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Permalink Reply by James Scott on May 12, 2008 at 8:46am

Negril is a gret destination. I also like Playa del Carmen in Mexico, but I think I favor that destination mainly because I know of a small hotel with a rooftop room that I have stayed in. My wife and I went to Playa del Carmen without a hotel reservation and looked at about four hotels before we found the rooftop room with a private balcony we spent a lot of time on.

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Permalink Reply by Tom McCann on June 12, 2008 at 10:28pm

Good job finding the perfect hotel room in Playa.

Your strategy works in some cities and doesn't work so well in other places.

I wouldn't go to Cancun without a reservation.

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Permalink Reply by Willie on July 16, 2008 at 11:03am

I've been thinking about going to the beach area south of Cancun.
Playa del Carmen was one place I was looking into.
Any chance you want to share your secret rooftop hotel name and location?
Sounds like you found a good spot.

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Permalink Reply by James Scott on December 18, 2008 at 2:48pm

Sorry Willie, I honestly don't remember what the hotel was called. I think it had Dolphin in the name, but I'm not sure. It was on the main tourist road one block up from the beach. It has a swimsuit/surf shop on the first floor.

If you go to Playa del Carmen, I highly recommend going without a reservation and looking at rooms before you decide where to stay. It can be a little hectic and time consuming, but it really paid off for us as we found the rooftop room and had a great week.

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Permalink Reply by Willie on August 31, 2009 at 6:14am

Thanks for your suggestions and for trying to remember the hotel.

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Permalink Reply by Tom McCann on July 21, 2009 at 4:35pm

For me, I think my top warm weather destination is Maui.

I spent a couple of weeks on Maui a few years ago and really enjoyed it.

I liked both the beaches on the west side of the island and also the lush vegetation and waterfalls on the east side fo the island. The ride on the road to Hana was worth the trip itself since it had so many things to see with crazy twists and turns and beautiful views. There is a state park just a few miles east of Hana that has cabins you can rent (in advance) and a black sand beach.

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Permalink Reply by James Scott on May 20, 2010 at 9:15pm

I've been to Maui and while I enjoyed it, I don't think it is worth the extra hours of flight time compared to going to the Caribbean or Mexico - at least from my location.

It was a dream to go to Hawaii some day (because it is always presented as a dream), but I don't think I will go back. I would rather go to a Caribbean island.

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