Need some advice re: all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean

If you’re are going to stay at the resort the whole time. I would say Cancun at one of the excellence or secrets properties or Valentin imperial maya. They are the best bang for your buck in my opinion. If you want something a little more exotic, I would say st Lucia

DR is whatever. Just find the easier flight and enjoy whichever resort.

Pick a location with lots of flights in and out, some of the smaller islands can be a real bitch on access.

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all inclusive

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Is there a reason that it has to be all inclusive?

I'd recommend booking directly with the hotels they might offer special incentives like free airport transportation to and from the resort. I'd rec the Hyatt Ziva or Zilara (Adults Only) and the Grand at Moon Palace in Cancun.

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Honestly, if you want to just plant yourself at an all-inclusive it doesn't really matter where you go. I'd go to the easiest to get to because you aren't there to explore.

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bullshite. unless you are one of the ones that just wants to drive around the island and go "live like a local" you absolutely can go explore.

OP i suggest the iberostar grand hotels. I specifically liek the Grand rose hall in jamaica.

Another good option is the sandals south coast.

both will have amazing food and drinks. take plenty of excursions if wanting to explore. I suggest Ricks and cliff jumping, white water rafting, zip lining, climbing the water falls and of course golf and fishing.

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Yep. We did Sandals in Bahamas for our honeymoon, and did Bahamas because of the short flight in and out. Not even 2 hours from Atlanta, IIRC. They're all pretty much the same once you get checked in, some with better food than others.

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Same here, but it was 17 years ago. Connector out of south Alabama to ATL, short layover, then quick flight to the Bahamas. Airport shuttle to/from the resort, and they also ran shuttle busses during the day from the resort to a few touristy locations. We went down to the Straw market area twice. Resort was all-inclusive at the time, except for room service. We bought some handles of liquor to keep in the room when we didn't feel like walking to one of the bars at night. Not a ton to explore there, it is basically a strip of shops near where cruise ships dock. We could have done some excursions, but after the wedding we just wanted to enjoy the weather and drink/relax. I think we spent 5 nights.

I'm sure I've posted this before, but several of these all-inclusives will require a reservation for the nicer restaurants. Find that out ahead of time, and book most of your dinners there. There is no difference in price or an upcharge for eating there. Back then our options were French, Italian, Hibachi, and pub style or poolside. We decided (foolishly) to save the fancier places for our last couple of nights. So we ended up doing Hibachi, pub, a restaurant on a short boat ride across a bay, and then the nicer ones. We should have eaten at the nice ones every night there was a reservation available.

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I'd prefer to eat and drink all week without worrying about carrying my wallet with me.

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And I never know when people say this if they mean literally or figuratively. When you’re at these type of resorts, the wallet and passport go in the safe the minute I go into the room and it never leaves. Everything just gets charged to the room.

If you mean you don’t want to worry about costs and paying attention to prices, that’s a different story. But you should never have to physically carry your wallet to the pool or beach.

I don't remember needing reservations when we went, but maybe we did. This was 20 years ago. I do remember the food exceeding our expectations, but we were also young and dumb and didn't know much better. Still, I'd consider it acceptable today. Breakfast buffet was really good.