We know you think it was super nice and a great experience, but none of us really believe we would feel the same way.

Anonymous wrote:I’d be down for a smaller, boutiquey all-inclusive that was truly luxe. But I haven’t come across many of them, if any.

Same with cruises; I might actually try a small & boutiquey ship/expedition.

I personally would not enjoy massive AIs or cruises. I hate crowds.

Isla Palenque in Panama is a fantastic small/boutique/luxury all inclusive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is a lot of DCUM "snobbery" about travel to Mexico in general. This is a combination of rich white people racism and folks on this board being wealthier and/or better-traveled than your average American.

I've lived here almost 30 years. It takes a lot to impress the average DC area person when you're bragging about vacations.

I don't take people discussing vacations as "snobby" though, I enjoy hearing about people's experiences even if they can afford more than me. But I also have self-confidence and DGAF what others think which is clearly not something OP has mastered.

It's not snobby to not want to go to a dangerous place. People get gunned down on the beaches. No thanks. There is a reason why Mexico is cheap.

As opposed to the US where we just get gunned down at school.

Iberostar chain of AI's are nice.
We've visited locations in three countries.
One of which my family is from and yes we still stay at a resort.

We've only done the adult only locations.

6 pages in and we still don't know what resort? Please name it, OP. We are looking at doing a multigenerational family vacation next year and for a variety of reasons it pretty much has to be an AI or a cruise.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a snob. I won’t do all inclusive. I like to stay in small locally owned hotels and venture out.

+1 I don't want to stay in a foreigner fortress. And I don't need unlimited alcohol. It's not snobbery, it's just a different preference. Live and let live OP.

I don’t oppose them but if you want to go to a big resort it doesn’t matter how they bill it. If you’re going to eat on the property who cares if it’s pay in advance or a la carte? It probably works out to about the same.

I think it’s the same to just go to a regular resort, estimate your total cost, and then just run around signing your room number and don’t look at it. As long as your estimate was comfortably in budget, it’s fine. And then you get more resort choices. It’s all the same in the end if you spent the same amount.

The booze is usually watered down at those places and sometimes downright dangerous. I'd beware of mixed drinks at those resorts.

Posters on here talk about going to Disney World with their kids all the time. Not that different from an all-inclusive resort in Cancun imo.

In general, I like exploring and experiencing different cultures and all that...but you know, life is busy. And often exhausting. Between my husband and I both working full time (me as a nurse practitioner in the NICU - a job that I love but that can be ridiculously tiring both physically and emotionally) and having two busy and active elementary schoolers...sometimes the last thing I want to do is traipse through a busy European city or try to navigate public transportation in a country halfway around the world where I don't speak the language or wake up at 3am to watch the sunrise from the top of a volcano. Sometimes it's nice to have a breather...where I can just relax, decompress, and only have to plan for things like what swimsuit I'm going to wear to the beach or at what point I should be cutting my 8 year old off from the soft serve machine.

Is it an authentic experience? Of course not. But it's painfully easy...and in the midst of all the busyness of day to day life...I don't think there's anything wrong with occasionally going for "easy."

Plus they're great for vacations with the extended family where there's a vast range of ages, interests, food preferences, etc.

In other words, it's the difference between "travel" and "vacation."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's all just a matter of taste.

The biggest problem with many AI resorts is the access to alcohol. People have paid for it, and feel the need to drink it. Which = lots of drunk folks. Which = an atmosphere some of us are not into. This is going to be a problem everywhere, and it might not be a problem at all times at the places where it can be. But it is a problem for those who are not interested in that. Especially for folks really wanting to get away from it all and relax; loud drunk people at the beach or pool get in the way of relaxing under the palm trees. At least for some of us who are quieter and more introverted.

And the food is never great if you have decent taste. There is no sense in arguing about this; tastes differ. My sister, who has more money than just about anybody and can eat anywhere, swears that the food on a Carnival cruise was "Incredible!" She also chooses Outback for her birthday dinner. So. No arguing with people like that. But some of us want good food, and don't find the food at AIs "good" like OP did.

That said, really small AIs are often great. We really enjoyed The Caves in Jamaica. Highly recommend.

I'm the OP. I would never go on a Carnival cruise, and I also would never choose Outback for my birthday dinner. I guess my telling you that the food is good at this particular AI will fall on deaf ears. I too would abhor a resort where people walked around drunk, but that's not the case at this place. Everyone is well behaved. Perhaps the fact that it's an older crowd helps.

I still think you are over-estimating your own taste.

Also lololol at the person complaining that people look down at her all inclusive vacation, being a snob about other people's equivalent all inclusive vacations. Do what you like and stop worrying what anyone else thinks about it!

I hate all inclusives for I guess what would sound like snobby reasons (the food is sub par, kind of cookie cutter experience, etc) but I am not like, going on luxury fancy vacations.

Like I would usually choose a significantly cheaper option. Part of the reason I am meh on them is because they are really expensive, I think mostly because of alcohol being included in the package, and if I'm going to spend that much money on a place I want it to feel nice and I feel like every AI I have been to has felt a little artificial/really bent to partying.

I think it is less snobbishness though and more just that I don't like that kind of vacation and prefer a different vibe.

When I was traveling a lot for work, our office had a mantra about food: "Never eat where you sleep, and never eat where the floor moves".

Anonymous wrote:I always went to all-inclusives as a child, because my parents were too busy to plan trips by themselves (and it was harder pre-internet). But they were not luxurious - just Club Med stuff around the Mediterranean. Usually it was fine. One time we had rats scampering about in our room in Greece and the gardener came in and, with unerring accuracy (you could tell he did this every day), broke their skulls with the side of his rake. I will never forget it.

This is peak dcurbanmom.

DCUM is snobby in general.
I have 2 young kids and getting off the beaten path, traveling to multiple cities in one vacation, eating at a new restaurant every night... is just not fun or relaxing with them. If it's just DH and I or if I'm traveling with friends, it's great, but on family vacations with the kids, I think an AI or cruise is the best.