Top 10 Best Caribbean All Inclusive Resorts for 2017

There are numerous all-inclusive resorts spread around the Caribbean, with more being constructed every year. More than 100 of those are in the Dominican Republic, with nearly 70 others in Jamaica. The Cancun/Playa del Carmen/Cozumel area has more than 100, and the rest are spread among other islands. When researching Caribbean vacations, you’ll find the cheapest all-inclusive deals are clearly on the islands with the most resorts.

With so much competition it’s getting more clear that the Dominican Republic is the cheap vacations value leader and the best choice for most people. The Punta Cana area is home to dozens of newer resorts that have a thousand or more room each, and the new airport and new highways make it the easiest and most efficient place to reach as well. But those looking for something smaller and more exclusive also have choices, so we track all of the islands that have more than a few all-inclusive resorts. In other words, the best all-inclusive resorts are often on islands with only a dozen or so.

 

1. Grenada


Grenada is partly famous for being less developed than many of its Caribbean neighbors, but they do have 5 all-inclusive resorts that run from modest in price to extremely expensive. This is an English-speaking island so it mostly appeals to Americans, Canadians, and Brits.

Flights into Grenada aren’t among the cheaper ones compared to some of its neighbors, so this isn’t an ideal destination for those looking for great bargains. However, that also means that it tends to cater to a more thoughtful group of visitors, which will appeal to many.

 

2. Playa del Carmen, Mexico


Only about an hour by road south of Cancun and its huge airport, Playa del Carmen is a lively tourist town filled with hotels, shops, and activities. Nearly all of the all-inclusive resorts are on the edges of town or on the beach on the road from Cancun, so guests at these resorts will need to make special trips to enjoy the town itself.

 

3. Cozumel, Mexico


A small Caribbean island just across from Playa del Carmen and just south of Cancun, Cozumel has 14 of its own all-inclusive resorts with rates starting a bit lower than the other two nearby clusters of resorts. On Cozumel you get the benefits of being on an island, but also the convenience of being a short ferry ride from an interesting town and some famous ruins and other sights.

 

4. Samaná, Dominican Republic


Facing a peaceful bay on the southern edge of a peninsula, Samaná has only a handful of resorts offering all-inclusive options, but it’s still worth considering for people who prefer a low-key destination compared to most of those mentioned above. There is a new international airport nearby with nonstop flights from many key international cities, so it’s pretty easy to reach for most people.

 

5. Negril, Jamaica


Located on Jamaica’s west coast, just around the corner from Montego Bay, Negril has nearly 20 resorts that offer all-inclusive options. This popular and long strip of hotels is where you’ll find some of Jamaica’s best bargains for those who prefer to pay for food and drinks separately, but its all-in resorts are more geared for the mid to upper range guest. More specifically, there are two cheap all-inclusive resorts in Negril, and the rest are much more expensive.

 

6. Cancun


While it’s not a Caribbean island like the rest of these on the list, we are including Cancun because it has endless Caribbean beaches, and it’s among the cheapest choice for an all-inclusive holiday when you factor in the flight. The area has over 50 hotels that are fully all inclusive or offer an all-inclusive option, all the way up and down the price range.

 

7. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic


With over 70 hotels that offer all-inclusive deals, Punta Cana has the greatest concentration of these resorts on any Caribbean island. The resort area occupies the far eastern tip of the Dominican Republic and the hotel beaches can either face northeast or southeast. The busy local airport gets direct flights in from all over North America and Europe, and airfares are reasonable for the Caribbean.

 

8. Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic


On the northern coast of the Dominican Republic you’ll find the district of Puerto Plata, which may not have the country’s nicest beaches, but it does have a great abundance of cheap all-inclusive vacations. Flights into the local airport aren’t as cheap as into many other areas on this list, so flight+hotel packages might not reflect the amazingly low prices of the resorts themselves.

 

9. St. Lucia

More remote and a bit more exotic than most of the choices above, St. Lucia is perhaps the best value island outside of the large ones off the tip of Florida. The island has about 15 resorts that offer all-inclusive options or are completely all inclusive, and most of those are in the middle range of prices for the Caribbean.

 

10. Barbados

In spite of its remote location at the edge of the Lesser Antilles, Barbados is a large and popular hotspot for winter vacations, with nearly 100 different beach resorts on offer. Of those you’ll find only about 13 that offer all-inclusive packages, and those tend to be rather expensive compared to elsewhere in the Caribbean, at least during the high season.

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