June 10, 2004 -- Lounge on a beach in Mexico or hole up in the jungles of Belize. Pick the spot that suits your personality and go: these packages -- some include airfare as well -- are priced to move.
Cancun
ATA Vacations (800/442-8952; www.atavacations.com) is selling quick getaways in and around Cancun that bunlde roundtrip, nonstop airfare, three nights' stay, hotel taxes, airport/hotel transfers, and your choice of a "Kids Stay Free" offer or up to $120 savings per couple. Since it's ATA, the best prices are for departures of its twin hub cities of Chicago and Indianapolis. Fly out of Indy on Wednesdays through June 30 and stay at the Riu Caribe starting from $629, or out of Chicago through June 28 starting from $639. (These prices reflect a $120 discount.) If you want to stay at the Sun Palace in Cancun, prices out of Indianapolis begin at $804 and from Chicago at $809, and that offer lasts through December 15 or 13, respectively. (These prices reflect a $60 savings.)
This fall, vacations to Cancun at the all-inclusive Caribe Real Resort & Spa begin at $529 from Indianapolis (Wednesday departures, September 8 through December 15), or at $534 from Chicago (Monday departures, September 6 through December 13).
You can go to the Mayan Riviera just south of Cancun instead, with lodging at the Iberostar Paraiso Beach or Iberostar Quetzal, prices beginning at $619 out of Indianapolis (departures and dates as for Caribe Real above). The prices don't include airport security fees and taxes and are per person, double occupancy.
South of South of the Border into Belize
Check out this "Green Season" discount of 40% off peak prices at the Jaguar Reef Lodge (800/289-5756; www.jaguarreef.com); charges start at $149 per person for the cabanas through December 14. The Jaguar Reef is located on over 300 acres of jaguar habitat, just a short drive from the world's first jaguar preserve, yet boasting that it is sited on seven miles of sandy beach on the Caribbean coast, with great diving and snorkeling on the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. The lodge recently acquired a private 20-acre island, Coco Plum Cay, just 30 minutes' boat ride away, where guests can stay in one of five beachfront cabanas, if they wish.
Mexico's West Coast
Pleasant Holidays (800/742-9244, www.pleasantholidays.com) has several deals for points along these gorgeous shores. They have an air-inclusive holiday to the all-inclusive Karmina Palace All-Suite, All-Inclusive Resort in Manzanillo (that's the real name, the owners wanting you to be sure that everything is, well, all-inclusive). From now through December 22, single parents traveling with two kids can have children aged 12 and younger stay, play and eat free. Four-night holidays start at $1,218 per adults, and $441 per child. If you wish, you can take advantage of a land-only deal from July 1 through August 22, which gives you four nights, starting from $587 per person, making a savings of $228 per couple, they say. You get the airport/hotel transfers, lodging, all meals, beverages and activities, all hotel taxes and surcharges, and more. The Karmina Palace has eight pools and a private beach with many water sports, as well as three restaurants, snack bar and five lounges.
Pleasant also has four-night, land-only, holidays in Los Cabos starting at $612 per person and seven-night stays beginning at $1,197 to the Dreams Los Cabos Suites, Golf Resort & Spa, from now through December 23. (This place used to be called the Melia Los Cabos, but lately, resorts everywhere seem to want long-winded names to be sure everyone understands what all the attractions are -- it's like menus in the 90's that didn't name the dish, but instead listed every ingredient.)
The same firm also has a deal offering free nights (stay three nights, get the fourth night free) in two of Ixtapa's best resorts, the Radisson and the NH Krystal, with rates for four-night, land-only, packages starting at $177 per person at the former, $144 at the latter. Travel dates at the Radisson run through June 30 and again from September 1 through November 15. Dates for the Krystal are through December 17. To qualify for the free night savings, you must book by June 30.