All-inclusive Resorts

All-inclusive resorts are growing in popularity with families and it’s no wonder thanks to their one-price-pays-all policy.

If your family wants to try it all: scuba diving, sailing, windsurfing, golf, or tennis, an all-inclusive is just the ticket for you as well. The one-price-pays-all policy will be a better deal than paying for individual lessons.

Our family loves all-inclusive resorts, but we are careful to balance a stay there with island tours or visits to off-property restaurants. Even with these extra expenditures, we’ve found most of these resorts to be economical choices.

Our family has enjoyed several all-inclusive stays which have relieved strain (both on parent-child relations and on the budget) as the kids to be able to order whatever they want without an eye on the pocketbook. It makes it even easier to get picky eaters just to “try” a bite of a new dish like fungi or callaloo when you know that you’ve already paid for it.

When considering an all-inclusive, find out what features are included (not all all-inclusives are the same!) Ask about:

• meals (all meals? room service? specialty restaurants any night or just once per stay?)
• drinks (all brands or just house brands?)
• watersports (all watersports or just non-motorized?)
• classes (introductory scuba classes?)
• airport transfers
• tips
• supervised kids' programs

Today Jamaica is still the king of the all-inclusive market, and properties offer fun for travelers of all ages.

Some popular all-inclusive chains in the Caribbean especially popular with families are Beaches (part of the Sandals family), SuperClubs, and some members of the Club Med family.