Priceline Hotel: Cancun over 11/7/09 weekend

[mattsmith321]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some help in getting a 4 night trip for two booked to Cancun (from Austin, TX) around the weekend of 11/7. I can actually push anywhere from Wed-Sun, Thu-Mon, or Fri-Tue if it might help. Maybe could even push a Sun-Thu if the savings were there. Also, can leave out of Houston pretty easily if it might also help on the price.

Budget? Nothing set. Just looking for the best bang for the buck.

All-inclusive? Don't know. First trip like this. Help me decide.

I am posting on the PriceLine forum because I have used PL before but I see that the HW forum is more active for Mexico. I can go either way as long as someone gives me some guidance. One concern is that the hotel names on PL look more familiar than the ones on HW when referencing the top 20 on TripAdvisor.

Looking for something on the beach in the 4*-5* range.

And a couple of quick questions to tag on (but feel free to tell me that I should separate them into another post):

- Is booking air & hotel at the same time an option or should I bid separately?

- Is going this route (PL/HW) better than a travel package through Costco?

- Is there any way to use an America PRICELINE EXPRESS Getaway Destination card for this?

Thanks in advance!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Airfare is likely going to fluctuate more than hotel so i'd start by searching for airfare on its own for your dates and see if prices, schedule, etc are constant or if any days are cheaper than others... then begin your hotel search for the days that work best (if there is a difference, which may likely be the case).

All-inclusive proerties tend to be bit larger so it depends upon what it is that you're looking for... the food is often not as good (a negative for me) but the postiives are that you have a better idea of your costs beforehand, drinks are included, many activities are included as well. How important is food quality to you and how much do you drink? (rhetorical, but two of the major issues that often play a factor in my decision making to go all-inclusive or not)

In addition to checking airfare for particular dates, you should also check prices of package deals and what you can get thru other suppliers. Usually booking airfare on its own and then using the PRICELINE or HOTWIRE for the hotel portino of your stay works out cheaper than a package, but by doing your homework beforehand you then you know your "price to beat".

I'm not familiar with the Amex Destination Card so can't comment on that question.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[mattsmith321]

Just to wrap this up: I ended up going with Costco Travel. I have never been to Cancun and when I was looking at hotels on TripAdvisor, I started leaning toward a couple of options. I was concerned with going the PL/HW route that I wouldn't get exactly what I wanted. And, I also wanted specific flight times and durations. I was able to get exactly what I wanted on Costco Travel plus a couple of other things thrown in (airport transportation, day trip, etc.) so I am happy.

Also, I ended up not going with the all-inclusive option. The more I thought about it, I just didn't want to spend the entire time bloated and drunk/hung-over, which is what I would do if I went that route. You know the "I paid for it so I might as well eat/drink as much as I can" phenomenon. Plus, if all goes well there will be future trips to similar locations and I can vary those up: all-inclusive, small private location, etc.

In the future, when I have a little bit more flexibility, I will come back to PL/HW.

Thanks for the assistance!

[AaronJB]

Thanks for closing out the thread. Enjoy your stay.