeah yeah, I know come back down during hurricane season like last time and there will be no spring breakers. So, please point me to nice preferrably AI places on the North side of Playa and I will be sure to buy you a "Dirty Monkey" or two. Oh did those ever knock me on my rear after Wilma.

Sammy = Shammy?

Since it's me you're talking about , my response is........

Yes, this rings a bell and I do recall sending you a few detailed e mails about spring breakers, various resort locations, Cancun vs. Playa, etc. But you told me your budget was $1,000 - $1,200/pp for Easter week, to which I replied that Easter week was a very expensive time to travel and that I didn't think it would be possible to spend only $1,000/pp for that time frame. I also said that I had taken a quick look at some prices and that it could possibly cost more than $1,200/pp, depending on the resort and/or the resort location (Cancun vs. Riviera Maya). Truth be told, I'm very honest and I believe in making sure people know where they stand, and are realistic about what their total cost might end up to be. Guess you can say I'll prepare you for the worst yet hope that when it's all said and done, a trip will come in at or under budget. I just wanted to make you aware of what the situation might be if I was to continue doing the research. I did not however, say that spending $1,200/pp "could not be done".

Also know that hotel rates/airfares do change over time, what I might have seen as far as price a few weeks ago very well could be different than what it is now - or will be next week. Bottom line, if a local agent(s) is finding you a decent resort in Riviera Maya for $1,000/pp-$1,200/pp, that's wonderful! Since you can walk in and speak to someone local, that agent should also be able to give you a detailed description of all the resorts they're pricing for you so that you can be sure to choose the one that best suits your group.

Best of luck!

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by louie_2

I am trying to use you folks for references. Travel agents do not know the local flavor or real reputations. You folks have read reviews on trip advisor, two people the same place, same room adn one loved it and one is looking for a lawyer. You are the experts and I was hoping you would be kind enough to help guide us.

Trip Advisor?
What's that?

[Shammy]

Originally Posted by louie_2

Travel agents do not know the local flavor or real reputations.

But that should not be the case, nor is it true of all agents. An agent should know what they are selling, know the reputations of the resorts in the area they're sending a client to - and if they don't, they need to become more educated or sell what they do know.

Originally Posted by louie_2

You folks have read reviews on trip advisor, two people the same place, same room adn one loved it and one is looking for a lawyer. You are the experts and I was hoping you would be kind enough to help guide us.

You're going to get the same opinions here as you will in T.A. A traveler will have an opinion of the resort they stayed at, and if it's favorable, another traveler will have a differing opinion. And then - vice versa. Just because someone has stayed at a particular resort, doesn't make them an expert (unless they've been there many times). It does allow them to have a valid opinion, but just as on T.A., it's just their opinion. Again, a travel agent well versed in the area you want to travel to is your best source of guidance. Since Riviera Maya/Cancun is such a popular area, I would think there has to be at least one agent in the office you've been dealing with that knows these resorts well enough to offer suggestions?

[attaboy]

I read TA before our first trip to the area. After our first trip I decided that I do not need the advice from that site. I have followed this site for the last 4 years so I can see why you ask for advice from this group. You have done research so it would help if you mentioned the resorts that fall in your budget.

[teresaloves2trv]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

Trip Advisor?
What's that?

Tripadvisor.com is a site full of info about every destination on earth. You can read and post reviews and pictures of hotels and resorts. It's a great place to do research about your vacation.

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by teresaloves2trv

Tripadvisor.com is a site full of info about every destination on earth. You can read and post reviews and pictures of hotels and resorts. It's a great place to do research about your vacation.

ummm
yeah
i know
a great place to do research is debatable

[actran]

I think it has it's place in research. If a place has tons of reviews and most of them are good or bad, that gives you an idea. Also, what people like or don't like is sometimes helpful. Food - not so much. Cleaniliness of a place - usually on.

I wish play.info would resurrect their review section.

[Mrsfuzzmo]

The ONLY reason I would go on TA is to look at Candid Travelers Photos of the resort I am traveling to. That's it.

I was pricing Easter week travel to PDC area for some friends this week, and while the least expensive package was $1200 for 5 nights (7 nights was running about $1350 +) there was little to no air availability from MKE or ORD left at this point (on the charters). Scheduled air vacations were running $2000 + per person.

If you have a local agent that can do what you are looking for price wise, jump on it! Iberostar Complex is north of Playa with a lot of price options (if there is availability). May I ask why North of Playa?

[Shammy]

Originally Posted by Mrsfuzzmo

If you have a local agent that can do what you are looking for price wise, jump on it! Iberostar Complex is north of Playa with a lot of price options (if there is availability).

Can't do the any of the Iberostar's for spring break unless you have only two people per room - they have occupancy restrictions during this time frame.

[LeedsTyke]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

ummm
yeah
i know
a great place to do research is debatable

TA is a great place to read reviews . And then forget, and form your own opinion once you get there...