All-Inclusive Resorts
 

To those who have stayed at All-Inclusive Resorts, what is your opinion? I have never stayed at one, but have the opportunity to stay at one in Costa Rica in either April or May. In the past, I always shied from these because I want to eat out at other restaurants.

Any comments or opinions?

All resorts will have a different definition of "all-inclusive." Make sure to check and see if alcohol (top shelf or otherwise) is included... or if any shuttle services are included, if it includes multiple restaurants on the resort, etc.

I've stayed at all-inclusive in the past, and it usually DOES save money on food... instead of spending $30-ish for a breakfast buffet or having to shop at (usually) overpriced tourist grocery stores, you can just grab fruit or yogurt, etc.

Will there be a town nearby with restaurants you're interested in? When I'm on vacation I usually like to get off the resort, but if the food in town is going to be average, why pay to eat there?

I overall really liked the ones I have stayed at. Yes, you don't get to eat out locally which makes me sad.

However, they more than made up for it in activities, really yummy food of their own, and the free drinks.

One of the all-inclusives we stayed at did things like grill-outs by the pool or pig roast after a volleyball tournament. They also offered trips into the main city where they paid for everything there, so we did get to eat locally!

We loved the all-inclusive we stayed at on our honeymoon- the Occidental Grand in Aruba. There were a number of restaurants on site that were all included, you just had to make reservations. They had a hibachi place (which was fabulous), Italian, Mexican, etc. We paid a little more to be part of the Royal Club, which includes some perks such as a private dining room (with only a few tables) which was fabulous for breakfast, lunch or dinner. All drinks were included, as well as snorkel gear, kayaking, etc. We only ate one or two meals off the resort- such as when we went downtown, etc. so we really ended up spending a lot less. It was very relaxing to be in one place.

I've only stayed at all-inclusive resorts, and I can't imagine going any other way.

There are so many places that have such great deals so that even if you travel away from the resort for a night, you won't feel like you're "wasting" more money by eating out once or twice.

And depending on where you are, you might not even feel the need to leave the resort! For my mom's 50th birthday, our family went to the Grand Palladium Riviera Resort and Spa. The place was basically it's own town. Technically, it was a bunch of resorts in one, and depending on which section you stayed in would determine which parts of the resort you could go to. We stayed in the Royal Suites, which were for adults only, and we had access to all parts of the resort (for just a slightly higher fee). We had huge rooms with a hot tub out on the balcony.

The entire resort had a few beaches, a dance club, a spa (with an infinity pool.. my favorite!), a bunch of restaurants, and numerous bars and pools (including our own by the Royal Suites which only the people in the suites could use).

The all-inclusive package there (which was VERY cheap considering everything we got and the size of the whole resort) included breakfast and lunch in the buffets, dinner in the buffets or one of the specialty restaurants (3 specialty dinners for a week's stay), all alcoholic beverages, cover charge to the dance club, snacks 24 hours a day, free access to the gym, jacuzzi, sauna and steam baths, and non-motorised water sports.

Depending on where you stay and what you're looking to get, it is definitely worth it! And it's so convenient to swim up to a bar, ask for a drink, and just get it without paying! :D

ETA: Here's a good website with tons of pictures of that entire resort so you can see what I'm talking about. No need to leave when you have all of this! http://www.locogringo.com/kantenah/palladium2.html (The saltwater pool was also one of my favorite things about this place!)

I know i'm in the minority when saying this but though I've never stayed at one (there was a time when I did consider it) I would never stay at one knowing what I do now. Every person travels differently, I get it but I can't justify going to some whole other country just to stay in one place doing activities, eating food that I could do/eat at home. For ME, it's a total waste of $$ and time. I want to experience the local flavor. I'm also a tipper and these places will not allow you to tip. I would also have enough sense to research the area I'm traveling to and find safe places to stay, NOT look like a tourist, and support the local economy (especially in an area that is economically struggling).

Just things to consider if you choose to go this route:
from a google search:
http://journeysandadventures.today.c...ive-vacations/
http://www.streetdirectory.com/trave...t_for_you.html

What places are you going to where people don't accept money??

I went to the Renaissance Jamaica Grande back in 1999. It's now called something else, but the resort was beautiful and in Ocho Rios. We were advised to not leave the resort at night because of how dangerous it was and there weren't really any places to eat out there anyways. I think it made things easier and there were a lot of fun events every night.

Everyone accepts money however, when I almost got married, we were looking for vacation places. I was looking into the all-inclusive places (Sandals, etc..) and they had clauses saying that you could not tip anywhere on the property. If there have been changes, I stand corrected.

I agree with NinjaPoodle...although I will admit that I am more of an "adventure" traveler rather than a "relax with a daquiri" traveler. Costa Rica is SUCH a beautiful, dynamic and vibrant country. I think if you stayed at an all inclusive resort you would miss all the incredible cultural and biological elements of the country.

I spent time volunteering in Kenya and Swaziland, and we stayed at a volunteer house. We had so much fun exploring the cities (after reading up on them of course to know where was safe, what not to do, etc) by ourselves and eating at the local places. Sometimes after we were done teaching/building we'd go to the five-star hotels and inclusive resorts for a (much needed) cocktail, and we realized that some people literally never left the property. I thought it was kind of pointless to travel so far and never really see the country when you can do that in America.

I'm not knocking luxury hotels by any means, because if you travel to relax they are amazing. I like roughing it, but nobody else in my family does and I think that's totally fine. But I do think it is important to get out and actually see the countries, and in my experience people who do the all-inclusive hotels vs. the normal luxury hotels are not really seeing the "real deal", and even the tours they book are often far more touristy than they would be if you simply explored on your own.

YMMV of course.

Everyone I know who's gone to an all-inclusive says the same thing. Basically all you need with you is your room key, ever.

But it also depends on what you want to do. Do you want to chill on the beach or by the pool with a pina colada in your hand, or go exploring the beach, the city, and the rainforest? Costa Rica has some ecoresorts that are supposed to be fabulous. There is also a large American ex-pat population in Costa Rica, they even have an English language daily newspaper.

We did Sandals for the Honeymoon (Regency in St. Lucia). I would 100% recommend the relaxing all-inclusive for a Honeymoon, but I probably would not do it for a regular vacation. The exception would be if we were traveling with the express purpose of a relaxing getaway.

Pros:
-- Everything was included. It was so freeing to just go in and order whatever we wanted (food and beverage) without wondering if we were busting the budget. We had exceptional food at all of the restaurants.
-- There were plenty of places to eat at the resort, offering a wide variety of menus. We did not dine at the same place twice all week.
-- walk to all meals... no cabs, no reading guides for places to go, no nada. Very simple. Sometimes simple is good.
-- like dani, our resort included lots of water activities. In addition to those, we purchased several excursions (one by catamaran, one by horseback, one by very scary tour bus) to explore the island. While I don't think we experienced much island culture, I do feel that we were given plenty of options to site-see. All the excursions were purchased through our resort and came recommended by them. Again, it kept things simple for us in that we didn't have to research anything.

Cons:
-- agree with those who say that you don't fully experience the local culture. Some people never even left the property! We stayed on-site for all night life.
-- have to do enough research ahead of time to learn if food is good, number of restaurants on property, if alcohol and tips are included, if activities are included, etc. You also have to do a lot of math to see if you come out close enough to ahead to make it worth it.

ETA: like 33 said, we only needed our room key. Fabulous!

10 things your all inclusive won't tell you.
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/d...ell-you-12868/

All I'm saying is buyer beware and research before you stay.

I've stayed at all-inclusives a handful of times and always had a wonderful time. I've had completely stress-free experiences and it relieves a lot of the planning work that is usually required. For example: the ones I've stayed at have had transportation to and from the airport, all dining and drinks, and a ton of water equipment (snorkeling gear, catamarans, kayaks, etc.) included. Like others have said, check to see what is included.

They may also arrange day-trips and adventures (probably for an additional fee) so you'll be able to see a lot of the local things.

I've made it a point to eat lunch or dinner at local restaurants a few times per trip because I, too, like to try the local places. I know it's sort of like paying for a meal twice, but I still totally find all-inclusives worth the money because I've taken advantage of all the other amenities.

I would definitely agree that whether or not you do an all-inclusive should largely depend on what you wish to do on vacation. I generally like to do a lot of relaxing and a little exploring (including shopping, catamaran/snorkeling trips, a meal or two out, nightlife). To spend a few extra dollars here and there isn't a big deal, though.


I totally agree. But most of these things can happen with resorts that aren't all-inclusive, as well. And I've never had a problem with ANY of these listed items on my vacations (but obviously they can, and do, happen).

First of all, if you want a top-shelf liquor, you have to ask for it, even if you're in the United States. I've worked as a server, and if someone asks for a gin and tonic, I give them house gin. Just like I know that if I go to a bar and ask for a whiskey and Coke, they're going to give me house whiskey. I want Jack, so I ask for that specifically.

And I think only a few times did I have to "wait in line" at a bar at an all-inclusive, if you even want to call it that. Basically, I sat at a stool while the bartender made a drink for one other person and then asked me what I wanted. When I was at the club in the one resort, yes, I had to wait behind a few people, but that will happen in any club, anywhere.

And I love this one:

That's why I don't go on vacation in the middle of hurricane season. LOL

FAIL. My mother is a native Jamaican, while many tourists do not enjoy going out on their own because they are easily spotted as tourists and ACT like tourists, it's not any more dangerous than you allow it to be, and it's JAMAICA-there is plenty to eat!

It wasn't the travel agent who warned us. It was the people who worked there, the local that they let hang out there who gave us some good tips on things to do (and now that I look back he was probably hired to work there), and the person in charge of our Spring Break group when we got there. We left the resort during the day to shop and got approached more than a few times to buy drugs and never once walked by somewhere to eat. It was all market type places. We didn't even walk by a bar or night club. I'd rather listen to someone who actually lived in that neighborhood than someone who once lived somewhere in the country. I can tell you that Detroit is safe but it really depends on what area you go to. My friends who went to Negril had a totally different experience. Their nightlife was outside of the resort.

I also honeymooned at the Occidental and loved it. I had no complaints and purchasing the all-inclusive package was well worth it! We never had to worry about meals or drinks. And took full advantage of breakfast everyday, drinks by the pool, if we got hungry - we could just order food, and we did have dinner at the resort a few nights. But we also went outside the hotel for dinner other nights.

That all-inclusive package also included ocean activities that did not involve motors; i.e. no jet ski rentals. But we had access to floats and other things.

Actually, my husband and I, and a few friends just booked Aruba again - this time at the Renaissance, also all-inclusive. I cannot wait.

Thanks for the feedback. One of the problems with the resort is that it is 90 minutes from the nearest airport. This is a definite negative. My choices are to rent a car, take a taxi or a bus. IDK, the pictures of busses in Central America and Mexico carrying Roosters goes through my head. Also, all of the feedback on the web says not to venture off the resort due to the danger.

I have been on a cruise before (all-inclusive example), and really didn't like it. Premium liquor and descent wine was excluded and I get the feeling this resort is the same way. I'm not a big drinker, but when I have something, it better be good.

This resort has several restaurants plus the mega-buffet, however there is a limit on the restaurants -- another negative.

Still tossing around another idea. In the meantime, I'm hopping a plane in 2 hours for Miami -- business, not pleasure.

i've stayed at various all-inclusives under the SuperClubs family. i love it. however, if you want to go somewhere to really getting into local culture that's not what you're getting here.

Those of us who go on vacations to actually get into local culture leave the all-inclusive resorts for it***:) Some all-inclusive resorts have cultural activities but it's even better just taking a reliable and safe shuttle or taxi.

***Many people go on vacations to be catered to and don't care about anything else.

This is where we went for our honeymoon too! We had heard wonderful things about the Occidental Grand in Aruba from friends who go there every year. We hadn't been to an all-inclusive before. Of course, when we went, there was a massive electrical issue which shut down 2 of the 4 restaurants during our entire stay and had the entire resort without power for a day (they said it was only going to be for 3 hours - it was closer to 10!). The hotel did end up comping us for our dinner only that day.

Even with that said, I would go back to the Occidental in Aruba and would do an all inclusive again. We did leave the resort area and did other things on the island. I enjoyed the fact that if we didn't want to go do something, we didn't have to. Plus, the swim up bar with free drinks made our stay very enjoyable!

We are actually looking for another all-inclusive vacation.

Agree completely. What is the point of going all the way to Costa Rica, Mexico, Bahamas, etc. and then just staying at the hotel? If all you want to do is sit at the pool/beach with a drink in your hand, there are some amazing beach resorts in the U.S. where you can do that, and save a bunch of money.

I travel because I want to experience a foreign/new culture. That includes sightseeing, shopping, dining, etc. I've stayed at two AIs in Mexico with my family, and thought it was a waste of money - the activities were uninteresting or stuff for kids, and the food was mediocre buffet style. I had some drinks when I was there by the pool, but since I like to get out of my hotel and see the city/town, I wasn't often around at lunch or dinner time, or to take advantage of free drinks.

Re: food. Be aware that at some AIs, if you're on the meal plan (some AIs let you opt out of the meal package) you can only eat at one or two restaurants. Sometimes there are many restaurants on the property, but they aren't always included in the meal plan.

I have been on both all-inclusive holidays and half-board trips.

Though all-inclusive is handy, since you don't have to carry cash all the time and food and drink is arranged for you, I've found it sometimes attracts a type of traveler I rather dislike.
Especially resorts in sunny places, with a club on the property and alcohol included in the deal tend to attract a type of loud, disrespectful partypeople, that irritated the hell out of me. I had this experience in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

Not all "all inclusive" hotels are the same, I suggest you check out what other people had to say about their trip. Tripadvisor.com is a handy website for that. Hotels.com also shows other travelers' experiences.

I'm laughing this thread is still up. And, I still haven't taken that vacation (but am in January).