Best All-Inclusive Resorts in Mexico/Caribbean

[FlatironGuy]

Honestly, what are the best all-inclusive resorts in and around the Mexico/Caribbean area. This is for my wedding/honeymoon, so here's what I'm looking for.

- Able to get married there
- Acceptional Food
- Nice Accomodations
- Nice Pools
- Nice Property
- Activities Nearby
- Optional Oceanview
- Beach not too away
- Not too crowded (like I hear Sandals resorts can be)
- Good Snorkeling within driving distance.

As of right now I have a room reserved at the Sandals Grande Antigua but I'm leaning towards going with something else. Any pointers would be great!

Thanks!

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.grandvelas.com/ they seem expensive. But Northwest and Alaska have great deals for them. Trip advisor reviews, last time I checked were incredible too.

 

[aeroo]

I''m having a destination wedding too, in Mexico, and there are literally tons of resorts that fit your above criteria. You should go to Tripadvisor.com to find reviews and see what people think of each one. Better yet, go to http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/, which is a destination wedding forum and has really great resources as well as brides'' experiences with different resorts and vendors. You can find info on pretty much every resort that offers wedding services. Plus you can find local vendors there too, which is where I found my photographer.

Good luck!

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/14/2008 2:04:48 PM
Author: aeroo
I''m having a destination wedding too, in Mexico, and there are literally tons of resorts that fit your above criteria. You should go to Tripadvisor.com to find reviews and see what people think of each one. Better yet, go to http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/, which is a destination wedding forum and has really great resources as well as brides'' experiences with different resorts and vendors. You can find info on pretty much every resort that offers wedding services. Plus you can find local vendors there too, which is where I found my photographer.

Good luck!

Awesome, I''ll be sure to check out that destination wedding forum. Couple of questions though, ever resort on TripAdvisor is going to have some negative reviews, so how do you know if the resort is worth visiting? Should there be a certain star level to look for?

 

[Courtneylub]

The Royal Cancun.

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/14/2008 2:20:51 PM
Author: Courtneylub
The Royal Cancun.

What about it?

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 3/14/2008 3:21:10 PM
Author: FlatironGuy

Date: 3/14/2008 2:20:51 PM
Author: Courtneylub
The Royal Cancun.

What about it?

What do you mean?

Check it out.

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/14/2008 4:48:22 PM
Author: Courtneylub

Date: 3/14/2008 3:21:10 PM
Author: FlatironGuy

Date: 3/14/2008 2:20:51 PM
Author: Courtneylub
The Royal Cancun.

What about it?

What do you mean?

Check it out.

Oh, I was just wondering if you mentioned that resort because you think it''s the best. I have checked it out and it looks awesome. Another concern I may have is with the all-inclusive deal. How many restaurants do these resorts have? Is there some kind of hidden catch?

 

[scm1012]

My co-worker recently came back from a 9-day trip to Xpu-Ha(part of Palace Resorts) on Riviera Maya.

From what I saw in pictures the place was gorgeous. And according to my co-worker she and her entire family were blown away by the customer service. She said that from the moment they arrived there was always a fresh frozen drink in their hand, the staff was incredibly warm and inviting. Ummm, it was all-inclusive for food, alcohol and some excursions. One of the cool things she mentioned was that because Xpu Ha is part of the Palace Resorts, a shuttle was available for guests to travel to the sister hotels and ground to either eat, drink, shop or spend the day at(all-inclusive)...so i thought that was cool.

It''s definitely a place my FI and I will check out asap!!!

Oh, and also, my co-worker did say it was a fantastic place to have a destination wedding...she said one of the other Palace Resorts they visited were gorgeous as well but I can''t remember the name. She specifically checked the places out for me because we are having a destination wedding....most likely to Europe though!!

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 3/14/2008 4:52:40 PM
Author: FlatironGuy

Date: 3/14/2008 4:48:22 PM
Author: Courtneylub

Date: 3/14/2008 3:21:10 PM
Author: FlatironGuy

Date: 3/14/2008 2:20:51 PM
Author: Courtneylub
The Royal Cancun.

What about it?

What do you mean?

Check it out.

Oh, I was just wondering if you mentioned that resort because you think it''s the best. I have checked it out and it looks awesome. Another concern I may have is with the all-inclusive deal. How many restaurants do these resorts have? Is there some kind of hidden catch?

Some people find all inclusives to be a great deal. Others don''t because they may have experienced the food to not be as good, drinks not as strong, etc. If you''re picky about that sort of thing, then I wouldn''t go the all inclusive route. I''ve been to a couple of all inclusive places, but I knew ahead of time not to expect 4 star food. It IS less expensive in the long run and less to deal with as far as carrying money. These resorts usually have at least 5 restaurants on site. I enjoyed my time there, but I personally am looking for 4 star service, food, and drinks....so for our honeymoon, we are splurging and expect to spend a lot of money on food and drinks.

I''ve been wanting to go to The Royal Cancun because it looks like a great place. I''d like to go there next summer on our one year anniversary or something. I think it would not be a bad choice for a honeymoon at all if you''re looking for all inclusive.

 

[LauraSLP07]

My FI and I were originally looking at The Royal Cancun for our honeymoon, but decided to go with Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun instead because it is away from the busy hotel strip in Cancun.

If you check Trip Advisor, some of the recent reviews of The Royal Cancun have not been great....apparently, they have been overbooking ON PURPOSE and sending couples back and forth between other resorts.

I have heard that The Royal Playa del Carmen is nice though!

 

[indypitty]

You should definitely check out the Secrets resorts (Capri or Maroma, open in July) and Excellence resorts (Riviera Cancun and Playa Mujeres). They are among the highest rated all-inclusives in Mexico. You can get some unbelievable prices on all-inclusives in Mexico on quickrooms.com. It was about $800 cheaper than what we found anywhere else!

 

[surfgirl]

Before you decide to marry in a foreign country, you really need to find out the rules and regs for foreigners getting married there. For example, you cant just show up in Mexico and get married just like that. There is a minimum residency period (x number of days you both must be in country), specific documentation that needs to be brought with you AND translated into local language, and blood tests to be done in country. You cant just show up, get married and have it be legal. Many people get married at their local city hall beforehand, so they''re already legally married here in the US. Others abide by all the local rules and have their official ceremony in country X. But you have to do your homework and learn what the local laws are for legal marriage.

 

[Neveah]

We also were going to go to the Royal Cancun but were steered away from it because it''s in a "busy" spot. We were told instead (travel agent and friends) to go to the Royal in Playa Del Carmen. The same fantastic resort, just in a better place! Plus there''s a much better beach in Playa Del Carmen.


http://www.realresorts.com.mx/The_Royal_Playa_Carmen/

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/15/2008 11:34:27 PM
Author: Neveah
We also were going to go to the Royal Cancun but were steered away from it because it''s in a ''busy'' spot. We were told instead (travel agent and friends) to go to the Royal in Playa Del Carmen. The same fantastic resort, just in a better place! Plus there''s a much better beach in Playa Del Carmen.


http://www.realresorts.com.mx/The_Royal_Playa_Carmen/

Hmm, it looks as though the Royal in Playa Del Carmen isn''t available for the dates I was looking at in May. Do you think it''s worth pushing the dates back a week just to get in there?

 

[chellebelle]

Hi there, I posted this in another thread, but thought it might be of help here too!
Just had to chime in and say that DH and I honeymooned at The Royal Playa del Carmen last summer and we had an amaaaazing time! Playa del Carmen is absolutely gorgeous, the resort was beautiful, and we loved the all-inclusive aspect of it. Everyone was so nice and the service was excellent. Here are a couple of pictures, I never got around to posting any, but maybe this will give you a better idea of what it's like. We want to go back!

Good luck with your decision!

our balcony....

 

[chellebelle]

the view....

 

[lovehersomuch]

aside from cancun...

can you all post up some all inclusive resorts in the carribbean - virgin islands, bermuda, jamaica...etc? ones that you all recommend..

 

[Cleopatra]

Hi lovehersomuch

I can''t offer a first hand review mainly because I''ve never been, but we''re going to the Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our honeymoon. It was recommended 100% by our travel agent and the reviews on tripadvisor are stellar. It''s a 5 star resort with an all-inclusive option. It''s owned and operated by Sandals, but is a much smaller resort with a different atmosphere. Only 75 rooms and very private with 5 star cuisine (again - only what I''ve read) - I''m sorry I can''t offer a review on it as we aren''t going until after our August 2nd wedding....but it is another option to find reviews and maybe a first hand experience from a travel agent. Good luck!

http://www.royalplantation.com/ochorios.cfm

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/17/2008 8:37:23 AM
Author: Cleopatra
Hi lovehersomuch

I can''t offer a first hand review mainly because I''ve never been, but we''re going to the Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our honeymoon. It was recommended 100% by our travel agent and the reviews on tripadvisor are stellar. It''s a 5 star resort with an all-inclusive option. It''s owned and operated by Sandals, but is a much smaller resort with a different atmosphere. Only 75 rooms and very private with 5 star cuisine (again - only what I''ve read) - I''m sorry I can''t offer a review on it as we aren''t going until after our August 2nd wedding....but it is another option to find reviews and maybe a first hand experience from a travel agent. Good luck!

http://www.royalplantation.com/ochorios.cfm

I''m sure it''s a great resort but why do you think a lot of people are steered away from Jamaica?

 

[isaku5]

I don''t really understand why some people don''t choose Jamaica. We were in Ocho Rios last February (at a 4*) and we loved it. It''s a beautiful island with friendly people, but, as with any other foreign destination, you have to take your "street smarts".

 

[Cleopatra]

I love Jamaica, but I think people "steer away" from it is because of ports of call like Montego Bay - in Montego Bay, you will be hassled to buy crafts and other things from the locals, as that is their way of life - some people don''t like that atmosphere and it''s also why some people recommend going to a nice resort and staying there - unless of course you go on a resort planned excursion.

I love Jamaica - I think it has the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. The people are friendly and it''s just a stunning country. I would recommended picking a beautiful resort and plan on staying there (taxis and car rides aren''t exactly the most relaxing of trips over there - and if you''ve been there, you know what i''m talking about! Ha!)

 

[ncolea]

I agree with the poster who mentioned Excellence resorts. Adults only hotel and every room is a suite..it looks beautiful. I also would recommend one of the four Couples resorts in Jamaica. We are planning a trip to Couples Negril in September and it was tough decision between Excellence and them. This is also adults only and many activites are included in the price (snorkeling, catamaran cruises, scuba etc). They have great wedding packages as well.

Nic

 

[Linda74]

Some suggestions:

Royal Hideaway Playacar

Grand Velas Vallarta

Dreams Los Cabos


All of the above would be magnificent. Dreams would be the least expensive. But it still is an awesome resort. Check them out.

 

[sap483]

I second Royal Hideaway Playacar. It''s the best all inclusive resort I''ve ever been to.