Travel Swellness: Booking the right all-inclusive resort for you

November 28, 2016

With what’s been an extra hectic year for me, I’m very much in need of some R&R . So when Expedia.ca asked if I’d be interested in going to Cancun, my answer was a resounding, “HELL YEAH!”

Even better, I got to choose where we’d stay so I chatted with my friend who’s coming with and we carefully went through all of the options on Expedia.ca. Here are some things you need to ask yourself when making your choice of an all-inclusive vacation so you can ensure you end up in the right place for you (as someone who’s been to many resorts in the Caribbean and often I’m the one tasked with doing the booking, I think I have a pretty good track record):

What’s the upper limit of your budget? You can have your realistic budget but decide whether you have more money you can pour into your vacation budget. In my experience, you truly get what you pay for, and since at an all-inclusive you’ll be spending more time on the resort than, say, when you’re in New York  City where you probably just sleep in your hotel suite, you want something that meets your needs since it’s more than just being a place to crash.

How many stars do you want in your resort’s rating? If all you want is some beach time and you want to get away on the cheap, you can look at, in my opinion, three stars if you’re watching your pennies. But if you’re not willing to risk it in terms of food quality, interior design, beach, service and ambiance, I think you need to limit your search to four- and five-star properties. I’ve been lucky enough to stay at some incredibly beautiful properties, and well, you get accustomed to that (even though most of the place I visit for work are way beyond my means) and my goal for this vacation was to stay at a five-star resort, if possible, but we were both open to a four-star resort. While I have stayed at budget-friendly spots, we had a decent budget we had agreed on. Just remind yourself to have realistic expectations; you won’t have five-star service when you spend half the amount on a three-star property.

What are your non-negotiables and your nice-to-have features? We started out our search for an AI resort hoping for something chic and modern, boutique size, and adults-only. But upon comparing the various properties, and including the other factors above, our search, and yours, was quickly whittled down to a small handful of properties.

Thankfully, with all of the different ways you can customize the search function on Expedia.ca, it becomes a lot easier to find the right vacation for you. If you’re somewhat flexible on your travel dates, and want to save money, I found the Lowest Price Finder chart that’s at the top of your page of results a great help.

After weighing all of our options, we booked a trip to Finest Playa Mujeres by Excellence Group. I’ve been to Isla Mujeres a few years ago but never Playa Mujeres, however I have seen and heard great things about Playa Mujeres, and this property looks stylish and chic and while it’s bigger in size and not adults-only (which was on our initial wish list), there are plenty of pools (a dozen!) and extra fun things like a tennis court (along with complimentary lessons!) that makes us pretty confident we booked the kind of vacay we want. And we’re counting down the days…

With the cold weather here (and it’s only getting colder), you might want to start exploring your options  on Expedia.ca for a sunny getaway now! It’s a simple but not a super quick process if you want to ensure you end up at a resort that’ll meet your needs. And if you’re curious about Finest Playa Mujeres, stay tuned to my Instagram and Twitter mid-December!

Filed under: Travel Swellness

Tags: Cancun, Caribbean, Expedia, expedia.ca, getaway, Mexico, travel, vacation, vacay, wanderlust