All-inclusive resorts preach their ease and dedication to giving you the vacation of your life without requiring much from you. The deal is that once you get to the front desk and pay your way, you’re good to go for the next however-many days, all expenses technically included with the cost of your stay. Food, drinks and most excursions can be eaten, drank and enjoyed without pulling your credit card out again.
Sounds magical to lazy people, I guess.
The resorts themselves are typically paradise: I remember a resort in the Dominican Republic that had incredible beach access, where servers would bring you a mai tai without even having to ask, in addition to a giant pool with a swim-up bar and waterfalls. All of the rooms had balconies with ocean views, the restaurants had 24/7 coffee being served and I could get a cupcake at any hour of the day. Which was great!
But I also had to wear a wristband for five days proving my legal drinking age and tolerate getting bumped into everywhere I went by guests who took wayyy too much advantage of the open-bar philosophy of the place.
The situation is too great. Once you step into an all-inclusive resort, you’ll be hard-pressed to leave. Why would you, when you can be fed and imbibed from the comfort of a poolside lounge chair? That, and you paid for all of this -- you’re going to get your money’s worth if it kills you.
The problem with this is that you’re not really getting anything else out of your vacation -- suddenly this exotic place you’ve traveled to has been confined to the four walls of your resort. You’ll have your booked excursions, but those are organized by the resort; you’re getting the same commercialized experience you’d be getting from the lobby.
Traveling is about experiences, and there are so many you miss out on when you hang out in an all-inclusive. The best food anywhere is usually found in tiny, family-owned restaurants; the best cocktails are definitely not at the pool bar. The people you meet will strictly be other tourists, so you won’t be learning anything new about the culture you’ve surrounded yourself with, and the only pictures you’ll have to show off to your friends back at home will be of your different bathing suits in the same spot in the sand.
A better way to spend your time, I think, is to cut costs on a hotel and book a cozy Airbnb. Find a local market and grab some grocery essentials you can nibble on throughout your trip, and spend your time finding fun places to eat. Bump into locals on the street and ask for recommendations on where to drink and what to see, and get properly lost in a city for an afternoon.
You’ll get home with a million more stories to tell and a more enriching experience overall. Not to mention a lot less hangovers, TBH.