It’s 9:32am on a bleak Monday morning and you’re sitting at your desk Googling holidays and wishing you were far, far away. You scroll through your Facebook and Instagram feeds envying Insta models (yes, they’re models because no one goes trekking through the jungle looking that perfect!), and you spend a good hour or so pinning new travel destinations to your endless Pinterest boards. You desperately want a holiday where you can just sit and be. Maybe with a drink (or two) in hand. Enter the all-inclusive holiday.
This used to be me. Literally every week. I’d reach Tuesday afternoon in my 9-5 working week and already wish I was somewhere else – and that’s even in a job I got to travel with! It’s no fun being in a job where you feel like that, but even the happiest of workers want to escape every now and then.
However you enjoy travelling – be it a quick city break, a month-long cruise or a two week getaway, I think everyone should experience an all-inclusive holiday at least once in their life time.
A lot of people will disagree with this, arguing it’s not ‘real’ travel. But whatever happened to just escaping your day-to-day life in order to relax and simply, be!?
I recently went on an all-inclusive holiday for a week with my family to celebrate my Mum’s birthday. After months of research (read: siblings disagreeing with everything!) we chose Platinum Yucatan Princess All Suites & Spa in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It did not disappoint.
Read more: Where to eat, stay and play in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
While I was there, basking in the sun and trying to remember how many cocktails deep I was, it got me wondering why more people don’t choose to book an all-inclusive resort getaway.
Whatever your current thoughts are, here’s 6 reasons why everyone should experience an all-inclusive holiday at least once.
- Five words: as much as you want. That means all the piña coladas you can drink and as much buffet food as you can fit inside that toned stomach you’ve been working so hard to get in the run up to your holiday. Now I know this won’t make everyone as happy as larry, but the main point is that it’s great to have the choice without having to worry about the cost, which brings me to my next point…
- …you can sip on yo gin ’n’ juice without having your money on your mind. All-inclusive means you’ve already paid for everything and don’t need to cart around all that hard earned cash. Instead, flash your all-inclusive wristband at your favourite bartender and the drinks will continue to flow.
- Relax to the max. Since the whole idea of an all-inclusive is that you don’t have to leave your hotel if you don’t want to, there’s endless opportunities for relaxing within the resort. Swimming pools with swim-up bars to top up your empty glass, or a massage to relieve the stress of doing nothing! (I tried the new 3 hour ‘Caribbean Love’ massage, body scrub, body wrap and facial package at Platinum Yucatan and it was absolutely incredible, so I recommend this one if you visit that resort!)
- All-day activities. For the same reason as above, all-inclusive hotels will make sure there’s enough to entertain you throughout the day. Like Platinum Yucatan Princess All Suites & Spa, most all-inclusive hotels offer free use of snorkelling equipment and non-motorized water craft including stand-up paddle boards. There’ll also be a jam-packed itinerary for the week with classes like aqua aerobics, yoga, pilates, tennis, beach volleyball and dance lessons included in your all-inclusive package.
- Everything you could want in one price. All-inclusive doesn’t just mean all your food, drink and accommodation. When booking through an agent (I used TUI), it will likely include your return flights too. Often this makes the whole thing cheaper, depending on where you go and what you want from your holiday. The best part is that it’s all figured out for you, you just choose where you want to go and when and you’ll be given a whole host of package options.
- Explore more. If staying within the hotel grounds isn’t your thing, being all-inclusive usually means you have more spare cash to spend on exploring the local area, or further afield. When staying at Platinum Yucatan Princess, I made the most of my time to visit the neighbouring coastal town of Tulum and historical Mayan ruins.
Read more: A photo essay of colourful Playa del Carmen
Want to visit Mexico? Use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights or download the app.
Have you stayed at an all-inclusive resort before? Where did you stay and what did you like/dislike about it? Share your thoughts below.
Note: This post is in partnership with Platinum Yucatan Princess All Suites & Spa and contains some affiliate links, which I make a small commission on at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own and products and services that I use myself. 
What a great blog Rach, it was a fabulous holiday could not have asked for anywhere better.