From an early age, I have always been fascinated with exploring new places and cultures when travelling. When it comes to all-inclusive resort vacations, the idea of sitting on a beach for seven days straight bores me tremendously. Furthermore, the average cost of an all-inclusive vacation –$1500 - $2,000 US per week (depending on where you go) – can give you a nice two-week trip exploring most countries in Central America, South America, Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe.
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| Cancun, Mexico – One of the world's popular resort destinations |
Would you not prefer exploring a new country for the same price that you would pay for spending an entire week on the beach instead? To each their own they say, so I won’t judge others on how they choose to spend their precious vacation days. I just know that I typically prefer a trip that allows me to explore and engage the local culture instead.
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| Beach time at Boca Chica, Dominican Republic |
Despite my reservations for all-inclusive resorts, I do recognize and appreciate the value that they can bring to the public. In fact, I have been to a few good all-inclusive resorts over the years. Knowing that I will be going to another one in Cuba in November 2014 for a friend’s wedding, I figured I would create a list of my Top 5 reasons for going to an all-inclusive resort.
(1.) Flights
Although obvious, it is easy to forget that one of the top reasons to book an all-inclusive vacation is that the price of a flight is typically included. That means that you don’t have to search online for flights to get you to your destination. You just have to show up at the airport three hours before the times of departure that are indicated on your resort itinerary. If you decided to backpack instead, a flight would normally have to be booked separately and factored in your travel budget.
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| Flight's included? You don't say! |
So, although you might be able to get by on $50 - $75 US/day backpacking around budget friendly destinations, like South America, Central America, Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia, you still have to set aside a couple thousand dollars on top of that just for your flight alone. Plus, you have to also do more research on flight itineraries that match you travel schedule, which can be a pain at times. Some of the most popular Canadian airlines that offer all-inclusive packages include
WestJet,
Sunwing, and
Air Transat.
(2.) All You Can Eat & Drink
All-inclusive resorts allow you to worry less about the food portion of your vacation budget as it is also included in the price of the resort package. Usually, your resort will have several themed restaurant options, like Italian, Mexican, American BBQ or Sushi, for example. Some of these restaurants require you to book reservations before you arrive, but for the most part, you can just show up to any of the restaurants on your resort and eat as much as you want.
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| Eating a buffet-style meal at the Oasis Cancun |
On the flip side, I love a good beer or two on my travels. Much like food, alcohol can add up and impact your travel budget. All-inclusive resorts usually include “all you can drink” in their packages unless otherwise specified. Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic are examples of countries that I have been to where all-inclusive resorts included all you can eat and drink for the week.
(3.) Entertainment Options
If you’re like me and not too fond of spending one solid week on the beach, all-inclusive resorts typically offer alternative forms of entertainment in their packages. Options range anywhere from spa treatments and nightly concerts to catamaran tours and scuba diving lessons.
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| Catamaran tour in Ocho Rios, Jamaica |
One of the reasons I enjoyed Couples Isles Resorts in Ocho Rios, Jamaica is that the package included a free sunset Catamaran tour. Normally these types of excursions can range anywhere from $50 - $100 US/trip, so to have it included with a resort package is all the more reason to appreciate this type of vacation.
(4.) Making New Friends
Since most people typically do not venture off the resort during all-inclusive resorts, it is likely that you will continue to run into the same people over and over. When this happens, it is always a great opportunity for you to make new friends. Even if you are shy and are afraid that you might not have anything in common with these people, just think about it for a moment! You both obviously saw some sort of appeal in booking your vacation at this particular resort, so you both have a common understanding to strike up a conversation.
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| Making friends in Varadero, Cuba |
Almost every time I have been on an all-inclusive resort, I have made some friends along the way. Granted, the majority of these friendships end after the vacation is over, but now that we are in the era of social media, it is much easier to stay in periodic touch with these new friends. Who knows? If you ever end up in their neck of the woods, then you might have a place to stay or someone to show you around town. All-inclusive resort vacations allow you to extend your network of worldwide friends, which is another reason I like them.
(5.) Day Trips
Just because you are on an all-inclusive resort for an entire week doesn't mean you are stuck on the resort the entire time! I like to treat resorts as a “home base” for whatever country I am visiting and do at least 1 – 2 day trips during the course of the week to make sure I have interacted with the locals and/or experienced the culture.
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| Mayan Ruins of Coba, Mexico |
Some of the most memorable days trips I have done in the past include walking up Dunn’s River Falls and exploring Bob Marley’s Mausoleum (Jamaica), doing a bus tour of Havana (Cuba), visiting the Mayan Ruins of Coba (Mexico), and doing an all day jungle safari (Dominican Republic).
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| Touring Bob Marley's Mausoleum in Nine Mile, Jamaica |
Day trips cost extra, and depending on where you are and what the activity is, expect to shill out anywhere from $40 - $120 US. Is it worth it? Well, let’s just say while I don’t always remember what I paid for some of these day trips in the past, I have nothing but the fondest memories of these vacations.
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| Road trippin' around the Cuban countryside |
Of course, there are a few other reasons why all-inclusive resorts are an excellent choice, but these are the top five reasons that stick out in my mind. Again, while I prefer to venture off onto paths less travelled, I do enjoy the odd all-inclusive resort here and there. I cannot wait to head to Cuba for my friend’s wedding. It will be the first time I have gone to an all-inclusive for a destination wedding, and that in itself will give me several more reasons to like this type of travel.
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