My All Inclusive Resort Experience

A Relaxing Stay by the Beach

Those of you who follow me on Facebook might know that I took a trip to Mexico a couple months back. I’ve been getting lots of questions on my recommendations about how to travel to Mexico and the resort I stayed at, so I decided to take you back with me through my trip so you can see how I traveled, where I stayed, what I ate, and what I lounged next to,

It’ll be just like you were there with me except you won’t have to wear sunscreen!

Booking Travel Through Costco

So you know Costco right? It’s the place you go to get giant rectangles of toilet paper and $1.50 hot dogs. 

Well it turns out you can also go there for a Mexican resort trip. Or rather, you can book it through Costco online.

I was able to book my flights, airport transport, and resort all at the same time. See, I told you it’s not just 5 gallon jugs of olive oil!

I’ve also booked similar trips through Apple Vacations if you’re looking for another option to check out. Look through different options to find the deal that works best for you.

Upon Arrival

If you don’t have as much experience traveling abroad you may not be prepared for the customs and immigration process.

First of all, the most important preparation you’ll need to make is to be sure YOU HAVE YOUR PASSPORT. 

I don’t think you can even book an international resort and flight without submitting your passport information but you could still forget it at home.

Don’t do that! The last thing you want is to show up to the airport with all of your luggage, excited to finally get some rest and relaxation, only to realize you left your passport on the dresser.

That’s why I’d recommend you put your passport in your luggage or a carry-on that you’re 110% going to bring with you to the airport the night before.

After you get off the plane in Mexico you’ll have to go through immigration and customs. As long as you aren’t trying to smuggle in any invasive plants or animals, it should go pretty smoothly.

If you booked hotel transportation, be aware that it will OUTSIDE. Someone should be holding a sign with your name.

There will likely be people trying to get your attention on your way out after you pick up your luggage. Just ignore them and keep walking. 

They’re trying to get you on overpriced transportation, but if you booked an airport ride they should be holding a sign with your name, as I said, and not aggressively trying to sell you on something.

If you’re not sure where your transportation is, you can ask an airport employee who isn’t trying to chase you down. They may be further back past kiosks for local activities with other vans and buses.

The Secret to a Great Stay

I stayed at the Secrets Akumal Resort in Riviera Maya near Tulum. It rained most days, but fortunately there was a lot of variety within the resort and all of their menus, from drink to pillow, had great options.

But we’ll get to that!

When I first arrived at the resort I decided to upgrade to a Preferred Club Ocean Front Room. While I think this was a good choice overall, there were some cons as well.

Let’s get the cons out of the way first. 

It’s pretty much just the downsides of being right on the beach. It was a bit windy being right on the ocean and there was a little stink from the sargassum that had washed up on shore.

If you haven’t heard that term before, “sargassum” is the brown seaweed you may have seen wash up on beaches. While it’s not a huge deal, it can be a little stinky, as mentioned, and it’s possible for little jellyfish to be hidden in there. 

The hotel definitely did their best to clean up the sargassum that washed ashore but it was pretty significant on some days, not that it’s their fault.

On the pro side, upgrading to a preferred club room meant that I had access to the preferred lounge and the preferred only breakfast restaurant.

The lounge had tasty snacks and appetizers and I loved the ice coffee at the breakfast restaurant. That being said, I think you can pass on the upcharge if you go to this resort and you’re looking to save money.

But What About the Food?!

OK, I’ve kept you waiting long enough. You didn’t think I’d go on a trip and NOT eat the most delicious food available to me, did you?

All of the restaurants were incredible. My favorite was the Italian one.

It had amazing service, live music, and, of course, good drinks.

The lunch and breakfast buffets were also amazing with all sorts of options. You could even pick a fish for them to prepare for you right there!

Even more incredible were the daily poolside grill outs. Seriously, if you’re someone who likes trying a bunch of different tasty dishes you would have to book a very long stay to run out of options. 

Speaking of pool side, there were people coming by offering ice cream and fruit so you could have a delicious cool treat while hanging out in or around the pool. There was even wood oven pizza being offered right by the pool but I’m not sure if it would be smart to bring that into the water LOL.

My favorite pool drink was the IceBEERg, which was a frozen margarita topped beer.

Room with a View

The room was absolutely luxurious with upscale toiletries and a great shower and soaking tub. It was also great outside the bathroom!

The bed was super comfortable and there was a pillow menu so if you’re one of those people who gets neck problems if you don’t have the perfect sleeping surface you should be covered.

There was also a cool cabinet that led to the outside to get room service and then leave your dishes in afterwards. They gave us nightly turndown and restocked the snacks and drinks each day.

Water, pop, and beer were all included at no extra cost!

Around the Resort

The grounds of the resort were so beautiful. There was so much gorgeous plant life, it was like walking through an oasis in a lush jungle.

On Wednesdays they have an event called Akumart, which was a big highlight for me. There were local artists selling their works, live performers, and a wide variety of delicious homemade food stands.

We tried to walk to town but it ended up being further than we thought and felt a little sketchy to me. Next time I want to bring gym shoes so I can join the bike tour to town led by the hotel staff.

What to Bring?

So what should you bring other than gym shoes? If you want pool floats, I recommend you bring your own since the ones at the resort were like $60.

I like these floats you can get on Amazon because they fold up easily and inflate quickly.

The rooms were a bit damp for me, especially if you’re coming in with wet towels from the pool, so I would recommend a mini dehumidifier. 

I would also recommend a DampRid bag. It was especially helpful given how often we were rained out.

*Note that those previous links are all Amazon affiliate links, which means I get paid a small commission if you make a purchase. That money comes from the seller, so it doesn’t cost you anything extra.*

Finally you should be sure to bring cash, especially singles and fives, for tipping. The staff doesn’t expect it but they really appreciate it and they deserve it for everything they did for us.

I tipped $1 per drink, $5 for dinner cocktails and $20 at dinner. I also tipped $10 a day to the pool guy.
All in all, it was a great trip, even if the weather tried to rain on our parade. I’d definitely be excited to go back. If you’re able to go or have a similar resort experience or tips you want to share, let me know on my Facebook Page!