Back in April, Jeremy and I enjoyed a weeklong vacation in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Since then, we’ve had some friends and family ask about the experience and any tips we may have about taking the type of trip we took – a trip that felt very different than the kind we usually take.
Almost all of the travel we’ve done in our years together has been go-go-go – often spending a lot of time in the car or squeezing as much as we possibly can into a few days, with little to no rest – and has usually been made possible, in part or in whole, by the companies we work for (conferences or off-site work projects that we tack a few extra days onto for ourselves). If not that, we’re usually traveling for family or friend-related events – graduations, weddings, and so on. While we’re very grateful for these opportunities, the amount of commitments that come with them often leave us feeling drained by the time we get home.
After a really rough end to the year last year, we started talking about how much our souls needed a low-key trip that was all about us, one that would allow us to recharge in our own ways, on our own time. We’d been setting aside what extra money we could for a future trip for quite a while, but had nowhere near enough for a luxury trip to Italy or the south of France. After lots of research into our most cost-effective options, we decided an all-inclusive week in Mexico sounded like the best deal in every way.
That being said, there are SO many resorts to choose from in Mexico. I’ve been to a few with family and friends in the past, and each one has been so different from the next. On top of that, there’s a lot to consider when booking a trip like this (from flights and currency exchange, to tip etiquette and dress codes, and more) that people have questioned us about, so I thought I’d share a bit about what we learned and what we’d suggest if you’re thinking about heading somewhere tropical and all-inclusive soon!
We stayed at the Grand Palladium Riviera Maya Colonial resort – an all-inclusive, family-friendly resort that sits in the middle of several other resorts by the Grand Palladium group. This was an enticing option for us because it granted us the opportunity to visit all of the resorts (and their pools and restaurants), connected by bridges and trails, which made it feel massive! I had been to the Riviera Maya part of Mexico before, and love how much nature and wildlife resorts in this area are surrounded by. It’s about an hour and twenty minutes from the Cancun airport.
14 Tips for Taking
a Tropical, All-Inclusive Vacation
Make Sure Your Passport is Current
This is priority one, my friends. Never – I repeat, NEVER – assume that the passport process will go smoothly. I’m not sure I’ve met anyone who has received theirs within the timeframe they were told it would arrive, and those who have received it on time have received it with an error that tacks on an extra few weeks. Jeremy included. We also read in a few places that some countries (or airports or airlines) may not allow you to travel abroad if your passport is expiring soon (within a few months). I’m not sure how true this is, but I read plenty of horror stories online to scare me into believing it! So, before you even start thinking about booking your trip, make sure you apply for your passport and, if you already have one, that it’s not going to expire in the next 90 days or so! You can always expedite the process if necessary, but if you can, give yourself the cushion of a few months to get your passport in order. Here’s some information on applying for a US passport.
Do Your Research
I’m pretty sure the time I spent researching the best resort for us exceeded the length of our trip! I rely so heavily on reviews and so, even after I’d narrowed my options down to three, I spent another week just sifting through reviews and photos on TripAdvisor, Google, and Facebook. I’d suggest starting your search by including terms that are important to you. We knew we wanted a budget-friendly option that was all-inclusive, and that we wanted to stay in the Riviera Maya region. So, my searches early on included, “Most affordable all-inclusive resorts in Riviera Maya, Mexico.” I then began narrowing down my options based on resorts that came up on multiple lists and had the most (and best) reviews.
If you’re planning on taking your family, definitely include “family friendly” or “child friendly” in your search. If you’re hoping to avoid kids on your trip, try “adults only;” if you want total relaxation or a wellness retreat, use those terms; if you’re looking for an activity-focused resort, include that term, and so on. Weeding out options that don’t meet your criteria from the get-go will help you so much as you work to narrow down your choices.
Be Wary of Booking Through Third-Party Sites
I’ve booked plenty of domestic trips through Groupon, Booking.com, and Expedia with very few hiccups over the years, but read loads of disastrous stories about doing this for foreign travel. Frequently, flights are included in these deals, and, while that seems efficient, it’s also where the issues seem to lie (often these are charter flights that are delayed by several hours, are cancelled, or are hard to navigate at the airport). Plus, sometimes you’ll miss out on certain resort perks by not booking through them directly.
Additionally, if you have any issue with your card being accepted through a third-party site or there’s another glitch, it might be difficult to play the middle person between the resort, the third-party, and/or your bank or credit card company. Especially if there’s a language barrier.
For all of these reasons, and because the resort we chose had a great deal going on at the time for booking directly through their site, we made our reservations through them – with zero issues, from booking through checkout – and ended up paying almost exactly what we would have paid booking through Groupon. Some resorts may even offer extra incentives for booking direct (we had a few welcome gifts waiting in our room and got a coupon book with lots of savings on activities at the resort and in the cities nearby).
Save on Airfare
If you do end up booking directly through the resort’s website and don’t do a bundle deal that includes your flight, the next step is airfare. There are all kinds of tips out there for the best and cheapest time to book, but my number one tip is to download the Hopper app. This app constantly monitors the flights you’re interested in and sends you notifications when the prices of those flights rise or fall, and it advises you on the best time to buy. That being said, I do suggest booking directly through the airline rather than a third-party site, for the same reasons I suggest doing so with a resort.
Being located so centrally in Fort Wayne, I selected a couple of options through airports that offer non-stop flights to Cancun (including Indianapolis and Chicago) and waited until about six weeks before our trip to buy airfare. We ended up flying out of Indianapolis and had a great experience both ways.
Note that if you are heading to Mexico and book through Aeromexico (one of the most affordable options), that Aeromexico is actually operated by Delta. So, your tickets, gate information, and so on, will most likely show as Delta and you may even have a different flight number once you arrive at the airport. This caught us a bit off guard on the way there! Just be sure to ask an employee as you’re checking in to confirm that the information you have is accurate.
Print Your Confirmations
Once you’ve booked your hotel, your flights, your transportation from (and back to) the airport, and any off-site excursions you may be taking, be sure to save all confirmations on your phone (I always take screenshots in case I can’t connect to WiFi) and print them. In some cases, immigration officials will want to see proof of where you’re staying and proof that you already have a ticket back home as they are clearing you through the airport. Being able to pull all of your documentation out right away makes this easy.
Depending on where you’re going, you may also be able to fill out required immigration forms beforehand, online. We used Cancun Airport’s online tourist card form here, which was perfect, because our airplane didn’t have enough physical forms on hand for all passengers (which meant a lot of people had to fill it out at the airport after landing).
A note on transportation to and from your resort: Most resorts offer a free shuttle service, with shuttles running every 30 minutes to an hour. Often though, these are through third-party transportation companies (so the drivers and/or vehicles themselves will not be branded with your resort’s name or logo). Be sure to carefully read any instructions they offer (they’ll usually note where your driver will be standing and what color they’ll be wearing, etc.) Stepping out into an area with hundreds of drivers and tourists can be overwhelming, and you may not spot your drivers right away, so don’t be afraid to ask airport staff for help if you need it! We used our resort’s free shuttle service, but there are also options like taxis and buses, too. Having our printed confirmation on-hand to show airport staff and other drivers is what helped us find ours when we were feeling lost!
Follow Your Resort on Social Media (And Join Groups & Discussion Boards)
If you’re on social media, take the time to follow the resort you’re visiting on their channels to stay up-to-date with their posts, recent guest reviews, photos, and more. Even better, if you can track down a group for the resort (usually created by frequent visitors and fans), join it right away. We found answers to lots of our questions (some we didn’t even know we had) by following the posts in these groups. Frequent visitors, and in some cases, even employees, will provide their best answers and advice. In our case there is a website specifically for Grand Palladium travelers, created by the resort group’s biggest fans, with loads of discussion boards and posts covering everything from food and drinks, to day-trips, to what to pack, and more. I spent a lot of time on this site in the weeks before our trip.
Plan to Tip
One of the biggest questions we’ve gotten is whether or not tipping was encouraged at an all-inclusive resort, and if so, how much. People overwhelmingly recommended tipping on the discussion boards I came across, and it was suggested multiple times that, at least in Mexico, employees actually appreciate tips in US dollars more than in their currency (as it’s worth more). You’ll find that tipping suggestions range wildly – and definitely depends on the service.
We ended up “tipping in advance” in most cases – when we’d arrive at the pool bar, we’d give $10 or $20 depending on how long we planned on staying, and always received amazing service in the following hours. We left $10 with a thank-you note on our pillow every few days for the housekeeping staff. When it came to meals (which were included in the cost of our stay), we’d leave a dollar or two after the morning breakfast buffets (when we’d only really have a host seat us) and more for dinner (we often skipped over lunch), when we had a server. While we didn’t leave the resort at all during the week we were there, we did tip the driver that took us to and from the resort.
If you’re a couple staying for a week or so, we recommend taking $200 in small bills for tipping purposes.
Exchange Currency at Your Bank or Credit Union Before You Leave
In our case, we really didn’t need to bring pesos with us – since we stayed at the resort the whole time and tipped mostly in US dollars – but it’s always safe to have some on hand (especially for airport purchases and excursions to nearby cities, ruins, off-site restaurants, and so on). In most cases, we’ve heard that US dollars are pretty universally accepted, but that having a couple hundred in pesos is a good idea. You’ll get the best deal by exchanging currency at your bank or credit union in the states, but keep in mind that (at least in Mexican pesos), due to the exchange rate, you’ll lose money when you trade it back in.
Many resorts also have ATMs on-site and can charge extras to whatever credit or debit card you have on file with them, should you want to hang onto your cash!
Learn Key Words & Phrases in the Native Language
While employees at international resorts often speak English very well, and menus, pamphlets, and signage are provided in English, too, it’s always a good idea to learn some of the basics of the language native to the place you’re visiting. “Please,” “thank you,” “how much,” “where,” and other simple words and phrases will come up a lot more often than you might think.
You’ll also want to learn how to state whether you’re allergic to something very clearly in the native language – if you have to, write the phrase on a post-it note and keep it on you throughout your stay to show your servers and chefs! Our resort actually gave Jeremy (who is allergic to shellfish) a card to present at each meal, in a color that indicated his allergy – so you might ask about this upon checking in. As a vegetarian, I also frequently asked whether there was meat in a dish when I couldn’t tell, or let the chefs know I was a vegetarian, doing so in Spanish to ensure it was very clear what I was saying.
There are plenty of resources to help you learn the key terms you’ll need. You might consider downloading a translator app, which can translate for you, if you find yourself struggling to understand each other (especially in the event of a medical emergency, a payment issue, etc.)
Add These Items to Your Packing List
While packing for a tropical, all-inclusive vacation abroad is fairly similar to packing for a trip to Florida, we learned of a few items we should take by perusing discussion boards and reviews that made a world of difference for us! Our most highly-recommended items to take – aside from the obvious (clothes, toothbrush, medications, etc.) include:
- Sunscreen: Whatever level of SPF you have in mind, up it. Seriously. The sun in the tropics is no joke. We brought SPF50, 30, and 15, thinking we could taper it off throughout our trip. The bottle of SPF50 was pretty much all we used the whole time, and even that wasn’t quite powerful enough. Having sensitive and acne-prone skin, I really liked this non-comedogenic facial sunscreen. And this lip balm was a lifesaver, too!
- After-Sun Treatment: Whether it’s a cooling aloe gel or a heavy-duty moisturizing lotion, plan on showing your skin some TLC the whole time you’re there (and after). We used this lotion and kept this cooling gel in our mini-fridge and used both multiple times a day.
- Portable Safe: While most resort rooms will offer an in-room safe, we went ahead and brought our own portable safe in the event we wanted to bring it out with us or keep it locked away in the closet. This one is the perfect size to fit important documents, passports, money, and phones, and is able to easily attach to the rod in the closet or a pool chair so we had no worries about our most important belongings getting away from us!
- Backpack or Tote Bag: Most days, we were out of our room from morning until late evening, rarely going back. We’d haul our sunscreen, tumblers, books, Jeremy’s tablet, snacks, and more around with us. This is made far easier with a comfortable bag!
- Moisture Absorbing Packets: I had never considered this before, but with as humid as it gets in tropical locations, your clothing can absorb a TON of moisture during your stay – resulting in added weight and a not-so-pleasant odor. We brought along one of these Damp-Rid packets to hang in the closet with our clothes and the pocket that collects the moisture was almost full by the time we left!
- Insulated Tumblers with Reusable Straws: This was another great tip we got from a discussion board. At an all-inclusive resort, you can plan on never having an empty glass – we were constantly visit the pool bars for cocktails, water, and soda. And while they had plastic cups we could use, the drinks would get really warm, really fast (plus – think about the amount of sand and bugs)! The resort staff had no problem with us bringing our tumblers to fill, and we appreciated having our drinks stay cold throughout the day.
- Travel-size Dish Soap: To wash above-mentioned tumblers!
- Ziploc Bags or Small Tupperware: Bring a few of these along to easily transport your daily vitamins or medications, snacks, or to hold the treasures you find on the beach! In addition, if you don’t have a waterproof phone cover or a dry bag, these can protect your electronics from accidental splashes or from getting too sandy.
- Snacks: We brought along plenty of trail mix, protein bars, and crackers to enjoy during our flights, at the pool, and for late-night cravings back in the room.
- Comfortable (and Waterproof) Sandals: If your footwear isn’t comfortable to walk around in at home, then it’s not going to be comfortable at the resort. Plan on doing a LOT of walking (even though many resorts have employee-driven golf carts that will gladly pick you up and drop you off) from point A to point B. And factor in water and sand, too. Invest in a good pair of walking sandals for everyday wear!
- Appropriate Clothing: Most of the time, you’ll probably be lounging around in a bathing suit and casual dresses, shorts, and tops. Take note, though, whether any of the restaurants at your resort require you to wear something a little more formal (sleeves, long pants) for certain restaurants or clubs. We saw all kinds of attire at our resort, and they seemed pretty lenient, even at the fancier restaurants, but it’s worth taking at least one dressy outfit and pair of shoes, just to be safe.
- Chip Clips or Clothes Pins: This may sound like a random thing to bring, but we saw a lot of people utilizing these on the beach, clipping their towels onto their chairs to keep them from moving! They’ll also come in handy if you hang your clothes or towels outside to dry.
- Pain & Stomach Relief: Between travel, sun, and an unfamiliar diet, you might end up with a headache or spend more time in the bathroom than you’d planned. Just being real, here. Be sure to bring along a bottle of your preferred pain relief medication and something for stomach relief, too!
- Hydration Packets: In addition, you might find yourself dehydrated more easily than normal (the flight alone can cause you to dehydrate fast)! We took along a package of these in the event we needed to hydrate fast.
- Bug Spray: You are essentially living in a rainforest when you stay at a tropical resort, so there are bound to be bugs – especially at night! We forgot to spray ourselves the first couple of nights and, while it wasn’t horrible, did get bit a few times. Here’s a good all-natural option.
- Binoculars: This is one item we didn’t bring that I wish we would have. Our room was surrounded by forest and every morning and evening we heard new noises and lots of rustling that had us asking each other, “What do you think that was?!” In some cases, I think we could have caught a glimpse of the animals with a pair of binoculars. These would also come in handy when hanging out at the beach!
- Whatever Helps You Relax: Hopefully, you’ll have plenty of time to lounge about and do whatever you desire. We brought along books, magazines, and headphones. Jeremy bought his Nintendo Switch and I brought a brand new journal. Consider this if you’re bringing kids, too. While there may be plenty to do to keep them busy, having a few of their favorite toys or games along for the trip will help to keep the inevitable I’m-boreds and are-we-there-yets to a minimum.
Don’t sweat forgetting something. Every resort I have been to has offered towels (usually you’ll get a towel card, which you hand in to get a towel and get back once you turn your towel in for the day), so save space and skip bringing the big beach towels. Additionally, every all-inclusive resort I’ve visited has had a general store on-site, where you can purchase anything you may have forgotten or run out of (toothpaste, sunscreen, a keychain souvenir for your BFF). Definitely check to make sure this is the case where you’re staying, though!
A note on dressing for travel: Plan to dress in layers, especially if you’re coming from (and returning to) a colder destination. Between cold airports, hot airplanes, stuffy buses, and tropical climates, your body won’t know what to do with itself, and being stuck in heavy clothing is not ideal! We both wore jeans, a short sleeved shirt, and a light jacket that we could easily take on and off throughout every stage of our journey. If you’ll be arriving at your hotel before the check-in time and are unable to get into your room early, you might throw a pair of shorts into your carry-on to change into while you wait.
Don’t Drink the (Tap) Water:
Several resorts in Mexico now have an on-site filtration system that the water runs through – so we had zero worries about drinking the water from the restaurants or pool bars. However, we still practiced caution when back in our room, using the bottled water provided by the hotel to drink and brush our teeth with. At every Mexican resort I’ve been to, there has been ample bottled water supplied (and restocked daily) in the room.
Take Advantage of All Your Resort Has to Offer:
All-inclusive resorts usually have several bars and restaurants, nightly entertainment (plays, musicals, dances), dance clubs, snorkeling and water sports, kids’ activities (some including day-care), spa treatments, themed days, and more. The Grand Palladium actually brought in local artists and vendors that made and sold their art in the courtyard nightly, so we got a taste of town without having to leave. There was always some kind of live music playing – from rock bands to traditional mariachi bands in the restaurants. We also had the option to take an actual tour of the resort by a “train,” attend a Catholic service at the on-site chapel, and indulge in a “chocolate night” at one of the bars (which was the most indulgent thing I’ve ever been to in my life)! Many resorts (ours included) also have walking trails so you can escape the pools and the beach for a bit and explore the rainforest and learn about the native plants and wildlife by reading signage along the way (every resort I’ve been to has posts along the trails identifying trees, flora, animals, and more).
Consider Off-Site Trips and Activities:
I will note that, during this trip, we did not end up leaving our resort. At all. We felt right at home and totally fulfilled staying on-site this time around! However, the day-trips I’ve taken while in Mexico in the past have been totally worth it, and there are plenty of things on our bucket-list for next time. If you’re staying in the Cancun or Riviera Maya area, I can highly recommend a visit to the Chichen Itza ruins, Tulum (the city and/or its ruins), and the city of Playa del Carmen.
One day, I’d love to visit Isla Mujeres, a cenote, this breathtaking art gallery set in the treetops of a resort in Quintana Roo, and some of Tulum’s vegan-friendly restaurants!
Excursions in the area can usually be booked in advance online, however, most resorts also have concierges that are happy to help you plan some day-trips and activities once you get there (and some offer discounts, too).
Be Respectful:
I wish this is a section I didn’t have to include, but the number one piece of advice I have is this: be respectful of other people and other cultures when traveling abroad. And if you can’t, stay home.
We were appalled on several occasions to witness travelers being incredibly rude and condescending to employees and other guests. This included getting upset when struggling to understand each other due to language barriers (some stating that Mexican employees “really shouldn’t be working here if they can’t speak English that well”), loudly making commentary about Mexicans needing to “stay on their side of the border” and “all the trouble” they’re causing the USA, making fun of other guests’ accents, looks, and so on.
The only complaint we had about our time in Mexico was the fact that other grown adults can be so entitled and hurtful – and so proud of making a scene. If you’re planning to go soak up the sun, eat and drink all day, and be pampered in another country, please, please have some respect for that country and its people, and approach your vacation – and the people you encounter while on it – with a positive attitude. Know that you are going to encounter people from all over the world. For us, that was an exciting part of the experience that we looked forward to – chatting with people from Canada and Europe and California, getting to know our bartenders and servers, learning the language, taking in the landscape – if you’re traveling abroad, you’re signing up to get a taste of something very different from home… and giving up your right to complain about and bash on anything that isn’t familiar to you. Rant over. : )
All in all, we had a wonderful trip, and it was exactly what we needed to recharge. There was a lot of lounging, reading, napping, and swimming. We woke up late and went to bed early, explored every inch of the resort, made friends with our bartenders, swam with tropical fish, tried new cuisine, had some long and fulfilling conversations, and saw lots of adorable wildlife. I was happy to put my Spanish into practice again, and proud of Jeremy for working hard to pick up on the language while we were there, too. We’ve vowed to try to take a trip like this – one with the intent of relaxing and recharging – every couple of years, if we can!
If there’s anything you’re curious about that I didn’t cover here, feel free to get in touch. And if you have any tips on making the most of an all-inclusive, tropical vacation, please share with us and our readers in the comments!
xo, Aly