Hey "Tipping (ruins it),"<BR>You know what is one of the best things about living in America? You can do what you WANT to do without having to listen to advice from over-bearing, cheap people who don't know what they are talking about! <BR>Virginia, the REAL point is - tip if you want to, don't tip if you don't want to! It's YOUR choice - and no one else's...

Seems like there's several parallel discussion going on here: 1) The original question of tipping at All-Inclusive Resorts; 2) tipping in normal situations in Mexico; and 3) generalizations about manners and personalities of various nationalities of tourists.

Someone mentioned bringing little gifts for the staff. Any suggestions on little things that Mexican staff would appreciate from the States?

The bottom line is this:<BR>The tip you leave may not seem significant to you, since you'll blow it on one drink at a bar OUTSIDE the complex or on stupid little sovenirs but that tip can make the day of someone who is working hard to make your stay a better one. Don't be so selfish.

Hi Royal,<BR>I have noticed that most cosmetics and things seem to be very expensive, so for the ladies/girls who clean the room, we bring little individually-wrapped soaps or small perfumes/colognes.<BR>We brought a Bob Marley t-shirt back to Cozumel for a waiter who admired my husband's last year. We ask what they like to drink and go get them some.<BR>But...$$$ is universally-accepted ;)

thanks Nancy. My wife and I will be going AI for the first time tommorrow(can't wait), so we'll let you know what we think about the whole tipping thing.

We're back! I kind of did an expirement to see how tips were accepted. We would give bartenders a tip before we started drinking, but I only saw 1 bartender add extra liquor after the tip. We gave the maid a dollar a day and tipped the guy at the front desk after he gave us an ocean front room. Bottom line is: I did not feel obligated to tip, but it is just my nature to do so. We got great service, but I don't know how much of that was due to tipping.