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IF YOU GO
Making our escape to the sun -- and the comfort of an all-inclusive resort -- was easy. Once we decided that we wanted to look in the Puerto Vallarta area (thanks to the recommendations of friends and a Google search), we came up with some possibilities. My wife, Heidi, did most of the Web work, with plenty of input from the kids. They found Marival Grand and Club Suites through Expedia.com and it looked good compared with other resorts we browsed.
Over the next couple of weeks, I searched for travelers' reviews of the resort on the Web and found several glowing remarks on Yahoo.com. We read the warnings, too, about the hard beds and the time-share sales pitch. But much of what we found was positive and we booked the trip. We opted for a junior suite to give ourselves a bit more space.
Now, I will repeat the warning. Although we knew about the time-share pitch from reading reviews, we still got sucked in. Within minutes of our arrival by Expedia's shuttle, a resort staff member trolling the bar area just off the front desk offered to give us a tour of the resort and information about its amenities if we would just commit to a morning meeting. Ignoring what we knew was coming, we returned to the lobby on our first full day and immediately began enduring a sales pitch. After about an hour into what was supposed to be a three-hour captivity, we bolted and went searching for fun.
It was the only negative about the trip -- and the resort.
To book directly through the resort, go to www.gomarival.com.
JAMES WALSH
McCain at Lakeville South High School
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