Twice we visited, on a golf package, Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, an upscale resort. It's so large, that there is a recreated 17th c. village so there was a wide choice of restaurants to choose from. The resort is on 7000 acres of prime land with pools, beaches, tennis courts, shops, polo grounds, a shuttle service, and a private airport. We went into La Romana once and then didn't bother leaving the resort at all. Of course, we golfed every day.

In St. Lucia, we stayed at Anse Chastenet. This is an extraordinary place, on 600 acres with rooms nestled in the hills. It is very secluded with a private road leading to the resort. No air conditioning, just the tradewinds to cool the rooms. There are two private beaches; this is a prime scuba destination. There is only one restaurant so we ventured into Soufriere occasionally for dinner.

In Barbados, we went on a December Barbados Marathon package and stayed at Sam Lord's. We generally ate at the resort for breakfast and dinner and explored the island during the day eating wherever we found an attrative restaurant.

On a more modest note, we stayed at Club Caribbean in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. This resort has cabins spread throughout the property, again with no air conditioning but we found it wasn't necessary. We ventured more widely during the day in Jamaica but ate dinners at the resort, primarily because we didn't want to travel at night. Security can be an issue in Jamaica.

All inclusives can be very attractive if you want a sport-related vacation where the packages include green fees, scuba dives, etc. or if you want seclusion. One thing to check out is whether the resort is a party place. This can be a shocker if you want quiet. Lucy, Toronto