Ideal for families with young kids

I'm not a fan of all-inclusive resorts. In fact, I recoil even at the thought. My 10-year-old daughter, on the other hand, enjoys them immensely. So when we booked a week at SettimariClub Blue Lagoon, she was ecstatic and I was, well, unexcited. Our experience? Somewhere in the middle. The placid lagoon, ideal for young children, was short on fish. The sea is accessible from shore but the reef is a long swim from the beach. (There are several pinnacles in between.) The kid's club is geared to tots not finicky tweens. The food was good but somewhat repetitive. The animation is continuous but the staff isn't insistent. We participated in two excursions organized by the hotel, a snorkeling trip to Qulan and cultural tour to Bir Shalatein. Both we excellent.