How I Narrow Down Hundreds of All-Inclusive Resorts

Choosing an all-inclusive resort looks easy until you realize how many options are out there. Pretty beaches, swim-up rooms, ten restaurants, endless reviews... they can all start to blur together.

Here’s a little look at what I’m actually considering before a resort ever makes it onto your proposal.

Before I Look at a Single Resort, I Look at You

I don’t grab a “Top 10 Resorts” list and start pulling from it. I get personal.

Do you prefer the beach or the pool? Do you get motion sickness? Are you looking for quiet and low-key, or do you want fun energy and plenty going on?

Those details might seem small, but they all add up. And they can absolutely make or break the experience.

Pretty Pictures Don’t Tell the Whole Story

A beautiful website and a popular resort name can only tell me so much.

I dig deeper.

When was the resort last renovated? Is construction happening during your stay? Where are the rooms actually located? What’s the layout like? How big is the property? What is the beach actually like during the time of year you’re traveling? How far is it from the airport?

Those little details are easy to miss, but they can completely change how a resort feels once you’re actually there.

We Keep Getting Personal. Will You ACTUALLY Have a Good Time?

A resort can be incredible and still bore you to death.

That’s why I look at what you’ll actually do once you get there. Are there activities you’ll enjoy? What’s the nightlife like? Are there spaces for kids? Quiet spaces when you want to get away from everything? What are the pools and beaches like? How many restaurants are there, and what’s actually included?

Having a long list of amenities sounds great, but they don’t mean much if they aren’t things you care about.

Reviews? I Take Them With a Grain of Salt.

Why? Because most people who leave a review either had an incredible time or the worst time of their life.

A lot of the most helpful experiences probably never get posted at all.

So instead of getting hung up on one glowing review or one angry one, I look for patterns. What are people consistently raving about? What are they consistently complaining about? And more importantly, do those things actually matter to the experience you’re looking for?

That last question is important because a complaint can be completely valid and still not be relevant to your trip.

And Then There Are the Things You Don’t Know to Ask Me About.

This is where the really small details start to matter.

Will you feel comfortable letting your older kids explore the resort on their own? Does the property feel modern and familiar, or more boutique and connected to the destination? Is that what you actually want?

What do the airport transfers look like? Is there road construction? Airport construction? Are arrival and departure days running smoothly, or are there known headaches to plan around?

I’m also thinking about the destination itself and your comfort level as a traveler. How much exploring do you want to do? Do you want to stay mostly on property, or do you want the freedom to get out and experience more? What kind of environment are you most comfortable navigating?

And then there are the flights. Are the times reasonable? Are you losing almost an entire day of vacation because of a bad schedule? Are there airport quirks or congestion that could affect how I’d plan your travel day?

These aren’t always the first things someone thinks to ask when they’re choosing a resort, but they can have a huge impact on how the trip actually feels.

By the time I send you the top resorts I’ve chosen, I’ve already looked at at least 20.

The goal isn’t to send you endless options. It’s to narrow them down to the ones that fit the way you want to travel.

Because the right resort isn’t always the one everyone is talking about. It’s the one that gives you the experience you were hoping for.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

There are a lot of resorts out there, and after a while they all start to look the same. You don’t have to figure it all out yourself.

Tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll take it from there.

LET’S START PLANNING →