Holidays
10 Reasons To Go On An All-Inclusive Family Vacation
Before I had a child, my favorite vacation involved a $2 bus ride to a hut on the beach in Tulum with no electricity. I scoffed at the timeshare my parents had and the moms hanging out in the lazy river with thermoses full of wine. Now that I have a one year old, that lazy river (and free childcare provided by my parents) sounds pretty great.
So when I was invited on a press trip to check out the newest Beaches all-inclusive family resort at Turks and Caicos, I was more than a little excited. It was my first time on an all-inclusive vacation of any sort and I think The Key West Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos may have ruined me for other vacations.
I brought my son, my sister and lots of sunscreen. We had a really great time and it made me realize why all-inclusive vacations exist in the first place. All of the adventure parts of vacations that I used to like now seem like major nuisances with a child in tow.
Here are Ten things I learned about all-inclusive vacations over the course of a five day trip.
1 No Logistics Stress. At All.
I can’t say for any other inclusive resorts, but Beaches does a really great job of helping you enjoy your time off. I never needed a wallet or purse in the five days I spent in Turks and Caicos. Our biggest concern was which of the 19 restaurants on the premises we planned to stroll up to and order from.
2 Never Worry About The Check
(Photo: Tax Credits)
3 Accommodations For Picky Eaters
4 No Mid-Vacation Budget Worries
When I left the resort, I had a fee of $8.60 for a toy I bought my son in the gift shop. I can’t remember the last time I hadn’t accrued various impulse costs and expenses during a beach trip.
5 Just Relax. Really.
6 Solutions For Indecisive Vacationers
7 No Lines
8 Beach Beach Beach
9 Me Time
The thing about vacation with kids is there’s not really a lot of downtime. Kids don’t sleep in just because you’re on vacation. In my case, my son always sleeps much less when he’s not in his own crib. During the day, chasing after a kid in the sun is more interesting than your own apartment, but no less tiring. At Beaches, they had really nice daycare options with well equipped rooms full of age appropriate toys and sitters available for nights. My son was obsessed with the infant room.
10 Amazing Staff
The location we visited was amazing, but the thing I was struck most by was how much everyone we encountered seemed invested in our trip being a success. No one was maneuvering for tips or just trying to push us through a restaurant. During the trip, the press people I arrived with were mixed among families who had paid their way and every single person who worked at Beaches — from the waiters to the lifeguards, cleaning staff and valets — was so friendly and sweet and accommodating, it really made our trip. I don’t know what kind of training or standards they have for their team, but I was definitely impressed. We may have gotten a few more smiles because my son played peekaboo with every single person he saw, but the friendliness was at a pretty high standard for the whole trip.