By Dawn Gilbertson

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- The phone in my oceanview suite rang at 8:37 a.m. "Good morning, ma'am, this is Alejandro to tell you your service is in the secret box."

The eggs Benedict, bacon and french toast I ordered were waiting in my private delivery closet, no hefty room-service bill to sign. The night before, a butler drew a bubble bath in the soaking tub on the balcony while I was dining at a French restaurant sans pricey check.

It was my first taste of the all-inclusive resort life on steroids. Big U.S. hotel brands like Hyatt and Marriott are betting that affluent travelers will consider these one-price-covers-it-all vacations -- often derided as cruises on land -- if they promise better food, drinks, service, rooms and pools.

The upgrades don't come cheap. Room rates can top $1,000 for two at top-of-the-line resorts.

Marriott just opened its first all-inclusive W resort, in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, following last year's debut of its first Marriott-branded, all-inclusive in Cancún. There are even preliminary plans for an all-inclusive Ritz-Carlton.

Hyatt has become a major all-inclusive player in Mexico and the Caribbean thanks to big acquisitions, and now has 10 all-inclusive brands including Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Secrets and Breathless. The company opened its first all-inclusive in Aruba -- Secrets Baby Beach -- this summer.

Of course, all-inclusive can mean many things, as I discovered during my cheapo $129 all-inclusive stay in Las Vegas in June. To size up this crop of newer entrants, I booked a short all-inclusive adventure in Mexico in late July. Tough duty, I know. But it was so hot and humid I didn't need the clothes steamer in the room. The wrinkles just melted away.

I spent one night at the Marriott All-Inclusive Cancun ($500 for one, $650 for two) and two nights at Hyatt's top of the line Impression Moxché by Secrets an hour south of Cancún in Playa del Carmen ($900 per night for up to two people), home of the secret box and butler and Hyatt's investor day in 2023. Marriott was all ages; the Hyatt was adults only. Neither resort knew I was a reporter.

The real deal

All-inclusives and Cancún aren't usually my jam, but I love a sprawling beach resort for a laid-back vacation. Both resorts I tried included, well, just about everything promised. Multiple restaurant options, unlimited drinks, nonstop activities that weren't all cheesy (well, there was bingo and a casino night), spas and, at Secrets, pools galore, including infinity pools with great views and free cabanas.

The rooms were plush (at Secrets it was the biggest suite I've stayed in) with great views. I listened to pop music covers from my patio and sipped espresso martinis, frozen and straight up. I even danced at a pharmacy-turned-speakeasy at Secrets (before the youngsters arrived.)

And I didn't spend a cent extra at either place, except for tips. In other words, these places are the real deal.

And they offer real value if you want an upscale getaway where the toughest decision you make is where to eat and sunbathe, and you hate checking out with pages and pages of charges. (Looking at you, resorts with overpriced kids' smoothies, $20 frozen cocktails and $30 poolside burgers, fries extra.)

At my swank Secrets tower, there was a nonstop spread of goodies at the lobby bar throughout the day if you wanted a pre-meal snack. On the menu: chia pudding, green juice and pastries in the morning, a charcuterie plate and irresistible chocolate bark later on.

My favorite meal of the trip, possibly because of the beachside setting at sunset, was lobster risotto at the Mediterranean restaurant at the Marriott.

At the Hyatt, I ate almost exclusively at the two restaurants reserved for guests staying in the high-end Impression tower. (It's nearly double the cost of staying in the other tower and also includes the butler, a private pool with complimentary cabanas and a signature spritz.) I ate my weight in homemade chips, guacamole and pico de gallo and enjoyed the shrimp ceviche and mini lobster roll.

A quibble or two

Not that there weren't upsells, though nothing like I've seen on cruise ships. The Marriott's lobby had an "elevated experiences information desk." It offered romantic dinners on the beach and mescal tastings. Hyatt offered a seven-course tasting menu at its AAA Five Diamond restaurant for an extra $75 per person unless you were staying more than five days.

But there were more than enough complimentary choices for every meal and snack plus free room service. There's a 24-hour outlet at the Marriott that doubles as the morning coffee and pastry shop and nighttime pizza go-to.

There were things to critique. The daytime butler at Secrets wasn't at our beck and call all day except through WhatsApp and started at 9 a.m. not 7 as advertised. (Another guest from Illinois had the opposite experience; she said her butler was always around.)

The fully stocked minibars weren't all they're cracked up to be. Just a few cans of beer, soda and grocery-store snacks.

I was particularly disappointed in the wine list at Impression by Secrets, a hotel-within-a-hotel that is ranked as high as Park Hyatt in Hyatt's loyalty program hierarchy. I opened the lunch menu on the first day to find every wine had a price tag. The upcharges weren't exorbitant but it felt like nickel and diming.

What was free: house wine like you would find at your neighborhood happy hour. The Sauvignon Blanc from Chile wasn't bad, just not the quality I expected -- and I'm no wine snob.

These are, admittedly, first-world problems. And what I'll really remember are the rooms, the views, the pools and service, especially at Secrets. I don't know what kind of training employees receive, but almost every request was met with "my pleasure," "a pleasure" or "with pleasure."

Lost? An employee doesn't just talk but walks you there. They remember your name, even on a short stay.

The best part: no sticker shock at check out. I got more than my (company's) money's worth. Call me an all-inclusive convert -- with the right amount of pampering.

Write to Dawn Gilbertson at dawn.gilbertson@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 05, 2025 21:00 ET (01:00 GMT)

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