I would not recommend it for teens. I was there two years ago before

any construction. Also when I was there, many women went topless.

The beach is small and your 15 year old will get an eyeful.

We stayed in an oceanfront bungalow and loved it. Dinners are very basic.

Very romantic, quiet, and great beach. I really did not see many families there.

Cebakes,

Thanks for responding to my concerns. We are now considering other resorts since it sounds like the Shangri La is more for couples than families. Unfortunately, it seems the only other options are to look into the large all-inclusives for this area, or to rent a condo.

I've read reports for many other resorts and I think we'll run into topless sunbathers at most other places as well. Our sons have been exposed to this in our travels to Europe and Africa. While we don't endorse it, we do try to make them respect other cultures and just try to make the best of a potentially uncomfortable situation.

I would welcome any other recommendations on where to stay with our two sons. Thanks again.

I am going to recommend you check out www.playa.info

This is a site with lots of information about PDC and there is also a message board there as well. If you click on the Trip Planning tab at the top you will find a list of hotels and villas that have been recommended by the staff at Playa.info

You might want to consider renting a condo for your family, that way you and your husband could have some privacy. The regulars over at Playa.info prefer to stay in the smaller hotels right in the heart of PDC. They are nice and relatively inexpensive. Right behind the Shangri-La are the Natz Ti Ha Condos which look pretty nice and you can use the beach near Shangri-La, which is supposedly the best in that part of PDC.

My husband and I are going to PDC next year and are going to stay at the Shangri-La, but then we won't be bringing our kids. To me the Shangri-La looks nice for a couple... has a romantic atmosphere. We were going to do the AI thing until I found the Shangri-La, and was conviced by the regulars at Playa.info not to go AI and enjoy the "local" flavors!

Also on that site and the tab I talked about are some pretty good tours you might want to consider. I know I must sound like a commercial for Playa.info but it really is a great site... check it out.

Mercymygft,

Thanks for the suggestions about the Playa.info website and condos. There is a wealth of info there. After doing more research we have decided it would be more relaxing for our family to stay at an AI and not have to worry about meals. That way our boys will have a lot of activities to keep them busy and we'll feel better about bringing our kids with us.

From a cost perspective we're considering staying at Barcelo Maya Colonial resort. It seems to get good reviews, but is still within our price range for the 4 of us. I'd be glad to hear from anyone who's stayed there and has any suggestions. I've heard they're building a more upscale hotel in the complex and there's construction near the Tropical buildings. We're hoping to avoid it by staying at the Colonial.

Mercymygft, hope you have a wonderful trip to Shangri La. Hopefully sometime in the future my husband and I will be able to stay there when we're traveling without our children.