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Started By
Message
All inclusive- yes or no?
Posted on 11/23/22 at 10:08 am
Posted on 11/23/22 at 10:08 am
I’m posting from a high end all inclusive in St Lucia. We don’t usually go this route but wanted to stay at this particular resort.
The food and drink is just not good - certainly not for what we are paying. The scotch is Dewars and Johnny Walker red label. The food - with the exception of the signature restaurant- is ordinary. Cheese plate is your basic Kraft selection. Presentation is non existent. Service is friendly but unprofessional (not sure if that is lack of training by the resort or cultural).
I know I’m being that guy (know it all food critic arse crack) but is this always the case with all-inclusives? Seems as if the economics force them to skimp.
What says the board?
The food and drink is just not good - certainly not for what we are paying. The scotch is Dewars and Johnny Walker red label. The food - with the exception of the signature restaurant- is ordinary. Cheese plate is your basic Kraft selection. Presentation is non existent. Service is friendly but unprofessional (not sure if that is lack of training by the resort or cultural).
I know I’m being that guy (know it all food critic arse crack) but is this always the case with all-inclusives? Seems as if the economics force them to skimp.
What says the board?
11
Posted on 11/23/22 at 10:36 am to SpringBokCock
How about you just be thankful for what you have ?
All you can eat and drink and servants around to tend to every little thing you could want
A large majority of people in the world right now only dream of such a luxury and yet here you are complaining about the entirety of it
All you can eat and drink and servants around to tend to every little thing you could want
A large majority of people in the world right now only dream of such a luxury and yet here you are complaining about the entirety of it
Posted on 11/23/22 at 10:48 am to SpringBokCock
all inclusive is never worth it unless u need to eat 5 meals a day and get blackout drunk non stop. You are still paying for the drinks and meals because the all inclusive place is more expensive.
If you want quantity, you will sacrifice quality.
If you want quantity, you will sacrifice quality.
Posted on 11/23/22 at 12:10 pm to SpringBokCock
Post the name of the place.
Posted on 11/23/22 at 12:35 pm to theliontamer
Eh not trying to argue but I always find all inclusive resorts to be significantly cheaper than a tradition luxury resort. Just used the same dates in March 2023 to compare Sandals Grand St. Lucian to Sugar Beach Viceroy. Viceroy was $10,200 for the cheapest room for 6 nights and the Sandals was $6,400.
Posted on 11/23/22 at 12:57 pm to SpringBokCock
Need the name of the place, my experience is that truly high end AIs have been worth it.
The middle to lower tier not so much. Just bc it is in St. Lucia doesn't mean its high end.
The middle to lower tier not so much. Just bc it is in St. Lucia doesn't mean its high end.
Posted on 11/23/22 at 1:24 pm to hiltacular
Yeah, there are different varieties of high end and the true high end resorts have good food and beverage. They also tend to cost $$$$$.
Posted on 11/23/22 at 6:35 pm to SpringBokCock
What resort in st lucia? I did sandals grande for my honey moon 8 years ago and it was awesome
Posted on 11/24/22 at 6:06 am to Civildawg
Jade Mountain.
Jade itself has one restaurant. The food is quite good there - not amazing, but good.
We also get access to three other restaurants at their sister property, Anse Chastanet. Anse Chastanet is on the beach and runs up the mountain with Jade at the top. Chastanet has a vegan tapas restaurant (wtf), an “international cuisine” restaurant, and a Caribbean/Indian restaurant. We did the Caribbean buffet at the last one and it was terrible. And I like Caribbean food.
The only other all-inclusive we’ve stayed at was in the Turks. Ambergris Cay. The food and drink there was shockingly bad. Ambergris Cay is a smaller resort on its own island and this was during the pandemic. I figured maybe they were struggling at the time.
My point is — in my limited experience — the food and beverage at all-inclusives is noticeably worse than comparable properties with a la carte dining. This seems to apply at even higher end resorts.
My comparisons are with Nayara and the Four Seasons in Costa Rica and the Nautilus and Milhaidoo in the Maldives.
Not trying to be an arse here. We are into food. I’m trying to get a sense of whether the all inclusive model means they inevitably cut back on food quality compared to pay as you go (it’s obvious they cut back on liquor).
I should add that Jade Mountain is stunning. I am blessed to be able to travel well, and I am fully aware how fortunate we are. I post on the travel board because people here are into travel - whether it’s a campground in the Smokies to an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora. Everyone here has travel aspirations and something to offer.
Jade itself has one restaurant. The food is quite good there - not amazing, but good.
We also get access to three other restaurants at their sister property, Anse Chastanet. Anse Chastanet is on the beach and runs up the mountain with Jade at the top. Chastanet has a vegan tapas restaurant (wtf), an “international cuisine” restaurant, and a Caribbean/Indian restaurant. We did the Caribbean buffet at the last one and it was terrible. And I like Caribbean food.
The only other all-inclusive we’ve stayed at was in the Turks. Ambergris Cay. The food and drink there was shockingly bad. Ambergris Cay is a smaller resort on its own island and this was during the pandemic. I figured maybe they were struggling at the time.
My point is — in my limited experience — the food and beverage at all-inclusives is noticeably worse than comparable properties with a la carte dining. This seems to apply at even higher end resorts.
My comparisons are with Nayara and the Four Seasons in Costa Rica and the Nautilus and Milhaidoo in the Maldives.
Not trying to be an arse here. We are into food. I’m trying to get a sense of whether the all inclusive model means they inevitably cut back on food quality compared to pay as you go (it’s obvious they cut back on liquor).
I should add that Jade Mountain is stunning. I am blessed to be able to travel well, and I am fully aware how fortunate we are. I post on the travel board because people here are into travel - whether it’s a campground in the Smokies to an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora. Everyone here has travel aspirations and something to offer.
Posted on 11/24/22 at 7:06 am to SpringBokCock
If jade mountain doesn’t have food you like, then no all inclusive will be able to satisfy you. Jade mountain is constantly ranked one of the best resorts in the world
Posted on 11/24/22 at 7:22 am to Civildawg
quote:
If jade mountain doesn’t have food you like, then no all inclusive will be able to satisfy you
That’s fair. I can be hypercritical. It’s a character flaw I’m working on.
Jade food is good. Ans Chastanet is the disappointingly big drop off.
Honestly, the overall best resort we’ve been to was Nayara in Costa Rica. Food, drink and service are spot on. And it’s not hyper expensive.
Posted on 11/24/22 at 9:50 am to SpringBokCock
Ive only stayed at one all inclusive and will never stay at one again. Not how i like to travel. food was horrible and i felt like i would get food poisoning.
Posted on 11/25/22 at 2:26 am to SpringBokCock
quote:
Jade food is good. Ans Chastanet is the disappointingly big drop off.
The main restaurant on the top level was great. And we really liked that Indian restaurant on the beach. The Anse Chastenet treetop restaurant half way down the hill isn’t anything spectacular, but so what, just avoid it. That’s for the sister property anyway.
Did you schedule any food and wine pairing meals? Those were good and well done. And the lionfish dinner on the beach was fantastic.
The butlers were awesome and super friendly. I drink the hell out of Pitons and they kept my fridge stocked. I ordered the same breakfast room service every day and looked forward to it every morning. The food and drink service on the beach was good quality and quick too.
I never calculated what all the meals and alcohol added up to but it was extra worth it not to have to think about costs.
quote:
Honestly, the overall best resort we’ve been to was Nayara in Costa Rica. Food, drink and service are spot on. And it’s not hyper expensive.
Nice. Noted… will look into it
This post was edited on 11/25/22 at 3:05 am
Posted on 11/25/22 at 9:27 am to SpringBokCock
I think you are right that all inclusive generally means lower quality items unless you are at one of the very expensive properties. I always think they water down the liquor at the ones I’ve been to.
It’s also ridiculous that the first post is chastising you to be thankful for asking a reasonable question on a travel board.
It’s also ridiculous that the first post is chastising you to be thankful for asking a reasonable question on a travel board.
This post was edited on 11/25/22 at 9:29 am
Posted on 11/25/22 at 1:06 pm to SpringBokCock
It depends on your expectations.
I’ve done Jade Mountain and enjoyed it. We didn’t go because it was all inclusive; it was on Mrs Crickets’ list. We enjoyed it.
We’ve done Jumby Bay a few times. It’s completely ridiculous and happens to be all inclusive. But the food and drink is off the charts. Don’t have the 30 year old rum you want? They will head to the main island and get it. Prices per night are higher than giraffe P, but you get what you pay for. Really high end clientele and not many of them (we should have been washing dishes—we are not high end).
Also did a Secrets outside of Cancun about 6 years ago for some family thing. Just not our thing.
We don’t seek out all inclusives at all. Every now and then the places we want to go may offer it. Is what it is.
Test drive a few and see if it’s for you, then do what you you enjoy moving forward. That’s what’s important.
I’ve done Jade Mountain and enjoyed it. We didn’t go because it was all inclusive; it was on Mrs Crickets’ list. We enjoyed it.
We’ve done Jumby Bay a few times. It’s completely ridiculous and happens to be all inclusive. But the food and drink is off the charts. Don’t have the 30 year old rum you want? They will head to the main island and get it. Prices per night are higher than giraffe P, but you get what you pay for. Really high end clientele and not many of them (we should have been washing dishes—we are not high end).
Also did a Secrets outside of Cancun about 6 years ago for some family thing. Just not our thing.
We don’t seek out all inclusives at all. Every now and then the places we want to go may offer it. Is what it is.
Test drive a few and see if it’s for you, then do what you you enjoy moving forward. That’s what’s important.
Posted on 11/27/22 at 3:08 pm to Lawyered
quote:
A large majority of people in the world right now only dream of such a luxury and yet here you are complaining about the entirety of it
lolololololol
Posted on 11/27/22 at 9:34 pm to SpringBokCock
quote:
The food - with the exception of the signature restaurant- is ordinary. Cheese plate is your basic Kraft selection
I've had far better in Cancun on Isla Mujeres, probably for a lot less than you paid. Multiple restaurants that were all good, save the "beach" restaurant which was more like stadium food to keep drunk people from getting white girl wasted.
Did you stay at one that allows kids? Usually the same "resort" will have two sections, one with a no kids policy (which is where we stayed a couple of times).
The alcohol is a bit of a different matter, at least in terms of spirits... People typically drink a *lot* (not just LSU fans, Canadians do it too!) and you're not just going to stock Eagle Rare and $60 retail bottles of tequila for that. Also consider, they do need some familiarity with the public in order for everyone to understand what they're getting, especially if they're from outside the US. 90% of the liquor I've seen at duty free around the world is exactly the same brands from San Fran, Istanbul, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, etc.)
Posted on 11/28/22 at 2:35 pm to LemmyLives
You should go on a Carnival Cruise, out of NOLA. That shite is the tits.
Posted on 11/29/22 at 11:40 am to Merlin1200
quote:
Eh not trying to argue but I always find all inclusive resorts to be significantly cheaper than a tradition luxury resort. Just used the same dates in March 2023 to compare Sandals Grand St. Lucian to Sugar Beach Viceroy. Viceroy was $10,200 for the cheapest room for 6 nights and the Sandals was $6,400.
Maybe I'm not as sophisticated, but I love AI. Wife and I try to get away at least once a year (usually Cancun area) and it's perfect blend of ease and luxury for us. In terms of food, I always find it to be really good - and its like $500 per night (combined) for food, drink, and lodging - can you really replicate that anywhere else for a similar cost?
Posted on 11/29/22 at 1:33 pm to SpringBokCock
Most all inclusives aren’t worth it. There a some brands that are. Sandals isn’t one of them.
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