Usually I dont recommend going through a travel agent, but recently 2 seperate couples that I know when on a trip to Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) through a travel agent that did a special Apple Vacation deal. They are from Chicago and paid $650 per person, but that included airfare, 5 days/nights at a nice resort, all food, all drinks, ect.
I dont remember what the specific package was called, but the way it works is they guarantee a high end resort (4 out of 5 "apples") but you dont find out which resort until you get to the airport. They're all on the same beach though, so that shouldn't deter anyone.
Anyways it's something to look into if that interests you.