Hi all-
We are thinking off trying out an all-inclusive resort. I want to hear of other peoples experiences. Thanks!

Mrs D2

We like AIs in general. We have stayed with Sandals in Jamaica(very expensive and probably not really worth what they cost) and at AIs in Mexico in the Playa Del Carmen area. We have also stayed at one in St Lucia. The nice thing about them is once there you have pre-paid all your food and drink costs and most if not all of your resort activities (except spa which is almost always extra). Now it can be argued that you pay too much for food and drink - maybe so maybe not, depends on the resort. We found the food at Sandals Negril to be good to very good and the drinks were strong and plentiful. Rooms were nice and activities good. We actually think that the best bang for our buck was in Mexico. St Lucia was quite good too.

You will hear arguments for and against. We like them but we also do not restrict ourselves to staying at the resort all the time. We also like to go out and see the area, eat at local places once in a while, shop, etc.

I would say one of the AIs in the Mayan Riveria area of Mexico would be a good place to start. If you have access to Funjet packages from your area there are some good deals out there.

Good Luck!

PS the food at the Mexican resorts was excellent as were the drinks. The AI in St Lucia has changed hands and is totally different now so can not comment on what is like.

Mr.GoTravel and I also like to do AIs in the islands. Because it is already paid for by the time we get there, it is like it is free.

We also spend time off property eating and drinking so paying for AIs don't force us to stay at the resort.

In my opinion, Jamaica does AI much better than Mexico.

Definately want to stay away from Jamaica...will look into Mexico and Saint Lucia.thanks

We have stayed in AIs in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. We love going this route because everything is covered in advance unless we decide we want to catch something out. Some of the AI's (the Palace properties, off the top of my head) have more than one resort and you are allowed to use all amentities and eat in all restaurants. Just research the AI you are considering before making a decision. We did book 1 last year and the food was absolutely terrible. We ended up eating continental breakfast (muffins/fruit/juice, etc) and maybe a sandwich for lunch and then went out for dinner every night. Was a shame considering we had paid for our meals in advance. Overall, it still didn't change our opinion of AI's and will stay in one again in the future.

We've stayed at the Moon Palace outside of Cancun and enjoyed using the other Palace facilities.

One of my favorite things about travel is trying out new restaurants. I also dislike buffets, so an all-inclusive vacation doesn't appeal at all.

I also know many people who have gone to all-inclusive, never leave the resort, then say "they've seen Mexico (or where ever)".

If I was traveling with teenagers who seem to want to eat every 15 minutes, I'd probably have a diffrent attitude.

We stayed at the Harmony in Bermuda and liked it very much. As I recall, the breakfast and lunch were buffet, but dinner was served.

My co-worker said, if you drink, it makes sence to use all-inclusive, otherwise, you want to get out to see new places, to try new restaurants, so it may get expensive.

I'm thinking of trying an all-inclusive for a few days only, may get bored after a couple of days.

I have found AI to be hit or miss, but thats just me.When I go to Cancun, its usually a party trip.So being locked into a meal plan is not an option.I tried the all inclusive option in Mazatlan and will not do that again.The Sandals in St Lucia was excellent, but we chose the non buffet restaurants.There are so many out there it boils down to you and what you want for that particular trip........HI FAINA!! T/R PLEEZE!! or did I miss it??

Hello working on the report at home, must be ready by Monday.

Most dude ranches are all-inclusive, so you might want to check them out. One I'm thinking about includes golf/horseback riding and also has pool, hiking, desert tours, etc.

Thanks for all your replies. I was wondering if companies like Sandals or Beaches are better than "mom and pop" places.

mrsd2fan......Beaches is the "family oriented" brand owned by Sandals.It would be great if you have kids.Like I said, my experience with Sandals St Lucia was excellent.The only negative I have heard about Sandals is the price.But they often have good discounts.Best of Luck!

We stayed at an AI in Playa del Carmen for our honeymoon. The resort was the Royal Hideaway. It was top notch and we loved everything about it...wonderful ambiance, excellent food, great drinks, many pools, private jacuzzis and white sandy beach. Couldn't ask for more!

(No kids allowed though... not sure if that's even a factor for you).

Had to add another comment. Even though most people think AIs offer only buffet lines for dining this is far from true. In fact the ones we have used in Playa Del Carmen area did NOT even have buffets at all. Every meal, including breakfast, was sit down ala carte. The nearest they came to buffet was a lunch time pool side burger/hotdog grill for those that just wanted to eat there. The AI in St. Lucia was similar but did offer breakfast buffet for those that wanted that (plus full ala carte breakfast). So no you do not have to eat all meals in buffets.

We love the AI for a tropical getaway too. Check out applevacations.com. That's who we usually book with.