Quote Originally Posted by TandJ View Post
Wow - lots of good feed back! Thank you all!

Back to price though - last year, we paid $1955 Canadian for 10 days at RPTB. That included airfair. So, roughly $200 / day for EVERYTHING. I just can't seem to find a non-AI that can beat it.

As for the experience, yes - the best time we had was just beach-bumming on the long stretch.
So that was $2000 per person, correct? If you paid $1955 for both of you, that is incredibly cheap.

Airfare is a big factor and your proximity to a major airport. What month did you go? September and October seem to be the cheapest months, as it's the slowest.

From Saskatchewan, I've paid just over $1000 pp for flight in Feb; $845 last Nov; $725 in April; and $593 for this coming Nov.

My upcoming Nov trip, I got a deluxe room on Booking.com at Coco for $74/night, tax in, for 6 nights and Mirage @ $80/night, tax in for 3 nights. So, including shared transfer with Clives @ $60 return and a $50/day budget for food/drinks for one, I'm paying just under $200/night for everything (flight included). It's expensive to travel from Saskatchewan. I could save sometimes a couple of hundred bucks booking the limited non AI choices of air/hotel packages on Expedia, etc., but hotel choices are very limited, and sometimes the good flight times are not available. I'd rather pay a couple of hundred dollars more per trip not have to do 3 connections with red eye flights, etc. and be able to choose from more than 3 hotels. Don't get me started on single supplement costs. As soon as you punch in that you're a solo traveler, that advertised price soars on packages, AI or not.

Sure, I could probably find an AI stay for the same cost ($200/night). But after having experienced non AI in Negril, I think I would hate being cooped up at an AI. And I just don't have the budget to pay for things twice (food and drinks, when going off AI resort), and I'd be bored sitting around at a resort everyday. I don't want to play games around a pool everyday, I want to experience some of the country I'm visiting. I don't think your RPTB price would be available from Saskatoon, I'd probably be getting Fun Holiday for that price. I'd much rather stay where I want to stay, buy my own bottle for my room, than stay somewhere just because the food and drinks are included. It also depends alot on if you use all the other activities that are included. I know people who like to scuba daily, so when they stay somewhere that includes scuba, it makes it worth it. Your average traveler who goes to relax on the beach, eat and have a few drinks, most often the AI costs more. (unless you're buying champagne, imported alcohol etc. - I buy some red stripe, rum cream and coco mania rum, $11 for 33 oz, cheap!)