The all-inclusive model is the Caribbean in its most straightforward form: a single price, a wristband and no need to make any decisions.
It is also where the trouble with regret tends to set in once you have checked in and find the room, the food or the beachside crowds are not as advertised in the brochure.
32. Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach, Dominican Republic
To many this Bayahibe resort is the more sedate, less costly option to Punta Cana. But one finds that cheaper can be of the cheap in a hurry. The rooms are of a basic nature, there is little variety to the food program and the beach is more of a scene than the pictures let on.
A family after an unpretentious week by the water will be fine with it. An American who has come for some polished ease may have the sense he has booked a tier too low.
31. Occidental Caribe, Punta Cana
With a commanding beachfront and hard to argue with on price, Occidental Caribe has its appeal. There is a trade-off for the value though. It is a big place and can be impersonal; before you have even taken in the ocean you are aware of the wear in your room.
For “cheap sun,” it will do. But if a memorable trip is what you are after, the savings here can seem like a cost.
30. Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica, Runaway Bay
Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica is enormous and in a way that is the rub. The whole property has the air of a cruise ship put down on land rather than a quiet island retreat.
Between the long walks and the throng in the restaurants and common areas, the mood of the trip is altered. Those who prefer a large resort will have no issue. For the American with a restful Jamaican beach in mind, the scale is something of a shock.
29. Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & Spa, Lucea
Grand Palladium Jamaica touts itself as a full-service operation with ample activity. Distance is the problem. Being between Montego Bay and Negril means venturing off the property is more of an undertaking than guests might anticipate.
The resort has to stand on its own while you are there. Should the service or the room prove average, the isolation of the location makes for a harder disappointment to put behind you.
28. Wyndham Alltra Cancun, Mexico
Wyndham Alltra Cancun benefits from being in the Hotel Zone under a well known name. Yet that location is the drawback as well. The beach is a bit compressed and the resort is not exactly relaxing with the party atmosphere of Cancun always at hand.
It is sensible for a short stay. For a leisurely vacation with that Caribbean feel, it comes across as just another busy hotel with wristbands.
27. Impressive Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Impressive Punta Cana is the type of resort that seems better in a promotional email than it does after a few days.
You will not see one great failure so much as a steady accumulation of minor irritations: uneven rooms, chair saving, service that is a matter of the day and nothing special in the way of food. At peak season prices the name seems overconfident, though at the right rate some will let it go.
26. Punta Cana Princess, Dominican Republic
There is an assumption of calm with an adults-only label, but Punta Cana Princess is proof it is not enough. One may have the desired quiet without the children, only to discover the room or the beach do not live up to the premium escape being sold.
It is a subtle thing. You will not be bothered by noise but you might well find yourself asking why the week has been so ordinary.
25. Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana
Dreams Royal Beach presents itself as the more refined option. Which is why the letdown is felt. Paying for a step up means you notice when the buffets are small or the food is tired, or that the so-called premium club is not quite the article.
It has its merits but for the money, “good points” is not what the American customer thought he was getting.
24. Royalton Bavaro, Punta Cana
Royalton Bavaro is modern and the pool area is photogenic. Operationally it is another story. The resort can be sleek and yet still have issues with the heat of the buffet, maintenance or service faltering under the weight of high occupancy.
It is not a bad experience per se, just an expensive lesson that new construction does not ensure a smooth vacation.
23. Majestic Colonial Punta Cana
Majestic Colonial has its share of loyalists and first-timers are inclined to book with confidence for that reason. Punta Cana has a way of conditioning the traveler to want “majestic” at mid-market rates.
But what one gets in return is not always so tidy: an uneven room here and there, a resort plan that shows its age, or a beach whose appeal is at the mercy of the season. Some are happy with it. Others depart with the sense they have put down for a name rather than an experience.
22. Royal Decameron Club Caribbean, Jamaica
There is a cottage-like quality to the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean you do not see at the mega-resorts. Yet being different is no guarantee of superiority. To the American palate the place can come across as rustic, be it in the service, the food on offer or the rooms themselves.
A casual type will be fine with it; someone after a polished all-inclusive may find it has too many rough edges for such a charming notion.
21. Riu Palace Paradise Island, Bahamas
The Bahamas has an air of being close by and a notch above the standard Caribbean package. Riu Palace Paradise Island does not always live up to that. It is a compact operation in a busy area and the all-inclusive side of things is more restricted than one might find in Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
At the prices charged in the Bahamas, those limitations stand out. One is not only measuring up against other RIUs but wondering what else the money could have procured.
20. Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, St. Lucia
Coconut Bay has St. Lucia’s good name to run on, but on this island where you are matters. The resort is on the Atlantic side near the airport. The beach is windier and less of a postcard than the mention of “St.
Lucia.” would have you believe. A family will value the convenience. A couple in search of some romantic Caribbean drama may question the long flight for a beach that is something of a compromise.
19. Jewel Paradise Cove, Jamaica
Jewel Paradise Cove is billed as an adults-only hideaway. The problem is not chaos so much as the fact that the resort is older and smaller than the title implies.
When the facilities and food are nothing to write home about, having no children around is not going to make up for it. Adults-only patrons pay for an atmosphere.
18. Royalton Negril, Jamaica
Those who wish to have Negril without forgoing the all-inclusive machine tend to book the Royalton. An odd mix. The brand puts forward a certain polish but Negril is about sunsets, space and a more relaxed Jamaican way of doing things.
Should the service turn corporate or the beach get crowded, there is cause to regret not having gone with a smaller hotel.
17. Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort
Grand Sirenis Punta Cana is made for families, waterpark and all. Which is why couples and older sets may look back on it with some chagrin.
It is a large property with a lot of noise and quiet is not easy to come by. If the waterpark is your thing, so be it. If it is the beach, you may have picked the wrong vacation for the spot.
16. Ocean Coral Spring, Jamaica
Ocean Coral Spring is modern and appears a safe choice. Newer stock can have the old vices though: a layout that seems to have grown on you, maintenance to be had in the room, and restaurants that are packed.
You book a gleaming Jamaica resort and end up with the same high-volume all-inclusive arithmetic.
15. Memories Splash Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Memories Splash Punta Cana is sold as family-friendly and the pictures are inoffensive enough. In practice it means a pool at capacity before the books say it is, and long buffet lines.
For $1,600 a week for a couple, the letdown is not so much a lack of luxury as the realization of having put down hard cash for cafeteria-style energy in your swimwear.
14. Club Med Cancun, Mexico
Club Med retains a premium, social cachet. The Cancun location is somewhere between eras.
The brand has history but the dated rooms and the activity level are not to every American’s taste over the age of 45. In the end the logo is making up for the resort.
13. RIU Bambu, Punta Cana
With RIU Bambu one is looking at the entry-level of a resort formula that does high volume. The price is certainly there to entice, but what you are buying is an experience predicated on throughput.
It is a bargain in some ways, with big buffets and a beach for everyone to share, but the room wings are not always consistent and there is a constant sense of movement about the place.
Some will be content with their sun and a drink. Others will come to understand, perhaps too late, that the kind of efficiency found in a cheap all-inclusive is no substitute for rest.
12. Sunscape Splash Montego Bay, Jamaica
Sunscape Splash puts all its eggs in the waterpark basket. For young children it has its uses. But if you are a couple over 45, you may find yourself feeling as though you have been co-opted by someone else’s family holiday for the week.
There is an adults-only section, yet it does little to put distance between you and the general resort atmosphere. And when the bill comes to $2,200 or $2,800 for the pair in any given week, the math on paying for waterslides you have no intention of using is painful.
11. Barcelo Bavaro Palace, Punta Cana
On paper “Palace” implies something better than your run-of-the-mill all-inclusive. In truth, the Barcelo Bavaro Palace is so large that every amenity turns into a queue once occupancy is at its peak.
The beach is fine, but the scale of the operation changes things. When you have to be strategic about dinner reservations and the good wine is an extra charge, the American guest begins to question what “palace” was meant to convey.
10. Sandals Royal Barbados
The fantasy is well sold at Sandals Royal Barbados. The trouble is the cost. A week can set a couple back anywhere from $5,500 to $9,000 and suddenly every meal and moment of slow service is put under a microscope.
You expect the exceptional at that level; instead many depart having had what can only be described as an expensive average. “nice” does not cut it.
9. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana
Hard Rock Punta Cana is a loud and imposing affair, never quite making up its mind if it is a casino party hotel or a place for families.
That duality is felt throughout the vacation, with the kids’ clubs and the casino vying for attention, not to mention the hundreds or thousands of dollars celebrity-style upgrades can add. The pools are something to see. But for those in search of quiet Caribbean ease, this is not the right sort of impressive.
8. Starfish Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
Tobago is put forward as the unspoiled option to the more crowded islands. At Starfish Tobago, however, “unspoiled” seems a polite way of saying underbuilt.
The rooms are plain, the beach modest, and the food has to do the heavy lifting for the all-inclusive promise. The island is worth a look, but this is not the best way to get to know it.
Read More: 9 Caribbean All-Inclusive Resorts That Are Actually Worth the Money
7. Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun
The branding is polished enough that Royalton Splash sounds like an elevated affair. What you get is a sprawling waterpark where couples, groups and families are all after different kinds of holidays in the same vicinity.
An upgrade to the Diamond Club can smooth things over, but if you require one to make the basic package tolerable, that tells you all you need to know.
6. Couples Swept Away, Negril, Jamaica
Negril has a beautiful beach and Couples Swept Away has earned its reputation. Where the value falls short is in the price tag of $4,500 to $6,500 per week for two.
One expects to be left with a memory, not just “comfortable and pleasant.”. The sports facilities are top notch, but unless you are in the mood for tennis the whole thing can seem like an overpriced notion of nice.
5. Sandals Grande St. Lucian
You would think the setting would be hard to beat: a narrow St. Lucia peninsula flanked by water. Yet the resort fails to fully deliver on that. The layout is drawn out and the trek from the rear rooms to the main beach can be a drag.
For $6,000 to $10,000 a couple is paying for a bit of St. Lucia magic. More often than not the island is the star, not the property.
4. Melia Caribe Beach Resort, Punta Cana
Melia Caribe is of such a size that you might as well consider the shuttle system part of the holiday. The premium quarters are nicer, which has the effect of making the standard rooms seem even more ordinary.
Guests will book what they saw online and then find the best of it is an extra. There is nothing like an upsell at check-in to put a damper on things before the week has even begun. Nobody wants to have to justify the room they have already put down for.
3. Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro, Punta Cana
Compared to much of Punta Cana, the Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro is more adult, quieter and cleaner. That is not to say it is worth the $4,200 to $5,800 per week.
At those numbers guests are apt to compare it with the true luxury of a boutique hotel. The dining is a step up from the entry-level buffet, but “better than a buffet resort” is not the same as being unforgettable.
2. Sandals Royal Caribbean, Montego Bay, Jamaica
There is the private offshore island and the photos to prove it. The day-to-day is less romantic. The island is not much to speak of, the boat runs to schedule and the main resort is close enough to the Montego Bay traffic to preclude any real seclusion.
For $6,000 to $11,000 per couple it is a hard pill to swallow. The marketing is more luxurious than the reality.
1. Barcelo Aruba
The Most Over-Hyped All-Inclusive in the Caribbean
Palm Beach is undeniably good and the Barcelo Aruba knows how to leverage that in its advertising. But the property itself is a high-volume all-inclusive on one of the pricier islands in the Caribbean.
The pool is full by early afternoon and you will have to fight for a chair on the beach. Food is acceptable at best, which is not what you want to be reading about when you have forked over $4,000 to $6,500 for the week.
Aruba is safe from hurricanes and that has its appeal. But a fine island cannot save a resort that is easier to sell than to love, and feels both costly and crowded. We put this one last for a reason.
Stop Wasting Money on Caribbean All-Inclusives That Disappoint
It is not the Caribbean at fault. It is the matter of shelling out premium rates for resorts designed to put thousands of people through the same upgrade paths and buffets.
Put this in front of anyone currently putting together a package. Do not mistake a pretty booking page for a good week.
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