All-Inclusive Resorts

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by NinjaPoodle

I'm also a tipper and these places will not allow you to tip.

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

[PM_Mama00]

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.

[BabyPiNK_FL]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

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.

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!

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by BabyPiNK_FL

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.

[Scully]

Originally Posted by kddani

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 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.

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

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

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.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by NinjaPoodle

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.

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.

[ComradesTrue]

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!