All Inclusive for People Who Hate All Inclusives?
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Anonymous
| Hyatt Ziva in Cancun |
Anonymous
| I’m not much of an all inclusive person either but really enjoyed the Westin Playa Conchal in CR. |
Anonymous
| Hyatt Ziva in cap Cana. We don’t like AI and we don’t drink, or have gone there 2 times and have had a wonderful time- 4 nights is enough. Beautiful resort and fantastic gym. |
Anonymous
| Dumb question, but for years I was a cruise person and am sort of over it now - do the AIs have "excursions" like on a cruise? Day trips to interesting places and adventurous activities? I would consider an AI if we could do activities through them too. I would stress out if I had to find reputable local tour operators for everything we wanted to do. |
Anonymous
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Regarding Xcaret the theme park, and not the nearby AI resort, I found it to be a really enjoyable experience with lots of varied activities. We spent one full day there...from opening until the end of the evening's musical spectacular. If I had known how fun it was going to be, I would have allocated another day.
It is a highly-planned theme park. There were many activities and shows. We had lunch at a buffet restaurant in the middle of the park. The buffet had many choices. I was sorry I had to follow travel-related dietary precautions. We did have to stay with our elementary-aged kids for the day but my husband took them around for part of the day so I could attend the folkloric presentations. The Pre-Columbian dancing was some of the coolest folkloric dancing I've ever seen. Our whole family enjoyed the evening variety show (mainly music, dancing', and acrobatics). If you find a resort with easy access to the Xcaret theme park you can easily fill two days with activities selected at whim on the day of. |
Anonymous
| OP, Xcaret is supposed to be fantastic. If 2k per night is tough to swing, have you considered alternatives? For example, going to Orlando and doing discovery Cove and Sea World? Or, instead of doing an AI, hire a travel agent who will also plan the days so you don't have to? You could just go to a beach resort that isn't AI, for example. You hate AIs, aren't able to eat much, and tend to prefer dive restaurants. It seems like the potential to spend a lot and dislike the experience is high. |
Anonymous
| Years ago we went to a place in the Bahamas. Not fancy at all but all inclusive, had snorkeling at the beach, as well as lots of water activities, even scuba lessons. You don’t need 5 star, pretty much all of them should be fine. It’s nice not being the planner for the trip on occasion |
Anonymous
| The Royal Haciendas in Playa Del Carmen. They are time shares, but have an AI option. Does not feel like a large AI like Dreams. Gives you access to the XCaret parks. |
Anonymous
This sounds incredible - what age-range for kids is ideal for this park? Would 4 be too young? |
Anonymous
| How is the food quality at Xcaret and/or Mayakoba? |
Anonymous
This is wrong. The age to be certified is 10, down to 40 feet which is plenty, as all the best stuff is in the 30-40 ft. depth except wreck dives. Below that you lose color. For an 8 yo, kids can do “Bubblemakers” dives. They go to 10 ft and an instructor is right with them the entire time. My kids loved Bubblemakers when they were that age. It’s a great way to fill up a few afternoons. I always dove along with them, but you could totally go read a book on the beach if you wanted. Extremely safe. Plus, after a few years of bubblemakers, certification is easy. |
Anonymous
| You just need a self contained resort, it doesn’t have to be AI. Just a place with multiple restaurants and all activities on site so you don’t have to plan once you get there. You probably still want dinner reservations. This is also why I like returning to places we’ve been and liked - it’s less work for the planner (me!) |
Anonymous
NP but this is awesome! We are going in May and I can’t wait. |
Anonymous
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OP, can you do all the planning ahead of time? I am the planner in our family, and have the trip planned out ahead of time in Apple Notes so I don’t have to make any decisions during the actual trip. I plan in detail, but sort of loosely (like I will find 2 or 3 restaurant options and we select that day depending on if we are tired and want something easy or feel more like a nice 3 course place.)
I know this is extra work, but if I don’t do it no one will and I want a vacation too! I also make sure not to over schedule us. Being too ambitious has ruined experiences before, so I now build in down time/don’t start too early/etc. |
Anonymous
Me again…I also share the plan ahead of time. People can provide input. It reduces complaints if they already “pre approved” the plan. |