All-Inclusive Resorts vs Regular Hotels
A Heavyweight Slugfest
Intro
All-Inclusive Resorts verse Regular Hotels.
This is a topic that gets brought up by Mrs. Bum often (and for good reason).
My wife often jokes about how she is the best customer for the all-inclusive resorts that we visit.
She doesn’t drink.
She is petite, so doesn’t eat a whole lot.
She prefers all-inclusive resorts due to the convenience of having everything all in one place, already paid for.
She wants to know that the entire trip was paid for (with points of course)…
And that she can essentially turn her brain off for a week and focus and spending time with me and our daughter.
We both don’t have to make a single decision.
Other than occasionally remembering to book a reservation on premises, but usually our butler does that for us (when we stay at Hyatt Hotels).
But the thing is, all-inclusives have some drawbacks too, so they might not always be the go-to option.
Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of each.
All-Inclusives
Pros
Extended Family
This is one of the main reasons we opt for all-inclusive resorts to be honest.
We often fly family out to join us on our vacations, and they are okay with this because they know I use points and I’m not paying out of pocket.
They don’t ask questions!
But when it comes to going out to eat, things can get a bit awkward when the bill comes.
All-inclusives simply remove all of that from the equation.
There is no bill!
The peace of mind that comes with being able to order seconds, splurge on desert, order cocktails, wine, etc, and not thinking twice about the price is invaluable.
I’ve even had experiences where I was indecisive between two entrees, and the waiter instructed me to just order both, because I wasn’t paying.
Appetizers?
Why not!
In fact, let’s get all of them!
The lack of stress cannot be understated and we can simply enjoy a large group meal.
This cannot be understated.
After all, that’s what vacations are for.
Ease
Regardless of whether you’re extending an invitation to extended family or not…
Even if you’re just going with your spouse, the ease of the trip is a huge perk.
All-inclusives know you’re heading there to relax, so they make everything as easy as possible.
They often make planning, booking, and getting to and from excursions as easy as possible.
Again, I can’t emphasize enough how the lack of having to pay for meals makes all your decisions so much easier.
You simply go to your preferred restaurant for each meal and order whatever the hell you want.
Regardless if you’re a drinker or not, all-inclusives can make sense if you want to turn your brain off and have a care free, relaxing trip.
Family Friendly Atmosphere
All-inclusive resorts tend to be very family friendly unless you pick the Spring Break party ones!
Our visit to the Dominican Republic last year was particularly memorable, because of the relationships we got to build with other families that had kids roughly the same age as our daughter (who is 3 years old).
We spent a good chunk of time at the kids pool and got to meet lots of other parents.
I’d head up to the bar and ask the other parents if they want another beer “Hey, I’m buying” (terrible dad joke)…
And got to learn a lot about the other parents, who were from all over the world.
We even met up for lunch and dinner some days.
I can tell you with a great deal of confidence that this would not have happened if we were paying for meals.
The “everything paid for” mentality definitely makes it easier to do these kinds of things when money is of no concern.
Cons
The Food
Unless you’re going to a super high end place, the food is most likely going to be okay at best.
You can almost always get better meals at hotels that you have to pay for, and definitely find better meals if you eat outside of the resort.
The Swim-Up Bar “Creatures”
You can usually avoid this by doing your research ahead of time…
But most of these resorts have a swim-up bar. Depending on the resort, you’ll often see individuals that go there right when the bar opens (usually around 10AM) and they will stay there (and not move a muscle) until around 10PM.
My French Father-in-Law calls it a “grande toilette” which I do not think needs to be translated.
You’ll catch these people at the dinner buffet sun burnt, quite drunk, and boisterous.
Not always the clientele you’re looking to run into, particularly when you’re with your family.
But hey, if you like to hang out at the swim-up bar all day at the all-inclusive, no judgement!
Service
The service is rarely as good at a place where the workers don’t usually receive tips. A lot of people can be stingy at all-inclusives, so you can’t expect the same service.
Whether it’s the restaurant or beach side waiters or other staff…
Money talks.
Treat your staff well and expect to be well taken care of.
Paid Resort/Hotel
Pros
Vibe
If you’re paying out of pocket…Everything is usually cleaner, better, and bit more polished.
The lack of “free” alcohol tends to make the place a bit more civilized and that can either be a good or bad thing depending on what you’re looking for.
You won’t see people swarm the buffet like vultures or overindulge like you might at all-inclusives.
People tend to dress a little nicer and the whole vibe generally feels a bit classier.
Again, this is not intended to look down at all-inclusives at all, in fact lately with my wife and daughter, we’ve preferred all-inclusives for the ease.
Food
Again the food will almost ALWAYS be better at a paid resort. What’s nice is you don’t have to feel obliged to eat on the premises the way you would at an all-inclusive because you already paid for it.
In fact most times you shouldn’t. You can go out explore the local culture and often eat significantly better food for cheaper than you would at the hotel restaurant.
Adventure/Excursions
Similarly to the above, you won’t feel obliged to stay at the hotel and get your money’s worth. You can book excursions and spend most of the day outside of the hotel, without feeling like you’re wasting money.
Culture
Spending the whole vacation at the resort will not be a rich cultural experience.
If you truly want to experience the culture, you need to leave the hotel, go to local shops and restaurants, and interact with the locals.
Cons
The Cost
You need to pay up for everything. Handling the bill can be awkward with family, and the last thing you want to do is keep a tally of who owes what at the end of the trip. This is definitely a downside.
The Ease/Flexibility
Having to book reservations, find taxis, and keep track of the time on vacation can be tiresome. All-inclusives remove that from the equation when you simply stay on premises.
Planning/Logistics
Planning every meal (and transportation to and from) can be daunting. Especially when you don’t know the area, the culture, (sometimes) the language, etc. All-inclusives remove that from the equation. Additionally, AI’s often have lots of activities on premises to keep you there.
Real Life Example
Hyatt
Here’s a real life example.
Let’s say you and your P2 are planning a Spring getaway to Aruba for a few days and have some flexibility around dates.
First thing I would do is look at the points calendar on the Hyatt site.
I found the below room for 25K points a night, which is a very solid option considering the cash price is $529 for these dates.
At over 2 cents per point, this is a great deal and I’m transferring my Chase points to Hyatt and booking directly on the website.
Divi All Inclusive
So I’ve stayed at the below resort. Used to be cheaper, but everything has seemed to have gone up post-Covid.
The grounds are a little less polished, but the beach was great and we had a good time here.
That said, the food was subpar.
Comparison and Preference
At $688 for the Divi and $250 (if we’re valuing the points at 1 cent per point), I’m choosing the Hyatt hotel.
Here’s why.
We still have essentially $438 each day to cover meals and drinks, per day.
Plus if you have Hyatt Globalist status, you get free breakfast.
Aruba is known for good restaurants and the cabs are cheap.
Even if I were to spend most of the time at the resort, I could very likely have a drink or two at the hotel, go out to lunch/dinner every night, eat way better food and have it all be less than what I’d pay at the Divi all-inclusive.
Plus we wouldn’t feel tied to the hotel the same way we would if everything was already paid for.
Conclusion
To sum all of this up…
There are times where an all-inclusive makes more sense, and there are times when a paid resort/hotel makes more sense.
In my particular situation with a wife and 3 year old daughter, we find ourselves preferring all-inclusive resorts these days, despite not being big drinkers.
The ease of logistics and the relaxing aspect of having everything planned works well for us.
As my daughter gets older and we go on more excursions during these trips, I’m sure we’ll lean towards regular hotels.
When choosing what works better for you, remember to consider all of the above pros and cons of each, as well as the cost comparison.
Disclaimer: None of this is to be deemed legal or financial advice of any kind.