Now THIS Is A Vacation!

Now THIS Is A Vacation! 1My husband and I originally planned on honeymooning in Jamaica at an all-inclusive resort. Then, 9/11 happened and our flight on Air Jamaica got cancelled so we ended up going on a cruise down the Mexican Riviera (that's us to the left, newly married with stars in our eyes). The cruise was lovely - the food was phenomenal, the scenery was breathtaking, and we reveled in the "aloneness" of just being together - but I have always felt a certain "connection" to the all-inclusive resort concept since I spent so much time poring over the brochures and dreaming about what it would be like.

Now THIS Is A Vacation! 2Now that we're officially a "family," I am thinking that Beaches all-Inclusive family resorts is looking like a totally fun way to go. The resorts offer a luxurious way for parents AND kids to have a fantastic time! And, best of all, EVERYTHING is included (except your flight, that is):

  • all meals, drinks, and snacks
  • scuba diving and watersports
  • live entertainment
  • airport transfer fees, tips, gratuities
  • supervised activities for kids

Now THIS Is A Vacation! 3PLUS, there are toddler pools, an XBOX 360 Game Garage, a fully staffed nursery, certified nannies, huge water slides, and self-serve soft serve machines!

I did a quick search to "get a quote" for my family of two adults and one child for five nights. It appears that the cost would run somewhere between $1600-$2000, depending on what kind of room/suite we would want. Before you think "too expensive for us...," take a minute to consider how much you would spend if you planned out your own vacation - booked a hotel, ate out three meals a day, bought smoothies and ice cream cones, went to the movies, went to the zoo, bought passes to the local water or amusement park...well, you do the math.

Now THIS Is A Vacation! 4If you have toddlers, preschoolers, or younger kids, you'll be especially excited about the WonderFALL Celebration happening this September and October at all Beaches resorts. Beaches has partnered up with Sesame Street to bring you Gordon and Elmo live stage shows, family learning experiences with Sesame Street, dive-in movies, a goodie bag, and much more!  

Excited yet? This experience sounds seriously fun and I'll definitely have Beaches on my mind when planning out vacations in the future...

YOUR TURN: Have you ever been to an all-inclusive resort?

P.S. I'm writing this post because I am a member of the Mom Central Consulting Moms Panel (which is a super fun way to get in on doing product reviews on your blog and/or to let your voice be heard to big corporations! You don't have to be a blogger to participate...). You should sign up!

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14 comments on “Now THIS Is A Vacation!”

  1. Beaches Resorts look incredibly relaxing. I love that everything is included and that they give the option for scuba diving and water sports too. I have been to a few resorts, but nothing quite like this. I'll make note of Beaches for the next trip!

  2. Okay, you sold me on this place. I want to go. I am going to look into it. Thanks for the information.

  3. My husband and I went to Jamaicia and stayed at couples San Souci. It was amazing! I cried when we had to leave! I would LOVE to go back! I highly recommend all inclusive to anyone!

  4. We have never been to an authentic all-inclusive resort but we honeymooned in Tahiti and the service we received was so incredible that it felt like it was all-inclusive!
    How funny...we have that exact same picture (the cruise one) except with my husband and I!! Don't you just love the ease of cruises? I love not having to think about a thing!!!!

  5. I hope we can try something like this in the future. My sister has been to Sandles in Mexico and really enjoyed it.

  6. Hmmm, the closest we've come to an all-inclusive is Disney World where we never have to leave property a single time and still don't run out of stuff do to.

    Beaches sounds awesome though.

    And look at you in that picture! How young you look. Not that you look old now but you know what I mean. That staircase backdrop totally reminds me of Titanic.

  7. We went to Cabo San Lucas to a resort, but it was before the baby. It was fun, but we don't drink so I felt kind of jipped since I had to pay for it. I am more of a cruise person, plus I feel my things in my room are safer on the cruise rather than a hotel because the room people are working for tips & wouldn't want to make you mad unlike hotel people.

    I signed up for that mom review thing but haven't seen anything from it yet ... sounds cool.

  8. No, but boy would I love to. When I get rich cause thatis about the only way I could with three kids, one job for hubbs and a stay at home mom LOL

  9. A friend of mine went on an all inclusive trip last year with her husband and really enjoyed it. She said they could have made by with $40 in ones for tips, not bad. I'd love to do this sometime but don't know if we'll ever get to since most if not all of our extended vacations will involve visiting family, maybe we can all go sometime! You have peaked my interest though and I'm going to check out what beaches has to offer if only to dream a little. (I'm also going to check out Mom Central!)

  10. We originally planned to get married at an all-inclusive resort. We bought a house instead and never got a honeymoon (we are doing a cruise or something for our 5th anniversary next year we've decided) - we tend to be all practical that way. But I love the idea of the all-inclusive. I think until the girls are older I would do one without kids...they will be too young to enjoy it and too young for me to be very comfortable leaving in a program while we do our own thing. So they will go to grandma's. But when they get older, it sounds like a fun family vacation.

  11. Oh yes, hubby and I have been to Couples Swept Away, an all-inclusive adult only resort in Negril, Jamaica and fell in love so much that we booked again for this Dec.

    It was the most romantic experience. We celebrated our 10th anniversary with a vow renewal on the beach. We have no kids at home so Couples is perfect for us but Beaches is close by and looks like a lot of fun for families.

    Love Jamaica!

  12. I've never been to an all-inclusive resort, but I recetly checked out Beaches Wonderfall packages in Jamaica and found great prices INCLUDING airfare (you can ask for a price quote with air included). I thought it looked like a great way to go too. I wouldn't want to vacation like this all the time, because we like to go all over the place sampling local culture and cuisine, and this would limit you to eating all your meals at the resort. BUT, I think that it's a good option for for us while our daughter is still very young (and not caring about local culture and cuisine), and a great option for anyone who doesn't want the hassles of planning or searching out food and entertainment while traveling with kids.

    I also just signed up for Mom Central, so you're quite the recruiter!

    http://psychmamma.wordpress.com

  13. I've never been; my husband is terrified of flying. But, I do have family members who've been to all-inclusive resorts, and loved it.

    Thanks for the Mom Central tip. I signed up. We'll see what happens... :)

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