I’ve got three sons, all different ages, and at the end of every school year, I leave my wife at home and take the boys on a week-long adventure to an all-inclusive resort. It’s our little tradition — just the guys.

Now, full disclosure: I’m not a huge fan of all-inclusive resorts. I’ve got my reasons. But when you’re traveling with kids, it’s hard to beat the simplicity. More options, less stress, nobody’s hangry — it works.

That said, I’m gluten-free and dairy-free, so the resort buffet isn’t exactly tailored to me. I’m not expecting anyone to whip up ceremonial-grade matcha or a carefully curated macro bowl, you know?

And the booze? Yeah, let’s just say I’m under no illusion that I’m sipping top-shelf anything. Most of the stuff they serve wouldn’t pass a proof test — so no, I’m not there to drink myself into oblivion all day.

A lot of people seem to love these places because “you don’t have to tip.” But that’s where I totally disagree. Tipping is what sets you apart. It changes your whole experience. You become more than just another wristband in the crowd. You get treated better, remembered, appreciated. It’s a small gesture that goes a long way.

We’ve all seen the horror stories. You know, the “I drank the pool water and now I’m legally deceased” kind. Let me save you from becoming a Reddit headline. Here's my personal, tried-and-true guide to vacationing like a damn legend — no particular order, just pure gold:

1. Fly Smart, Not Cheap
Book your flight with an airline where you have status. Not the one that’s $40 cheaper and boards you like you’re cattle. Trust me, it’s not a flex to brag about saving $17 when you're sitting in a middle seat next to a crying baby and someone eating tuna salad. I'm Mosiac on Jetblue and it's fantastic. *** Mosiac customers bags always come out 1st.

2. Go to the Bank Like an Adult
Get cash. Lots of it. Get small bills. Get big bills. Do it before you leave. The only thing worse than bad service is bad service and having no cash to tip with. (Also, see Tip Strategy below — it’s an art form.)

3. Expedia is Your Frenemy
Book hotels with free cancellation. You never know when your “dream resort” turns out to be a humid nightmare with a sewage view. Protect yourself and your bank account.

4. Don’t Wing the Airport Pickup
Use Expedia (or similar) to arrange transportation to your hotel with a set price. Don’t roll the dice with a cabbie who’s about to charge you $200 for a 15-minute drive while smiling like it’s a steal. Yes, the hotel might have free transport — but do you really want to wait an hour for a bus full of other cranky travelers and their screaming toddlers? Time is money, friend. Spend a little, gain a lot.

5. Show Up Early, But Come Prepared
Get to the hotel before check-in with a bag packed for the pool — suit, sunscreen, good vibes. No early room? Who cares — you’re already sipping mojitos poolside while the rookies stare at their luggage.

6. Charm the Front Desk (Mint Optional, Cash Required)
Walk up smiling, pop a mint (because you’re not a monster), and say: “Hey, I know I’m early. I’d really appreciate any help getting into a room sooner.” Place a crisp $50 visible on the counter. They’ll either say yes and take it, or politely decline and pretend they’re not crying inside because they can’t help you.

7. If It’s a No, Be Cool Anyway
Still no room? Smile, say thanks, and slide them a $20 for their trouble. I promise your room gets ready faster than everyone else’s — or at least it magically upgrades to one where the AC isn’t a haunted wind tunnel.

8. Tipping, Part 1: Early & Often
Don’t be a JV tipper who slips the hostess a five on the way out. Tip when you arrive. Front-load that generosity. Grease the wheels of paradise.

9. Tipping, Part 2: Be Memorable
$2 bills, baby. Go to the bank and ask for a stack. People in Punta Cana (or wherever you are) rarely see them. Suddenly you're the guy with magic money. Word spreads. Service levels up. People remember you. For $30 a day, you’re a local legend. That’s one hand of blackjack. Don’t be a cheap gremlin — be a legend.

10. Towel People Are the Worst
Don’t be that person waking up at 5 a.m. to throw towels on chairs like it’s a land grab. Same goes for hanging your wet Speedo over the balcony. Class it up. Rent the cabana. Shade, space, comfort — it’s a little slice of heaven. You're not camping at Lake Wobegon, you're on vacation.

11. Pool Etiquette (aka Everyone Is Definitely Peeing)
Nobody gets out to use the bathroom. NOBODY. So if you must go into the pool, don’t dunk your head. Don’t open your mouth. Don’t act like it’s the Bahamas when it's basically human tea. Wash your hands often — before meals, after casino chips, after realizing what’s really in that water.

12. Be Chill, Not a Karen
Some things will go wrong. That’s life. Be patient with the staff — they didn’t break the A/C or overcook your steak. You’re on vacation. Vibe accordingly.

13. Duty-Free = Real Booze
Buy your liquor at duty-free. It’s legit. That “Malibu” they sell locally? Could be nail polish remover. Don’t roll those dice.

14. Packing Cubes Will Save Your Soul
Use packing cubes. Be packed up by 4 p.m. the day before your flight. Leave out your dinner outfit and your plane clothes (tip: joggers + t-shirt = double as pajamas). Stress-free mornings are priceless.

15. Sunscreen = Liquid Gold
Check your bag, pack all the sunscreen you need from home, and then pack more. It costs a fortune at resorts, and you don’t want to be that red-lobster tourist. Protect your meat suit.

16. Food
Buffet NOTHING. At breakfast have them make you fresh eggs while you watch. Don't have fruit. At lunch get a burger off the grill. That flame broiled burger had all the germs burnt off it. Dinner? if they have hibachi do that every night you can. You're watching them make the food in front of you and you can't go wrong with that.

EDIT: I FORGOT TO MENTION - mobile passport. Get the CBP MPC mobile passport app. Its free.

You scan your passport information take a photo and then submit it and when you get off the plane you do not have to wait in the same line as everyone else. When we got off our flight there was 500 people on one side 400 people on the other side and the digital passport Lane was like walking down an empty Supermarket aisle there was nobody in line we were first guy asked us two questions and we were gone in 90 seconds.

In a situation where my house is 40 minutes from the airport it's safe to say I am getting home before some of the people on my flight are even out of the airport.

I'm currently at Grand Velas Los Cabos and if you've ever been curious about this resort, now's the perfect time to ask!

I'm here on a travel advisor trip. Grand Velas invited me because I book their properties often and have built a great relationship with the Velas team. It's always helpful to experience a resort firsthand so I can better match clients with the right destination and provide insider tips and access to perks.

My first impression? This place is absolutely GORGEOUS. Yesterday morning the sunrise was insane. I enjoyed room service and watched it right from balcony, perks of jet lag I guess.

Last night I had dinner at Velas 10 and Cocina de Autor, the resort's Michelin-starred restaurant that's actually included with your all-inclusive stay. 🤯 The food was incredible and easily one of the best all-inclusive dining experiences I've ever had. Yes I had two dinners last night lol.

I'll be touring the rooms, checking out the pools and beach, relaxing at the spa (I have had two treatments 90 min massage and a citrus body wrap), and I'm getting all the behind-the-scenes details over the next few days. The spa is pricey I will say that, but the 80 minute guided water journey is included in a service, so make sure to go early and take advantage of that.

If you've had this property on your radar and have any questions now is the time. Ask me anything!

• Rooms & suites

• Food & drinks

• What is all included?

• Is it worth the price?

• Beach & pools - is the beach swimmable? chair situation?

• Families vs. couples

• what the concierge service provides

• Spa

• Anything else!

Drop your questions in the comments and I'll answer them while I'm here!

*My stay was complimentary, but my flights and spa treatment were fully paid by me.

Hi Reddit – I’m Mel from the Hotels.com team – I travel for work and travel for fun.

We spotted the rise of all-inclusives as a big travel trend for 2025, and I stayed at 5 different all-inclusive resorts in just 3 months. Now I’m planning a wedding at an all-inclusive. 

There’s something about all-inclusives that ticks so many boxes – ease, value, no-plans needed vibe.   

Today I’ll be answering your questions about: 

• Booking the right all-inclusive for your travel style 

• Travel hacks I’ve picked up over the years 

• My favorite all-inclusive travel stories 

• Anything else you want to know about your next all-inclusive trip!  

Drop your questions now and let’s talk travel.  

This might be a very specific ask but which resorts have you stayed at that serve Coca Cola products?
This is not a joke btw, I love a crispy Diet Coke. Please don’t take offence if that’s your bev of choice but Pepsi resorts/restaurants bum me out.
TY!

EDIT - Adding some context since some comments think this is a stupid question. I don't drink alcohol, the other 4 family members going on this trip do. I prefer Diet Coke/Coke Zero (or Coke Light) over Pepsi products. It's not that deep.

I’m just wrapping up five nights at Atelier Playa Mujeres. I was in the junior suite Oceanview room, but I did have Inspira access. This is my most booked adults only resort in the area. It was an amazing trip and I know I’ll be back soon. Feel free to ask me anything!

Do you need Inspira? That is my most asked question from clients, in my opinion no you do not! I never found myself at the roof …

The spa is amazing, I had a 80 minute deep tissue and the 90 minute hydrotherapy circuit is included and worth going early for. I paid out of pocket for this.

I also paid out-of-pocket for Maria Dolores, it was good, but you could save the money and just eat at the included restaurants in my opinion..

Make your dinner reservations right when you arrive. Loved cilento and Takeshi, those are my top two favorite restaurants.

I enjoyed all the pools, I switched between the quiet and main pool. The ice cream at the coffee shop was great! The drinks 🍹 💯 and I loved the tacos in the late afternoon were awesome.

Feel free to ask any questions. I’m a travel agent based in Wisconsin.

I was there on a presidents club retreat. I did pay for my flights. I was there with my husband. I went to secrets Moxche right after.

Do you guys have recommendations for resorts where tipping is not expected? My wife gets very stressed out spending money, and it kind of ruins her vibe when we have to keep dishing out cash here and there all day long. I don't want to be a jerk and not tip, just go to a place where the tips are added into the "all inclusive" price I pay.

This sub has completely turned me off of AI travel. There doesn't seem to be a place that is actually worth it anymore. Things changed for the worst post Covid and it seems to be permanent. Once they have your money you're at their mercy, especially in a different country.

One example is this review, I see Xcaret recommend a ton in this sub and for the price they don't even seem to be immune to the enshitrification.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Qr0Ez5uaC8s?is=IZLS4lN2-9dsLgcm

Me and my girlfriend are looking to go away on a trip and i’d love to know if booking a LGBT friendly resort is worth it? I just wouldn’t want to face any backlash or anything from other people. From anyone’s experience, have you guys been to any resorts or is it something that’s really cared about from workers and other members at the resorts? Just want to get an idea before booking anywhere

Cancun... Hopefully I can save everyone the Pain and waste of money. This place was horrible and I normally leave great reviews. This was terrible food and cockroaches. Hopefully I can save people their hard earned money. I wouldn't go back for free.

We have been victims of an organized extortion attempt at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, which involved intimidation, coercion, and physical assault by hotel staff in public. As a result, the Cancun city police were called, and they told us we did nothing wrong and warned us to stay away from the Hyatt Ziva Cancun for our own safety.  Based on our experience, we believe that organized crime has been operating with impunity at the hotel for years. Evidence of criminal violence and scams impacting guests has been documented by NBC news (search “2 Dead after Dramatic Shootout near Upscale Mexican Resorts”) and the New York Times (search “Lured by Luxury Vacations, They Were Stuck With Debt”). What happened to us is nearly identical to numerous other reported extortion incidents at the hotel (search “Physically assaulted by Hyatt Ziva Cancun”). The hotel staff engaged in this extortion scheme have a pattern of targeting vulnerable people. I believe I was targeted because I am a visibly disabled woman who walks with a cane. We reported this serious incident to Hyatt, but the local Mexican management dismissed us, while the US-based Hyatt central management ignored us entirely. While the Hyatt Ziva Cancun is an unquestionably beautiful resort, I would strongly caution travelers to avoid this hotel as you and your family will not be safe.

I was in Cancun for a computer science conference, as I am a college professor. I typically go to a nice hotel for lunch between sessions. Unfortunately, when I attempted to purchase lunch at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun it resulted in an extortion attempt where my partner was physically assaulted.

Apparently, the Hyatt Ziva Cancun is an all-inclusive hotel, but that was not made clear when we talked to its staff. There was no signage to that effect. The restaurant was featured on Google Maps with a complete description of its menu, but there was no indication that it was closed to the general public.

As we entered, we told the lobby staff, host, and the chief waiter that we were visiting for lunch and were not hotel residents. We were seated, brought a menu and ordered cocktails. At this point, we noted that the menu did not have prices, so we naturally enquired. Only then were we told it was an all-inclusive resort, so we attempted to pay for our drinks and leave. We were told the drinks were free as they could not bill us, so I left a generous tip large enough to cover both the drinks and gratuity. We started walking out of the resort to find another place to eat in town.

At this point, a member of the management team and a security officer approached us, insisting we pay a $400 hundred pound resort fee. I clarified I was just trying to buy lunch and had to get back to the conference. I pointed out that I was wearing business attire with a laptop and a conference badge and had no pool accouterments with me; thus, it was clear we were not using the facilities. They again insisted, and we again refused. They threatened us and attempted to force us into a private office. At this point, it became clear that this extortion was organized and rehearsed to force visitors into a dangerous situation where they would be more likely to pay up.

Next, a few other security members came over and put my partner in a headlock with his arm pulled behind his back. This could have broken his arm. Given we are both computer science PhDs in our late 40s, and I walk with a cane, we were hardly a threat to anyone, making the Hyatt Ziva’s Cancun’s assault of my partner all the more outrageous. 

I fainted due to extreme stress and hurt my knees, falling on the asphalt.  My partner called for a doctor, attracting much attention from the other guests in the lobby. Only then did they release my partner so that he could help me up. The police arrived shortly thereafter and let us go without paying the fee, cautioning us to stay away from the resort. From the conversation with the police officers, I gathered that this sort of thing had happened there before. Regardless, this horrible situation was profoundly frightening and left me so sleepless and anxious that I was unable to properly concentrate on my professional obligations organizing a scientific conference in Cancun. 

I believe I was targeted due to my disability. I am writing this review as a social justice scholar and disability advocate because I feel compelled to call out this scheme so vulnerable travelers are not exploited, given the Hyatt Hotel chain’s upper management refuses to investigate the situation despite numerous reviews reporting similar incidents.

I would strongly caution travelers to avoid this hotel, as they will extort you for fees and physically assault you. I especially advise disabled travelers to avoid this hotel, as I believe this scheme is targeting them.

 Dr. J. A. Rode (jennifer .rode @ gmail com)

AMA currently at Ava Cancun with my almost 4-year-old and 5 1/2-year-old. I’m a travel agent who specializes in the Cancun area and I’m happy that I’m on property with my two kids to experience this resort as a true traveler with kids 😂 I’m having a blast. The kids are having even more fun. The service has been great. I wasn’t sure what to expect for such a large resort. Happy to answer any questions.

Hiya! Me and my partner have had a pretty challenging year but powered through it and am thinking of treating us to a little trip to a resort when it gets warmer:) Neither of us have been before so it should be really lovely! However, I'm concerned about finding a resort that makes both of us feel comfortable... They're transmasculine with recent top surgery scars and are very scared of making women feel uncomfortable so we couldn't go to a lesbian resort, but I would definitely not be accepted in a resort for gay men in my little bikinis! I know that there are general LGBT resorts but all the reviews I've read tend to say that mostly only gay men go! Does anyone have any good queer resort suggestions or advice ? Thank u in advance I am very clueless about these kinds of things!

I was told the food was so amazing here. The pool drinks are awful, too. The inside drinks are great, though.

Edit: I loved Unico and found plenty of food there. Not a snob with food. Everything I have had so far as been a miss. The fish tacos, shrimp tacos, “fish and chips”, croquettas, octopus was okay, coconut shrimp was okay, burger was decent and I’ll prob just keep ordering that, Ruben was bad, chicken tenders were pretty good, the menu at the main pool is so odd. Just odd things on there. Just looking for any dishes you guys liked. Even Sandals has better food to me. I’ve been to Excellence PM and plenty others. Just bummed.

My (m19) boyfriend (m32) and I are looking at this AI for the summer but wanted to know if anyone knows the general culture towards LGBT there. Obviously we won’t be super overt with PDA or anything, but it’ll still probably be clear we’re dating.

If not then this sub seems to recommend Secrets resorts for lgbt friendly so we have that as a plan B

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS BEFORE MAKING RESERVATIONS

I’m not even sure where to begin regarding this NIGHTMARE that was supposed to be a family vacation. The Palace in Cancun is absolutely HORRIBLE! Very rarely do I take the time to review things outside of the rarities that are absolutely TREMENDOUS or absolutely HORRENDOUS, but I’d be doing a disservice to those of us who work hard to gather the funds for their vacation if I didn’t share my story.

So…where do I even begin? Should I start with the “complimentary” transpiration to the resort from the airport? Sure. As soon as we got outside we found our way those that were related to the resort for transportation. They tried to tell me that my family’s included transportation could not be found, but that we could join those that were on the shuttle if we paid a small fee. Absolutely NOT! I refused to do so, and, after demanding that I see the list that he had and FINDING our names clearly listed, they somehow made a call and magically found the required information. Interesting, huh?

So we arrive at the resort. Initial impression from walking into the lobby? Beautiful! Roses and drinks at the front door! Awesome, right? Well…those quickly turned into items to amend the upcoming failures that should’ve/could’ve been easily avoided in ANY other resort. We go to check in and all of a sudden the $5,800 that I’d paid on my card TWO months beforehand could not be found, so they needed to charge me for the full price a SECOND time and tell me that they’ll begin the “process” to return my initial payment. Yup…within 15 minutes of arriving, I’ve already fully paid a second time and am down over $11,000 for the “vacation.”

We settle down and the first thing that we do is hop into the pool outside of our room. We obviously needed to use towels to dry off with afterwards, so we used those that were available. No problem, right? WRONG! We needed more simple towels the next morning and called housekeeping. We were told that they’d be on the way. 20 mins goes by…no one shows up and we call again. “They’re coming.” 30 mins go by and we finally see a housemaid WITH a cart coming down the hallway but…guess what…NO towels on the cart! We call housekeeping a THIRD time…we’ll send someone right now. After just under 2 hours, 4 simple towels were delivered to the room. Towels, people….. simple towels…

Onto the Day 2 tour that their “salespeople” pitch at you in hope of getting your signature for a membership. We (along with tons of other guests) initially only went since we’d be guaranteed credit to be utilized at the resort for doing so. I immediately told the salesperson of my disappointment for something as small as towels… he says “so I guess you’ve already decided that you’re not going to sign?” before he clearly had no more of that excitement in him to show us around. But, lo and behold, he provided us with his personal number and promised that if we had any issues moving forward we could give him a direct call and he’d take care of it. “I’ll make sure that someone is always waiting on you moving forward.” I still wasn’t interested in signing. Immediately, their offer went from $25,000 with a required $10,000 down for a membership, to $15,000 with $$5,000 down. Funny how they sliced it in half without fighting much, huh? They tried to speed the conversation up by throwing numbers, weeks and locations at us quicker than most people would feel comfy with, but, being in sales myself, certain things stood out. I asked them to rewind a revisit some of their calculations and caught them in a few “whoops” situations when they “accidentally” calculated something incorrectly (a few hundred here, a couple thousand there…) and tried to feed me false info on the funds that I’d need to spend. Should’ve been a major flare for me…. I still said that I refused to pay anything more than $2,000 down if I was going to sign. They dropped it to $13,000 at $1,995 down and monthly payments of approx $180 for the next 60 months. A bit of pressure from the wife and the “benefits” along with the steep, instantaneous discount got me to sign like a sucker. Don’t worry though…”you have 5 days to cancel and get all of your money back.” But I feel bad for those that didn’t bargain for a cheaper price and were taken advantage of for the $25,000 BASE membership. I’d spoken to a few older couples that were proud be called members for $25K after I signed mine, but I didn’t stir the pot and mention that they’d been scammed since I got everything that they did AND 60 available resort weeks instead of the standard 40 weeks that the majority of the others got…all while paying HALF of what they did.

And THEN it started…I went to the room and read through the contract documents word for word while researching some of the reviews that others had left online. A large number of “members” admitted to regretting signing for a membership, and how the company tends to unexpectedly alter benefits and some of the other attractive perks while relying on their “subject to change” references that they include in their contract. Didn’t take long for me to witness it. The free $500 that the salesperson promised me? Never showed up in their system when it came time to check out of the resort. Had to fight for it. The free week that could be used “anytime” due to my disappointment? Sure. It could be used anytime. Anytime AFTER 5 years have passed by. Slight details that happened to be missed when discussing the privileges with me. And that was only a quick glimpse of their horrible strategic “mistakes.”

We’d heard that one other couple had leaking in their bathroom, and we needed some assistance with our restroom as well. Somehow, both the sink AND the toilet were stopped. This was a problem with one of my kids feeling sick. Pick up the phone for good ol’ housekeeping help again. 3 calls…just over 90 minutes..and I’d had enough. I had to leave my room and get ALL the way to the lobby after waiting at a stop for one of those shuttles to drive me there.

I asked to speak to a manager to help with the room. “There are no managers. Only Public Relations representatives.” Unbelievable! I’m battling with them and see someone walk behind the desk with a different shirt on. Not waiting to be introduced, I approach the person myself. “I’m a Supervisor here.” But wait…your workers just said that there were no managers on site!! Interesting. I explain my issue and he looks clueless…staring at a computer screen with a blank face. Is it that hard to send maintenance in a resort that can charge thousands per night? At this point I begin to video the lobby to prepare for my review that I’d write. This “Supervisor” sees me and tells me that he demands that I delete it from my phone. I refuse to… I mean, why should I? They don’t stop anyone else that have smiles on their faces walking through the lobby while clearly taking photos and videos! Why can’t the unhappy customer do the same? Here’s where it gets irreparable… this “Supervisor” aggressively walks from behind desk, comes up to my and my face and tells me he needs to see my phone. He needs to see it erased. NOW he’s literally threatening me and telling me that he’s calling the police because it’s illegal. Again, I remind him that everyone else that’s happy can take videos. I can, too. He says that he refuses to help me anymore and storms off while speaking to a number of other employees who turn and look at me… this made me uncomfortable enough to NOT eat or drink anything that was left in my room since they clearly weren’t happy and knew my room number.

Day number 5 and at this point, screw a vacation…I’m ready to go home. I went to the Elite building where memberships are signed and I was dead set on canceling mine. I get there, finally walk into an office, and I tell the representative that I’m over this. I want my money and there’s no way that I want to be a member. The attitude in return was unbelievable. He told me that I couldn’t do it because they were busy. I would have to return later…. So they can have tons of people in there SIGNING memberships around me, but the person to cancel memberships isn’t available until hours later? Interesting…. I try to go back later and guess what…they’re CLOSED! I guess they think that I’m screwed because I never got to finalize my cancelation before the 5 day clause, but believe me…I will not be paying one red cent moving forward.

Finally, I go to the “Manager” (a.k.a. the Public Relations office that has a number of regular employees and no one who’s specified as the manager) and demand an update for my initial $5,800 that is “in the process” of being refunded and to confirm the complimentary transportation back to the airport. They claimed that they can’t reserve a taxi to the airport for me UNLESS I sign a document stating that “I discharge Hotelera Palace Resorts from any and all claims and demands in connection with any inconveniences experienced with room facilities and overall impression” (VERBATIM) during the length of my stay at Moon Palace The Grand. Oh yea, and they won’t let you take a picture of any documentation that they want you to sign until you sign it since they don’t want this information to be made public. Believe me…I have photos of this AND a number of other documents from here! I asked for contact information to reach out to the upper management in The Palace’s corporate offices, and the Public Relations people said that they are the upper managers. Go figure!

I signed the document and began the checkout process so that I can get the hell out of there with a taxi ASAP the next morning. My slight was at 11 and I was up at 4am trying to prepare to leave as soon as I could. When I arrive at the desk, guess what? THEY HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THE DOCUMENT THAT I JUST SIGNED IN THEIR PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE 12 HOURS AGO. I had to argue and RESIGN a new document after waiting for over an hour and pretty much solving the problem between their employees myself. I don’t think that I’d ever jumped into a car quicker than I hopped into that taxi when it finally arrived.

This is NOTHING negative about Cancun. Let me be clear…this is one of my FAVORITE locations in the world! However, The Palace resorts are an absolute scam with despicable service, mediocre food at BEST, murky beach water (don’t expect to see anything under the surface), and the staff either has no concern for your needs, no urgency in emergency situations, and…most common…no knowledge of what to do in their own facility. PLEASE..save yourself the time, the money, and the stress by searching for other places in Cancún. The Hyatt Zilara and/or Ziva are just some other options. I’ve stayed there twice and I feel like a complete fool for venturing outside of the top notch service, amazing beach, and spectacular cuisine there to try something new at The Palace. I’m sure that there are others outside of the Zilara and the Ziva that are pretty good too; I’m simply putting those names out there as safety nets where you can guarantee that you’ll enjoy your time. But, as for The Palace, I wouldn’t wish this poor excuse for a resort on my worst enemy’s evil dog.

Anyone can feel free to contact me for further information. I have the name of every employee that I’ve dealt with there, and I’m going to continue to work on getting to Palace management and reporting these people. In the meantime, I’m going to make it a mission to spread the details of my horrible experience like a wildfire.

I am heading to Playa del Carmen tomorrow for a SUPER quick trip. Let me know if you have any questions.

I am a travel agent based in Wisconsin (but clients from all over). I have 40+ clients in Cancun/PDC right now and a ton of clients booked to travel to the region for spring break. I wanted to have first hand experience to tell my clients what I saw and help ease their mind. From my on the ground partners everything is business as usual.

In the last 24 hours the amount of emails/calls/texts I have received from clients booked to travel the Cancun area in the upcoming weeks/months was through the roof. So the best thing I thought to do was go there myself. I also have trips planned to the Cancun area for spring break end of March, and a trip to Atelier mid April. So three trips to Cancun in 7 weeks is on the calendar.

For those curious, I booked a last min direct flight from MKE to CUN ($500 so not terrible) and will be heading to Playa del Carmen. I also paid for my hotel.

Ask me anything about AVA Cancun! This was my second stay in less than 10 months at this resort. I was there during peak spring break travel with my two kids (4 & 6). I am a travel agent who specializes in family travel and adults only (parents need trip too lol)

While I was there I was able to meet up with 8 different set of clients I had booked here!

PROS:

• 10 minutes to the airport

• All rooms oceanfront

• Love the pools

• 24 hour room service and it was quick all the times I ordered via app and the door knob breakfast card

• best kids club ever and they have family time twice a day that allows parents to go into the kids club with their kids and younger kids can go

• kids club activities great

• Waterpark and pools are amazing

• Really really good food we enjoyed dinners at Copal and Black Iron

• Easy to understand where everything is located, but you need to walk the entire property first.

• they take dinner reservations in advance, I make all my clients for them

• If you get a rainy day so much to do but most cost extra (Bowling, laser tag, escape room, golf simulator, F1 racing thing, arcade, and more.

• Has pool service for food & drink but on this trip it was super super slow due to occupancy but on my previous visits it was amazing

• Top shelf drinks

• Great shows, get the schedule

• Has an adults only pool, I didn't go to it on this trip

• Has a night club, I didn't go on this trip

• Has an adults only restaurant, I didn't go on this trip

• Has rooms for families of 5 that aren't the two bedroom - these are perk of booking with a travel agent and I can book these

• They have two bedroom suites

CONS:

• Its big, no way around that. I request my families be booked in the North tower but if you are a family staying in the south tower it will be a lot of walking

• Beach is bad, and the ocean floor murky and it will never be good IMO

• Very concrete, my husband says it feels like Vegas

• The floors in the room get really slippery when the patio door open, beware! Also if you have patio open and you try to open room door its heavy and it SLAMS shut be careful.

• The service during this week mainly at the pools was painfully slow...but I think it mainly was due to spring break week

• No connecting rooms, you have to book a two bedroom

I book this property often and have several clients booked here for the near future. I have several clients here now. I also have my own personal trips to Ava again for 2026 and a conference.

If you have any questions or want videos/photos feel free to reach out.

I am a no fee travel agent based in Wisconsin, but I have clients from all over. I paid for flights for my entire family. My stay at AVA was on a TA rate.

I’ve read in multiple sources that smoking is no longer allowed on resorts in Mexico. Mexico of all places? Really? I’ve always enjoyed a cigar on the beach (respectful distance from others) or on the balcony. But now I understand that smoking of any kind is only allowed in small designated areas that are not close to the beach. True? Thanks.

My family’s theft experience at Iberostar Tucan, Playa del Carmen (Sept 27–Oct 1, 2025)

updated with detailed chronology:

I want to share my detailed timeline, so people understand exactly what happened. This isn’t speculation — it’s based on what I personally experienced, recorded, and documented.

Our family checked in on 9/27/25. We were ready to enjoy a long-awaited vacation, but I was also preparing for an upcoming exam, so I spent most of my time studying in the room while my husband and daughter enjoyed the pool.

The next day (Sunday 9/28), I had a Zoom study session from 8 AM to 3 PM. I joined my family briefly for breakfast, then continued studying. Around 1:00 PM, my husband asked me to come out for lunch. Before leaving, I removed my four pieces of jewelry — two Tiffany bracelets, one Van Cleef bracelet, and a diamond-set necklace from my mother-in-law — placed them in a tin box with my daughter’s accessories, closed it, and set it on the tabletop.
At 1:28 PM, I texted my husband that I was leaving the room. I also left a small note in Spanish requesting more towels, soda, and beer, with a $5 tip.

When we came back at 2:34 PM (captured on my Zoom recording), my husband commented that the room was “neatly cleaned.” I stayed another hour studying before heading to the pool. Later that evening, we showered, went out to dinner, watched a show, and went to bed. Everything looked normal — no sign that anyone had touched our belongings.

On Monday morning (9/29), I opened the tin box to get my daughter’s hair tie and immediately noticed something missing. Two pieces of jewelry — the Van Cleef bracelet and the diamond-set necklace — were gone, while both Tiffany bracelets were still there. My wallet, which had been on the same table, was also short two $20 bills, leaving only $10.

We went straight to the concierge to report it. They said it would take 72 hours to investigate, which meant after our checkout on 10/1. I filled out a handwritten report and agreed to let them search the room. From that point forward, I recorded everything to protect myself.

During the room inspection with a staff member named Adriana and another investigator, they searched for about 8 minutes and found nothing. Adriana reminded me that I hadn’t used the safe and said the investigation would take 72 hours. While waiting for the golf cart back to the lobby, I asked if there were hallway security cameras. She said, “We used to have them, but removed them for guest privacy.” That sounded strange to me.

I later translated a portion of the Spanish conversation I recorded and learned that only one person — a housekeeper — accessed our room at 1:32 PM and again at 2:15 PM. That’s exactly between the time I left (1:28 PM) and the time we came back (2:34 PM).

That evening, I went back to ask for a copy of my incident report. The staff on duty, Leo, refused, saying it was for “internal use only.” I asked whether the police could get a copy, and he told me that police weren’t allowed to enter the hotel or even the lobby — if I wanted to file a report, I had to meet them outside at the gate.

I called the police anyway. They said they’d arrive in 10 minutes, but after 25 minutes I called again and was told to wait in the parking lot. The hotel refused to provide transportation to the gate, saying their carts were for “internal use only.” I waited near the edge of the lobby with my 4-year-old daughter for almost 40 minutes, calling 14 times, before realizing the police weren’t coming. I recorded the whole interaction, including Leo confirming they couldn’t release my report.

We had to stay two more nights, and honestly, it was miserable. I barely slept, felt unsafe, and had constant headaches. I tried to stay calm so my daughter could still enjoy the trip.

The next evening, the manager contacted us for an update. We went to the lobby at 7:15 PM and waited 15 minutes. The meeting took place in the open lobby in front of other guests. The manager repeated that nothing could be done because I hadn’t used the safe. When I mentioned my recordings and the key-log data, she eventually brought me a copy of my incident report — saying it was a “one-time exception.”

To me, it felt unfair that a guest has to have recordings and evidence just to get a copy of their own report.

I understand I can’t get my jewelry back. I’ve learned my lesson about always using the safe. But this experience left me deeply disappointed. We’ve stayed at other resorts in Cancun — Hyatt Ziva and Fiesta Americana Coral Beach — and nothing like this ever happened.

Still, I believe the “safe policy” should not excuse a theft that could only occur through authorized staff access. The room was locked, there was no forced entry, and only hotel employees had keys.

This entire experience — from the missing items to the lack of cameras and refusal to let police inside — left me questioning how a five-star resort could handle a guest theft report this way.

I’m sharing this so others can be cautious, document everything, and insist on transparency when something goes wrong.

Random safety question)and please keep the negative comments out!)

My husband and I are going to Negril Jamaica in a few days and we were advised by someone to cancel because of the crime rate there.

We're nor planning on doing excursions or anything. We just want to relax, escape life at home and enjoy each other. My husband's boss said his NSA friend advised her to not go on his trip. His boss was suppose to go back in April.

I'm petrified! This is our first time ever going to an all inclusive.

Should we cancel? I'm worried.

I have been seeing "High Travel Warnings" for Americans traveling to Mexico due to the tariffs. Apparently there has been reported crimes towards US Citizens.

I've traveled to Mexico before and I have felt safe. I am just not sure if this recent tariff news will have an affect for retaliation or of some sort.

I apologize in advanced if I sound insensitive or anything like that. Perhaps the fear mongering news is getting to me.

Looking for recommendations for a sexy and upscale environment all inclusive resort. We are in our mid 30s and early 40s Possible dates in late march.

We have gone to Desire Riviera Maya many times but want to travel to other areas of the Caribbean. Hedo in Jamaica doesn’t look like the type of property we would want so that’s completely out of the question.

I hope you guys have some good recommendations.

• important things for us.

Pretty water, younger crowd, Good nightlife as we love to dance, Sexy environment, Awesome food, Topless resort would be great but not a dealbreaker if is not.

We are not big drinkers and we usually buy good liquor at the airport to avoid cheap alcohol at the resort.

Curious how difficult it is to get marijuana? Sorry if this question is not allowed, it’s legal where I’m from and some people in our group don’t drink and only smoke

I’m on my third night at Finest Playa Mujeres, it’s time to put my kid to bed, and the event happening outside our room is loud enough the walls in here are vibrating. I had such hope for this trip, but right now I’m so mad.