All-Inclusive Hotels – Worth the cost?

For those of us who are languishing in Kingston’s hot dry weather it is like being hit with a blast of cool when we get a chance to take a trip to the country.

Country trips are an inherent part of summer vacations in Jamaica.  The trip usually surrounds family and the activities are geared to beat the heat.

This means that the beach or pool has to be a part of our country vacation. If you are fortunate enough to find family willing to allow you to stay with them and offer you and your family breakfast and other meals, that is indeed wonderful.

However, not everyone has that luxury.  If the heat is getting to you and you have some funds allocated for a summer vacation then what are your options?

Bed and Breakfast Hotels

Well let’s start with the affordable options. There are a number of bed and breakfast options available.  In Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay, Montego Bay and Negril the price range depends on the number of people staying in the room and the type of accommodation.

If you have a family of  four, the bed and breakfast types of accommodation can cost between $6,000.00 to $8,000.00. Of course, this is not the final cost as you have to factor in food costs as the only meal provided is breakfast.  It is for that as well as other reasons that all-inclusive hotels have become popular.

All-Inclusive Hotels

These specialty hotels offer guests a full range of services.  The price paid by guests includes as much as they can eat in breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets.

The cost of the rooms are also calculated to reflect several entertainment packages geared towards various age groups.

Guests are usually treated to well run programmes where they are given an opportunity to participate or take tours off the hotel property.

Some hotels, such as Holiday Inn in Montego Bay and F.D.R Hotel in Runaway Bay offer specialty packages for families with young children.

Whereas, Holiday Inn offers a Kids Club activity club, F.D.R goes a step further and assigns a nanny to each family free of charge.

There are other All-Inclusive Hotels such as Riu in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios and Iberostar Montego Bay, that boast several different cuisines to guests as well as breath taking views and impressive landscaping.

Costs

This all sounds great but can you afford it? Well most of these hotels are geared towards tourists. Local visitors are welcome so make sure you ask about the local rate which is always cheaper than the tourist rate.

Even with the local rate, costs can be high depending on when you plan to stay. There are often specials being advertised in the media as hotels try to attract new guests during their slow season.

So are you willing to spend approximately $ 25,000.00 to $35,000.00 a night?

That of course includes drink and food costs but would you would you have eaten that much food in a day?

What it comes down to is that it’s a matter of meeting your budget!

What’s your take?

Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: hotels, vacation