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Forget AZ, considering going to the Bahamas instead.

Started by GolfNut57, January 25, 2018, 11:39:38 am

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GolfNut57

After careful thought, and seeing that there would be way too much stuff to do and see in  just 3-4 days when traveling to AZ for vacation I have decided that such a trip needs to be put off a couple years until I retire. That way I can take all the time I need to go see all the different things there are in AZ such as the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley, Tombstone, etc etc....


Now that of course leads me to a whole new set of questions. I have already found out such a trip to the Bahamas requires passports and to ensure planning goes the easiest I am going to use a Travel Agency because there are a hundred details that I have no idea about that those people are paid to know. One such agency that I have already consulted has told me that an all-inclusive trip for two would run $3500. That would pay all expenses on the trip including meals, drinks, and even my golf. (Not for souvenirs though of course) If I want the non-inclusive which just covers the airfare, accommodations and transportation to and from the airport to the resort I would be looking at $2800.

Are those prices reasonable? I figure if I am going to do what could be looked at as a once in a lifetime trip I might as well go with the all-inclusive because.....what's $700 dollars more at that point. And once I would get to the Bahamas, what all is there to do besides golf for me and the beach for the wife? What sights are there worth going to see?

Thanks for any advice.
"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." Arnold Palmer.

bennyl08

Quote from: GolfNut57 on January 25, 2018, 11:39:38 am
After careful thought, and seeing that there would be way too much stuff to do and see in  just 3-4 days when traveling to AZ for vacation I have decided that such a trip needs to be put off a couple years until I retire. That way I can take all the time I need to go see all the different things there are in AZ such as the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley, Tombstone, etc etc....


Now that of course leads me to a whole new set of questions. I have already found out such a trip to the Bahamas requires passports and to ensure planning goes the easiest I am going to use a Travel Agency because there are a hundred details that I have no idea about that those people are paid to know. One such agency that I have already consulted has told me that an all-inclusive trip for two would run $3500. That would pay all expenses on the trip including meals, drinks, and even my golf. (Not for souvenirs though of course) If I want the non-inclusive which just covers the airfare, accommodations and transportation to and from the airport to the resort I would be looking at $2800.

Are those prices reasonable? I figure if I am going to do what could be looked at as a once in a lifetime trip I might as well go with the all-inclusive because.....what's $700 dollars more at that point. And once I would get to the Bahamas, what all is there to do besides golf for me and the beach for the wife? What sights are there worth going to see?

Thanks for any advice.

Depends on where you are in the Bahamas. There's kayaking, snorkling, scuba diving, hiking, a national park, a lot of different islands to boat/sail to.

Depends on what activities you like to do as well. What's your ideal vacation? Drinking fine drinks all day, eating good food, and sitting around a beach and not doing much? If that's what you prefer, then do you think you can eat and drink and golf 700 dollars in those 3-4 days or however long you will be there? Is there a town nearby that you can go to that isn't part of the all inclusive aspect? Do you want to go to that town?

Answers to those questions are generally left up to the individual.

I'd be the type to rent a boat, buy 50 bucks of food at a local place (which would probably actually just run me 15 bucks given how much cheaper things can be), and go camp on different islands and snorkel and scuba dive off on my own/whoever I'm vacationing with. But I'm frugal and prefer the outdoors and adventure to luxury.

My dad has done some all inclusives in puerto vallarta and I think somewhere else in mexico and had a great time, though he'll also put on a brave face and backpack with me a few nights up in Denali and have fun too. Given what you hope to do in Arizona, sounds like you are o a similar type.

If having some days of pampering in the Carribbean sounds like your cup of tea, then I say go for it. You could probably get the same food, drink, golf, and beach for at most a quarter of the price if you avoid the resort, but I understand that there's also a value of not having to worry about it at all. If you think you'll consume 500 bucks of food, drink, golf, and whatever else is included, then even though you'd save 200 bucks by not doing the all inclusive, maybe the having no stress is worth that 200 bucks. You won't have to worry about whether or not it would have been cheaper to go all inclusive and you can focus on relaxing. Me, I could see myself stressing that I'm not using that inclusivity as much as I should be, which is why it all comes down to what you and your wife wants.
Quote from: PorkSoda on May 05, 2016, 09:24:05 pm
damn I thought it was only a color, didn't realize it was named after a liqueur. leave it to benny to make me research the history of chartreuse

 

GolfNut57

Thanks for the reply. Basically when I go on vacation I usually plan on golfing at different courses as much as possible. If things go the way I would plan we would be there for 9 nights. Arrive on a Tuesday night and leave 9 days later on Thursday to fly back to Arkansas.
    My wife usually just likes laying out by the pool and/or beach when we go to Daytona and I imagine there things wouldn't be much different. But, since we have never been there I don't know if there is a historical part of town that is worth going to sight see on or whatnot. I do think we would like to go looking at the shops and things of that nature while there. I was told by the travel agent that we would be at a resort on the island of Paradise/Nassau or something along those lines.
   I have always thought about doing some snorkeling and with the clear water there I might give that a try. As far as Island hopping I was told I could do that but at an added cost. We are not into the drinking scene so it isn't like we would get our moneys worth on liquor. I was told by the agent that the spa is included in the fees so I am sure my wife would go for some pampering such as a massage.
   Overall I doubt that we would use up $700 dollars to make it justified on that end but since I would more likely forget certain things and this is a one time deal to me it is worth the peace of mind to do the all-inclusive route. And knowing that we are spending the extra money I would do my best to make sure we got as much of our moneys worth as possible.

P.S. The reason AZ was only going to net me 3-4 days to do stuff there was because to 2 days driving time each way there and back. In the case with the Bahamas we would fly out on a morning flight and be there that night, thereby giving a lot more time to enjoy the destination.
"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." Arnold Palmer.

onebadrubi

There are hundreds of options for all inclusive.  Food is usuall not as good and drinks can sometimes be a little watered down, but that's having to nit pick.  You could spend a week reading on them and still not have a place picked out.  I'd recommend thinking what's most important and search that way.  So if golf is what matters most, go with a higher end golf resort like the one just played by web.com, memory I think it was abaca or abaco? 

GolfNut57

Quote from: onebadrubi on January 26, 2018, 06:35:21 am
There are hundreds of options for all inclusive.  Food is usuall not as good and drinks can sometimes be a little watered down, but that's having to nit pick.  You could spend a week reading on them and still not have a place picked out.  I'd recommend thinking what's most important and search that way.  So if golf is what matters most, go with a higher end golf resort like the one just played by web.com, memory I think it was abaca or abaco?

There's an idea worth  looking into. Thanks. This week the LPGA is playing their Bahamas Pure Silk event and it is on the Nassau/Paradise island at the Ocean Club. From what I have seen of that event it is a excellent course. The one you are referring to is called Abacos. I will be sure and check that out. I am also assuming that different travel agencies will quote you different prices for the same trip so I am going to check 2-3 different ones and see if that is true or if they are all pretty much the same.
"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." Arnold Palmer.

GolfNut57

whoooo weeeee......I have checked at least 6 of the resort type hotels in the Bahamas and on every one of them each has more than enough bad reviews to make one uncomfortable in making reservations there. Especially when it is all inclusive.

Now I get that every place you might check will have a couple bad reviews here and there. Somewhere along the lines of 5-10% of them is an expected and acceptable ratio in my book. But the places I have looked into are all running in the range of 20-25% in ratio of bad reviews. Issues with plumbing being bad, room conditions and/or service being way unsuitable when one is paying anywhere from $250 to $400+ per night or the food in the hotel restaurants being outright bad.

Common consensus on most of the bad reviews from such places is that when it is all inclusive the hotels and staffs already have your money before you ever arrive on scene so while they will try to make your stay enjoyable they really don't give a crap if you leave with a bad taste in your mouth or not. They have gotten their money. And the last thing I want is a vacation in hell where I am stuck with it because I am on the island and have already paid the money when this is going to be a once in a lifetime type trip for me and the wife. Not like you can just tell them that you will take your business down the street here.

I really hate this because the views of the white sand beaches, the crystal clear blue ocean water and other things all sound like they would be awesome and is definitely something worth spending a couple thousand on to go see and do.

So the question is.......what would I need to do to make sure I don't get stuck in the Hotel from hell? Tips and or advice on this matter? Thanks.
"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." Arnold Palmer.

flynhog

Freeport and Nassau are very much like south Florida.   Look at Rock Sound, Eluthera.  Or Fresh Creek, Andros.    Don't try to go cheap.  Go someplace that requires you to get in a little plane out of Nassau or  Grand Turk. 
Wins are the only things that matter when the game ends.  The mistakes that happen in the game are corrected by good coaching during the week. A season of near losses means you won every game.

HighcountryHog

Quote from: flynhog on February 09, 2018, 09:20:24 am
Go someplace that requires you to get in a little plane out of Nassau or  Grand Turk. 

What this person said.  Exumas and Abacos are good if you're into boats.  Exumas are deserted and have amazing beaches. Tropic of Cancer Beach is one of my favorites.  Exuma is lacking in restaurants and activity, so if that's your thing I'd look more at the Abacos.  You drive around on golf carts there.  It's easy to jump between all the different cays.  Tahiti Beach is good there.  There's definitely more going on at Abacos than Exumas.  You'll really want a boat to have the full experience.
no bumps, no fat chicks

Hogswarts

I personally think if you are looking for a beach vacation, all inclusives are definitely the way to go. It just takes the stress out of having to plan for anything, total relaxation. You can lay on the beach all day or go on an excursion without having to wonder what's for dinner. You just simply walk into one of the several restaurants on the property and order whatever you want.

We really like the Akumal/Playa del Carmen region of Mexico. Beautiful beaches and water and plenty of excursions to do outside the resort if you want. Although I'm not too big into golf myself, there are plenty of courses to enjoy as well. Tripadvisor is a great resource and has helped us out in the past.
I can assure you, the resorts you encounter there, if you don't go cheap, will be as nice as anywhere else. We haven't been disappointed yet.