Our First All-Inclusive Vacation to Playa Del Carmen

Last week, I was fortunate enough to tag along with the hubby to his business meeting...in Cancun!  Well, Playa del Carmen to be exact.


We stayed at the Hotel RIU Palace Mexico in Playa del Carmen and this was my first experience at an all-inclusive resort.  (I have been on a couple of cruises but nothing like this, aka. booze included!) I was a bit nervous about an all-inclusive resort because I have heard horror stories about awful food.  But the food was actually pretty good.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the best food ever.  But there was plenty of variety and tasty options that kept the hubby and I quite happy.  (Plus they had soft serve ice cream, which is always a great way to my heart!)

Their were 5 other RIU properties in and around our resort, one of which included a disco.  (Woot!  Woot!) All properties had gym facilities and spas.  I had two great massages while there (only $70 bucks 50 minutes...that's usually the price of a 30 minute massage at other resorts I have been to).

Here is the view from inside our room.  All rooms had patios, a separate seating area, and fully stocked refrigerators with soft drinks and water, plus bottles of alcohol mounted upside down above the fridge, bar-style! 

(Yet another view from our patio)

We were greeted with a towel swan when we arrived...always a good way to score points with us!

Here is the patio area outside the main dining room and bar.  In the evenings, people would hang out here, enjoying drinks and live music.  (It was very Euro!)

 

Here is the view from the main patio area out to the beach.  

 

Ahhh, the beach.  Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya has some of the most beautiful water I have ever seen...very similar to that in the Bahamas and the rest of the Caribbean.  My traveling isn't extensive, but I have only seen water more beautiful in one place: Bora Bora. 

After this experience,  I am a fan of the all-inclusive resort because I loved that I could keep my money and credit card in the safe at all times.  It's refreshing not to have to worry about the money aspect on your vacation.  Just go and enjoy! 

If you plan on staying at an all-inclusive, I highly recommend asking what alcohol they carry.  Just like at a wedding, it will be a good indicator of how much fun you will have and also their quality level for drinks and food.