Favorite All Inclusive (and why)?

[sam_gordon]

My parents are looking for suggestions to take the family to in 2019. Here are the requirements:

All Inclusive (no cruise)
Warm weather
6 adults (3 married couples), 4 kids (ages 21, 15, 13, and 10 at time of travel). 2 of the kids are fairly active, 2 not so much.
Oh, the patriarch requires a TV in the room.

Money is an issue, but I don't know how much they're willing to spend.

 

[mnrose]

Well, my all time favorite all inclusive would not make your list because of no TV in the room. Since we are "active" vacationers, I don't care one wit about TV. LOL. But, in case you want to look, it's the Explorean in Cozumel. The reason I like it: intimate place (maybe 60 rooms?), attached to a larger resort (Fiesta Americana, where you can enjoy all the amenities), excellent restaurant at Explorean (plus some very good choices at FA too!), excellent snorkeling, AND one included excursion per day (ruins tours, jeep tour of the island, snorkeling sailing, biking, etc). It was perfect for my family of two active adults, and two 16 year old twins.

Budget wise, it falls in the middle of the pack of all inclusives. Rooms are not super luxurious or huge, but they are very nice. To me, it's in the sweet spot of pricing. The cheap all inclusives tend to be, well, cheap....food can be very iffy, booze watered down, etc. The very high end all inclusives are nice, but can really stretch a budget....plus, I don't need an 800 square foot room....in other words, I'm paying for things I don't really want or need.

I think you should start by trying to figure out area....Dominican Republic and Mexico tend to be less expensive. There are some amazing all inclusives in other areas of the Caribbean, but they also tend to run about 50+% more than a similar Mexican resort.

Have fun figuring it out! Perusing all-inclusive vacations is one of my favorite things to do.

 

[WishingOnAStar]

We LOVED both Sunscape Curacao and Coconut Bay Resort in St. Lucia. There was more for the kids (18-21) to do at Coconut Bay (all kinds of organized things, tennis courts, basketball, pool and tennis tables, lazy river, water slides, etc.) and the food was better there. The ocean at Sunscape was way better though- we could snorkel for hours. We also rented a car there and explored other beaches- each one better than the next. The snorkeling was amazing! In St. Lucia we did an excursion to the pitons for snorkeling and zip lining through the rain forest.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We've been to the higher, middle and budget end of AI's resorts. The Allegro Cozumel keeps us going back time after time (10 times now). It is more of a budget AI but the style and staff keep us going back. The beach is known to be the best on the island. They have individual bldgs with thatched roofs holding rooms usually about 8 per bldg which gives it more of a tropical feel. Each room has a hammock outside on their patio. We prefer the individual bldgs as opposed to the high rise hotels. It sits right on the beach. No water shoes necessary. Has activities throughout the day. Extremely close to the well known dive spots. Small resort which we have found is what we like. We have, also, stayed next door at the Occidental Grand which is a bit more upscale but the Allegro calls our name each time, LOL.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I think that, price-wise, you will come out best with a family friendly AI in Mexico. Cancun or the Mayan Riviera.
You can spend some time on these boards on the trip advisor forum, and you will be able to get some specific recommendations.

There are MANY options.
I think that I would want to stay with a more American/North American based resort.
Hyatt Ziva comes to mind.

I know more about the Adult Only resorts, so I can't make any specific recommendations for a family group.

Happy Planning!

 

[Wishing on a star]

I thought about the Allegro for a day-trip while on Cozumel... until I started reading about the food (and even lack-of)

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I thought about the Allegro for a day-trip while on Cozumel... until I started reading about the food (and even lack-of)

Never went without food, LOL. That's just plain crazy. Not sure why we would go back 10 times for three weeks at a time if we couldn't find something to eat. It is buffet food for pete sake. People expect shrimp and lobster. Not gonna happen at the Allegro prices. Some people expect the Ritz Carlton at Motel 6 prices. We keep our expectations in check. For that matter, you won't find the higher end resorts on Cozumel. They are found more on the mainland like Cancun and Playa Del Carmen.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well I've only been to one and that was a Sandals in St. Lucia. They do have Beaches (which is the family-friendly resorts) though since I didn't stay there I can't comment exactly on their accommodations but neither Sandals nor Beaches could be truly considered budget friendly...even 50% or more can still run a pretty penny. Either way that's an option.

 

[ronandannette]

I've only ever been to one AI and it turns out we are not AI people. But I'm going to put it out there because it might fit your needs. The Grand Palladium in the Mayan Riviera is about 20 miles south of Cancun. We stayed in the Royal Suites (top tier, adults only) but it is a very large resort with 3 other "hotels" all at various price points. The good part is that all the dining and recreation facilities are shared (with the exception of the Royal Suites pool and bistro). There are lots of restaurant options and a different themed pool area at each hotel. They also had a pretty extensive schedule of activities and entertainment. The entire massive compound was impeccably clean and the private beach was 100% secure.

 

[cvjw]

We have been to multiple all inclusive resorts all over the Caribbean. The best all inclusive, family friendly resort is beaches, Turks and Caicos. It is not however budget friendly. It runs circles around all the other all inclusive resorts we have visited, including the other beaches resorts.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have been to multiple all inclusive resorts all over the Caribbean. The best all inclusive, family friendly resort is beaches, Turks and Caicos. It is not however budget friendly. It runs circles around all the other all inclusive resorts we have visited, including the other beaches resorts.

Even with the recent hurricane hitting the area?

 

[nkereina]

What month? Depending on the time of year, Southern Caribbean like Curacao and Aruba may be better than areas like Jamaica or Dominican.

My favorite AI brand is RIU. We usually travel to AIs as a group, and we have stayed at a few RIUs and have just found their quality to be reliable, food is always good and satisfies our whole group, and they usually have nice amenities. They have different kinds of resorts within the brand, so something for most price points. We stayed at the RIU in Puerto Vallarta recently which was beautiful, but Pacific waters can be rougher and cooler than Caribbean.

There is a RIU in Paradise Island Bahamas, adjacent to Atlantis, but I find this property to be small since it took over an existing building. Not my favorite RIU, but I do love the Bahamas for being close, English speaking, taking American money, same time zone (eastern for me), and it doesn't feel third world as some other places.

Punta Cana Dominican Republic has amazing beaches, but venturing off property can be dicey. Rampant poverty and you can't drink the water. However, many resorts in the DR have casinos as gambling is legal. Jamaica is inclined to be safer for excursions and not as poverty stricken, but no gambling. Only downside of AIs for me is the lack of evening entertainment, so we like the casinos for something to do.

 

[sam_gordon]

Probably the middle of July.

I'd normally go over to Trip Advisor and look at reviews, but based on what's coming out about that site, I've lost confidence in it.

 

[aprilchem]

We have been to multiple all inclusive resorts all over the Caribbean. The best all inclusive, family friendly resort is beaches, Turks and Caicos. It is not however budget friendly. It runs circles around all the other all inclusive resorts we have visited, including the other beaches resorts.

Even with the recent hurricane hitting the area?

I was just going to post this - Beaches Turks and Caicos is the BEST. They did get hit by the hurricane, but apparently they've taken the opportunity to upgrade a bunch of stuff and renovate. They're opening back up soon.

I love that Beaches is truly an all-inclusive - there is no tipping, extra fees, or any of the nickel-and-diming that we found when we went on cruises. The staff is wonderful, the food is great, and there are things to do for every age group. My family loves it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I love that Beaches is truly an all-inclusive - there is no tipping, extra fees, or any of the nickel-and-diming that we found when we went on cruises. The staff is wonderful, the food is great, and there are things to do for every age group. My family loves it.

The no tipping and all-inclusive including water sports was a big seller for us for Sandals (the couples only version of Beaches--owned by the same company though). The only rooms that you tip are the Butler rooms.

 

[mjkacmom]

What month? Depending on the time of year, Southern Caribbean like Curacao and Aruba may be better than areas like Jamaica or Dominican.

My favorite AI brand is RIU. We usually travel to AIs as a group, and we have stayed at a few RIUs and have just found their quality to be reliable, food is always good and satisfies our whole group, and they usually have nice amenities. They have different kinds of resorts within the brand, so something for most price points. We stayed at the RIU in Puerto Vallarta recently which was beautiful, but Pacific waters can be rougher and cooler than Caribbean.

There is a RIU in Paradise Island Bahamas, adjacent to Atlantis, but I find this property to be small since it took over an existing building. Not my favorite RIU, but I do love the Bahamas for being close, English speaking, taking American money, same time zone (eastern for me), and it doesn't feel third world as some other places.

Punta Cana Dominican Republic has amazing beaches, but venturing off property can be dicey. Rampant poverty and you can't drink the water. However, many resorts in the DR have casinos as gambling is legal. Jamaica is inclined to be safer for excursions and not as poverty stricken, but no gambling. Only downside of AIs for me is the lack of evening entertainment, so we like the casinos for something to do.

They are re-doing it, but it’s going to be adults only. We bought a day pass there on a cruise and loved the ocean.

 

[MamaLema]

Probably the middle of July.

I'd normally go over to Trip Advisor and look at reviews, but based on what's coming out about that site, I've lost confidence in it.

Can you post some details? I use Trip Advisor a lot and I’m curious

 

[Wishing on a star]

Hey, Jimini.... No personal intent here at all.... But, just in the interest in providing information.
Here is just one, of many, photos and comments about the food and lack of.
This one is from a local spanish speaking person.
Shows empty food bins on the buffet. And mentions 'Mal servicio'.

ETA: I can't get the link to work... But one just has to look at a recent review by a Spanish speaking (Mexican?) guest who's last name seems to be Paz.
Their review distribution seems to be 17-Excellent, to only 1-poor.
(Hardly seems to be a worldly US/Canadian North American who is looking for USDA steak and fresh lobster.)

And there are others... for example, at lunch, burgers and meats on the grill... the burgers and meat would run out halfway thru lunch-time, and no more would be brought out.

Sorry, but it is what it is.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, Trip Advisor has changed... and not for the better.
Many complaints.
But, still can be a great source.
Even if Trip Advisor no longer even cares if it is.
It is now totally obscured behind their booking engine, which everyone knows you should NEVER book thru them.
And, it is very highly controlled, with a good percentage of posts and photos just going 'poof'.
Pretty bad, really.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Can you post some details? I use Trip Advisor a lot and I’m curious

Tripadvisor has taken the stance that things under criminal investigation should not be posted in their reviews. I can't blame them. Certainly the things that have happened are reprehensible, but a website for hotel/restaurant/activities reviews aren't necessarily the place to post them, especially not while investigations are going on.

The best AI I've ever stayed in is called Longitude 131. But it doesn't fit your criteria due to the lack of television in the rooms. Believe me, you do not need a tv there...