Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ritz in St. Thomas is nice. So is Caneel Bay on St. John. Can't you get a direct flight to Grand Cayman from national or Dulles in winter?

Ummm...I would love to see how many thousand dollars the difference is between those options and a Riviera Maya all-inclusive ...

Um, OP is staying at the Rosewood. Look it up. Not an inxpensive place and it's world-class.

I can do a week-long vacation for three to the Mexican Riviera (IAD to CUN direct) at accommodations on the beach and world-class food / variety for 3K. Doubt you could get as cheaply elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Anonymous wrote:Ritz in St. Thomas is nice. So is Caneel Bay on St. John. Can't you get a direct flight to Grand Cayman from national or Dulles in winter?

Ummm...I would love to see how many thousand dollars the difference is between those options and a Riviera Maya all-inclusive ...

Anonymous wrote:Have never been to Mexico. Is it that much better than Florida beaches, Bermuda, Marco Island, etc.? Or just cheaper? Don't understand the allure. Thx.

Cheaper, and much more reliably warm. We sat on Florida beaches in sweatshirts a few too many times, and finally decided to do Mexico. Great choice.

Ritz in St. Thomas is nice. So is Caneel Bay on St. John. Can't you get a direct flight to Grand Cayman from national or Dulles in winter?

I had this booked last year, OP, and cancelled. Our friends, who travel extensively, wouldn't go after their friend who works in international issues at DOJ said he would never go there right now. We did Four Seasons Nevis instead.
Pain to get to, but great.
Or what about the Aruba Ritz?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have never been to Mexico. Is it that much better than Florida beaches, Bermuda, Marco Island, etc.? Or just cheaper? Don't understand the allure. Thx.

Depending on when you go, it's warmer than all of those places. We wanted to go somewhere warm at Christmas, and Mexico was one of the only places we could get to easily (non stop flight) where it was guaranteed warm. It is also cheaper than islands in the Caribbean.

OP here. It is warmer than Florida during the winter and our choices of direct flights from DC are limited. We have already been to Puerto Rico, Aruba, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas with the kids. We did Beaches Turks and Caicos with a stopover and I vowed never to fly non-direct again. Rosewood is not cheap. Their cheapest room turns out to be about $1000 per night. I have heard glowing reviews about this place. http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/mayakoba-riviera-maya

Anonymous wrote:Have never been to Mexico. Is it that much better than Florida beaches, Bermuda, Marco Island, etc.? Or just cheaper? Don't understand the allure. Thx.

Depending on when you go, it's warmer than all of those places. We wanted to go somewhere warm at Christmas, and Mexico was one of the only places we could get to easily (non stop flight) where it was guaranteed warm. It is also cheaper than islands in the Caribbean.

Have never been to Mexico. Is it that much better than Florida beaches, Bermuda, Marco Island, etc.? Or just cheaper? Don't understand the allure. Thx.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Google Mexico Vacation Awareness.

That site links to the US Department of State website which indicates "Quintana Roo: Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum are major cities/travel destinations in Quintana Roo - No advisory is in effect."

It's safe. Just as safe as going into DC as a tourist. Don't be dumb and you will be fine. Not even a need to "stay on the resort" like you do in Jamaica. I've rented a car and have driven to Tulum even.

+1 We have been all up and down the Yucutan without staying at any resorts. We were staying at beaches though, so obviously more touristy than say a random inland neighborhood.

The peninsula is safer statistically than huge swaths of the US! Would you cancel a weekend trip to Chicago, because the murder rate there has become untenable. Also, a lot of Caribbean resorts that don't get the knee jerk reaction that Mexico gets are in more 'dangerous' areas.

Anonymous wrote:Cancun is basically an American colony at this point. I wouldn't worry at all about safety. Enjoy!

Agree. You barely even hear any Spanish! We've gone the past two Christmases and have felt safe both times.

Cancun is basically an American colony at this point. I wouldn't worry at all about safety. Enjoy!

Anonymous wrote:very safe

we went last year in april.

driving from Iberostar to airport we did pass soldiers with machine guns on side of highway.

That's just the Mexican police. They are everywhere.

That site actually links to personal accounts of tourists who died at popular resorts in Mexico. Some crime related, and others were horrific accidents (balcony collapse, tween getting sucked into a pool vent) pointing to the fact that poorly regulated and inspected facilities can be dangerous.

We were there in July (last month) and felt very safe. Get a reputable company like Cancun Transfers to pick you up at the airport and drop you to the resort. Enjoy.