In Dominica, an All-Inclusive That Comes With the Whole Island
All-inclusive has been changing. That’s not a secret. It’s the biggest thing in travel right now, particularly in the Caribbean, where travelers want more. But they don’t just want the unlimited food and beverage. They want the experience. They want something they’re going to remember, something they’re going to tell stories about.
That’ what makes the offering at Dominica’s Fort Young hotel so compelling. At the Fort Young, which just completed a huge transformation project, they call it “all-inclusive, island included.”
What it means is that you don’t just get your food and drinks. You get daily excursions to all of Dominica’s local wonders, the waterfalls, the hot springs (in places like Wotten Haven, a town we’ve visited so many times and love more every chance we get), the submarine geothermal vents. And it’s all part of your program.
The hotel, built on the site of a three-hundred-year-old former British fort, is filled with history — but also modernity. You’ll find cannons on the deck, stone arches in the lobby, and subtle design touches that reference its long history—like wallpapers with French motifs and lines from the national anthem tucked into the décor.
It’s quietly become one of the most interesting stay on an island filled with cool boutique properties, with a palpable energy and a focus on delivering an authentic, truly Dominican experience.
There’s also a full-service dive shop on site, making it easy for travelers to explore Dominica’s underwater world which remains one of the Caribbean diving world’s best-kept secrets. The hotel recently launched a new Shore Diving project, including artificial reefs built just off the jetty. You can walk straight into the water with your gear and see an actually-developing marine ecosystem.
So what about the rooms? The hotel’s recent upgrades added 60 new rooms, part of a total of 100 across the property, ranging from mountain-view rooms in the historical section, ocean-view rooms with touches of the resort’s history and, if you want to splurge, oceanfront suites that come with private ocean-view balconies and spectacular sunsets (yes, they really are that good here in Roseau).
What the Fort Young (and its sister hotel, the six-star ultra-luxe Secret Bay on the north of the island) are doing is reinventing the way the Caribbean tells its own story. It’s about showing travelers the luxury of authenticity, the excitement of the real island.
In other words, here, you get the whole island with your stay.
What about prices? You can book standard rooms from around $302 per night in May, according to Google Hotels data.
And, most importantly, what about actually getting to Dominica? Thankfully, it’s never been more comfortable to fly to the Nature Island. You can fly nonstop from Miami on American Airlines (just $466 roundtrip right now) or on the brand-new service from Newark on United Airlines, which runs for $536 roundtrip right now. You can find more flight options on Google.
