rates, fine print, services and gastronomy

All-inclusive resorts – all-inclusive resorts – promise fixed price holidaysbut for decades some stereotypes undesirable: about the mediocre buffet food, about hidden fees, watered down drinks, sun worshipers hogging all the lounge chairs and more.

“No one wants to take a fiasco,” says Chris Gunter, 51, who lives outside Toronto, Canada. In his searches related to his family’s next all-inclusive vacation (they have already been to resorts of this type several times) Gunter, who works in the entertainment industry, has prepared hundreds of resorts spreadsheets Categorized by rate, ratings, location, food, beaches, activities, party atmosphere, whether they are adults-only or minor-friendly, and whether they have teen clubs (the latest spreadsheet by Gunter is posted on the website). Reddit.)

“I go to an all-inclusive to sunbathe and have a cold piña colada by the pool.”he states.

But it is possible that one wants a different experience. Fortunately, the Number of all-inclusive resorts has increased dramatically in recent years, with concerted efforts to improve quality, increase the activities allowed and provide more value in exchange for the fixed price.

Here are some points for you to keep in mind before booking your all-inclusive stay.

Are you traveling with family with minors or is it just adults? Is a beautiful beach enough or do you prefer days full of activities? Are you planning to stay at the resort or explore the surrounding area as well? How old are your children?

The answer to these questions will help you narrow down the large number of options.

In 2024, the number of all-inclusive resorts around the world will climb to 2.200that is, a 32% increase compared to 1,500 in 2021, according to Jan Freitag, national director of hotel analysis at CoStar, a global provider of real estate data and news.

Mexico and the Caribbean are where they are most found, says Freitag. Hilton alone plans to add 40 new properties in Mexico to the 100 it has and the company in your portfolio.

Club Medwhich pioneered the all-inclusive resort concept in the 1950s, now offers more than 60 properties around the world, including ski destinations in Quebec, Canada and Europe.

Spencer Aronstein, 28, owner of the tourism company Peaks & Palms Travel Consultants, based in Salt Lake City, USA, has just returned from his annual trip to the Club Med in the archipelago Turks and Caicos with his sister and mother. Through a special promotion, they each had a single room for six nights, for a total of US$3,300, and they played tennis, paddled kayaks, and enjoyed a “magnificent stretch of beach.”

When helping his own clients book family trips, Aronstein recommends the cadena Beacheswhich is owned by Sandals, a group with multiple properties in the Caribbean. Beaches has children’s clubs and programs supervised by professional caregivers. The cadena Dreamsowned by Hyatt, and the marca Hyatt Zivahe adds, are other best options for families with school-age boys and girls.

“If you’re going somewhere to lay on the beach, drink and relax, once you’re inside the resort the experience is a bit agnostic,” Aronstein says. “It would be silly to me for someone from North America to take a long flight to Bora Bora to experience basically the same thing.”

Another issue to take into account is the distance from resort to airport.

“The last thing anyone wants is a two-hour transfer that may be longer than the flight and it consumes a good part of your day” observes George Penyak, 38, co-owner of the South Carolina-based Penyak Travel Agency and co-host of the “Know Before You Go” podcast with his wife, Janet.

In general, all-inclusive resorts may require a minimum stay for three or four nights and the fixed cost usually includes the room, meals, drinks and some activities. Special discounts abound, as do packages for so-called destination weddings and large gatherings.

Nightly rates vary depending on the room category, location, quality of food and drinks and time of year.

The low season in a Mexican or Caribbean resort it is usually September to Decemberexcept during the Christmas and New Year holidays, when prices reach their peak.

A search on the TripAdvisor site showed a rate de US$ 583 per night in September contra US$ 886 per night in April for a family of four at Moon Palace Cancun. The Hyatt Ziva, also in Cancun, ranges from US$993 for four people in September to US$1,283 in April.

Although the buffet system remains commonmore and more resorts are raising the level of gastronomy with specialty restaurantswine lounges, baristas and multi-course tasting menus. Hotel Xcaret México, for example, a luxury complex in Playa del Carmen, boasts of its Michelin star chefs. A room for two adults there costs about $1,000 a night in March; In September, the price drops to $778.

Many there have even expanded their appeal improving and increasing the activities and amenities included in the base rate. Language and cooking classes, beach yoga classes, expanded water parks and other water attractions are now often included.

He Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicusin Dominican Republichas a swimming pool with a giant plastic bubble that throws water and through which children can climb, jump and slide. He Hyatt Ziva Cap Canaalso in the Dominican Republic, is equipped with everything from a lazy river to water cannons.

Additional services such as butler, diving, private pool, luxury spa treatments and special excursions outside the complex where you stay they will make you pay more.

In Sandals Dunn’s Riverfrom Ocho Rios, Jamaicarates for a room for two adults in March range between US$6,760 and US$12,863 for seven nights. A catamaran cruise costs US$128 extra per adult and a bike+hike+waterfall tour costs US$206 per adult.

Gunter’s main concern when planning his vacation was the cost. In March, he, his wife, and their two children, ages 13 and 10, will spend seven nights in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, at the all-inclusive Sandos Playacar hotel for US$3,500. Gunter plans to pay $80 more for a taxi to a nearby water park for the day and have cash for tips, but as for everything else, he’s going to leave your wallet in the safe of the room.

Las Tips to staff vary at each resortso it is better to check what modality the chosen place has before arriving. At Sandals, for example, this practice is discouraged.

Do you want to enjoy the landscape from your private space? A room that is advertised as having “ocean view” It does not mean that it is facing the seawarns George Penyak. “You may have to look over the balcony to see it, or it may be far away.”

Another marketing trick is to advertise that a resort is rated five stars when the rating system not well regulated outside the United Statesadded the travel agent, and “it could correspond to the level of a comfortable and economical two or three star accommodation.”

People with mobility problems you should look for rather flat destinationslike Mexico, and not those that are more mountainous, like Santa Lucía or Granada.

Tourist resorts with a thousand rooms are usually extremely extensive, to the point that it can be difficult to navigate through themso it is also wiser to look for places that are not so big.

Another critical but often overlooked aspect of a hotel or resort stay: the mattress size.

Gunter is 1.86 m tall and feels uncomfortable in a double bed, which is common in many all-inclusive hotels. Their selection criteria therefore included finding queen-size or king-size mattresses.

Boys, meanwhile, tend to do very well in bunk beds.

Julie Besonen / The New York Times – Special to Clarín

Translation: Román García Azcárate