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All inclusive vacations, experiences, thoughts, advice.

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Borla, Nov 25, 2016.

  1. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    My wife and I have never done an all inclusive vacation. This year has been extremely busy and we haven't taken more than a long weekend trip anywhere. We are wanting something to look forward to through the winter and are seriously considering doing an all inclusive trip. We tend to alternate between major city vacations that are full of activities and go-go-go and beach vacations where we just relax and lay on the beach. It's time for a 'lay on the beach' trip for us both.

    Fortunately I have a fair amount of credit card award points available due to all of my work travels. Right now the primary idea is a trip to Excellence Playa Mujeres in March or April. I can get us flights and a nice 'Excellence Club' suite for 7-8 nights for minimal out of pocket expense. TripAdvisor.com has it as the highest rated all inclusive anywhere, so it has that going for it. I'm guessing it is a long shot to think anyone here has been to that exact resort among so many, but I am guessing at least a few here have been to all inclusive resorts and might have some thoughts on doing that as a vacation?

    Feel free to post anything relevant to my planning, or to any experience you've had with an all inclusive. I'd like to take in as much info as I can before committing to any trip. :cool:
     
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  2. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    I have no experience, and I apologize because what I'm about to post is something you have most likely thought of:

    Try to research such vacations using websites that aren't sponsored by travel agencies, resorts, etc. I mention this because IME finding neutral sites, when researching anything, can be difficult. When a site contains many related ads I'm leery of trusting that the posted reviews, esp the glowing ones, are real.

    For my future reference--Is TripAdvisor good site for solid info? I ask because my wife has been wanting to go to one of the Sandals resorts.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Yeah, I feel the same way. I prefer to do my own research first. Sure, once I am interested in a place I will look at their site as well for certain details, but I'd rather read reviews posted by actual customers. Even some "news" type sites are slanted towards those who advertise with them, or have turned into clickbait sites, so they are suspect too.


    TripAdvisor is a research tool I use a lot for restaurants, hotels, attractions, etc. This particular resort has ~10,400 reviews on TripAdvisor with an average rating around 4.6, which is pretty incredible IMO. I used to use Yelp a lot, but I've used it less and less over the last couple of years. Yelp filters reviews for those who pay to advertise with them, and I personally know a handful of small business owners who have basically been told that if they pay Yelp advertising they can filter out many bad reviews of their business, but if they don't they will stay up. I've also had a couple of my own reviews, that were legit and (IMO) well written, filtered out once the Yelp-advertising business saw them.

    Everything I've heard about Sandals has been pretty awesome. My parents went to one (I think in Jamaica?) 10ish years ago. They are very expensive, but most people say it is worth it. It was something I considered for this trip, but the area I'm looking at in Mexico has flights I can get for free, which was a big benefit for us.
     
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  4. Daniel_

    Daniel_ The devil made me do it...

    I've been to fully incusive resorts twice, once in Dominican Republic, and once in Spain - both were good, but middle market. The advantage for us was that the budget was fixed, and there was no chance of overspending.

    One trip we took out daughter, who was not quite a teen at the time - being able to let her just go and get a coke or lunch, or an icecream or whatever when she felt like it, and not needing to worry about carrying money about the resort took a great stressor off our holiday as a family.

    When my wife and I went, the not needing money part was great - we really liked the ability to swim up to the bar in the pool and get cocktails :D
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Here's a question for those of you who have been to such a place before.

    How does the tipping work?

    It seems from reviews that tips to bartenders and such are expected. However, much of the eating/drinking during the day will likely be on the beach (they have servers who come to you on the beach) or at a swim-up bar. It's kind of hard to carry cash when you are only in swimming trunks. But it also seems like you have the same server/servers for the most part. Do you tip them at the start of the day? Or the end of the day? Do you tip the typical $1-2/drink, or because it is all-inclusive in Mexico is a few bucks a day sufficient? Anyone with ideas/thoughts?
    --- Double Post Merged, Nov 28, 2016, Original Post Date: Nov 26, 2016 ---
    Booked the trip today for next spring. 9 days/8 nights w/excellence club (basically means top shelf alcohol, private beach access, and beach wait staff) extras. My total out of pocket after rewards points was about 1/4 of retail price.
     
  6. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    We went to Atlantis one year. No tipping was required except for alcohol drinks. All food had resort fees and tips built into the costs.
     
  7. PonyPotato

    PonyPotato Very Tilted

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    I went to an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic about 5(?) years ago. Tips were considered built into the overall cost of the resort we went to. We did tip here and there for alcoholic drinks and for things like help with bags, but otherwise did not worry about it. We usually went to the buffet, anyway, so no service really required. :p
     
  8. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    I have never been to one, but I would worry that I would try and max out the value for what I paid by over eating and drinking. I think it would be a good thing to try though.
     
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  9. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    We all have to have goals in life.....
     
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  10. omega

    omega Very Tilted

    It's been 20 years, but I have been to 2 all inclusive resorts in Mexico. It removed the stress for me and my wife not having to worry about money or venturing into town to eat or drink. My only annoyance was that the cups are fairly small, for drinks or beer. I don't consume alcohol so it was annoying getting a four ounce soda when I was thirsty. But overall the food was decent so it was nice knowing vacation costs up front.
     
  11. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    After much research, it seems that, for the most part, tipping is not a thing in Caribbean all inclusive resorts. It is a thing in Mexican ones, especially as you trend towards the higher end ones.

    I've read dozens of reviews on the tipping at this place, and most people say that they tipped a few bucks to five bucks after meals, and a few bucks throughout the day to bartenders or others who gave really good service. So not quite like here where you'd tip every drink, or based on a tab, but most people said bring $100ish for a week.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  12. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    We'll probably do some sort of all inclusive vacation with the kiddos in the next couple of years. I'm not a big fan of standard vacation destinations... but with kids it makes sense.
     
  13. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Yeah, this is actually our first "resort" vacation ever. Even if we go to beach locations, we don't stay at resorts, we generally rent a house. We've tended to alternate somewhat between "rent a house on the beach" and "go to X city and explore it", with an occasional "rent a cabin in the woods" thrown in there.

    But we've both really felt burnt out this past year, and just felt like going somewhere to lay on the beach without worrying about doing anything. Even when we've done previous beach vacations we've ventured out and about, and when you are in a house you do make some meals, clean up your own mess, pack your stuff for the beach, etc. This time my plan is to wander to the beach every morning, have someone wait on me, wander to the pool, have someone wait on me, wander to dinner, have someone wait on me, wander to the bar, have someone wait on me........you get the idea. :p
     
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  14. Daniel_

    Daniel_ The devil made me do it...

    Both times I've done this, the FAQ covered the scenario of tipping - both times they advised small cash gifts after the stay to the room staff, and confirmed that the waiting staff had a higher rate of pay than the local average to take account of the lack of tips.

    This was once in Dominican Republic and once in Spain, but the advice seems the same.

    In a country that has US style "mandatory" tipping, I'm not sure. But it seems to me that the whole point of the all inclusive deal is that you no longer carry cash with you...
     
  15. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I've never been to one, but my in-laws love to go to Club Med, and they usually go to one of the ones in the Caribbean every couple of years. They keep trying to convince my husband and I to go with them, but I think I'd rather spend the money to go to Hawaii first, especially if I'm going to have to spend that much time flying. My MIL usually chooses where they go based on what is available to do, and what wines are offered.
     
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  16. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Doing all the final prep for the trip, a bit over three weeks out. So looking forward to it. Starting to get excited.
     
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  17. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Somehow I think I missed this post at the time. A buddy suggested bringing our own insulated mugs.

    A few weeks ago this was a daily deal on Amazon, so picked a couple up for dirt cheap:
    View: https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Savvy-Insulated-Water-Bottle/dp/B019PAV21G/ref=lp_14681207011_1_1?srs=14681207011&ie=UTF8&qid=1491260296&sr=8-1


    They are awesome. Just hand it to the wait staff or bartender and they'll fill it with whatever you like. Not only do you get a huge drink (they'll even do massive top shelf cocktails in them), but it also stay cold in the heat. Definitely recommended for anyone going to an all inclusive. Even if you just want ice water or whatever, they are great.


    Will try to do a more details review later if anyone is interested, but so far I couldn't recommend this place more. :cool:
     
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  18. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    If someone wants a link to my TripAdvisor review, let me know and I'll PM it. I don't really just want to copy paste, not post it in a public place, but I'll gladly share.

    Otherwise I will gladly/happily answer any questions anyone has? Feel free to chime in!

    The bottom line? Within 24 hours of getting home we've already booked our next trip there...
     
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  19. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    Sounds like you had a blast!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  20. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    It was awesome. Keep meaning to come back to this.....here's a very abbreviated review....


    We arranged for the resort to pick us up at the airport. The driver was waiting for us in a blacked out Suburban, a/c cranked. He opened our doors and had us wait inside while he loaded up. Then he came back, opened my door again, and gave me two hand towels that had been on ice in a cooler, two beers, and a cold bottle of water. So within about 90 seconds I knew the resort was just what I was hoping for. :p

    Check-in was a breeze, they handed us champagne and more cold towels as soon as we walked in. Great room, very big (over 800 sq ft), awesome view of the beach and one of the pools from our 4th story balcony, with no obstructions of our view. Service was just incredible all week. The maids were extremely thorough, my wife was embarrassed they even cleaned out her hair brush and would arrange any toiletries and shoes left out. They also came back each evening while we were at dinner and did a turn down service, leaving fresh fruit and petit fours, sometimes rose petals around the hot tub, towel decorations shaped in hearts or swans, just lots of little cool touches. Mini bar was 6-7 full sized 750ml bottles, with "top shelf" options like Don Julio, Belvedere, Havana Club, etc., all included.

    Beach was very nice. Queen sized beach beds, palapas with chairs, some beds with canopies, as soon as you walked to a spot and started putting your stuff down someone would rush over and make the bed/chair for you with fresh towels and offer to bring you a drink. Within 2-3 days most of the servers in our area had learned our names and addressed us by name, often saying "do you want the same XYZ that you had yesterday, or would you like something different?". Restaurants were VERY impressive. The food was far better than we expected. Aside from the 9 restaurants, every day on the beach they did something special at lunch time. One day they grilled hamburgers (1/2lb hand pressed patties, like a great "bar" cheeseburger) with flank steaks and chicken breasts. Another day they had two huge 3-4' cast iron kettles over flames and had paella with mussles, shrimp, pork, and chicken. Another day they did a taco bar. One afternoon they brought two sushi chefs down to a hut on the beach and did fresh sushi.

    The pools were never over crowded, swim up bartenders were insanely fast, good, and friendly. Brick oven pizza poolside if you wanted it. Plenty of chairs and servers everywhere. We did a spa treatment one day that was incredible.

    I'm not going to bore everyone with a hundred pictures, but here are a few decent links/pics online if you really care to see more:

    Excellence Playa Mujeres

    Excellence Resorts: Playa Mujeres, Cancún Resort – Excellence Playa Mujeres

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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