Details: Cancun, Mexico

THE PROPERTY: Golden Parnassus Resort, Blvd. Kukulcan km 14.5 Retorno, San Miguelito No. 37, Zona Hotelera, 011-52-998-848-7550.

HOW I BOOKED: After researching different resorts on such sites as Trip Advisor ( http://www.tripadvisor.com), I went to the Web site of Apple Vacations (800-517-2000, http://www.applevacations.com), where I found the Golden Parnassus for $897.44, including taxes, single supplement and airfare. Before booking, I called the resort to see what the per-night rate would be if I booked a la carte, and checked the USA 3000 Web site ( http://www.usa3000.com) for airfares; the Apple package was about $150 less expensive and included hotel transfers.

When I tried to book online, the Apple site stubbornly insisted that the flights available a half-hour earlier were sold out. I called the 800 number and purchased the package in about 20 minutes, and it took that long only because the Apple reservationist was having the same computer problems I encountered.

WHAT WAS INCLUDED: Three nights' lodging; airport transfers; unlimited drinks; three meals a day, including room service and 24-7 snack bar; gratuities; in-room safe; indoor mini-golf; activities such as beach and pool volleyball, Spanish lessons, aqua-aerobics and yoga; casino nights and special shows in the Beer Garden; use of the gym, tennis court and pool tables; and bicycle and shopping tours of the area. A free shuttle is offered to the Great Parnassus, its sister resort, where guests can use all the facilities, including the restaurants, bars and pools.

WHAT WASN'T: Internet ($2 for 10 minutes), bottles of wine, laundry and dry cleaning, excursions and spa services (massages from $100 for 50 minutes).

EXCURSIONS: Cancun may be one of the party capitals of the Caribbean, but it's also within a two-hour drive of one of the New Wonders of the World. So I opted for Chichen Itza over such boozy diversions as the Party Hopper Tour (seven hours of pub-crawling) and the Caribbean Carnival excursion, a "crazy night of fun, music and dancing!" For $70, the Mayan Zip Line tour -- which included a flight through the forest canopy on a rope -- looked like fun, but I wanted my spouse to be there to see me if I fell.

The $84 Chichen Itza Plus excursion turned out to be a hot, tiresome, ultimately exhilarating trip to the ancient temples and pyramids of the Maya. For a good portion of the day, I sat on a jammed bus next to a clearly hungover woman named Lynn, who told me moments after we met that "I'm still sweating out the vodka from last night, so you'll have to bear with me."

Lynn disappeared during the 90-minute ruins tour but started swiggin' back brewskis anew when we stopped for lunch at Ik Kil, a nearby eco-archaeological park. An excellent buffet spread was followed by an optional swim in the park's cenote, a yawning sinkhole replete with tree roots draping overhead and mystical shafts of light peeking down.

I plunged into the bracing water from a 10-foot cliff a half-dozen times, which was just enough for me to gather strength for the drive home with Lynn.

GETTING TO CANCUN: The trip couldn't have been easier, an ideal situation for a short stay. Apple uses USA 3000 as its charter service; my three-hour, nonstop flight left BWI at 7:30 a.m., and I was at the resort in time to catch the end of the breakfast buffet (Cancun is an hour behind East Coast time). An Apple rep met me at the airport and pointed me to my transfer, a van crammed with other Applets. When I departed a few days later, an Apple tour bus pulled up to my resort on schedule and whisked me back to the airport.

BEST FEATURE: Even with a view that was less than spectacular (who wouldn't prefer the Caribbean?), that huge patio was a great perk.

WORST: I'm no fan of sweating while I'm eating, so better air conditioning in all the restaurants -- particularly the buffet -- would have been worth a few extra dollars on my bill.

-- J.D.