Q I want to bring my family to an all-inclusive resort during spring break, but don't want to hassle with getting expedited passports. Any suggestions?
A You definitely have options, especially because you can travel to United States territories, such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a certified copy of your birth certificate or adoption papers.
Travel reporter Jim Buchta, just back from Orlando and Puerto Rico, shared a few ideas from those locales. Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando "functions much like an all-inclusive because many of its lodging packages include meals at nearly 10 on-site restaurants and lounges," and it has two top-notch water parks. Also, the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico, which sometimes offers all-inclusive packages, is close to Old San Juan, "but has its own beach, a kids pool and other amenities that will make you feel far, far away," he reports.
Renata Faeth of AAAMinneapolis recommends three resorts on the island of St. Thomas (one of the U.S. Virgin Islands) that offer all-inclusive deals: Frenchman's Reef, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort and Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort, which has kayaking, snorkeling, mini-golf and a kids club.
I found only one truly all-inclusive mainland option: Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The family-friendly Club Med has golfing, a half-pipe skate park and beach volleyball but no ocean (its beach is on a river; the Atlantic a 20-minute drive away).
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