Lisa

Planning a trip to Cancun in June and want to stay at an all inclusive hotel. Which AI hotels are the best (food, rooms, service)? I've heard mixed opinions about the Palace resorts. <BR>Is a non-all inclusive a better choice? Any help is appreciated!!

susan

Personally, I think staying at an all-inclusive in Mexico is not a good idea if you like to go out and snoop around for local places to eat. You miss out on some great places because you feel obligated to eat at the hotel since you already paid for all the food. All inclusives tend to prepare food for large numbers and often serve buffet style...I stayed at the Fiesta American Coral Beach and loved the rooms and the hotel but the food was very overpriced. We snuck into the Camino Real across the street and thought it was great and had more of a Mexican feel to it. Check it out.

Lori

Lisa, <BR>Hope I'm not posting this twice...the first time didn't work. We just returned from Cancun where we stayed at Moon Palace. We did not mind being away from the "strip" and found the accomodations, pool and service to be very nice. (We have traveled quite a bit.) I would definitely return, even though the food was not gourmet. We found out that the food is better in the newer section of MP called "sunrise". It seemed to have some conventioneers, but the buffet was better quality there, and we tried one of its regular restaurants which was Japanese. The food there was good. It also has a Mexican restaurant which was not buffet. It was sort of nice having a fully stocked fridge in the room for bottled water, soda and beer. There is also a jacuzzi in the room, and each one has a great view of the ocean. Tours are also included in the package, which we enjoyed. We took a boat to Isla Mujeres and a bus to Xpu-Ha which is an ecopark. Both offered nice beaches and snorkeling. You could also try scuba at the ecopark. Let me know if you have more questions.

Sandee

The choice between all inclusive and a non all inclusive depends on whether you feel you will drink and eat the difference in the cost. You also need to look carefully at what is included in the all inclusive. Cancun has a lot of good restaurants and night clubs at very reasonable prices. If you don't plan to leave the resort your staying at, plan on heavy partying and eating, than an all inclusive may very well be the way to go. The last time I was ther was ~4 years ago. Admission to some of the nightclubs was $10.00 US with all drinks included. To say the least I had the head to prove it the following morning. We ate at some of the most expensive restaurants in the area, drank more than we should have (happy hours can be a danger!!) and still did not spend the difference in price between an all-inclusive and non all-inclusive. I will admit things can change in 4 years but examine both options carefully. Good Luck and have fun.

Andrea

Hi Lisa! <BR>I haven't been to Mexico yet, but we are planning a trip to Cancun this spring. I have done my research and I believe that an all inclusive resort is the only way to go if you don't want your Visa card number stolen. This happens too frequently at restaurants in Cancun. Also if you have small children, all inclusives are much easier. We are going to try the Crown Paradise Club. It's a 5 star property with excellent children's programs. I guess the Moon Palace is the best one of the "Palaces". Have a good trip.

d & G motl

<BR>all inclusive is a deal if you drink from sunup to dawn and and are in to buffet food ( it's not all that bad). Else <BR>forget it cause cancun has so many great reasonable places to eat and drink

anne

Our travel agent had a good suggestion that we took. Some resorts offer a semi-inclusive packages. At our resort, The Oasis, we had 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners, and a $150 bar tab. This way if we wanted to stay at the resort we could to eat. Cancun has way too many fun places to eat and drink to get stuck at just one place all the time.

Sue C

Hello Lisa, I have been to Cancun many times and choose not to go all inclusive. I like to go out and explore and find different restaurants. As for the comment about your credit card number being stolen. That also has never happened to me. What you do to avoid any problems is call your credit card company and tell them you will be in Cancun from this date to this date. And as soon as you come back call them up and tell them not to accept anymore charges from Mexico,that you are back in the country. It has worked every time (7) for us...have a great time.

patti

I highly recommmend the royal solaris, was there 2 years ago. They have 7 resturants to eat at and one being a 5*. Lots of stuff to do or not do. Great all inclusive

Ildi

Do not worry about having your credit card number stolen! This has never happened to us in all our travels. But I do recommend using cash whenever possible or take along a credit card with a small limit. As far as all-inclusives, I've never been to one where the food or drinks were great. If you're happy with average food and not having to leave the resort, then all-inclusive is fine for you. Otherwise, take the partial inclusive deal if you can; the breakfast and lunch buffets are usually good and then go out for dinner!

Pancho

Stolen credit card numbers is very common here in Mexico. Just because it hasn't happened to you does not mean that it is not a problem.

Clover

On our first visit to Cancun we stayed at the Cancun Playa. Nice hotel but the food wasn't all that great. We went all inclusive but we really didn't eat that much at the hotel. Usually slept through breakfast (hungover) and always had dinner out. If you ask the employees at the resort you choose to stay at, they will be more than happy to recommend a good restaurant. Just don't go to Cancun and eat at KFC. Be adventurous and have a wonderful time.

Jo Marsden

Hi Lisa <BR>In my opinion All Inclusive should be ditched, just come back from Acapulco and the really nice restaurants were half empty, the americans seem to prefer eating in fast food places. I would urge you in Mexico not to go all inclusive, but if you want to I stayed al Club Las Velas a couple of years ago, the hotel is set out like a spanish hacienda, which was nice, food I think is pretty much the same in most all inclusives - there are a lot of nice restaurants in Cancun ?!!take note

ACanadian

Don't stay in all-inclusives as that leaves more room for us Canadians who love all-inclusives. If we were to go non-ai, we face a $1.50 exchange on the U.S. dollars so meals out start to cost us a lot of money when you convert the U.S. dollar to Canadian! <BR>Seriously when it comes to deciding between ai or not, you really have to look at whether you want to the 'resort' life where you don't have to make decisions about where you are going to eat, just what you are going to eat off the buffet or at the a la carte. Secondly, the pricing on all-inclusives (and especially in American dollars) still allow plenty of room if you feel like eating in a local restaurant every now and then. The fact that you are not paying for all those drinks (alcoholic and otherwise) more than make up for the odd meal off the resort. <BR>P.S. you know June is the rainy and steamy hot season down there, right?