Check out Janie's trip reports she is a pro when it comes to the Riviera Maya...she has some terrific pics and is a great writer...actually her and Doris are terrific !!!

My two favorites are the Royal PDC, and Secrets Capri.

Both are adults only, both have very good food, and excellent service.

I prefer the Royal for it's location, it's steps away from the famous 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen.

BUT if you're just looking to relax and have a more romantic vacation, I recommend Secrets Capri.
Secrets sets way back from the road, and is in a remote location, so you would have to take a taxi to go anywhere.

I think the beach is nicer at the Royal, but the food and the service at Secrets can't be beat.

I'd be very happy at either one

If you could name the Cruiseline you would most like to see emulated in an A/I resort, that might help get the conversation rolling.

Just as with cruises, A/I resorts offer different levels of amenities and cater to different demographics.

Dave

: Hi....

: My wife and I have taken 6 cruises and would like to try an all
: inclusive resort for the 1st time. We would like to go to the
: Cancun/Riviera Maya area.

: Could anyone help us with which one to try. There are so many to
: choose from, it is extremely hard to decide on one.

: We like a great beach, above average food, nice swimming pools, and
: nice room. Shows, nightly entertainment, and dancing would be
: great. We are looking to spend $1500-$2000 for 5-7 nights.

: A list of your top 5 choices would be very helpful.

: Thank you in advance.

Hi:
I have done both - no luxury cruising - just middle of the road - NCL and a couple of REAL budget lines - so I can't really comment on how an AI compares to high-end cruising like say Crystal.
For AIs - we have done 3* to 5*. (Akumal Beach and the Palladium in Mexico and a 5* in Cuba)
Some rough comparisons and strictly my personal opinions based on MY tastes between the two experiences:
Food:
Buffets - generally MUCH better and more variety at the AIs
Specialty Restaurants - generally MUCH better on the cruiseships. On the cruiseships even the main dining rooms are pretty much better than the specialty restaurants at the AIs

Swimming pools:
NO comparison - much better at any AI - it's the size thing. Cruiseships are just plain limited when it comes to pools. The smallest AI pool we experienced was at Akumal Beach resort and even it was much bigger and more appealing than any cruiseship pool. The Palladium has a number of VERY nice pools - none crowded.

Beach:
Excellent beach at Akumal Beach resort (one of the best in the Mayan Riviera area) and another excellent beach at the Palladium. None of the beaches I have encountered in the Mayan Riviera compares with the two best beaches I have been on (Turks and Caicos - Grace Bay and Cuba - Cayo Ensenachos) BUT most are pretty good.

Rooms:
Much bigger than just about any cabin on a cruiseship. The rooms in the older section of the Akumal Beach resort are kind of tired but OK. The Palladium had nice large rooms.

Entertainment:
AIs - OK but actually I have experienced much better entertainment on NCL cruiseships. However entertainment likes and dislikes are really pretty personal - so it's hard to judge.

Which AI is right for you - hard to say. If I were you I would look for a lot of reviews of the various AI's. We liked both the Akumal Beach Resort and the Palladium and they are two VERY different resorts. Akumal Beach is smaller, older but on a great beach and near a little town - so we loved the location. Also it has a more intimate feel. The Palladium is HUGE, lots to do, very nice beach, nice rooms, more facilities. It also seems to have 'deals' relatively frequently. We are going again this month largely because we got an excellent deal. (At first we were leaning towards trying another resort but the deal was just too good to refuse.)

: Hi:
: I have done both - no luxury cruising - just middle of the road -
: NCL and a couple of REAL budget lines - so I can't really
: comment on how an AI compares to high-end cruising like say
: Crystal.
: For AIs - we have done 3* to 5*. (Akumal Beach and the Palladium in
: Mexico and a 5* in Cuba)
: Some rough comparisons and strictly my personal opinions based on
: MY tastes between the two experiences:
: Food:
: Buffets - generally MUCH better and more variety at the AIs
: Specialty Restaurants - generally MUCH better on the cruiseships.
: On the cruiseships even the main dining rooms are pretty much
: better than the specialty restaurants at the AIs

: Swimming pools:
: NO comparison - much better at any AI - it's the size thing.
: Cruiseships are just plain limited when it comes to pools. The
: smallest AI pool we experienced was at Akumal Beach resort and
: even it was much bigger and more appealing than any cruiseship
: pool. The Palladium has a number of VERY nice pools - none
: crowded.

: Beach:
: Excellent beach at Akumal Beach resort (one of the best in the
: Mayan Riviera area) and another excellent beach at the
: Palladium. None of the beaches I have encountered in the Mayan
: Riviera compares with the two best beaches I have been on (Turks
: and Caicos - Grace Bay and Cuba - Cayo Ensenachos) BUT most are
: pretty good.

: Rooms:
: Much bigger than just about any cabin on a cruiseship. The rooms in
: the older section of the Akumal Beach resort are kind of tired
: but OK. The Palladium had nice large rooms.

: Entertainment:
: AIs - OK but actually I have experienced much better entertainment
: on NCL cruiseships. However entertainment likes and dislikes are
: really pretty personal - so it's hard to judge.

: Which AI is right for you - hard to say. If I were you I would look
: for a lot of reviews of the various AI's. We liked both the
: Akumal Beach Resort and the Palladium and they are two VERY
: different resorts. Akumal Beach is smaller, older but on a great
: beach and near a little town - so we loved the location. Also it
: has a more intimate feel. The Palladium is HUGE, lots to do,
: very nice beach, nice rooms, more facilities. It also seems to
: have 'deals' relatively frequently. We are going again this
: month largely because we got an excellent deal. (At first we
: were leaning towards trying another resort but the deal was just
: too good to refuse.)

Thanks for the great response! We have sailed on RCCL for all of our cruises and have really enjoyed them. Like everything else the prices keep going up and if you like to have a few cocktails on your vacation, by the end of the week, you have spend quite a bit of money.

We are considering an A.I. because of the all inclusive aspect, but also because on a cruise you sometimes do not have much time at each stop.

I am pretty easy going...as long as they have cold beer....but wife does like to have a good meal (especially dinner) and she would like to have a nice room as well.

ABR looks great and gets a lot of good reviews. I think we would love the beach and the service, but I am wondering if my wife would be disappointed with the food and rooms.

I am wondering if we should try the GBP for a better food selection and newer rooms.

: Thanks for the great response! We have sailed on RCCL for all of
: our cruises and have really enjoyed them. Like everything else
: the prices keep going up and if you like to have a few cocktails
: on your vacation, by the end of the week, you have spend quite a
: bit of money.

: We are considering an A.I. because of the all inclusive aspect, but
: also because on a cruise you sometimes do not have much time at
: each stop.

: I am pretty easy going...as long as they have cold beer....but wife
: does like to have a good meal (especially dinner) and she would
: like to have a nice room as well.

: ABR looks great and gets a lot of good reviews. I think we would
: love the beach and the service, but I am wondering if my wife
: would be disappointed with the food and rooms.

: I am wondering if we should try the GBP for a better food selection
: and newer rooms.

GBP would probably be a good choice - I have not been there but my dentist has and she liked it very much. I don't think the beach is as nice as at ABR or the Palladium but everything else looks pretty good. If you change your mind and decide on ABR get the rooms in the NEW section. We had rooms in the older section and while quite big, they were definitely in need of improvement. We glimpsed the new rooms and they looked much nicer. However the older rooms are literally right on the best section of the beach and the new buildings front a rocky section. The food at ABR was actually not bad at all - really good freshly grilled fish - but the selection was more limited than at the Palladium. Have a great vacation whichever resort you choose!

: GBP would probably be a good choice - I have not been there but my
: dentist has and she liked it very much. I don't think the beach
: is as nice as at ABR or the Palladium but everything else looks
: pretty good. If you change your mind and decide on ABR get the
: rooms in the NEW section. We had rooms in the older section and
: while quite big, they were definitely in need of improvement. We
: glimpsed the new rooms and they looked much nicer. However the
: older rooms are literally right on the best section of the beach
: and the new buildings front a rocky section. The food at ABR was
: actually not bad at all - really good freshly grilled fish - but
: the selection was more limited than at the Palladium. Have a
: great vacation whichever resort you choose!

Thanks for all your help. We'll look at pricing when it comes out in March for 2009 and then make our decision. I think we'll end up with ABR because of the great reviews and great beach. We can always go into town a few nights for a nicer meal.

Thanks again.