Your opinion on all inclusives?
 

Have only been to one..years ago at the Jolly Beach. I mean is this not the easiest way to go in the Caribbean if taking along to young adults(21 and 24)? Trying to find a warmer place to head to for the first week in January. Don't want to have to worry about food/intestinal issues which seems to be the topic with Cuba or the DR. Besides, weatherwise I don't think that is far south enough. Feedback? Opinions?

I think it depends on where you're going. I've only been to Havana in Cuba, and definitely agree that it probably isn't warm enough in January.

If you're head to the developed tourist areas of the Dominican Republic, La Romana or Punta Cana, you really don't have much choice other than the all-inclusives.

We were in Cancun in January a few years ago, and it was darn chilly at night, jackets and jeans. Warm enough for shorts in the daytime, but I had no desire to get wet.

I read somewhere you need to get below latitude 17degrees to assure warmth in January.

For that reason, among others, our last few Janaury trips have been to Grenada, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Panama.

I've never been to an all inclusive, the entire concept doesn't appeal, I can see the attraction with teens, who seem to want food all the time. Your young adults are older, what are their thoughts?

Well my 21 one year old thinks it would be good..I mean, we would pay of course, so all is good...and with him at uni and going into the working world in May..it may be our last chance..and well, our daughter, we don't know yet..I am sure if her boyfriend comes, she will be happy. Last year we researched it and it would of costed 10,000 for the 4 of us at Almond Beach in Barbados and we decided not to spend the money...

Well, I am overall not a fan of all-inclusives, especially large chain-resorts, where the money goes into the pockets of the foreign owners and very little into the local economy. But admittedly I have that beef with any large corporation, not just all-inclusive resorts, and just in the Caribbean.

But aside from that more political standpoint, the quality overall at every single one of the non-AI places I've stayed trumps the quality of the very few AI places I've sampled. Most AI places tend to emphasize quantity over quality. As you point out,however, if you're traveling with teens or with folks who like to party & drink, quantity becomes more important.

Though there have been a few exceptions in my travels, when I go to another country, I want to get out & explore. I want to rent a car and see the place, sample local food, try out different restaurants, go to the market, take day trips, etc. While you're clearly not required to stay put at an AI, many people choose to because they don't want to "pay twice" for any meals, drinks, activities, etc. And I see the point, to a degree. If one chooses an AI to cut down on cost or to stay within a strict budget, then it is hard to justify spending extra money outside the resort.

I guess the bottom line for me is when I have the time and money to plan ahead for a vacation, I do not and would not choose an AI. If, however, I had the choice of visiting the Caribbean & staying at an AI, or not visiting the Caribbean at all, I would definitely choose the AI.

For last minute trips (especially during high season) and holidays, sometimes the AI travel packages are the only affordable options. When my husband decided last month that he wanted to get away for the US Thanksgiving holiday this year, we didn't have a large budget. I spent about 2 weeks trying to find cheap airfare someplace so that we could put together our own vacation. I couldn't find anything in our budget other than an AI package. We ended up booking it because the price was so low and it was on an island we've wanted to visit anyway. So we'll devote part of the money we saved by booking this package to renting a car and exploring the island, having at least one and possibly two special meals outside the resort.

Have you given any thought to a cruise? There are any number of lines to choose from. My personal preference is Windjammer because it is so casual and visits islands usually not offered on the mainstream cruises. I receive flyers from AAA, and e-mails from Travelocity, Orbitz, cheapcaribbean.com and travelzoo with the latest available trips for the coming months. St. Maarten/Martin, St. Kitts, Nevis are fine for January travel as is anything further south such as St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Grenada.

I think for a family vacation with a 21 and 24 year old, an all inclusive would be great. I just went to my second all inclusive this past Christmans. It was SO relaxing to jut sit back and not ever have to take out a wallet (except to tip which was lur choice). You can always leave the resort and explore the island all you want. If you don't want to explore, there are plenty of acitivites throughout the day right at the resort.
We were at the Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar in Mexcico's Riviera Maya and loved it. As I said, we were there for Christmas, so it was the end of Dec. The weather was great. Sunny and warm. There were a couple nights when I had to put on a light sweater.
Jamaica also has a lot of all inclusive resorts.

We happen to be a fan of AI and only go AI if it's availalbe. Actually, there are really 2 types of AI properties. Resorts that specifically cater AI like Sandals, Couples, Breezes, Super clubs, Beaches, RIU, etc. and then hotels that offer an AI plan like Wyndham and Holiday Inn, etc. just to name a few. True AI resorts can be found in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Jamaica, Bahamas and the DR. Hotels that offer AI plans we've found in Aruba, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, Antigua and St. Lucia.

We've found that the major AI resorts that cater to the masses are hit and miss with food quality. The best AI we ever stayed at was at the Holiday Inn in Grand Cayman. Since their resturants also were open to the public and not exclusivly for their guests, they had more of an incentative for quality.

One mis-conception I've seen is people think if you stay at an AI resort your just stuck there and they don't explore the Island. That may be true for some if that is the type of vacation they want. We are very active on vacation and hardly spend anytime at the resort we chose. We use the AI feature mainly for breakfast and drinks. We will eat dome dinners at the Resort and some off property. Lunches are usually provided by the tours we sign up for.

With the age of your travelers and wanting AI, look at Cancun or Playa del Carmen. Many very nice affordable resorts with lots of things to see and do off property. We've gone in November and weather was good. January should be fine.

We've done both AI's and non AI's. The AI's used to be a good idea for us when our schedules were so crazy that all we wanted was time together to get up in the morning and eat our meals on the property and try some new foods that we weren't going to pay an arm and a leg for and then discover we didn't like them. At th AI's, we've made friends from all over the country over the years that we still travel with and we go and visit them and they come and visit us. We've never had that happen to us at a non-AI. We've also felt better about enjoying the nightlife a little later and found that oftentimes the staff is very highly attentive. We've had good food at many of the AI's and some of the best spa's have been at the AI'S. But, if we are going to an island that is known for wonderful multi-course dinners, we'll do a non-AI. It really can depend on where you are going.

After staying at both AI's and hotels on the European plan in the Caribbean I would have to say it really depends on what you want out of your vacation.

If you wish to immerse youself into a particular countries food, music, customs, history and culture, then staying at a hotel and exploring the island on at your own speed would be the ticket. You are not tied by any financial concerns (meals, drinks, entertainment that you have already paid for)to the property where you are staying and have far more ability to plan, pick, and choose your meals and activities while there. Your hotel may be smaller and more luxurious than an AI.Your activies are solely by your design and at your own pace.

With that being said I do believe that there are plenty of reasons to stay at an All-Inclusive. First off many go on vacation to get away and relax. The whole idea of their vacation may be to just lay on a beach all day and drink margaritas, and I think none of us would beget someone the simple pleasure of relaxing. I know some travel purists will argue why even go out of the country to just lay on a beach or sleep by the pool, but why not. In some cases money may be an issue and when you book an AI you know your expenses up front. Some AI's I have stayed at had far superior rooms to European plan hotels that I have stayed. Much depends on the age of the hotel/resort, the island it is on, and quite a few other factors. Plus nothing forces you to stay exclusively on an AI's grounds. you can book tours, eat out, do whatever you want.

As I stated my wife and I have stayed and vacationed both ways. Most time we have stayed at AI's we have taken tours, ate dinners off the resort, and traveled without much regard. We build in the cost of the vacation anything additional and stay on the grounds a few days. I do not think I am alone in using an AI as launching pad to a wider exploration of my destination.

I also wanted to comment ejcrowe's comments about foreign ownership being bad to the local economy. I would disagree that they do little for the local economys. The employees are local, the craftsmen are predominately local, food generally local, alcohol many times brewed or distilled on the island. Taxes are paid to the goverment. I wonder if the AI was not there where many of the employees and support people would make up the difference. Cabbies, tour operators, local farmers, you name it benefit from a 300 to 1000 room AI being there, spending not only the resorts money but the tourists also.

Enjoy your vacation no matter what you decide and where you decide to stay.

It also depends on how big of a eater and drinker you are. Couple of drink during the day at pool bar, couple before and during the diner can add up, multiply by all drinkers in your party and for 7 days at $3-4 for a beer and $6-7 frozen foo-foo drink can add up to some bucks.

I am not a Resort fan, nor an A/I fan. Find a cool cottage or villa somewhere. I wouldn't want to be 'trapped' into an A/I, personnally. You've spent the $$, so now you fell obligated to get your moneys worth. All the while missing great local cuisine & adventures.

tough-guy, I don't necessarily disagree with you. It's true that a large, foreign-owned hotel employs many local people and in that way it contributes to the economy. But based on my admittedly limited research of large chain resorts like Marriott, Hilton, or even Sandals, these places frequently bring in foreigners for the management positions, which keeps a glass ceiling of sorts over the locals' heads. They don't pay anything resembling the minimum wage here in the US for most employees, claiming that the 10% service charge gets distributed evenly among guests. And instead of contracting locally for fresh produce, fresh seafood, etc, most of their food is imported from foreign interests.

And while they do pay local taxes, the profits for these large chains don't get re-invested in the island's economy--they go back to the parent corporation.

And these large resorts have the power to buy up beachfront property that locals cannot afford. So locals who might have once had the means to open a small beach bar or restaurant have now been priced out of the competition.

And now we're totally off-topic for opinions on all-inclusives. Sorry, horatio!

We've done about 3 AIs but we tend to avoid them. We just love going out to restaurants while travelling.
However, I think AIs are great in a country that is not known for good food/restaurants. They're also perfect if you want to stick to a budget and not worry about how much you're spending during the vacation. I think they're a waste of money if you're a difficult/picky eater and/or eat or drink (not just alcohol) very little.

Having lived, travelled and booked guests in the Caribbean for 20 years,
all-inclusives are like a first-day
bus tour of a foreign city/artificial, yet reassuring. Since you've already
done Jolly Beach, a destination-centric
AI on Antigua (been there), and have 2 adults, the DR would be a redundant choice -- and the winds on the Punta Cana coast let alone the North Coast are
bloody cold in January. Cold fronts come
through from the North American continent in January so any island's
north coast is hound to be colder than its south. With 2 20s, I'd go adventuresome and do Buzios in Brazil, 3 hours north of Rio. Or closer, Playa del Carmen, 2 hours south of Cancun
(see Hotel del Seo and Hotel Basico, both with a South Beach/Miami hip factor
the 20s would cotton to...)

Most AIa, btw, do very little for the local economy and few offer more to locals than indentured servitude.

I had the choice between an AI and not for my trip this fall. I calculated the cost of the AI was $140 per day per person AFTER the cost of the room. I like to have a drink, but could I eat and drink $140 worth every day?

It also depends on how you want to spend your money. For every $7 bar drink, I could have several purchased from the local market. If you are OK spending this for one drink and like the convenience - do it.

If you want more for your money, pay as you go.

I'm not cheap. I just want more.

At an Al, sure, you can have all the margaritas you want, but unless you're a raging alcoholic how many can you really drink?
I can only drink a couple at most, and I'd like that drink or two on vacation to be something really delicious, not a from some corn syrupy technicolor yellow mix.

Don't know where you've been, but the drinks I've had at Ai's are all made from scratch---even with fresh fruit.

Now that we are older and go during the winter to the D.R... most resorts are set off fromthe "action".. it's good not to have to start worrying about ...where are we going to eat for supper...and being overcharged because are tourists.. In Mexico, i.e. Cancun, there are so many places.. that as long as a resort has a place to have breakfast that's fine.. I'm tired of people saying that they have "intestinal troubles" in the D.R... we are going back to this particular resort for the 5th time.. and have been to their sister resorts in the D.R. and have NEVER HAD A problem.. It's the fruit based drinks, especially those with coconut bases that does it every time..

While unwashed fruit in fruit drinks and coconut may be blamed by some for
intestinal problems in the DR, the more likely culprit is lack of good sanitation/hygenic food handling. Unlike Parrott Mom, I've had water/food based problems on 7 trips to the DR, one of but hardly the only reason I'd never go back.

ejcrowe- alas I too must agree with much of what you wrote, I find it factual and concise. True the profits return home, and much of the managment is imported but ej where is that any different from any other corporation in this now global economy. When Honda or Toyota builds cars and replacement parts in the south of the US do they keep the profits in the US. No of course not. When Guinness beer is brewed under contract at Banks Brewery in Barbados, Guinness takes over possession of said beer and distributes it throughout the Caribbean, the profits do not stay there. Coca-Cola bottled in Great Britian or Hong Kong returns profits to the US. Such is the way of large corporations nowadays, be it from a single or multinational. All of these corporations use their own people for the most part in the higher management. It may suck but such is how business is conducted. If I was a stock holder of one of the big AI chains obviously from a business sense i would want people familar and loyal to the corporation overseeing things in a far away country.

I must disagree that as a blanket statement locals are under paid. Though anecdotal, (my wife thinks i talk too much to anyone about anything) through personal discussions with people who work at the resorts over the years in the Caribbean and Mexico, they enjoy their jobs, have worked at the resorts for years, and make average to above average local wages, and get perks like tips from guilty Americans and things left behind.

Fianlly the economics may not be perfect with AI's but it beats a blank. According to the UNEP's Tourism Home there is 80% "leakage" (defined as: The direct income for an area is the amount of tourist expenditure that remains locally after taxes, profits, and wages are paid outside the area and after imports are purchased; these subtracted amounts are called leakage. In most all-inclusive package tours, about 80% of travelers' expenditures go to the airlines, hotels and other international companies (who often have their headquarters in the travelers' home countries), and not to local businesses or workers.) So I thought if 80% is somehow leaving then that means 20% stays in some capacity. Figure a 600 room AI resort that has booked at 50% capacity at $1400 per person would before leakage would be just under 22 million dollars for the year so after leakage some 4.4 million dollars per year for the local economy. Lets face it that ain't chump change. Multiple AI's bring in more. I have a belief that 20% of something is much better than 100% of nothing or essentially next to nothing. Also unstated is what many, though I would believe not a plurality, who book tours like snorkeling, dives, mangrooves, rain forest, you name it with local packagers, rental cars, shopping, and the few who (like myself) eat dinner off the resort usually twice during my stay. A resturant or smaller local hotel would be great but would not have the same economic impact.

I am now done my pontificating, obviously i have too much time on my hands. Just for the record I prefer staying at non-All Inclusives and exploring and my wife prefers the All-Inclusive experience (with side trips and a few dinners out). I guess whether it is an AI or non-AI as long as i am going away it's all good!

tough_guy, again, I do not disagree. As I said in my original post,"admittedly I have that beef with any large corporation, not just all-inclusive resorts, and [not]just in the Caribbean." In my everyday life I constantly weigh the pros and cons of various large businesses and corporations I choose to give my custom. My husband is self-employed, I am employed by another small business, as are most of our family members. In most cases we choose to give our custom to other local businesses, but every so often something else will prevail us to do otherwise--sometimes it's convenience, sometimes it's price, sometimes because we think their product is superior.

I don't really want this to spiral into a politio-economic discussion. For one thing, that takes away from horatio's post when he is looking for opinions on AIs. For another, it belongs more properly under the "Other Topics" forum.
But for the record, your anecdotal evidence differs from what I've collected in conversations through the years with various employees. This is a good thing, because it means that not all chain resort employees are paid at the same abysmal level as the ones I have spoken with! I don't have a good head for numbers, but there was an article about Jamaica that was quoted either here or another forum. A person employed full time at one of the large resorts there didn't earn enough money in one year to cover the cost of school books, uniforms, and school supplies for his or her children. Either the name of the resort was withheld or I have simply forgotten it. But anyway, it proves the point. Maybe tiv or liza or anyone else here remembers reading that article and can jump in with the specific details.

Sorry ej, can't recall reading that article. I'll avoid adding my political thoughts on AIs here and just say....

To the OP: To me it depends what you want to do on this vacation. I really think if you plan to explore the island you visit then AI is not the way to go, financialy speaking. If you plan a resort-based vacation it may work out better.

Some places, Like Negril, Jamaica, have lots of non-AI hotels and bars and restaurants and live music all along the beach (and cliffs) and people enjoy the casual bar and restaurant hopping in a sarong and no shoes, and interactions with locals and tourists that this type of vacation offers.

Some people dislike that because the beach is public and so they are asked to buy things, or they'd rather bar-hop within an AI resort and leave the wallet in the safe.

Some places are all resort and not staying at an AI means there isn't much to do.

We like to visit Jamaica and we often move around hte isalnd in a rental car...so do not do AI ourselves.

But I can see the appeal if one is primarily interested in the beach/pool and resort-based watersports.

PS: I'll just add...carefuly check the policies of any AI re: meals, drinks and activities. Some only serve certain meals at certain times and if you snooze, you lose. Some stop serving alcohol at a certain time, some require signing up for activities in advance or making restaurant reservations by standing in line ahead...etc.

One nice thing about a non-AI vacation is that you can spread your money and time around to places that you enjoy, and not return to a restaurant or bar that you don't...you aren't committed to eat or drink anywhere by having prepaid.

We love all-inclusives for our family - but not all resorts have the same level of quality food, drink and service!!!!! Iberostars, Rius, and Palace Resorts will not disappoint.

I should also add that people can hear what a great value the all-inclusive resort can be - and it can! However, the value is in Mexico or Punta Cana not the small Caribbean islands - those are expensive. We took our 2 boys on a family spring break to the Riu Tequila in 2005 for $4,000 all inclusive - air, food, drink, transfers from airport, etc.... It was fabulous and an awesome value - but it is Mexico. Most resorts are top notch and have their own water filtration system - like NASA uses.

Based on prices I've seen I still don't think they are good deals. Obviously they are making money hand over fist...It has been my experience that you can always do better yourself w/a little research. I agree w/ej as well, most of the locals that are employed are just happy to have a job. Even if it is, at what we would consider, less than adequate pay.

I've never done an all-inclusive, but I really don't think they're for me. I don't like to stay in big resorts, and that's typically where the AI's are. Plus, like most people who aren't a fan of them, I'd rather get to eat and drink at different places rather than at the same place every night.

Also, if drinks are included, some people will keep drinking because it's "free"? This means being around a lot of obnoxious drunks. Even I would tend to drink more if it's unlimited.

To me, all-inclusive essentially equates to 'pre-paid.'

As this thread shows, opinion varies as to whether the value received at AI resorts is less than, is the same as, or is greater than an equivalent amount of money one could spend at a resort of similar quality, but which isn't marketed on an AI basis.

To me, value received for a product should be proportional to the degree of structure, the strictness of the terms imposed on one's investment. In other words, if I buy a nonrefundable airfare ticket weeks in advance, I'm not going to be satisfied with a mere 10 per cent discount off the cost of a regular fare, or, conversely, a few thousand airline points or free drinks thrown in. I'll be expecting a LOT of extra value - like the 40 to 60 per cent discounts I actually receive (bearing in mind that the 'rack rate' for airfares might well be something of an artificial price structure invented by the airline). So if I buy a prepaid vacation, I'll be expecting a lot more than just a room upgrade - I'd expect nothing less than entire categories of hotel upgrade, etc.

It could be argued that some of that extra value is in the assurance of guaranteed accomodation space - often at peak periods - and at a fixed price. The tricky part is deciding if these and such quality improvements as one receives is worth **enough** extra value to oneself, given the considerable flexibility one is giving up in exchange. This is a subjective consideration, and nobody can decide it for someone else.

The body of your post contains a lot of concerns about things that really don't have much to do with the way a resort is marketed, such as food/intestinal issues (many resorts have their own water purification systems, to avoid this very problem: you can try contacting individual resorts, if this is a concern.) You also might need to conjure up specific temperature ranges that would satisfy you - what is 'warmer' to you might mean impossibly hot to me, or conversely not hot enough. Once you have some specific temps in mind, you then might wish to compare these with historical climatic data for a given place that you can find online.

Bon voyage, and good luck.

We stayed at an AI resort at Tamarindo Beach in northern Costa Rica. At the same time, friends stayed at a nearby B&B. We envied them.

The 6-room B&B and its food was magnificent and the owners really cared to help visitors experience the best of the region. The host couple depend on good word of mouth to keep people coming so they really work at it. They have much more at stake than a hotel's junior employee.

Back at our resort, the only tour advice they would give was to sign up with the guides who rented space in their lobby. Through their B&B, our friends arranged a day long guided trip for far less money.

As part of a wedding group, we stayed at another "5-star" all-inclusive resort on the Mexican mayan riviera. Very ordinary food, entertainment, service and accomodations.

My wife and I travel to France and Italy regularly and we prefer to stay at small, owner operated inns or quality B&B's. We check references fairly closely and we haven't gone wrong yet.

Most all-inclusive resorts are enclaves that don't stimulate exploration and experimentation. I'd rather blend into the community and enjoy the local atmosphere.

Interesting article in the brand new CN traveler section on some all inclusives on the Mexican Caribbean, along with a short article comparing prices at an all inclusive vs. a Ritz Carlton.
The Ritz Carlton actually ended up being $100 cheaper, and the accomodations and food were naturally a lot better.

You can really get some good deals at some of the smaller AI's. They may not offer all the pomp and circumstance like the bigger ones but can be located where you can least blend in with locals(if you want) and not feel you could be anywhere else unless you ventured out. I stayed at small AI in Jamaica called the Negril Inn. Again small intimate but in a great beach location. I was 5 minutes walk to all the local beach bars and entertainment. Cost me only about $130 per night for 2 people on Travelocity and that included all food and drinks. It all depends what you want.