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I think for the most part all inclusive trips are for people who aren't really accustomed to travel...perhaps it's the first time out of the country and figuring out where to stay and what to eat is intimidating. I think for anyone who travels a lot all inclusive usually = soulless. It's so much more fun (and sometimes more stressful) to see what a country has to offer on your own. Especially when it comes to food...so many off the beaten path restaurants with great food. A lot of times all inclusive food is "dumbed" down for the visitors. I also associate all inclusive with people who want to drink a lot on their vacation. Which isn't usually us. We don't like to be herded around with other Americans and we don't like to eat or see things on anyone else's schedule. For us all inclusive would be a bad choice, but I understand why it's a good choice for others and I know in some places like the Caribbean it's hard to do anything except all inclusive. I can also understand where someone would do all inclusive for countries that are vastly different...like China or Arab countries...but for the Caribbean where most people speak English there shouldn't be a need for a lot of structure.
Well we're going on our engagi-moon in less than 2 weeks. We're staying at an all inclusive resort in Jamaica.
I think alot of it depends on your area you are travelling to. In the carribbean on some islands/areas, all inclusives rule, and in other areas not so much. I think it also depends on if you're leaving property or not.
We may do one excursion while we're there but mostly because of where the resort is located (lovely secluded resort with 3 beaches and inbetween Montego Bay and Negril). I have done all inclusives before and traditional hotels before for vacations in the past.
Sound heavenly btw! Have a blast!
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While the all-inclusive packages are enticing...we wanted to be free to travel the to the locals sites and attractions...we're heading to the Riviera Maya, so we are planning excursions to the Mayan Ruins, etc.
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I think it just depends on how much of an experienced traveler you are, where you're going and what you're looking for. Our honeymoon was the first getaway vacation we've had and an all-inclusive worked great for us. I'd say as long as you do some research of the area and make yourself aware of local sites, restaurants and activities then you should be good.
We did an all-inclusive at the Aura Wyndham last September and we loved it. It was our first all-inclusive and definitely want to go back there and do it again sometime.
BaghdadBride had mentioned all inclusives dumbing down the food, people who want to drink alot and being herded around with other Americans on a schedule but we didn't see any of that there. It was relaxing and we did what we wanted whenever we wanted to. There wasn't alot of people there either so it was almost like having a private resort. The resort itself was beautiful, service was great, 24 hour room service was awesome and not having to worry about money for drinks and dinner was perfect for us. The food was amazing, we only had one bad meal while we were there and that was in the regular section of the resort and not the luxury side where we stayed. We didn't drink a whole lot but the drinks were premium when we did have them. The staff in the lobby were fast at getting us taxis whenever we wanted to go to the market or to town. Every evening they left a schedule of hotel events and activities that you could join if you wanted to but we just did our own thing most of the time.
I wouldn't worry about it, just go there informed and enjoy yourself.
Originally we had leaned toward all inclusive. But, we liked the idea that we were free to stop somewhere else and eat without feeling like we were wasting our money. We eventually went with non-inclusive.
I have travelled a lot and thats why we are going all inclusive. I am incredibly cheap and the last thing I want to do is question my Fi if he should really have another beer because of the cost. So prepaid is the way to go for us (it will also be the first all inclusive trip).
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Omigosh, you have to go to El Gaucho in Aruba to eat. It is my favorite restaurant of all my vacations ever!!! You will be pleased that you didn't do all inclusive. There are great places in Aruba to check out. Especially El Gaucho!!! Call and make reservations in advance of your honeymoon.
I always go all-inclusive! It's sooo easy! You don't have to worry about money all the time and having your wallet. Plus if you're hungry you can just get a snack and not have to buy something. I love all the food and bevs. Just so convenient! And you can literally get whatever you want.
I think it really depends where you stay, what location you're at, the quality of your hotel, etc. My FI and I are staying at a kind of fancy hotel in the Dominican Republic. #1 all inclusive. I hear the food is just to die for. Lobster and the whole nine yards! If we were on a budget vacay (like the one we're going on after Christmas) I'd consider a non-all inclusive. I wouldn't ever do an all-inclusive at like, a 3 star or something though. My Fi and I are not "explorers" though. i'm quite happy to bum at the hotel all day long all week long.
Everyone says once you go all-inclusive you never go back =]
When my FI and I first began looking at honeymoon destinations we both agreed we wanted to go to an all-inclusive resort. Although the only all-inclusive type vacation we've ever gone on is a cruise, we absolutally loved not having not to worry about meals, activities, and other conveniences <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma">that all-inclusives offer. We finally agreed upon Riu Palace Aruba All-Inclusive. Of course we will venture out on the island for food and fun but it's nice to know that everything is at our hotel waiting for us to enjoy.
Everyone has a different list of things they look for when going on vacation, and all-inclusive versus non-inclusive is just a matter of taste and convience. In the end you are going to have a wonderful honeymoon!
I've traveled outside of the country a decent amount but have never done all-inclusive. In fact, my trips are usually the opposite which is exactly why I would love to go to an all-inclusive resort after the wedding. I have been wrestling with this wedding beast trying to make it fit in its little cage of a budget and so the last thing I want to worry about on our honeymoon is money! Prepaid is the way go for me! I'm with greencard, I don't want to think about "if we have a beer here is that going to mean we can't go to that one restaurant tomorrow?" I also really like the idea that there would be plenty of things for us to do but if I'm exhausted I won't feel guilty lazing around.
And for the record, I totally used to be one of those people that scorned all-inclusives and didn't understand why people would go to them.
i have traveled tons and am going all inclusive. i don't think that only inexperienced travelers go for the package deal. i think it depends on what you're looking for in your honeymoon. while going somewhere tropical and foreign (in our case the DR) is exciting, the main reason of the trip for us to to be together and simply enjoy each other without the hassle of anything. and so for us, the thought of not having to worry about money or plans or doing much of anything was pretty exciting! we've both been to, and will probably visit the DR again and so this time, we want to simply relax! but for others, exploring and enjoying local cuisine and life is appealing. to each his own 
For our honeymoon, we are going with a non-all inclusive option and are experienced travelers. We like to experience local culture and restaurants. The AI packages tend to be overpriced with the assumption that you will drink a ton and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. Frankly, my FI and I love our cocktails but do not want to get sloshed by the pool every day. Also, we really were not that into having a big breakfast and lunch every day. We LOVE to eat, but need either a big breakfast and no lunch OR a light breakfast and light lunch. When you are sitting around in your bathing suit / wearing summer clothes, who wants to feel overly full and bloated all day!
Last year we went to Aruba and stayed at the Occidental - All inclusive package. We regretted it! The restaurants there were good, but we got sick of the food. We went out to eat a few times off the resort and did not drink our "money's worth." Aruba has FABULOUS restaurants and you will not regret your decision.
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The nice thing about all inclusive, as mentioned before, is that you don't have to worry about carrying around money, you can eat/drink as much as you want, and you already know beforehand how much you're spending and don't have to worry about budgeting for meals. It also works well if you plan on spending most of your time at the resort.
However, the bad part about inclusive is that you might grow tired of eating the same food every day, and, you feel obligated to eat at the resort for "free" instead of going around to local places.
Personally, I prefer to not go all-inclusive so that I can try out different restaurants and spend more time off the resort seeing the sights than sticking by the resort for meal time.
I agree that it depends on what you're looking for in a honeymoon.
We are staying in an all-inclusive in Jamaica. I've traveled to several countries overseas and have never experienced an all-inclusive hotel - mostly backpacking, mapping out my own activities, and crashing with friends. I think an all-inclusive will be a great experience just to balance my travel experiences out a bit.
Also, my FH has never been outside of the US. he's not too confident about traveling and hopefully this will be a nice first look at traveling.
We were definitely a little ashamed that we were doing an all-inclusive honeymoon, thinking it would be cheesy and cookie-cutter at best. However, the more we thought about it, it's exactly what we're looking for. We, too, have spent the last 8 months worrying about every dime spent and it will be a great break to just do whatever we want without worrying about money. I doubt we'll HAVE to participate in anything we dont want to - we plan to lay on the beach, eat good food (hopefully), and enjoy eachothers company. We'll save the more challenging excursions for later :)
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For your honeymoon, will you be staying at an all-inclusive resort, or NON all-inclusive? We decided to go to Aruba for our honeymoon, and after LOTS of reading through sites like Tripadvisor and such, we picked the Bucuti Beach Resort & Tara Suites in Aruba.
http://www.bucuti.com/en/
Anyway, this resort is NOT an all-inclusive resort, but had everything else we wanted (quiet beach, no kids, nice honeymoon packages, beautiful/updated oceanfront suites)
What is your opinion on this subject? Are we "asking for it" by going with a non all-inclusive?
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