Christmas 2020- beach vaca for 6 adults & 4 kids

[Alps79]

I am feeling a lot of pressure. Good pressure but pressure nonetheless. My parents both turn 70 this year and to celebrate they want to take our entire family on a trip over Christmas. We're looking at being gone a full week and we are aware it's high HIGH season. Budget is $30K (with lodging/food/drinks) but excluding airfare. They are putting all the planning in my hands. 

So it's 6 adults and 4 kids ages 4-12. Must have golf for my dad. We like good food and we drink a lot, so an all-inclusive is appealing on that side. However in the past, we have always rented VRBOs and that's really fun for us too. We don't need a kids club or babysitting service; the 12 YO can watch the younger kids if we go out for an adults-only meal. 

We live in Texas and don't want to spend all day traveling (so Hawaii is out.) We really like Mexico. I have us booked at Grand Velas Riviera Maya through Costco but it's fully refundable and now I'm second guessing that bc I'm not sure the beach is all that great :/ I know we'll love the food and service; we have friends that just rave about all Grand Velas resorts; they're really upscale. I do not think we'll be disappointed but I really want to feel 100% confident in my decision bc it's a decent chunk of change. 

I have these VRBOs book marked. I think the price is where we need to be since we'll have to factor in food & alcohol. 

Cayman Island

www.vrbo.com/4149285ha?adultsCount=6&arrival=2020-12-21&childrenCount=4&departure=2020-12-28

T&C

www.vrbo.com/973599?adultsCount=6&arrival=2020-12-21&childrenCount=4&departure=2020-12-28

www.vrbo.com/975511?adultsCount=6&arrival=2020-12-21&childrenCount=4&departure=2020-12-28

Jamacia

www.vrbo.com/7493331ha?adultsCount=6&arrival=2020-12-21&childrenCount=4&departure=2020-12-28

www.vrbo.com/754221?adultsCount=6&arrival=2020-12-21&childrenCount=4&departure=2020-12-28 (**this one is pretty reasonable cost wise.) 


This one is also reasonable

www.vrbo.com/1529948?adultsCount=6&arrival=2020-12-21&childrenCount=4&departure=2020-12-28

Any feedback? Anywhere else we should look? It's so much pressure lol and I just want it to be perfect  

[jamaicam]

Spring farm is a great area. I love having a villa with a family rather than an AI as I like nice family meals done by a chef rather than a big restaurant every night. The villas in that area should have good chefs but there are also a few good restaurants nearby to eat at too.

Also in Jamaica, have a look at actually staying at Half Moon. They have villas there and you can either choose to do an AI package there or have the chefs plan your meals at the villa. The advantage over there versus a regular villa is that you are straight on the beach which may appeal versus a villa overlooking the sea.

For golf in Jamaica, you are definitely better staying in the MoBay area as that's where most of the courses are. So don't look at Ocho Rios or Negril.

Let me know if you have any Ja specific questions!

[jamaicam]

Oh one random thing. I wouldn't leave a 12 year old with kids alone here, it's not really done. However, the housekeeper at villas usually lives in so would be there and if necessary, you could just give her an extra tip for being around if you want to leave the kdis for a nice meal.

[Alps79]

Thanks jamaicam! I looked into Half Moon and their villas have a 12 night minimum over Christmas and we can't swing that much time away :/

Random but not so random question- all the Jamaica houses come with a chef, housekeeper, butler etc. If we go that route, what should we expect to tip for the week? The houses are really appealing but none are very close to the beach. What is beach access like if staying in a house? Are there nice public beaches or would we need access to a resort? Thanks for steering me in the direction of Montego Bay! That's really helpful.

[jamaicam]

Feb 25, 2020 9:50:41 GMT -5 Alps79 said:

Thanks jamaicam ! I looked into Half Moon and their villas have a 12 night minimum over Christmas and we can't swing that much time away :/

Random but not so random question- all the Jamaica houses come with a chef, housekeeper, butler etc. If we go that route, what should we expect to tip for the week? The houses are really appealing but none are very close to the beach. What is beach access like if staying in a house? Are there nice public beaches or would we need access to a resort? Thanks for steering me in the direction of Montego Bay! That's really helpful.

In relation to tips, this website seems fairly accurate from my experience. 

I think most of the villas have access to a resort beach (most of Spring Hill have access to Half Moon) as part of their package. They often come with a golf cart that you can use to get down to the beach. There are nice public beaches but those are a bit further so you'd need to use the driver for that. 

One thing worth remembering with any of these countries is that nice wine isn't that cheap - so if you want to have a couple of bottles of champagne for a special dinner at the house, every adult can bring a bottle through duty free with them for that night!

[georgeglass]

We have stayed at Grand Velas Riviera Maya. It was nice - HUGE. Pool was huge and fun, but beach wasn't so hot. We had just come from Rosewood Mayakoba (next door) and had been very spoiled there, but all in all, for an all-inclusive, Grand Velas was good.

[ESF]

While I haven't been, I've heard good things about Puerta Vallarta for this sort of thing. Apparently on VRBO, there are a lot of large properties with housekeeping and chefs.