Hola from Cancun! Just kidding. Our Cancun trip is long gone, but my pictures are here to stay. I figured instead of just plastering all twenty (maybe more?) of my favorite images into a blog post, I would let you in on some things I learned about an all-inclusive resort. You ready? Grab your sombrero and a festive drink, and let’s get started.
Before we ever planned this vacation, MJM went into full-fledged research mode. He is a researcher just like I am, probably more so than I, but it always pays off. We decided to go the all-inclusive route and decided upon the Hyatt Zilara Cancun. After reading many positive reviews, that’s where we decided to hang our hat, and I’m so glad we did. We loved it! The picture above was the view from our first room. If you ever consider staying here, which I highly recommend, this room is called the Ocean View Junior Suite. It had a king size bed, a hot tub, and a breathtaking view of the ocean.
But let’s back up a little. Let’s start from the very beginning.
Yesterday I mentioned how I packed my bag for the trip, and if you missed it, you can find that blog post about how to roll your clothes and travel with only a carry-on HERE. Once our bags were packed we jetted off to Cancun. It’s a short flight from Houston, which is one reason we chose Cancun as our destination, but just long enough to enjoy an in-flight cocktail.
I kicked off my vacation with a Bloody Mary.
Once we arrived to Cancun, we had arranged for private transportation to take us from the airport to our hotel. Definitely make sure you secure your transport before you ever leave for your trip. Otherwise, you’ll be bombarded with all sorts of transportation services, and you’ll be a hot mess. Really. It’s hot in Mexico.
As soon as we stepped foot into the Hyatt Zilara, we were greeted with smiles and a glass of sparkling wine, you know, champagne’s sister. We checked-in early and to our surprise, our room was ready. We arrived on a Friday, and apparently to have your room ready early in the day is unheard of. I’m thankful we did. We moved our bags into our room, and then grabbed some lunch. But here’s the first thing you need to know about an all-inclusive resort…
1. You won’t ever have to leave to find what you need.
Staying in an all-inclusive means you’ll have all the amenities you could possibly need for a relaxing vacation right at your fingertips. We never left the resort. If going on an excursion to sight-see is your thing, you’ll have that chance too, but we chose to stay put.
This was our view from lunch our first day there. I mean, why would we ever want to leave?
Cabanas at the Hyatt Zilara are first come, first served. We had read in the reviews to claim a spot early, so we did. After lunch, we quickly found a spot by the pool, and began our relaxing time. Before I start to get redundant, our trip’s itinerary was simple: eat, relax, drink, eat, relax, drink, eat, relax, drink.
When it was getting close to dinner time, we headed back up to our room and were greeted with a beautiful turn-down service. We had left a tip for the maid, and this is what it got us.
Swans, anyone?
We also mentioned that it was our second honeymoon when they asked us if it was a special occasion.
Isn’t that sweet?
Now the second thing you need to know about all-inclusive resorts is this…
2. The food is good, but don’t expect Michelin-starred restaurants.
It doesn’t take much for me to love food. I’m not that picky. But I have stayed at an all-inclusive resort where I absolutely loathed the food. It was actually disgusting. However, Hyatt Zilara had some really delicious eats. My favorite, by far, was the breakfast buffet where I had an omelette made-to-order every morning. My second favorite was the Mexican food. Shocker.
The dessert was even delicious, and when you’re at an all-inclusive resort, you may as well enjoy every course of every meal. It’s all included. Why would you not?
Speaking of food, we enjoyed a super fancy meal at one of the hotel’s premier restaurants. We had to book that as soon as we set foot into the resort. This is another important piece of info about an all-inclusive…
3. Book activities and make reservations within the resort in advance.
Our resort had a spa and all sorts of activities we could have participated in, but like I said, we were there to relax. The only reservation we made was to the five-course meal restaurant. Other than that, we spent time in the sun.
And we spent a lot of our time cooling off with an adult beverage every now and then, which brings me to…
4. Drinks are included in all-inclusive plan (but not all of them).
The drinks could flow all day if you want them to. We are not big drinkers, so we definitely knew how to pace ourselves. However, if you have a favorite or signature drink, just be sure to ask your server for the specific drink. You can also order a double or add for a splash more of rum in your pina colada. It’s your call. The only time a drink wasn’t included was when we went to a restaurant for dinner service. You could “upgrade” your drink to a finer wine or champagne. House wines and sparkling wines are fair game.
Here’s another funny story about drinking in Mexico.
At one point on the beach, I was drinking Dos XX with a lime out of a cup. Let me just say that it was hotter than Texas down in Mexico, so perspiration, limes, and strong UV rays do not mix. See that spot above my lip? It’s a severe burn from that doozy of a combination. I had squeezed my lime, then wiped my face a million times to try and swipe away the sweat. Next thing I knew, my upper lip started tingling, and I thought I was having some sort of allergic reaction, but nope. It was a burn. Who knew you could get such a severe burn from the lime in your drink? You’ve be warned, people! If you think I’m kidding, look up phytophotdermatitis. I’m still recovering from that nonsense, and I’m hoping it won’t be a scar forever. The Griswolds strike again.
The last thing you need to know about an all-inclusive is that…
5. You can upgrade your room at any point (permitted an upgrade is available).
Most hotels will allow you to upgrade if another room of higher quality is available (and if you’re willing to pay). We really wanted a swim-up room. At the Hyatt Zilara, a swim-up suite is a room where you can walk down to a semi-private pool straight from your room’s terrace. We loved this room and only wish we could have enjoyed it for a longer period of time. We moved on our last full day.
It was at the opposite side of the hotel we had been staying at, and it was like an all new place to us. Ideally, a swim up suite would have only be worth it to me if it was in the middle of the resort. We’ll know better next time.
Our last day and night was awesome though. We enjoyed more of our favorite foods from the restaurants we really liked, and we even saw a beautiful sunset from the lobby of our hotel.
It was hard to say good bye to this place.
However, three nights was plenty for us. It was a long weekend of relaxing, something we rarely get to do together, and I can’t wait to do it again. I also achieved my goal of getting a tan. Thank you, sweet baby Jesus. Maybe next time we go, we’ll go with friends. That would certainly be a blast!
And that’s about it! Whew. That was a long post. To recap the 5 things to know about an all-inclusive resort…
1. You won’t ever have to leave to find what you need.
2. The food is good, but don’t expect Michelin-starred restaurants.
3. Book activities and make reservations within the resort in advance.
4. Drinks are included in all-inclusive plan (but not all of them).
5. You can upgrade your room at any point (permitted an upgrade is available).
Have you ever stayed at an all-inclusive? What are your favorite things about it?
Let’s keep in touch, shall we?
You can see where I’m linking up on this page.
Seriously jealous of this vacation!! Adam and I could totally use one of these, maybe when the kids are a little older we will sneak away ;) It looks like a gorgeous resort and I love all of your tips. Adam is totally a planner too and always researches everything, it’s really nice and I just follow his lead! Haha!
Oh, T, y’all would love it! However, I’m totally jealous of your beautiful PEI pictures/time away. That looked amazing, too! And you have to love those great planners of ours! Lol.
Great post! Mike and I were supposed to go to St. Lucia and stay at an all inclusive resort for our honeymoon. Unfortunately, there was a hurricane there the week we got married and all flights were canceled :( So we ended up going to Hawaii last minute and not staying at an all inclusive resort. I always wondered about the food and drink quality at those places. Thanks for this post! I still haven’t been brave enough to leave Odette, but maybe one day :) Also, the lip burn… I’m so sorry!!
Thanks so much, Kelly! I was worried about it being hurricane season, but thankfully, the weather was all clear. It was so absolutely hot though. I think a cooler month would have been much nicer. I wouldn’t have been mad about having to switch it up to Hawaii either. We honeymooned in Maui, and it’s my second favorite right after Kauai. Definitely a bit pricier than the all-inclusive, too. Lol. The food was good, but like I said, don’t expect fireworks. ;) This hotel was great though. No complaints at all, except for my lime burn, but I guess that was my fault! Haha.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Your pictures are gorgeous, I may have lived through this post vicariously :) I’ll have to save this info for the future!
Thanks, Whitney! It was fun vacation, and I’m pretty sure we’ll be going back. You can’t beat this one, and it’s too short of a flight not to go again! :) Hope you have a great week!
Your pictures are amazing! All-inclusives are the best!
Thanks so much, Claire! I was definitely a fan of this all-inclusive, that is for sure. :)
Hope you have a wonderful week!
We have been 3 times to the El Dorado Resort in Cancun, and our 4th is scheduled for October! It’s the best time of year to go. I recommend a not so hot month and you’re good to go. Love the pics!
I will definitely file that away in my memory box! It was so miserably hot, but thankfully the pool and drinks and ocean kept me cool. :) I think one of my friends just stayed at the El Dorado Resort. Fun times, sister!
Goodness these pictures are beautiful! That sunset in the last pic! I can’t wait to take a vacation with just the husband and I! ..one day!
Thanks, Karra! That sunset was gorgeous!!! And I didn’t even edit that picture at all. :) I know y’all would love this place. Maybe one day all of us blogging friends can schedule a getaway all at the same time. One can dream!
We’ve never done an all-inclusive resort before. We are the kind of people who want to get out and do lots of things. But one day I want to do a vacation where I just lay around, eat, sleep and be by beautiful water. Stop taunting me with those pictures!
I had never done a vacation where we just sit around and do nothing, but I have to say, I didn’t hate it! We are the “go go go” people, too, and it was really nice to just sit and be. You’d love it for sure! And there are plenty of things to do and enjoy around the resort too. We just chose to sit and be merry. Lol.
We stayed at an all inclusive in Cancun for our honeymoon 7 years ago and it was pretty awesome. We had fifths in our mini fridge that (had we drank them) were replenished as needed, additionally we had free international calling so we could call our family back in the states. It really was a great time!
Same with our room. Free international calling sounds awesome! Thankfully, our hotel had free wi-fi, so we were able to FaceTime. Loved it! Next time we’ll have to go when it’s not so hot.
Gorgeous pictures and great tips! I’ve never stayed in an all-inclusive but I’m hoping for a Caribbean vacation in the near future and have always wondered about them.
That looks fabulous and you looked adorable in that checked swimsuit!! We stayed in an all inclusive in Cabo and I wish I would have researched a little more ahead of time regarding excursions, etc. The food was decent and the fridge in our room was fully stocked at all times. I will know next time to splurge for a more scenic view.
I’ve been dreaming of a beach vacation and this did not help! I totally agree on the food at an all-inclusive being hit or miss. We stayed at a Sandals in St. Lucia for our honeymoon and I thought the food was amazing!!
We are traveling to Mexico in 3 short weeks. I have been researching private transportation. Can you tell me how you set it up? I was considering going through the Cancun Airport’s Transportation. That way someone is waiting for us. For the extra cost, I feel like it will make our travel much easier.