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The All-Inclusive Mistakes That Cost Us Thousands!

New Travel Escapes

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We’ve spent more than 20 years traveling to all-inclusive resorts—and we’ve made some expensive mistakes along the way.

We’ve paid extra for ocean views that barely changed the experience, booked beautiful resorts that were completely wrong for our family, paid holiday prices for swim-outs that were too cold to use, underestimated massive resort layouts, trusted online hype, tried to do every activity because it was included, and learned that spending more money does not always buy a better vacation.

In this video, we're sharing the all-inclusive resort mistakes that cost us money, time, and enjoyment—and the things we now happily pay extra for because they genuinely improve our vacations.

We talk about:

choosing the wrong resort for your family,
room upgrades that aren't worth the money,
club-level upgrades and butler service,
misleading ocean-view categories,
cold pools and swim-outs,
resort dining systems,
restaurant reservations,
massive resort layouts,
airport transfers,
included excursions,
brand-new resorts,
Facebook group hype,
all-inclusive resort food,
weather,
sargassum,
private transfers,
better flight times,
... and the expensive lessons we've learned after more than two decades of all-inclusive travel.

Most importantly, we've learned that the goal isn't to spend the least money possible.
It's to spend your vacation dollars on the things that actually improve your vacation.

Make your five must-haves. Know your budget. Choose the resort that fits the people you're traveling with. And leave enough room in the schedule for the unexpected.

Because sometimes the thing that goes wrong becomes the story your family tells for years.

ABOUT NEW TRAVEL ESCAPES
We travel anonymously, pay for our own vacations, and don't notify resorts before we arrive. Our goal is to help travelers spend their hard-earned vacation dollars wisely, understand what resorts are actually like, and choose the vacation that fits them.

If you enjoy detailed all-inclusive resort reviews, resort comparisons, practical travel advice, and lessons learned from more than 20 years of travel, subscribe and join us every weekend for a new video.

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#AllInclusiveResorts #TravelMistakes #AllInclusiveTravel

17 Comments

@newtravelescapes Creator 2 months ago Pinned

After more than 20 years of all-inclusive travel, we still make mistakes. 😂
Some cost us money. Some cost us vacation time. And a few turned into stories our family still tells years later.
So now it's your turn:
What's one all-inclusive mistake you made once and will NEVER make again?
Was it paying for an upgrade that wasn't worth it? Booking the wrong resort? Underestimating the size of the property? Trying to do every activity because it was included? Forgetting sunscreen and discovering gift-shop prices? 😳
And on the other side of the equation:
What's one thing you'll happily pay extra for every time because it genuinely improves your vacation?
For us: private airport transfers.
For Whiskey Snob: apparently a properly made Sidecar with fresh lemon juice.
He's not angry.
Just disappointed. 🥃😂
Your answers may help someone else avoid an expensive mistake—and we'll be reading the comments for future video ideas.

@EmptyPocketsCarl 2 months ago

Cold swimouts and pointless butlers are our two things we’ve stopped paying for. Thx!

@georgeslehner7733 2 months ago

Best ever video reflexion I've had in 20 years of travelling. Keep learning some stuff. THANK YOU it was a gem.

@spinedoc893 2 months ago

I would say that club level upgrades and room category/location upgrades are two of the most important areas to really do your research so that you don't waste money. Videos such as yours can be really helpful for these areas and the Facebook fan pages can be very helpful too as you have direct acess to people who are currently there or have recently been there. Often many of the people on fan pages have been there multiple times and know the different room categories. As you say 'ocean view' rooms can vary dramatically and 'partial oceanview' rooms should really be called 'don't count on seeing the ocean' rooms. I had a radiology professor who's favorite expression when trying to point out subtle findings on imaging was 'if you just hallucinate a little you can see it right here'. I would say that sentiment applies to seeing the ocean from most partial oceanview rooms. That doesn't neccessarily mean never book a partial ocean view room because the room location might still be worth the upgrade but you just need to do your research and kow what you are paying for. I don't book room upgrades anymore unless I have seen or been told by someone who's been there exactly what you get for the upgrade cost. Club level upgrades vary SOOOO much from resort to resort so you really need to be specific to the resort you are interested in when deciding if its worth it. Even within the same hotel brand the club level at one particular resort in the brand can be totally different value than another. I find AI searches can be realy helpful for listing the pros and cons of club upgrades at particular resorts or which particular hotel in a given hotel brand have good value for the club level upgrade.

@shizumaakiyama3129 2 months ago

I tell my friend all the time, she always wants a suite in the most expensive hotel where ever she is going that expensive does not equal better

@klw1463 1 month ago

Your videos are great!

@nicolec7496 1 month ago

I really appreciate this video. Currently trying to plan our honeymoon.

@UTeewb 2 months ago

IMO Ocean Front is the only ocean category worth spending for. If an ocean view was good, they would call it ocean front. Though to get reasonably priced ocean fronts you typically have to go single building/taller style resorts that feel a bit more like hotels than resorts. Still nice but a different vibe.

@sigma663 2 months ago

Thank you for this informative video. We traveled following a checklist we updated after traveling. It is way to discard or add preference. One thing that is not negotiable is the pool bar. Got to have it.

@Kittycat33ee 3 weeks ago (edited)

What time of year does mosquito fogging typically happen? There are lots of things you know that the newbies like me don’t even know happen. Would love a video explaining the pros and cons of each month in the riviera Maya. You suggest researching a lot of specific info, but how do we find it? A video on how to find this info would also be very helpful. Thanks

@spinedoc893 2 months ago

Very good and practical info!! I especially agree about price vs value. Not all cheaper resorts are good value and not all expensive resorts are poor value for your money. Some of the best value for money resorts I've been to have been what most would consider to be pricey and some of the worst value resorts have been 'inexpensive'. There are many inexpensive resorts that are really good value however just booking the cheapest place you can find isn't always a good value. Does it really help you to spend half as much money and have a miserable time at a run down resort where nothing works and the food is awful?? You and I had this conversation recently regarding Secrets properties. Yes they are pricey by most people's standards but what you get is more than worth the cost (provided you can afford it). Most resorts that can match Secrets quality of experience are substaintially more expensive. There are relatively inexpensive resorts that although not fancy or luxurious they have good food and the amenities are in good shape and functional so as long as you manage your expectations they can deliver an enjoyable experience at a reasonable price. In my experience inexpensive resorts that provide good value are some of the hardest ones to find.

@mikegadzinski 2 months ago

Great perspective. My wife and I just got back from Excellence RC and we are heading to TRS Coral with our Adult kids and friends in 3 weeks. I've been thinking a lot about all of these topics. Really makes a ton of sense when considering cost and value.

@shawnfrederiksen1252 2 months ago

half way, I thought i was going to yell at the video. then you got there: RESERVATIONS, RESERVATIONS, RESERVATIONS! I hate mandatory reservations. One night, for a "fancier" or a teppanyaki okay. begrudgingly. every meal, every day, get out of here! pay extra for fewer reservations.

Also, private transportation: right on! VIP in Punta Cana airport: well worth it.

@deborahg427 2 months ago

Love all the insight that you shared! I’m starting to understand that nothing is really a great bargain in the world of all-inclusive resorts.

You do really get what you pay for.

And so many resorts have beautiful lobby’s and grounds with much less expensive rates. Then you dig 🪏 deeper into the reason they are so much less money and come to find out the food quality, service and suites are problematic. There seems to be so many risks trying to keep costs down.

We ultimately decided to spend more money and avoid cutting corners to ensure that we have a great experience. It’s been working so far 😅

@YannaValak 2 weeks ago

Your videos are extremely well made and super helpful. Long time traveler here and I thought I know it all LOL and I do, but your videos make a great summarization and provide useful highlights. THANK YOU!
Question: we are loyal Excellence Club members but based on your videos we are thinking experiencing non-club private terrace with plunge pool room at EPM. Would you still recommend?

@NighthawkCarbine 2 months ago

What resort ta Brasesie Prime Steakhouse, time stamp 13:10 at?

@MrBeatboxmasta 2 months ago (edited)

FB groups are useful but unfortunately, the issue is not that they don't know you; it's that the majority of people in them try to censor anyone from posting anything negative about their stay. Those people refuse to understand that when they prevent someone from receiving all the information, they create unhappy customers who in turn, complain about their stay on FB. Those people create a vicious cycle and then cry about it.