i'm hearing all inclusives are not the way to go due to the food not being good. what about the water activities being included though.for those who stayed at the royal solaris or the beach or sun palace how were those?

Leonard: the all-inclusive (AI)issue is very subjective. What's gourmet food at an AI to one is medicore to someone else. If you're a picky eater, you will probably find the quality of food the same whether you ordered it from a menu at the restaurant of your choice or from a buffet at an AI.

I think you'll find that the more upscale hotels that are AI or offer an AI option, will have more variety and better food than budget-priced AI hotels.

Personally, I have experienced both ways when visiting Cancun and much prefer all inclusive. I found it was much more expensive to eat and drink when paying separately. With the AI, I could eat or drink whenever I wanted, when I wanted and I didn't have to worry about the price. And with kids, especially teenagers, it can get very expensive to pay separately for everything. We visit the Cancun area frequently and have gone AI ever since our third visit.

I would recommend the Omni as having the best AI option. The Omni is not an all inclusive hotel, but does have the option. You may order off the menu for any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are not strictly buffets. Their food is excellent and the hotel itself very nice with a beautiful beach, lovely pool area and good service.

For an all inclusive hotel, I would recommend Cancun Palace. I love this place--they too have great food, beautiful beach, great staff, fun activities, and lovely pool areas.

My advice would be to go and experience it for yourself. If you choose to go AI, you can still eat out if you want. We usually eat away from the hotel for a couple of meals when we stay a 7-10 days.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your vacation - Cancun is my favorite vacation spot.

In general, food in Mexico is just not as good as what most people are used to in the U.S.. Reference A.I.'s, the food at the buffets is "passable" if you're lucky and the food at the "specialty restaurants" at the A.I.'s is usually a little better. If you "survive to eat", don't go to an A.I.. If you eat to survive and fine dining is not on your vacation must list, A.I.'s are the way to go. Another thing to factor in is the amount of alcohol you consume. If you're a moderate to heavy drinker and like to eat three times a day, you will probably save a lot of money at an A.I.. I have stayed at numerous A.I.'s in Mexico and the D.R.., including the Beach Palace (Cancun) earlier this year. Although the resort itself didn't impress me, the service was phenomenal and the food was better than average.

It depends on your destination. For instance in downtown Puerto Vallarta there are fantastic restaurants at reasonable prices. But if you stay out in Nuevo Vallarta (way north of town) you might rather have A.I. since there aren't so many other choices nearby.

As far as the poster who thinks food is just not as good as in the US, they are simply not eating in the right places!

I agree that if food is one of the top considerations in your vacation, that an AI is not the way to go.

If food is ancillary, and all that is required is adequate dining, and you do not drink top shelf or call liquor, then AI's can be a very good value.

I also disagree that the food in Mexico is not as good as what one is used to in the US. In Mexico, it's very easy to find seafood that sits on your plate the same day that it was caught and was prepared with spices that were in someone's garden yesterday. Or that are made with centuries-old Mayan recipes that have been handed down over hundreds of years.

I pride myself on seeking out unusual and eclectic dining experiences during my frequent visits to Mexico, and can assure you that gourmet and top of the line meals can be found in most of Caribbean Mexico very easily.

Yes, there's the conventional wisdom that the food and drinks aren't so good at the AIs, and complaints about feeling like trapped cattle with the plan and those wristbands on. Then there's also the conventional wisdom that non-AIs necessarily cost more and/or don't offer as much in the way of amenities, so that AIs are definitely better with kids... I'm sure there are many other points. I think you have to take all such comments with a grain of salt and find out for yourself.

Two threads on PlayaInfo cover this subject nicely, with references to other threads:

http://playadelcarmeninfo.com/playa-...ead.php?t=5147
and
http://playadelcarmeninfo.com/playa-...ead.php?t=7572

You might take a look at those to get some more input.

Steve

Agree with Diana's post regarding the food. The food in Mexico can be as great as any gourmet restaurant in the U.S.--it just depends where you go and what you want to spend, as it does anywhere you travel. The food in Mexico is always the highlight of my trip--and one reason I do not consider an AI.