All-inclusive is the key for savvy travelers who have discovered a group of service-oriented hoteliers who have introduced more amenities in the all-inclusive resort model hotel at a price that many budgets can afford.
Like the Ocean Coral and Turquesa on Mexico’s Riviera May which offers all the perks and conveniences at a great price ($471 per night. Air/resort packages might even offer a better price.)
Guests are finding the food is one of the greatest improvements at the all-inclusives. The cuisine at many of these resorts was comparable to a Holiday Inn buffet, but this is changing. These resorts are recognizing that showcasing fresh ingredients and local cuisine is a positive lure for guests with more selective palates.
Some all-inclusive even focus on the cuisine like the Azul Beach Resort, also on the Riviera Maya, which calls itself “gourmet-inclusive”. The 148-room resort has five restaurants, several snack bars, and a lounge dedicated to tequila (to keep foodies coming back).
The overly-perky social director ordering guests to participate in poolside conga lines is also gone. Today resorts vie with one another, offering an ever-expanding roster of diversions: golf, tennis, ziplines, kids’ clubs, snorkeling trips, Spanish lessons, beachfront climbing walls, kayaking, and trapeze instruction. For example, lazing on the beach includes a hand-carved Balinese beach bed under palapas at Meliá Caribe Tropical.
Here are a dozen Affordable Private Island Resorts which are kind to your budget as well as your peace of mind.
• Club Med Ixtapa Pacific – Mexico
• Azul Beach Hotel, by Karisma Puerto Morelos – Riviera Maya
• Casa Velas – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Barceló Langosta Beach Tamarindo – Costa Rica
• Mango Bay Holetown – Barbados
• CocoBay Resort – Antigua
• Dreams Los Cabos – Los Cabos, Mexico
• Divi Aruba and Tamarijn Aruba – Oranjestad, Aruba
• Meliá Caribe Tropical – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Ocean Coral & Turquesa – Puerto Morelos, Mexico