Holidays & Winter Deals

So, the only time to take the kids is Thanksgiving/Christmas break/Winter break? You know it is crowded, usually three to four times the usual rates for vacations, but that's usually the best time to take the kids on vacation. Probably one of the only positive viewpoints about our economy right now is the hotels and cruise lines want your business and they are slashing their prices to get it.

I have researched and found the following deals; I also will give my two cents on it. For the Caribbean & Mexico, in all my years, I have never seen it this low:

Funjet Vacations is having a HUGE sale, with airfare from $199 round trip to Mexico or the Caribbean during the upcoming holidays!

You can fly roundtrip to Mexico or the Caribbean for as low as $199 when you book a hotel + flight vacation with Funjet Vacations. I have used them, they are fine - just like any travel during busy seasons, call ahead to make sure the flight is on time, get there early and research the hotel. On top of this amazing airfare, save an extra $200 instantly on air/hotel packages when you travel between Dec. 13, 2008 and Jan. 5, 2009. And if that's not enough - many of the all inclusives also have added values like kids stay, play and eat free at participating hotels. Hurryâ€"this is a limited time offer and deals will sell out fast. Book by Oct. 30, 2008.

Click on your local airport and you will see deals for all inclusive resorts (which is a personal favorite of mine when travelling with the kids), and if you have traveled during the holidays before - you will see how low these rates are. I found a 7nt, four star, all inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with air from New York for $1,099 per person, and kids are even less. I like all inclusives with my kids because there is so much for them to do and especially with the eight year old, I don’t have to worry about where he is, just like a cruise ship, he really can't go far and is always having fun. I don’t have to give them money every day for juice or food - it's all included.

Let's talk a little about All -Inclusives. The all inclusives are mainly located in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and a few in the Bahamas. I can give you many amazing deals, but there are a few questions to keep in mind for choosing the right resort.

1) Do you want to explore and get away from the resort daily? If so, all inclusives may not be for you.

2) Are you looking for a beach get away where you are being catered to in every way? If yes, all inclusives are perfect.

3) Do you like buffets or a choice of a number of restaurants, some upscale? If you don’t really care about the food, you can look at the less expensive all inclusives, if you want fine dining and diverse menu choices look closely at the resort description, you will probably want a 4 or 5 star all inclusive.

4) Is this a close family vacation or one of those everybody does what they want vacation? All inclusives vary on kids programs, some have kid activities others have full blown programs for the entire day. If you want some special time with your child, don't pick the one with the best kid program, because he/she will want to be with the other kids.

Advice: Especially during the holiday season, find all inclusives that have more than one pool.

Mexico - although travelling around Mexico is fun, since it is so inexpensive, an all inclusive can still be worth it especially in the less touristy areas such as Playa del Carmen which is about 30 minutes from Cancun. Cancun has both all inclusives and regular hotels, personally I loved it at 22yrs, but now with a family, I don’t love the hustle and bustle, there are so many big hotels, bars, restaurants - it is a young people's scene. Some 30+ adults do enjoy Cancun if they want to get away inexpensively for a good time.

Jamaica - I have heard a lot of negatives' about Jamaica and yes, the natives will go up and try to sell you stuff, and yes, if you are alone in an unknown area it could be dangerous, but for the most part, I don’t know why Jamaica has gotten a bad rap. I have been there seven times and just love it. Yes, if you wander from the resort a Rasta may ask you if you want some illegal substance, just smile and say no, walk away. On any island, in any situation, never go somewhere unknown alone with a local.

I have been to both all inclusives and regular hotels in Jamaica, and I would say unless you are a very independent traveler who wants to explore daily, stay in the all inclusive and venture out a few times. There are some beautiful cliffs, sunsets and beaches there. The people are mellow and nice. They take you out of the fast paced environment we are all used to.

Dominican Republic: this is one of those countries where the scenery/beaches, etc are outstanding - just not the kind of place you would want to venture out on a daily basis. This is why the all inclusives there are so good. The price is right; the big difference is obviously price - the more expensive, the better the food, the more choice, the more "extra" amenities. All of them have plenty to offer families.

Here are a number of companies I know well and trust - that are offering great deals both during holiday breaks and through out winter:

Apple Vacations featuring Deluxe to Luxury All Inclusives:

Apple Vacations is a trusted company. They own their own planes which allows for the "package" pricing to be so low. Package pricing means airfare, hotel and transfers to and from the hotel. They have a big sale going on right now with an All inclusive resort chain called Dreams. They have a number of all inclusive resorts through out the Caribbean, and they are all Deluxe - Luxury. The difference between a three star and a five star all inclusive besides price - there are more choices of restaurants, there are gourmet, high end restaurants, there are more times to have access to food and drink, usually 24.7 - room service and all - not one penny more! An example, two adults are $849pp for air, transfers and 3nights. I believe they have three, four and seven night packages for winter and they are all on sale right now. Children are usually free- all you pay is airfare. Read up on each resort, child friendly ones will have children programs, and at this level of resort, they are excellent!

BookIt.com featuring family all inclusives and resorts:

BookIt.com has a way to find the newest resorts, buy up plenty of rooms and practically give them away. I can tell you if you go, and chat with people at the pool, they will be pissed when they find out how much less you pay. BookIt basically gets a certain amount of rooms for the great price and then stops selling it.

Since it is new, I can't give a thumbs up or down, but I don’t think BookIt would push a resort that was not up to par. This is a very big resort, so you have to be ok with a lot of people and a few buildings; however, it is a little city in itself, so you never have to leave the resort if you do not want to. The Majestic Elegance Resort in Punta Cana (the best place for all inclusives in the Dominican Republic) is offering $89per person, per night!

Think about it, food, drinks including alcohol, activities, pools, supervised children's programs for ages 3 -14 yrs (9am to 6pm daily) and more. This one is also a 24hr all inclusive, which means food and room service is available 24/7. This is a big deal because it means you do not have to be on someone else's schedule. Some resorts have lunch from 12-2, breakfast from 7-10am. I personally don’t like those kinds of schedules and love the open 24hr all inclusive, but that is a personal choice.