The Caribbean is an All-Inclusive resort hot spot but that doesn’t mean that you’ll find them in every destination. Touch down in places like Anguilla or San Juan, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a hotel that bundles your room, food, drinks and activities for a single rate. So where to go when you want to go all in? Check out our rankings of the best Caribbean All-Inclusive destinations. CJ Travel Editor Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon has the full scoop.
JAMAICA This island is famous for its profusion of all-inclusive resorts, the first of which, now known as Couples Tower Isle, debuted the concept in 1978. The company has a further three romantic all-inclusives in Negril and Ocho Rios, and is surpassed only by Sandals Resorts, which has six hotels here and offers a “stay at one, play at six” exchange program. Less than a year old, Moon Palace Jamaica Grande, beachfront in Ochi, boasts 700 rooms. At the opposite end of the spectrum, The Caves in Negril is a cozy, 12-cottage boutique with a style, charm and individuality rarely seen at all-inclusive resorts. When it comes to Caribbean All-Inclusive properties, Jamaica is king.
Galley Bay in Antigua
ANTIGUA Small (but beautiful) Antigua has a surprisingly strong showing of all-inclusive resorts, anchored by brands such as Sandals Resorts and Elite Island Resorts. The island’s signature all-inclusive is Galley Bay Resort and Spa, a throwback to the Caribbean as it was in the jet-set days and with a healthy focus on toes-in-the-sand beachfront rooms. Elegant yet unstuffy, Curtain Bluff is one of the island’s oldest and best-loved all-inclusives, set on two beaches and boasting a superb tennis program. And then there is St James’s Club, which has two lovely beaches for guests to enjoy. Luxury can be found at the chic 27-suite Hermitage Bay and offshore private-island resort Rosewood Jumby Bay, along with the Verandah, set on a national park and wonderful for family getaways. Antigua is a place where Caribbean All-Inclusive fans can go for something different, something a little more intimate and something a little more special.
Zoëtry Agua Punta Cana
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC With more than 40 all-inclusive resorts lining the broad sands of its Bávaro, Uvero Alto and Arena Gorda beaches, Punta Cana is a bonafide all-inclusive mecca, with options for all tastes and price points. Families will enjoy all-you-can-everythings such as Club Med Punta Cana and can pick from six RIU Resorts that offer beach vacays for travelers on a budget, as do the wide range of all-inclusive properties from the Royalton and Secrets brands, among others. Excellence Punta Cana, with a gorgeous spa, party-hearty vibe and nine restaurants respectively, are good picks for adults. But the country’s best is Zoëtry Agua Punta Cana, AMResorts’ superb wellness-focused all-inclusive. It makes an all inclusive Punta Cana getaway hard to beat.
Hard Rock Cancun
MEXICO You’ll find numerous Caribbean All-Inclusive options in Cancun and all along the Riviera Maya (the 80-mile corridor that stretches south to Tulum) on the country’s Caribbean coast. Some standouts: the music-themed Hard Rock Hotel Cancun and butler-serviced Le Blanc Spa Resort (also in Cancun), and Excellence Playa Mujeres, where two-story plunge pool suites are romantic roosts for couples. Beyond the city, wellness-oriented Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita is a good choice for healthy twosomes, and Grand Velas near Playa Del Carmen impresses with palatial suites, superb service and world-class food.
The Waves in Barbados
BARBADOS On an island as pricey as “Bim,” you’ll really appreciate the value and savings of all all-inclusive resort, and while there aren’t as many All-Inclusive hotels here as in other Caribbean destinations, the handful that are offer high standards of product and service. In the tourist hub of St Lawrence Gap, Sandals Barbados dominates with 280 swanky suites with balcony bathtubs overlooking breezy Dover Beach. Mango Bay is intimate and charming, with just 76 rooms and a convenient Holetown location. And, open just this month, Elegant Hotels’ Waves Hotel & Spa on Batt’s Rock Bay is running a 40 percent off introductory deal that puts a stay here within reach. The Club Barbados is a great Adults-Only option, too.
Sandals Regency La Toc
ST LUCIA While this lush Eastern Caribbean gem has plenty of independent boutique hotels, there are also some worthy all-inclusives. Case in point: The BodyHoliday in Castries, a wellness wonderland where guests score a complimentary spa treatment each day of their stay, and Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, a family-friendly playground that’s mere minutes from Hewanorra airport and boasts the island’s largest water park. Couples can’t go wrong at any of Sandals’ three resorts, but favor the original, Sandals Regency La Toc, where the bluff suites are magnificent.