Summary

• Check reviews and decide whether you want a family-friendly or adult-only resort when choosing the right all-inclusive resort in Mexico.
• Research the location and consider if you want to be secluded or have access to local attractions and restaurants before booking a hotel.
• Make sure all meals are included, and check the menus of the resorts you're considering to ensure they have appealing food options. Also, look for resorts that offer additional amenities like a spa or extra services to enhance your vacation experience.

Planning a vacation can feel so stressful that you want to add a few extra days to your trip in order to really recharge. Between figuring out flight deals to finding the perfect hotel, not to mention factoring food and activities into your budget, it can be pretty tiring to get all of the information together.

That's why all-inclusive resorts are such a great idea. When you want to travel to Mexico in particular, they make a lot of sense as it's easy to budget for them, and you can really leave your worries behind once you check in. There are also endless all-inclusives worth booking near the US for those in that area.

How do you figure out which resort is the best fit? Read on to find out what to look for when choosing the right all-inclusive resort in Mexico.

UPDATE: 2023/10/17 10:02 EST BY NOAH STAATS

More To Know When Booking An All-Inclusive Resort

This article has been refreshed with new information regarding a stay at an all-inclusive property. Make sure and research your hotel's neighborhood, as well as any hidden fees or details that may not be clearly mentioned. Good luck!

Make Sure The Vibe Is What You're Looking For

• It's always a good idea to check the reviews of a resort before booking.
• Decide whether you want a family-friendly or adult-only resort.

Trip Savvy suggests checking out some online reviews before booking an all-inclusive resort. While a really bad review could be a one-off, or it could have been an honest mistake. As the website says, a "consensus" is what you want because if a high number of reviews say the same thing, it must be true.

Trip Savvy also recommends deciding if you want a family-friendly or adults-only hotel. You have to make sure that the vibe of the resort is what you're looking for. Parents with a baby, toddler, or older children definitely want a different vacation than a group of twentysomething friends.

Think About The Location

• Research the surrounding neighborhood when booking a hotel.
• Check local crime statistics to ensure the hotel falls in a safe zip code.

When you're choosing the right all-inclusive resort in Mexico or beyond, you also want to think about the location. Escape Here mentions that many of these places aren't close to restaurants, and it doesn't seem like you can step off the resort at all. If that's what you want because a chill vacation is calling your name, then that's perfect.

If you want to be able to try out a local restaurant, then carefully research the area that the resort is in before booking. San Marino Hotel, for example, is located in Puerto Vallarta, which is considered to be a safe place for travelers. According to Trip Advisor, it's a short walk from several restaurants. Global News recommends that tourists don't leave all-inclusive resorts in Mexico as there has been some recent crime, so it's a personal decision about whether you feel safe doing this.

Mexico is also home to incredible scuba diving, as are these all-inclusive properties.

Why Safety Matters

Many times, people will fly out to distant locations in hopes of a perfect retreat, only to find the hotel they booked is unsafe. When choosing an all-inclusive resort, guests want to look up the address on Google, scroll through social media hashtags of the property, and then make a decision. One of the more misleading parts of tourism is that just because a hotel has photos of one thing, that doesn't mean it will look like that upon guest arrival.

To avoid a safety concern, do some research on the neighborhood where the resort is. Look for any crime statistics, if possible, and avoid booking hotels without doing any prior digging. Unless it is a resort brand you know and trust, it's better to do some additional snooping before putting down money.

Many all-inclusives don't offer refunds within certain timeframes, so if you book and regret it: cancel the reservation ASAP. It isn't worth the headache.

Make Sure The Food Is All Included (And Appeals To You)

• Check menus at all-inclusive properties before booking.
• Some hotel food isn't delicious, which can ruin a vacation.

Although you would assume that all of your meals are included when you're booking this type of vacation, sometimes an "all-inclusive" only gives guests breakfast, and you have to pay for the rest of your daily meals. When you're about to book an all-inclusive resort, make sure that all the food is included. Otherwise, you could be spending more than you'd like.

It's also a good idea to check out the menus of the resorts that you're considering before deciding on one. Live Aqua Beach Resort Cancun, for example, has quite a variety of food to choose from. Guests have posted everything from steak to pasta to fish tacos to sushi on Trip Advisor, and there are even vegetarian options.

These are the most affordable all-inclusive resorts in the United States.

Look For A Spa And Some Extras (So It's More Than Your Average Hotel)

• It's worth it to find an all-inclusive boasting a spa facility.

Barcelo Maya Palace is located in Puerto Aventuras, and it's a perfect example of everything that an all-inclusive resort in Mexico should have. According to Trip Advisor, it has diving, a spa where guests can get massages and facials, babysitting services, a salon, a water park, and a tennis court.

You want to make sure that the all-inclusive resort that you choose offers more than just your average hotel. There's a reason that you're paying for this kind of vacation experience, after all. This hotel, in particular, has an ATM as well, which would definitely come in handy.

Figure Out If You Have To Pay For Anything Else

• Budget for other expenditures during the vacation.
• Not every all-inclusive is 100% fee or add-on free.

Several websites advise that even though "all-inclusive resort" should mean that guests aren't expected to pay anything more than the agreed-upon price for the flights, hotel, and food, sometimes guests do have to pay for some more things.

According to Frugal Travel Guy, there can be "upcharges" in a restaurant for a fancier meal or drink. Other extra costs could be for "better" Wi-Fi or a tour of the area.

You can find this out by reading reviews, asking former guests on online forums for advice, or reading the hotel's website carefully (or asking an employee) before booking.

Here are some of the best all-inclusives for couples wanting to elope.

An all-inclusive resort is the perfect place for a wonderful Mexico vacation. Still, it does pay off to do some research before officially booking the trip (and getting excited about going away). As long as you consider these five things, it's going to be an awesome time.