Not All All-Inclusives Are Created Equal
By: Beach Bum Steve
An all inclusive resort is quickly defined by Wikipedia as “a resort that includes a minimum of three meals daily, soft drinks, most alcoholic drinks, gratuities and possibly other services in the price.” For the most part, this is an accurate description but even this definition doesn’t tell you EXACTLY what to expect when booking an all-inclusive resort. Because it can mean an endless amount of things, we believe that using a Certified Travel Concierge can only benefit you, as it is our job to provide you with all the fine print that an online experience may not give you.
Having personally traveled to hundreds of resorts throughout Mexico and the Caribbean, your Beach Bum can tell you about their firsthand experiences, show you photos of resorts and explain the inclusions side by side. We want you to pause and ask yourself before hitting that “purchase” button online: “Are you really getting what you expect at that “all inclusive” resort? How do you know? Who can you ask?” Ask us! We promise to help and we’ll hit the purchase button for you on the RIGHT Beach Bum Vacation!
Beach Bums Melissa, Hayley and Lisa experiencing a resort firsthand
We want you to envision the big travel day of your much-needed vacation. You got up when it was still dark outside, arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, managed to make it through security without losing anything, and endured a long flight. You finally land in your Caribbean destination, cruising through Customs and Immigration, and here’s where you find out that the “too good to be true deal” was in fact truly too good to be true. Bummer!
Not only does your package not include transportation to and from the resort (how do you get a taxi in a foreign land?), but upon arrival at the resort you find out that if you want to eat at a nice restaurant, you can’t due to their very strict reservation policy. You will be eating at the buffet for your very first meal of the trip. Once you get up to your room, which was supposed to come with a king size bed with nice bedding, you find a stained polyester comforter and scratchy sheets adorning two twins pushed together made to LOOK like a king. What is going on? You want to complain but to who? And what would they do? The money is gone, the resort doesn’t care or they wouldn’t have done this to you in the first place!
budget resort room
Daily, the Beach Bums listen and learn from these sad stories that our clients have experienced somewhere else. We hate that our clients ever had to experience something like this and we strive to ensure it doesn’t happen to you. We work with preferred resorts that we know and trust; where we spend our own vacation time, and we work through issues if they arise with the staff we have established relationships with over the years. Nothing too good to be true here, in fact it’s tried, tested and true!
We’ve heard all about the bad experiences. Many resorts don’t offer a relaxed check-in experience, and then expect you to find your way to your room while towing your own luggage. Talk about setting a bad tone for your entire vacation. Some all inclusive resorts have limitations on when you can eat your included meals, sometimes only between the confines of 6am- 11pm. What do you do if you have a late night craving? I guess that must wait until morning. Often times, budget resorts offer buffet restaurants with little variety which creates an especially boring food experience. Many times, reservation-required dining also means there is a limit on the amount of times you can actually eat there, depending on how many nights you stay. And, we’re pretty sure the online booking engine isn’t going to explain that to you before you book. Room service is limited, an extra cost or even non-existent at some resorts. Premium liquors do not exist or if they do – they are an additional charge. Who wants well vodka in their straight up martini? We surely do not. The list definitely could go on but we’ll stop there.
Unfortunately, many resorts are all about quantity over quality. They prefer to pack in the customers and charge less rather than charge a little more and provide quality service, amenities and staff. Many clients come to us and say they “don’t care” where they sleep as long as there is a beach, but the truth is that you have to spend a lot of time in that room sleeping, showering, spending romantic time and getting ready for dinner. Let’s get real here, readers! People spend MORE time in their room than they do ANYWHERE else on vacation; it is the go-to place between all the other vacation experiences. The room is important and many resorts do not put a lot of effort into accommodations, leaving out amenities like refrigerators, comfortable bedding, extra pillows, aromatherapy, conditioner for your hair, lotion, a safe for valuables, or walking space between beds. Let’s be honest, the room MATTERS and if the resort believes you don’t care about the room, they will definitely not make an effort to make it more comfortable for you.
luxury resort room
Some people say they don’t care as long as there is a swim up bar, but what one must keep in mind is that if the drinks are watered-down or do not taste good, and if the pool is small and crowded, this experience will not be what you pictured.
We also hear that people don’t care about food because they aren’t big eaters, but you still need three meals a day. If those meals are cold, unseasoned, inedible, or allergy-requirements cannot be accommodated, you may very well have a miserable vacation. If all those things REALLY didn’t matter then there would never be a negative Trip Advisor review or a complaint, because every resort out there can offer an uncomfortable bed, a sliver of sand to lay on, a watered down drink to sip and a cold buffet meal much easier than putting some effort into the quality of those items. Most resorts do mediocre very well, but when you go on a Beach Bum Vacation, we want to ensure that mediocre is not on the itinerary and we can assist in ensuring that quality comes into play on every vacation if you avoid the resorts that don’t offer it.
Beach Bums touring the kitchen at Palace Resorts
Your Beach Bum travel concierge offers the ultimate “all inclusive” vacation experience whether you are planning a destination wedding, honeymoon or family vacation. We are passionate about what we do, how we do it, and follow a process to guide you in the right direction when choosing a destination and resort. We pride ourselves as being fully inclusive and available from beginning to end and when we choose properties to recommend to you, our valued client, we don’t want there to be ANY surprises upon arrival. Traveling isn’t perfect and it’s sometimes a challenge but when it comes to the INCLUSIONS that a resort offers, we strive to know what each resort offers our client and ensure that you have all the knowledge available to make the perfect vacation decision for you.
The Beach Bums have had their own experiences (good and bad) and based on consistency in the areas that we deem important for our clients precious vacation, we have found partners in the industry that have raised the bar on the all-inclusive experience, exceed expectations, and continually provide our clients with unforgettable happy Beach Bum Vacation experiences!
Ask yourself one question:
Do you want a mediocre all inclusive vacation or do you want a Beach Bum All Inclusive Vacation?
