All inclusive vacation with a baby?

[sora]

Hi,
My hubby wants to go to one of those all inclusive resort in Mexico or Caribbean.
I was told that I need to go with a 4 and half star or up resort to enjoy ourselves, which costs between 1200 - 1400 dollars incl tax per person and per week.
I like the idea of not worrying about anything as everything is included, but it seems a bit wasteful but it looks more expensive to travel independently.
I always prefer to interact with locals when I travel but this time I have a 18mo old. So I don't know if I can travel other ways. My hubby truly wants to relax without having to do anything.

Has any of you been to all inclusive vacation? Did you like it? Or anyone who has done differently and had a great time? I'm also a bit concerned about my baby getting sick too. I've been delaying her vaccination. Do I need to worry about it in Mexico or Caribbean?
Thanks so much!

[velochic]

We went to an all-inclusive resort on the Southern coast of Turkey (near Antalya) when dd was 5 months old. They did not charge us for her, so it did not change the price of the holiday. In our case, the only way to get into Antalya was by taxi and since Turkish taxis don't have seat belts, we didn't go into town - the entire trip was spent at the resort.

These resorts are really nice and it's great that you don't have to worry about anything, but there are some drawbacks... these are based on my experience in the Mediterranean, so the Caribbean may be different. Meals are at set hours... if you want a meal outside those hours, your only choice is a snack bar (which is junk food). Most of the activities are for people without kids, especially babies. We didn't participate in anything at all because we didn't want to leave dd with the resort babysitters. At night they are REALLY REALLY loud!! Into the wee hours of the morning. Lots of loud music. If the weather is bad, there is NOTHING to do with a baby. Toddlers or young children, yes, but not with baby.

So, that's my limited experience with baby. Before kids, these resorts (we've only been to resorts in Turkey) are great fun, but after kids, not so much. We enjoy our trips much more when we do it ala carte.

ETA: We were there with my SIL and her family (they actually picked the resort as they still live in Turkey and dh immigrated a long time ago) and they had a blast with a 4 yo and 14 yo.

[Caneel]

We did an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic. It was an excellent value.

Two of the four of us did have some digestive discomfort but they also tend to eat extremely bland food at home so I don't know if it was germs or strange food in general.

In the area we stayed, interacting with the locals was restricted to the resort employees as there was nothing to visit or see off the property. This was an odd experience for us and one of the things we didn't enjoy as we felted fenced it, which we literally were as the resort was surrounded by a fence. We travel a lot off the beaten track and really like the cultural experience of travel so it was strange to be confined.

While we didn't see security, we were told by other guests that armed security on the beaches is more common than not in the DR.

[velochic]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention... the resort I mentioned in my above post was right on the Mediterranean, so we also had sea access. That was a wonderful part of our vacation, so if you have the chance to go someplace with sea access, that's a plus. Dd was a little afraid of the sea... I'm sure it looked far too big and scary, but us adults really loved it.

Like above, several of us ended up with the old funny tummy... none of the food was out of the ordinary for us, as we cook and eat Turkish food all the time. I think it has more to do with the buffet style of eating where foods may sit for long periods of time at incorrect temperatures in sweltering heat.

[moderngal]

I love all inclusives!! Love Mexico and are actually planning another vacation now (for April)- probably to Mexico again. It's a great way to vacation with a kid, too. Many all inclusives have kids clubs and entertainment geared to kids. A lot have a kids stay and eat free deal, too.
Mexico is pretty cheap- and depending on when you go, you should be able to get a better deal than that.

[Mosaic]

We went to an all-inclusive in Mexico when DD was 3-months old for my sister's wedding. She was young enough that she would sleep anywhere, so we could go out and have a nice dinner and she would sleep in the stroller or sling the whole time. It was also nice to take a dip in the pool once in a while, and then we could pop back to the room for anything we needed.

We recently started looking into all-inclusives to travel with our 18-month old, and so far it has been very difficult to find something we would all enjoy. We typically like long, leisurely dinners, which my DD will surely not appreciate. We also love going out and exploring the area, which is tricky with a toddler when you're not sure what you will end up doing. I also want something that DD can really enjoy. Many resorts have kids playground or programs, but we have found that most of them are for children over 2 or 3 years old, and some even require older children out of diapers. We are very active travelers who aren't content sitting by the pool for a week; but if you do enjoy relaxing by the pool or on the beach listening to music, eating whenever you get around to it, sneaking family catnaps in here and there, I bet you'd love it.

One good thing about all-inclusives is that they water should be very well treated and food washed and prepared for North American stomachs, so you shouldn't worry about getting sick.

[naturelover]

We're going to Mexico in March actually and we're taking our 22 month old and 3 y/o. It is hard to find an all-inclusive that includes childcare for children 4 and under but the one we are going to does have a "baby club" as they call it. They take children 18months +. It's Crown Paradise in Cancun. They also have one in Puerto Vallarta but not sure if they provide childcare. It's an all-inclusive and their childcare is from like 9am until 10pm. Do a google search for them and you can see all they provide and they have a good description of their baby club with their daily schedule and pics. It looks like a real fun place for kids.

[naturelover]

sorry I double posted...

[_betsy_]

We went to the Riviera Maya area of Mexico at a 3* AI with a then-9mo baby.

We were upgraded to the 4* sister property right next door just for asking for a quiet, non-smoking room at check in.

It was wonderful. It was our 3rd AI experience, first with baby.

There are no set dining times. Room service is 24 hours. Bars are open almost around the clock.

The one we just went to was an Iberostar in Puerto Morales - the Maya, I think we stayed at.

Beach was great, food was good. I nursed and wore DD in a sling all over the place and no one ever looked at me like I had three heads.

To avoid baby getting sick, be adament about using bottled water - it's always available in large quantities in your room. Use it for brushing teeth. Be careful about fresh fruits and produce - DD had the runs at the end of our trip, in large part because we were stupid and let her try new fruits she had never had - and in too large quantities. Remember that all produce is washed in regular water, too.

We paid extra for private ground transfer (otherwise, you'll be in a minibus or large van with lots of other tourists, stopping at lots of hotels on the way to yours). Totally worth it for us. That way, you are assured space for your car seat and you can take the time to install it. Plus, it's direct to your resort and therefore much quicker.

The Iberostar chain has a "Star Kids" program at each resort. The kids all seemed to be in the 5-12 range, and they wore color-coded t-shirts for each day. They seemed to have a lot of arts, music, silly programs for the kids, but we just kept DD with us - she was just a babe at the time.

Our vax-happy ped tried to bully us into giving DD the polio vax, saying it's spread through the pool water, and who knows how vax-compliant people from other countries are. Eh.

[DesireeH]

I've never done the all inclusive thing but I will say that we LOVE going on family vacations to Turtle Bay Resort on north shore oahu. They are very family oriented IMO and we all had a great time (dd was 10 months at the time and DS was 4). It's also north enough to be totally away from the hustle and bustle of the city.