Looking to take the family on a well overdue warm winter vacation this winter.
Wants:
All inclusive so we don’t have to worry about finding restaurants/grocery shopping/cooking/etc
On the ocean
Charter fishing available in the area
Not spend a fortune
Any recommendations??
I’d love to go to the Florida Keys, but open to anywhere on the Gulf
If you want Warm weather and all inclusive your best bet is Mexico. Florida and especially other states on the gulf are not guaranteed to be warm especially in January and February. Cancun area and Puerto Vallarta would be likely choices. Warm weather and warm water. If you go somewhere in the states make sure the pool is heated.
Not many all inclusive in the States. Mexico is your best bet. A few years back went to Cancun and did some inshore fishing. Caught barracuda and hooked into a tarpon on 12 lb test equipment. I would do that again.
I went to Key West in March of 2018 for a 3 day saltwater fishing trip and it was awesome. I would go again. I would not want to get stuck in Mexico with a bad case of COVID though. Mexican health care is some of the worst out there, if you can even find it.
Also, I would check the State Departments travel advisory website. Some areas of Mexico are completely off limits to Americans, which include some popular vacation areas.
Went to Puerto Vallerta a few years ago and stayed at the Ryu resorts I believe. Great service, rooms, and food. Nice beaches and GREAT excursions. Also we had one of the best charter trips I’ve ever had. Did an 8 hr and caught 6 Dorado, and a bunch of big bonita. AND saw a ton of dolphins. Great trip.
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The Florida Keys is a ton of fun. Great fishing too.
Cabo is hands down my favorite vacation location, amazing all inclusive resorts. Dynamite food and restaurants. Fishing is great too, no shortage of guides and charters. I can’t wait to get back over there but it won’t be this year.
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Best bet for all inclusive is Mexico. Look up East Cape Resorts outside of Cabo. Off the beaten path and great, inexpensive fishing. They have an office in maple grove so it’s easy to book. Winter fishing can be dicey if the north winds blows though.
Love the Keys but it can be cold in February and March. The fishing can be tough as it’s usually in shore stuff. Look in the islamorada area but I don’t think you’ll find all inclusive.
My bet would be Puerto Rico. All kinds of fishing opps. There are all inclusive places outside of San Juan. If you stay in San Juan you can do air bnb for relatively cheap.
I’ve stayed in all three places a few times. If you want some more details PM me.
Another +1 for Mexico for all inclusives.
Personally, I prefer the resorts in Playa del Carmen just south of Cancun and after about 12-15 visits, here’s why.
– Close to Cancun airport, which is already south of the city itself. Most resorts are less than an hour at most from the airport and it’s usually an inexpensive shuttle or taxi ride.
– Easy flights. Mrs Grouse travels for work, so for vacation, she does not like stops or long layovers. Cancun is an easy one to find good flights to and at worst there is a minimal stop.
– Variety. Everything from high end to mid-market, mega-resorts, small resorts, family resorts, etc, etc, etc.
– Quality. To be honest, in over a dozen visits to 10+ resorts, I’ve never had one that I wouldn’t go back to. Any small issues we’ve had are quickly cleared up with a polite mention and a small tip. In fact, I have noted to friends before, that magically there seem to be NO issues if you tip starting at the beginning of your stay.
– If anything, the food has been too good. I’ve almost done myself in several times over because I have zero willpower when presented with easy access to eats.
Grouse
My wife and I were in the Keys just as the governor started closing down the state. Everybody there was completely indifferent. We had a blast there.
If you want Warm weather and all inclusive your best bet is Mexico. Florida and especially other states on the gulf are not guaranteed to be warm especially in January and February. Cancun area and Puerto Vallarta would be likely choices. Warm weather and warm water. If you go somewhere in the states make sure the pool is heated.
X2. If you want warm and all-inclusive not sure you’ll find that in the states
South Florida is great, but more expensive, especially for a longer stay
This year we are booking a condo for a month in the panhandle. Won’t be hot but very economical and our place does have heated outdoor pool and hot tub for the kids
I’ve been to the Cancun Peninsula and Puerto Vallarta there nice but nothing comes close to Cabo.
my kids and grand kids are in mexico now and said its safer than at home,were there over thanksgiving and back now again. resort is at only 30% and they are really keeping it clean
Another vote for Cabo with Playa del Carmen a close second. If you can get in and out of Mexico. Like others have said not much for all inclusive in the U.S. and no guarantee of warm temps in the southern states in Jan. and Feb. Cabo will have more options in the lower price ranges and we had better luck fishing there than Playa del Carmen.
My wife and I spend January in South Padre and mid 70’s is the highest temps we usually see there.
We did a VRBO last year out of the Florida Keys. Best vacation we have had in years. On the Ocean, Fishing out of Key west and it was a blast
! I personally would not go to Florida this year because its a Covid Hotbed!
Another vote here for puerto rico. No passport, dollar currency, and cheap fishing opportunities. If you can make it over to vieques, rent a 4×4 and explore the islands beaches. Also check out an El Yunque rainforest tour, you traverese about 1500 vert down a river by repelling waterfalls, clif jumping, and wading your way to the pickup point. Think rockclimbing downhill in a rainforest.
I was in the keys once and it was so cold we needed to use the room heater which had so much dust buildup from not being used it set off the smoke alarm. I had to layer regular clothing just to fish and the fishing turns completely off when it’s cold there. It was really weird. Guide thought I should be used to the cold. I told him I was with the right clothing!!
Little farther south of Cancun, but Belize. Beautiful country, fairly cheap, English speaking, super friendly locals
Thanks for the recommendations and advice so far guys! Please keep it coming.
Looking harder at the Cabo San Lucas area, any more info for that area is greatly appreciated.
We’ll be shooting for the first or second week in March
Captain Jamie was amazing.
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If you can get away from the all inclusive idea you would be better off. If you count in fishing, scenery and things to do Costa Rica blows Mexico away. The winds in Mexico at that time are not fishing friendly. Costa Rica offers flat calm always sunny weather January through March. The fishing is at it peak during that time and in Mexico and Cabo it is not. Flights to Costa Rica should be cheaper than Cabo by quite a bit for a nonstop.
We have been to over 20 AI resorts all over the Carrabin, Mexico, and Central America. We have see some incredible resorts and rarely anything less than excellent. We never go back to the same place because we like different experiences. EXCEPT for the Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall in Montego Bay Jamaica. We have been there three times. I can not recommend it more!!! The best fishing I have had was in Ixtapa Mexico. There is a little fishing village next door called Zihuatanejo. It is where Andy tells Red to meet him at the end of Shaw Shank Redemption. Great sail fishing!
If you’d consider something a little different than a resort but still have all your requirements, a cruise would be a good option. Allows you to see a few different places for ideas for your next trip. Always have something going on to keep the kids entertained. I went on my first a few winters ago, departed from Galveston and made a few stops along the Mexican coast, including Cancun where I was able to go deep sea fishing. We pulled a few mahi mahi in a few hours. If you’ve never been it may be something to consider.
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I’ve been to the Cancun Peninsula and Puerto Vallarta there nice but nothing comes close to Cabo.
100 percent agree with this.
My advice is no matter where you end up going, bring a rod and some tackle with so you can fish from the beach. AI’s aren’t really my taste, but I’ve done a couple and just stayed at one south of Cancun this fall for a buddy’s wedding.
So I brought a $15 telescoping rod with a handful of jigs and plastics in my carry-on and ended up spending a few hours each day fishing off the resort beach (the resort told me no fishing when I asked before going but no one actually at the resort cared). It was an absolute riot – I kept a few fish for the workers and they hooked me up with a kayak to fish from the last couple days. I ended up catching like 6 different species anywhere from 8″ up to 8 lbs and one of the resort restaurants even cooked a couple of the bigger jacks I caught.
Only downfall was catching drag ripping blue-water fish in my swim trunks made me a lot less excited for ice fishing. There’s something about spotting and casting at fish that’s more satisfying than going for a charter boat ride and reeling a fish in when it’s your turn – not that you can’t do both. It’s just another [low/no cost] option and I think your kids would love it!
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Puerto Rico x3, for all the reasons already stated. If you’re not married to an All-Inclusive I’d look for an AirBnB on Condado Beach, San Juan. Tons of awesome restaurants and food/liquor store options within walking distance. Pic attached is from our AirBnB that was like $110/night last spring.
If you are locked into an All-Inclusive, it’s tough to beat the Dominican Republic. Amazing beaches, great food and fishing.
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If you are locked into an All-Inclusive, it’s tough to beat the Dominican Republic. Amazing beaches, great food and fishing
I would agree the DR has good AI resorts.
The problem is that so many DR flights go through the worst airport south of the Mason Dixon line–Atlanta. Atlanta is the only airport in the developed world that seems to be surprised by every flight that arrives. As if they never saw it coming. Customs and immigration takes forever, baggage takes forever. Everything in Atlanta takes at least double the time of anywhere else. Avoid Atlanta if at all possible.
Grouse
Grouse, I notice you favor Playa Del Carmen… have you ever stayed on Cozumel ? We have stayed at Iberostar, Allegro and El Cozumeleno on Cozumel and rank them in the order posted. We take the ferry over to Playa for a day, which is a fun day, but rather stay on the Island for the whole trip. Just curious if you have tried Cozumel yet ? And yeah, the DR is awesome, we had a fricken butler !!! 
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