Beyond the Rhetoric

I’ve been on cruises before and I enjoyed how all the meals and entertainment are included in the package price, but my trip to Cancun was the first time that I had a vacation at a real “all-inclusive” resort. In addition to meals and entertainment, many other amenities are also included in the price when you book at a place like Beach Palace Cancun, where I stayed.

Located in Zona Hotelera (the hotel zone), Beach Palace Cancun is likely one of the smaller resorts, functioning more like a “hotel” than a full-blown “resort.” Even so, I think it suited our needs perfectly. All the alcohol at the bars is included, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the property. Inside the rooms, you get free long distance phone calls and a stocked mini-bar (which does not incur extra charges).

One thing that surprised me was the inclusion of “resort credits.” For staying four nights, we were offered $750 in credits, which we then spent on “upgrades” like our tours (I’ll post about these later), massages at the spa, and a bottle of Moet champagne. I’ve been told that they will no longer offer these credits to regular guests, so we snuck in right before the cutoff.

The Jacuzzi Room

When I travel, I typically stay at rather modest hotel rooms. You may have seen this when I posted the videos of my accommodations in Australia, for example. When I’m not the one footing the bill, I sometimes stay at higher-end establishments like the Agora Garden Taipei. With Beach Palace Cancun, you get quite the fancy room.

The fascinating thing is that this was the “entry level” room at the resort. All the rooms come with a Jacuzzi and a private balcony, as well as the extra large bed and all the amenities described earlier. Even room service is included.

The Dining Experience

It goes without saying that I love eating, which is another reason why an all-inclusive jives with me. As much as I enjoy street food and eating what the locals eat, the “free” (or prepaid, rather) food at the resort is too alluring.

There are four restaurants at Beach Palace. Tequila Mexican Cuisine is the main one and it’s used for the breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets. There’s also Wok for Oriental cuisine and Bocelli for Italian, as well as La Terraza for grilled meat.

All in all, the food quality wasn’t the best, but it suited our purposes. Not surprisingly, the Mexican food (fajitas, tamales, guacamole, etc.) was vastly superior to their attempts at sushi and veal cutlets. The steaks at La Terraza were quite sinewy too.

Mayan Highlights Forthcoming

Beach Palace has a nice stretch of beach in front of it, but it also has several pools around the property too, including a couple on the roof, one of which has a swim-up bar. But as much as I enjoyed the resort, the excursions were the real highlight of the trip.

I’ll be following up with another blog post soon, illustrating my experiences at Chichen Itza and Tulum, two major Ancient Mayan cities with plenty of history and intriguing stories. Stay tuned!

Tags: hotel room, mexico, resort

Filed under Travel.