Anyone ever been? Considering going in February. Good, bad, indifferent let me know the board thoughts on this destination.

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I'm going in January. It's amazing.

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Team Cutler.

I've heard it is an excellent vacation for couples. I'm not sure what amenities they have for threesomes.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

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Nice, IMU invited himself along.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur

Thanks Dan.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

i heard its in dominican.

Went there 4 years ago for our honeymoon. It was fine, not any better or worse than your basic Caribbean island. Another place where once you get out of the resort area you feel like some sort of imperialistic swine though.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur

I felt that in Jamaica on the ride from airport to Ocho Rios. People living in sears catalog shed you had in the back yard in 1985. They had tv antennas though which is nice.

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I have been. Unlike more established tourist places such as Cancun and Costa Rica, the country does not have enough hotel staff trained in English. As such, the service tends to be very poor. It would be one of the last places I would visit again. I went to the Turks & Caicos this year, and the Beaches resort is one of the best. If you haven't been to Atlantis, then that is also a great place. Costa Rica and Grand Cayman are others favorites.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Thanks Dman. Just trying to scout out something new I haven't been to yet.

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Been there.

It's nice, depending on the resort you choose, of course.

YMMV, I felt the Bahamas had far and away the worst service of any island and they all spoke English just fine.

I did Grand Paradise Bavaro the first time I went. Trying the Dreams Palm Beach this team. Had no issues with staff or service. Great weather, beaches and amenities. Stayed on the resort the entire time before, but planning on golfing down there this time around.

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Team Cutler.

Atlantis has poor service, which is outweighed by the awesome resort and solid food.

Punta Cana couldn't even tell you how to connect to the Wifi. They gave us one bed for four people. All wait staff ignored the need for refills because the staff didn't want to interact with Americans/English speaks. I should have heeded what was said on TripAdvisor.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Here's where we went. Seems like the reviews are generally good. I will say we went shortly after it opened. There were a few reviews bringing up the problems we experienced. We will never go back. Way too many better places to go.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review ... ublic.html

One thing I didn't mention is that the excursions were pretty poor as well.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I am thinking PM probably has an idea of what you think of the place.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur

We were at http://www.nowresorts.com/larimar/ like I said it was fine. The staff knew English well enough. We would do an excursion every other day. One day on the pool/beach and one day doing something was a good mix since my wife I wanted to do things (ugh) and I just wanted to play on the beach.

In my limited places experience I would say Zihuatanejo> Bolongo (St. Thomas)> San Juan> Punta Cana> Nassau

Went with my wife in 2013. Stayed at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe. Best vacation we've ever been on.

http://www.barcelo.com/barcelohotels/en_us/hotels/dominican-republic/punta-cana-beach-bavaro/hotel-barcelo-bavaro-palace-deluxe-family-club/general-description.aspx

There was a language barrier, but my 4 years of high school Spanish from many years ago definitely came in handy. Make an effort to speak their language, and they'll be more open to try English.

Thanks some of you. Just starting to look so we will see. Already did the Cancun/Cozumel/Playa thing too many times as well as Jamaica, San Juan, Cayman and St. Thomas. Would like to do Aruba, Costa Rica or Belize but seems more costly.

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She has this one on the list Ed.

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Have you considered a cruise? It is a great way to see many countries at once and sea days are awesome too! I always thought they were for old fat people and never thought I would like it. But after going for a mandatory family thing I did a complete 180 on the idea. The ships (especially the larger ones) are floating resorts -- bars, restaurants, casino, shows. It is great waking up each morning in a different country. And researching and planning the shore excursions is fun too (just don't book them through the cruise line -- you save lots of $$$ and get a better experience booking your own).

Cruise 1 NCL Star (2013): Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan, Cozumel.
Cruise 2 NCL Epic (last year): Jamaica, Grand Caymen, Cozumel
Cruise 3 NCL Escape (Feb/Mar 2016): St. Thomas, Tortola, Nassau

All kinds of info here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

I have cruised plenty and enjoyed them. She doesn't seem interested possibly due to recent horror stories. I have heard they have offered more reasonable plans for large bar tabs to counter the all inclusives.

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We have that on our upcoming cruise. Unlimited Beverage Package. We think it is worth it especially because we have three sea days. By the time we disembark in Miami I will probably need a liver transplant.

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

My wife and I went to Puerto Plata, which is on the north side of the DR, back in 2011. Its a beautiful country. We found the service to be impeccable...way better than what we got in Jamaica at a better resort. The servers and bartenders spoke English pretty well, and even some of the housekeepers and maintenance staff knew enough to get by or to point you in the right direction. That was our first trip together and our first all inclusive. Being a veteran of those sorts of places now, I would love to get back to that country some day.

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I only have one experience doing an all-inclusive package on a vacation, and I'm not sure I would do it again. The place I stayed at in Cancun basically served us slop for a week, and the booze selection was mediocre at best. I'd rather pay more for better quality myself.

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How would you rate their breakfasts?

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Wife, girlfriend, or both?



You went to the wrong place...We've done the all inclusive thing through Secrets in both Riviera Maya and Puerto Vallarta...booze was good and food was great at both.

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