They’re like luxury cruise liners on land. Pay one price in advance, and your room, meals and entertainment are included.
For travelers prone to seasickness or wanting to spend their time in a single location at a relatively fixed, known cost, all-inclusive resorts could provide the ideal getaway. Most also include beverages, gratuities and non-motorized watersports in the cost, making them an equal to near equal or better value.
Best Islands for All Inclusive Resorts
You’ll find all-inclusives throughout the Caribbean – on islands where other lodging facilities are located as well as on their own private islands. While all-inclusives are sparse to non-existent on islands like Puerto Rico, St. John, Anguilla and smaller, lesser known islands such as Water Island, they are particularly abundant in the Dominican Republic and on Jamaica. Some of the big names include Sandals, Divi, Beaches, Dreams, Super Clubs and Club Med, but there are lesser known independent facilities and hotels and resorts that offer all-inclusive options as well.
All Inclusive for Adults
Some all-inclusives cater to adults, others to couples or families. Hedonism, for adults only, is the original all-inclusive resort for swingers and nudists. Rates can start as low as around $130 per person per night or, including airfare, $1,100 per week, based on double occupancy. Children often sleep and eat free, and airport transfers are sometimes included in the cost. You’ll want to check on whether dining is unlimited or restricted to three meals daily.
Here are some all-inclusive highlights by location:
- The Lucayan Archipelago
- Bahamas, Turks and Caicos
- Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island Nassau, Bahamas
Once a private club known as the Balmoral, this property has hosted such notables as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and the Beatles, who filmed the music video for Help! in the area. Roman colonnaded pools and exotic firepits add provide the Royal Bahamian an air of European sophistication, while hidden swimming pools and villas are set amid a garden.
The Royal Bahamian caters to adults and couples and features guest rooms, suites and swim-up suites, a spa, whirlpool, 10 restaurants and eight full-service bars including three swim-up pool bars. A private Royal Bahamian offshore island with Zen garden and two cove beaches is accessed by ferry. On site also is a conference center with large meeting rooms. Rates include are unlimited land and water sports including snorkeling and scuba diving, unlimited fine dining, 24-hour room service, butler service for selected suites and unlimited premium brand drinks.
Also in the Bahamas:
- Breezes Resort & Spa Bahamas, Nassau
- Club Med Columbus Isle, San Salvador
- Hotel Riu Palace, Paradise Island
- Paradise Island Harbour Resort, Paradise Island
- Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma
- Small Hope Bay Lodge, Andros Island
- Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach, Freeport
In the Turks & Caicos:
- Beaches Turks & Caicos, Providenciales
- Club Med Turkoise, Turks & Caicos, Providenciales
The Greater Antilles
Cuba; the Dominican Republic; Haiti; Jamaica; the Cayman Islands; Puerto Rico
Cofresi Palm Beach & Spa Resort
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Cofresi Palm Beach & Spa Resort offers a choice of adult only spa suites and standard family friendly rooms, some with shaded patios and verandas. The property is huge, with 19 restaurants; 11 lite fare bars; 28 bars; 12-plus pools, including exclusive children’s pool areas; seven beaches; two spas; four tennis courts; a nightclub; two children’s clubs with daily child care; a health club, beach volleyball and basketball courts; two gyms, two entertainment centers, a conference center and meeting rooms; a life-size chess game, a heliport, playground, PADI SCUBA school and more.
Rates also include an introductory PADI SCUBA lesson in the swimming pool, use of non-motorized water sports and nine holes of golf or a half-hour clinic. Daily children’s entertainment programs are available, and Cofresi offers everything from Spanish and lessons to beach and pool volleyball and water aerobics.
Also in the Dominican Republic:
- Barcelo Capella Beach Resort, Juan Dolio
- Barcelo Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata
- Be Live Canoa, Bayahibe
- Be Live Grand Marien, Puerto Plata
- BelleVue Dominican Bay, Boca Chica
- Blue Bay Villas, Puerto Plata
- Casa de Campo, La Romana
- Casa Marina Beach Hotel, Sosua
- Casa Marina Reef Hotel, Sosua
- Catalonia Gran Dominicus, Bayahibe
- Celuisma Tropical Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata
- ClubHotel Riu Bachata, Puerto Plata
- ClubHotel Riu Merengue, Puerto Plata
- Coral Costa Caribe Resort, Spa & Casino, Juan Dolio
- Dreams La Romana, Bayahibe
- Dreams Punta Cana, Punta Cana
- Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Puerto Plata
- Grand Bahia Principe El Portillo, Las Terrenas
- Grand Paradise Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata
- Grand Paradise Samana, Las Galeras
- Iberostar Costa Dorada, Puerto Plata
- Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus, Bayahibe
- Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort, Puerto Plata
- Sanctuary Cap Cana
- Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach, Bayahibe
- Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace, Bayahibe
- Viva Wyndham Tangerine, Cabarete
In Jamaica:
- Azul Sensatori Jamaica, Negril
- Couples Negril, Negril
- Couples Sans Souci, Ocho Rios
- Couples Swept Away Negril, Negril
- Couples Tower Isle, Ocho Rios
- Coyaba Beach Resort, Montego Bay
- Franklyn D Resort, Runaway Bay
- Grand Bahia Principe, Runaway Bay
- Grand Lido Negril, Negril
- Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort And Spa, Montego Bay
- Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, Montego Bay
- Half Moon, Montego Bay
- Hedonism II, Negril
- Hilton Rose Hall Resort, Montego Bay
- Holiday Inn Sunspree, Montego Bay
- Iberostar Grand Hotel, Rose Hall
- Iberostar Rose Hall Beach, Montego Bay
- Iberostar Rose Hall Suites, Montego Bay
- Jamaica Inn, Ocho Rios
- Jewel Dunns River, Ocho Rios
- Jewel Paradise Cove, Runaway Bay
- Jewel Runaway Bay, Runaway Bay
- N Resort, Montego Bay
- Riu Montego Bay, Montego Bay
- Riu Negril, Negril
- Riu Ocho Rios, Ocho Rios
- Riu Palace Tropical Bay, Montego Bay
- Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Montego Bay
- Secrets St James Montego Bay, Montego Bay
- Secrets Wild Orchid, Montego Bay
- Sunset at the Palms, Negril
- Sunset Beach Resort and Spa, Montego Bay
- Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort and Spa, Ocho Rios
- The Caves, Negril
- The Oasis at Sunset, Montego Bay
In the Cayman Islands:
- Beach Club Colony Hotel and Dive Resort, Grand Cayman
- Brac Reef Beach Resort, Cayman Brac
- The Reef Resort, Grand Cayman
LESSER ANTILLES
Leeward Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, Water Island); British Virgin Islands (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Guana Island; Norman Island; Jost Van Dyke and Peter Island); Anguilla; Antigua; Barbuda; Redonda; Saint Martin-Sint Maarten; Saba; Sint Eustatius; Saint Barthélemy; Saint Kitts; Nevis; Montserrat; Guadeloupe; Les Saintes; Marie-Galante; La Désirade
<h2?Divi Carina – St. Croix
Divi Resorts boasts the only all-inclusive facility on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands – the Divi Carina, with spacious beachfront guestrooms and hillside suites with private balconies. The property features a spa, gaming casino and PADI dive center. All-inclusive rates include use of the Divi Carina’s two swimming pools, four restaurants, four bars, tennis courts, fitness center and 1,000 foot white sand beach. Also included are non-motorized watersports, mini-golf, an in-pool SCUBA course, guided snorkeling and kayak tours, casino gaming lessons and nightly entertainment.
Complimentary high-speed Internet service is available in the resort lobby. Wireless internet access is available in select guest rooms as well as poolside, beachside, in a cafe and deli and in the resort lobby.
Children ages 11 and younger stay free when accompanied by an adult. The Divi Carina Bay offers wheelchair accessible guestrooms, and all public spaces and restaurants are wheelchair accessible.
On St. Thomas:
- Bolongo Bay Beach Resort
- Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort
- Sugar Bay Resort & Spa
On Tortola:
- Long Bay Beach Club
On Guana Island:
- Guana Island
On Virgin Gorda:
- The Bitter End Yacht Club
On Antigua
- Cocobay Resort, Bolans
- Coconut Beach Club, St. John’s
- Curtain Bluff Resort, Bolans
- Galley Bay Resort, St. John’s
- Grand Pineapple Beach, St. John’s
- Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts, St. John’s
- Hawksbill by Rex Resorts, St. John’s
- Hermitage Bay, Bolans
- Jolly Beach Resort & Spa, Bolans
- Jumby Bay, St. John’s
- Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, St. John’s
- Siboney Beach Club, St. John’s
- St. James’s Club & Villas, Mamora Bay
- Verandah Resort & Spa, Saint Phillip
On Barbuda
- Coco Point Lodge
On Saint Martin-St. Maarten:
- Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino, Philipsburg, St. Maarten
On St. Kitts:
- St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino
On Guadeloupe:
- Canella Beach Hotel
- Club Med La Caravell
Windward Islands
Dominica; Martinique; St. Lucia; St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Petit St. Vincent, Bequia, Palm Island, Mustique, Union Island); Grenada; Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Barbados; Trinidad; Tobago
Sunset Bay Club Hotel
Dominica
Sunset Bay Club & SeaSide Dive Resort is set amid a beach and a botanic garden. Rooms are cooled by the tradewinds and ceiling fans, and the property touts itself as the only upscale all-inclusive resort on Dominica –“the nature island.” Rates include all meals, snacks and beverages, including premium cocktails, table wines and beer. Watersports, including snorkel excursions, and use of an on-site sauna also are included. Cable televisions are available for an added fee. Travelers have the option of bed and breakfast packages as well.
On Martinique:
- Club Des Trois-Îlets, Trois Ilets
- Club Med Les Boucaniers, Sainte-Anne
- Diamond Rock, Diamant
On St. Lucia
- Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort, Gros Ilet
- Almond Smugglers Cove Resort Gros Islet
- Bay Gardens Beach Resort, Gros Islet
- Coconut Bay Resort & Spa, Vieux Fort
- Cotton Bay Village Hotel, Gros Islet
- Rendezvous Resort, Castries
- Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort, Castries
- Sandals Regency Golf Resort & Spa, Castries
- St. James’s Club, Morgan Bay
- St. Lucian by Rex Resorts, Gros Islet
- The BodyHoliday LeSport, Gros Islet
St. Vincent
- Buccament Bay
Petit St. Vincent
- Petit St. Vincent Resort
Palm Island
- Palm Island Beach Resort
Grenada
- Sandals’ La Source
- Spice Island Beach Resort
On Barbados:
- Barbados Beach Club, Maxwell
- Crystal Cove by Elegant Hotels, Derricks
- Discovery Bay by Rex Resorts, Holetown
- Island Inn, Bridgetown (St. Michael)
- Mango Bay, Holetown
- The Club, Barbados Resort & Spa, Holetown
- Turtle Beach Resort, Maxwell
- Waves Barbados, Prospect
Leeward Antilles
- Aruba; Curaçao; Bonaire
- Occidental Grand Aruba Resort Palm Beach, Aruba
This upscale all-inclusive for families and adults sits on a beach within walking distance to shops and nightspots and near many tourist attractions. The Occidental Grand Aruba features five restaurants, four bars, a discotheque, a swimming pool with two jacuzzis and two floodlit tennis courts. Guests have activities such as beach volleyball, water polo, aqua aerobics and SCUBA diving demonstration lessons from which to choose. Snorkel equipment is available, and a children’s club offers supervised activities for ages 4 to 12. With meals and unlimited snacks and beverages, these Occidental offerings are included in rates. Upgrades to “Royal Club” status include room service and more.
Also on Aruba:
- Divi Aruba
- Divi Tamarijn Aruba
- Divi Village All Inclusive Villas
- Riu Palace Aruba
On Bonaire:
- Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino
- Plaza Resort Bonaire
On Curacao:
- Sunscape Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino
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