Tips for your all inclusive vacation

I hope you guys have enjoyed the past few days of posts about our vacation. You can read more about day 1 and day 2 here. I love all inclusive resorts and have stayed at a few different places across Mexico. It's refreshing to come into a resort and not have to worry about a bar tab or the price of breakfast, lunch or dinner. Having just wrapped up my 5th stay at an all inclusive resort, I thought I would share some of the tips that I have learned.

bring your own insulated cup

The cups they give you at the bar are small and not insulated and in a warm climate the cold drinks get watery very quickly

research tours/activities before you go

You will want to make the most of your time on your vacation and if you are interested in taking a tour or an excursion do a little research before you go. I found that most tour companies give a discount when booked ahead of time. In a resort area, there are usually several companies offering the same sort of tour or excursion. Not all of them are equal, so make sure you know what you are getting ahead of time and go with the one with the best reputation.

read trip advisor

Some of the best tips we have gotten have been because we read trip advisor comments before our vacation. My husband knew to ask for the 8th floor suite when he booked our last vacation. While it was the same price as the other suites, it came with the upstairs balcony which made it more special than the other rooms. We also found a small strip of beach with it's own bar on our trip to Cancun which ended up making our trip so much more enjoyable. Be aware though, people love to talk about a great experience as much as they like to talk about a negative one. Don't let the negative comments affect how you feel about the property. Make your own judgement.

message boards are your friend

My husband and I took a cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary and I discovered vacation message boards then. They are a wealth of information. Most cruise ports are the same destination spots that your resort will be located at. The information found on the message boards are incredibly helpful for getting the most out of your time in a particular location.

tipping isn't expected but be prepared to tip occasionally

Tips are included in most all inclusive vacation packages. I find that we rarely tip on vacation and it isn't expected. However, when we have had great service we do tip to show our appreciation. The bar on the beach in a resort we stayed in Cancun was staffed by a bartender named Alejandro. He became our best friend the few days that we were at the resort. He treated us well, anticipated our needs and we tipped him accordingly during our time there.

if you are traveling out of the country know what things cost

Most all inclusive resorts aren't located stateside, so while traveling out of the country be prepared with the cost of the items you will be needing. For example, if you need to take a cab or shuttle from the airport to your hotel, know what the going rate is before you get there. Tourists can be gullible so make sure you aren't taken advantage of.

if you are bringing the kids, plan accordingly

We took an extended family trip last year to Club Med Ixtapa Pacific. We had 13 people in our group from 18 months to 60 years old. Club Med provided a wonderful family experience. The kids were able to do fun activities in kids club (trapeze anyone), and the adults were able to fill their days up with things like archery, sailing and Zumba. The main thing I liked about Club Med is the family friendly environment. Because the alcohol is free flowing at an all inclusive, there are some people who take full advantage of that, creating an environment that isn't all that family friendly. Those are just a few of my tips. Do you have any tips on how to make the most of your all inclusive vacation?