Chic resort in Punta Cana or any of the adults-only resorts in Punta Cana.

There is a direct flight from IAD to Panama City in the Republic of Panama operated by COPA airlines but it is just under 5 hours. If you stay at the new Trump hotel there you can take a ferry one of the days to an island. There are fabulous restaurants, shopping, casinos, and great nightlife.

The JW Marriott in Rio Hato is a 90-minute drive from the A/P and is a fabulous resort, but I don't think there is a casino. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ptyjw-jw-marriott-panama-golf-and-beach-resort/

There is a resort closer to the city at the Intercontinental Playa Bonita but it doesn't have a casino either.

Good luck.

Why a casino?

Bermuda cruise: then you can use the ship's casino and still go to a fabulous island!

LaConcha hotel in San Juan (also a Marriott) is much nicer and also has a casino.

Anonymous wrote:What about Bermuda?

Not the OP, but one of the criteria of the OP is that there has to be a casino. I don't think there are any open yet in Bermuda. (Although I do love the island...)

Another option is St. Maarten.

Atlantis has an adults only portion which might work.

The Marriott Stellaris in Puerto Rico is very safe. We were there with the family and the streets are very busy at night. We walked to dinner every night.

That being said we did not love the resort and would not recommend for a couples trip.

My vote would be New Orleans. Never been to the casino there so can't speak to how nice it is. Love everything else about NO.

What about Bermuda?

Bermuda? Weather in April may not be warm enough yet but the flight is easy and direct from DC and there are lots of resort options close to airport.

Re Nassau, Bahamas not sure what you want in a resort but we've been and stayed at the Compass Point hotel and really liked it (small boutique hotel). Super close to airport. Only downside is that it's kind of far from the restaurants/town. Or you could do the One and Only in Nassau, too, which is closer to the town but also way more expensive.

The direct flight parameter will be challenging. I know, I've been in your shoes.

Aruba is nice and has casinos. Not sure about the direct flight/timing concerns. Also the Dominican Republic.

You can also look into the Hard Rock resorts in Florida - both Tampa and Hollywood have casinos and hotels. I've stayed at the Hollywood, FL one before - great pool and good food options. A few minutes from the Fort Lauderdale airport. You can stay onsite the whole time if you'd like, or can head to the ocean for a change of scenery.

Thanks for the ideas so far. I forgot to mention that we're looking for more of a resort type destination, rather than a city destination. A good problem to have, but more difficult than I had anticipated
-OP

Costa Rica? Southwest flies direct from BWi, we are going soon.

New Orleans?

Secrets the Vine resort in Cancun!!

We're planning a couples trip in April for a milestone birthday. It will be us and 2 other couples. We're all mid thirties. Here are the parameters:

direct flight no more than 4 hours from DC
3 nights (which is why we don't want to travel too long)
easy to get to hotel/resort from airport
somewhere warmer than DC
must have a casino (but not Vegas or AC)
good restaurants
more of an adult atmosphere than a kid atmosphere


We've looked into the Bahamas and Puerto Rico so far. We can only find direct flights into Nassau and there aren't many hotel options that fit our needs (no Atlantis). Then we looked into San Juan, Puerto Rico and thought we had a good option in the Marriott Stellaris, but one person in our party said they don't think that area is very safe and they don't feel great about going there. So now we're trying to think of other options and can't think of many. DH and I have been to Mexico for our past few vacations and would like to try something new.

Any ideas?