I wasn’t always an all-inclusive fan. For many years, I did not even consider them as I didn’t see the appeal of all-inclusives. Part of that could be hearing horror stories over the years of resorts that had buffets of subpar food and drinks made with watered down well liquor, or it could also be my pale skin giving a fear of anything sunny. 🙂
In this post
The first trip
In 2014 my friend Nick and I were trying to find somewhere relaxing to go. On a lark, I wanted to see what Cancun would cost and was surprised not just by how inexpensive some all-inclusives could be, but with reviews of some resorts saying that the food and drinks could actually be good. After looking up a bunch of hotels in the Cancun Hotel Zone, we settled on the Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun all inclusive and I warily made the reservation.
Arriving at the hotel’s 110 foot reception palapa, we felt like we were entering Jurassic Park. The staff welcomed us with some sparkling wine and arriving at our room, we discover that our Garden View actually opened up onto a balcony that faced the ocean, so that started it off right! Any doubts I had evaporated after we went to lunch at the cevicheria that overlooked the ocean and had a great meal of ceviche and freshly battered/fried fish tacos, all washed down with a couple margaritas made with 1800 tequila.
The chef’s kiss with the trip was never worrying about costs. Our bill for room charges at check-out was $0. To be fair, we tipped while we were there, but we didn’t spend any extra money at the resort, nor ever felt a need to.
As someone who will look at a restaurant menu and debate if the $28 salmon is worth the premium over the $22 chicken, or if I should spend another couple dollars for a cocktail that sounds a little more appealing, not thinking about money during the trip was amazing to me.
Becoming an all-inclusive fan
After that, I quickly became an all-inclusive fan. It has honestly became a bit of an obsession. I balance it out with other trips as I want to see the world, but I like to go at least once/year to take a break and not have to stick to an agenda like I would on more ‘exploring’ vacations.
Upscale adults-only all-inclusives are my favorite type (especially when it is truly an adults-only all-inclusive), and I’ve enjoyed each one I’ve stayed at. Being able to come back and not say the old trope ‘I need a vacation… from my vacation!’ is extremely refreshing.
The takeaway
The goal of this blog is to spread the wealth of information I have learned about them, whether it is how to find deals on all-inclusives, traps to watch out for, or just general news. I hope you’ll become an all inclusive fan much like I am!
-Ben
