By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
If you think staying at an all-inclusive resort means enduring endless uninspiring buffets, it must have been a while since you’ve stayed at one! Today’s generation of all inclusive resorts is leaving the old buffets-and-wristbands model in the dust, elevating the category with elegant dining in refined restaurants that feature cuisine not just from the Caribbean but from all over the world. Now going to dinner doesn’t mean simply traipsing to a cafeteria-style room and gorging on forgettable food. It means truly dining, seated in beautiful spaces and feasting on a la carte options that appeal to all the senses. And these 9 Caribbean gourmet all-inclusives set the standard as the top all inclusives for food right now.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico Still the Caribbean’s leading all inclusive for food, this Mexican institution has eight restaurants, each featuring different cuisines from around the world.. Start with a hearty traditional Mayan breakfast at Chaká; exquisite gourmet Mexican at Frida; and don’t miss the tres magnifique brioche stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts at French restaurant, Piaf.
Zoetry Agua Punta Cana, Dominican Republic There are four solid dining options at this couples-friendly 96-suite resort in Uvero Alto, including Piragua, which offers Creole cuisine in the evening. The resort’s Sip, Savor & See program offers even more options, with complimentary dining at seven sister Dreams, Now, Breathless and Secrets resorts. And if hunger still strikes off-hours, know that room service isn’t your only option; Amaya serves up Dominican fare around the clock.
Unico 20 87 Hotel Riviera Maya, Mexico One of the missions of this new resort is to embrace and celebrate all aspects of local culture. And guests here can get in on the action, dining at five restaurants that each feature indigenous ingredients and traditional cooking techniques. Our pick: Cueva Siete, a Mexican which is helmed by a rotating series of accomplished local chefs.
Club Med Columbus Isle, Bahamas The French have a reputation for fine food and its borne out at this French-owned resort on San Salvador, where even the buffets at casual Christopher’s restaurant are superb, featuring fine fromage and an oh-mon-dieu! white chocolate brioche at breakfast ,and crab claws, lobster risotto and foie gras at lunch.
The Caves, Jamaica The vibe at this boutique adults-only on Negril’s West End is distinctly Jamaican, from the setting and décor to the staff and the cuisine, which offers fresh-cooked island flavors at their finest at every meal. The Dining room ably accommodates the resort’s 20 or so guests, but don’t leave without booking a private dinner in a candlelit cave – and make sure that at least once you belly up to the atmospheric Blackwell Rum Bar, housed in a neighboring cavern.
Le Blanc Spa Resort, Mexico While it’s lauded for its spa, this Cancun favorite also impresses with four fine-dining restaurants designed to satisfy the most discerning of palates. Blancasia serves an inventive Latin and Asian fusion menu; Lumiere is a couple’s must with a seven-course tasting menu; and 24-hour room service puts food at your fingertips no matter the hour.
Excellence Playa Mujeres, Mexico With a whopping ten eateries, the dining options at this adults-only outpost offer quality and quantity. We particularly liked Flavor Market, with its bounty of small plates perfect for adventurous eaters, and the Lobster House, a poolside restaurant serving fresh lobster and shellfish dishes during dinner hours.
Galley Bay Resort & Spa, Antigua All the restaurants at this hotel are al fresco, which means that every meal comes with a “side” of stunning Caribbean beauty. We’re partial to Gauguin, where flavors from the Pacific, Europe and Caribbean combine in creative dishes such as curried spinach soup, and you can dine a deux in a private candlelit cabana.
Sandals Barbados Leave it to one of the region’s homegrown all-inclusive leaders to tempt guests with eleven gourmet dining opportunities that span the globe from China and Japan to Italy and England and almost every other cuisine in between. On our last visit we were wowed by Bombay Club, where the Caribbean-ized curries were a like a flavor explosion in our mouth.
Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas Warwick’s first all inclusive in the English-speaking Caribbean is a well-designed, energetic adults-only resort that also happens to have some seriously good food, from terrific Italian food to impressively good Asian expressions. It’s also the best value on this list.