Top All-Inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico

Americans love an all-inclusive vacation. A whopping three-quarters of travelers surveyed say that an all-inclusive trip is the best and least stressful way to travel, according to a 2022 study for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

And what’s not to love? All-inclusive stays across the Caribbean and Mexico pair accommodations with an assortment of restaurants—Italian, Mediterranean, seafood, steakhouse and so on—for no-hassle dining that’s a far cry from the old buffet model. Add in unlimited drinks and a mix of included activities along with excursion options—all with price certainty—and you’ve got a beach vacation that’s sure to please.

The Caribbean has more than 500 all-inclusive resorts, and counting, with major hotel chains such as Hyatt and Marriott adding them to their portfolios and a number of former à la carte hotels adopting the pay-one-price model.

Previously clustered mainly in a handful of destinations, notably Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Cancún and the Riviera Maya in Mexico, pay-one-price resorts have increasingly been popping up in new and unexpected places. This past March, for example, Sandals opened the first all-inclusive resort in St. Vincent, the main island in the Grenadines archipelago. Several new resorts also have opened in Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island that has emerged as one of the top destinations for all-inclusive resorts in recent years: the Sandals Royal Curaçao debuted in 2022, while The Rif at Mangrove Beach Corendon Curaçao, a Curio by Hilton property, opened in early 2024.

For your eyes only

The all-inclusive experience has evolved from appealing primarily to budget travelers to including luxury amenities and, increasingly, the option of truly exclusive travel. For example, the new Il Mare resort-within-a-resort at the Dreams Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino, unveiled in June 2024, elevates an all-inclusive stay to something approaching a chic private beach club. Sleekly designed bungalows are set directly on Piscadera Bay beach, and the king-size beds within these 52 individual cube-like suites have unobstructed views of the Caribbean through wall-size mirrored windows (that also protect against prying eyes). One step outside, and you’re on a private patio; two steps, and you’re in the sand.

The adults-only Il Mare is snugged between the Dreams resort and the neighboring Zoëtry Curaçao Resort & Spa. Guests have access to the amenities at both affiliated resorts, including multiple dining and beverage options along with included activities like tennis, snorkeling, non-motorized water sports, and extras like a health spa and casino. A private infinity pool, pool bar and restaurant are reserved for Il Mare guests only.

In addition to their beach location, Il Mare and Dreams Curaçao are conveniently close to the island’s historic capital city of Willemstad, with its pastel-colored buildings and swinging Queen Emma Bridge.

For those who love to beach

Sometimes, it’s the beach itself that’s the main draw. The Sunscape Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino is close to excellent dive sites, and guests can snorkel right off the resort beach. The Beaches Turks & Caicos resort fronts Grace Bay Beach—frequently ranked among the best in the world—while Beaches Negril faces Seven Mile Beach, a magnet for Jamaican visitors for generations. It still retains a hint of its bohemian vibe even as larger resorts have sprung up amid the smaller, more vintage beach hotels.

The west coast of the Dominican Republic is likewise renowned for its beautiful beaches, and the Sunscape Puerto Plata is set on Playa Dorada, whose most attractive feature is found in its name: soft, golden sand.

In addition to its private beach, the Beaches Ocho Rios resort in Jamaica attracts families (as well as young-at-heart couples) with its Pirates Island Waterpark, which has three long water slides, a lazy river and a surfing simulator. The oceanfront Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana, Mexico, also boasts a water park—with a whopping 26 water slides. It’s part of the all-inclusive resort’s diverse menu of amenities that includes instructor-led workouts at the Body Rock fitness center and the Roxity Kids Club, where activities include cooking classes, a trampoline park, and the opportunity for young guests to embrace their inner rock star through karaoke and talent shows.

Privacy, please

Unlike many properties in Cancún, which march side-by-side along a shared beach, the Hyatt Ziva Cancún occupies a stand-alone position on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Caribbean Sea. Swim-up suites and butler service add an air of exclusivity, while an on-site microbrewery adds fizz to the lineup of 18 restaurants and bars.

In addition to having suites on palm-fringed Juanillo Beach, the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic is located in a gated private community. Golf courses and a marina offering fishing charters add to a list of resort amenities that includes a dozen bars and specialty restaurants (ranging from the casual La Zizi food truck to The Blind Butcher, an upscale South American steakhouse), kids clubs catering to various age groups, multiple infinity-edge pools and a water park.

Privacy and seclusion are also among the benefits of a stay at the Sunscape Sabor Cozumel, which has guest rooms, restaurants and amenities arrayed along a private beach on the quiet southwest coast of the largest island in the Mexican Caribbean.

Pretty darn inclusive

Even some resorts that don’t call themselves “all-inclusive” offer amenities and dining packages that can take some of the budgeting guesswork out of planning a Caribbean beach vacation. For example, all guests at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas get access to Aquaventure, a sprawling water park with a lost-world theme that includes thrills like slides plunging from an imagined Atlantean temple and through clear tunnels in aquarium tanks filled with sharks.

Guests also are free to explore The Dig, which re-creates an archaeological expedition to the fabled Lost City of Atlantis, as well as to use the resort’s indoor and outdoor pools, tour the resort’s marine exhibits, work out at the fitness center and catch a movie at the Atlantis Theater.

For an extra $88 per person per day ($25 for kids age 7-11; free for kids 6 and under), the Atlantis’ Aqua Dining Plan, available for stays from early May to early September, includes two meals daily plus non-alcoholic drinks. At other times of the year, guests at any of the Atlantis properties—the Cove, the Royal, the Coral, the Reef and the Harborside Resort—can purchase Experience Credits to use for dining and activities, with a 15 percent premium offered on purchases (pay $100 for $115 in credits, for example).

The increasingly blurred line between all-inclusive and à la carte resorts is great news for travelers. With big hotel chains adopting the all-inclusive model, formerly à la carte resorts adding pay-one-price options and all-inclusive resorts offering luxury experiences—and with hundreds of resorts to choose from—there’s an all-inclusive that’s just right for a family beach vacation or a private luxury getaway for couples.

All-inclusives have truly become all things to all travelers, and that’s the kind of buffet of vacation options we’ll gladly line up for.