We are in our busiest season. Here are a few tips on navigating dining at an all inclusive. The biggest tip I want to stress is to know the resort rules before you go, preferably before you even book. This should be a part of the decision making process. Make the decisions that will make you happy on your vacation.

Find out the dining reservations policy ahead of time. Different resorts have many different dining and reservations policies. Resorts within the same chain can even be different. All of the policies can be obtained ahead of time. Ask your travel agent or research it on - line. For example: Do you need to make reservations for the specialty restaurants each morning in the lobby? Is their a concierge in the hotel at your specific building where you can make them? Or are reservations not required? If you don’t want to get up and make reservations each morning, then don’t book a hotel where that is the policy. If room service is important to you, then book a hotel that offers it. Now keep in mind, I am talking about the specialty / a la carte restaurants, the buffets are usually open for longer hours and they do not require reservations. …Read More>>

Comment

Thanks to my job, I travel a considerable amount both throughout the U.S. and also in Mexico and the Caribbean. The more I travel, I realize that my true enjoyment is based on the small details and not the big ticket items many hotels advertise to consumers.  A good example is the relaxation offered by not having restrictions or reservations at a la carte restaurants on your all-inclusive vacation.  Many all-inclusives only guarantee a client can eat at an a la carte restaurant three out of the seven nights of your vacation.  You have to choose days in advance which nights you want to eat at a nice restaurant, choose the cuisine you want to eat days in advance, and some hotels make you wake up the same day and make your reservation before 10:00am in the morning.  This is not relaxing to me.

Other resorts have no restaurant reservations or restrictions, which allows you to sleep in as late as you like in the morning and head straight for the beach or pool, not to the lobby to make a reservation.  Relax all day as long as you like, without ever worrying about what time you need to stop relaxing and rush to make your dinner reservation.  When you are finally rested and sunburnt, head to your room, relax on the balcony, read a book and then when you feel like it, get dressed and go to dinner at the restaurant of your choice.  Far more relaxing and one of the small details that consumers do not consider when choosing a hotel for their vacation. Some great hotels that don’t require restaurant reservations or have other restrictions are the Ocean Hotels by H10, Palladium Hotels, Iberostar Grand Hotels and Secrets, Dreams and Zoetry Resorts.

Comment