Excellence Group

About 15 minutes north of the Cancun airport, Excellence Hotels has transformed its exclusive, award-winning La Amada Hotel north of Cancun into the family friendly Beloved Hotel Playa Mujeres.

Mexico’s visitors have sent the message loud and clear. They want no-hassle vacations for one set price, be it $150 or $600 per night, without all those pesky decisions about where to go and what to eat. They want a safe place where the kids can play while their parents sip piña coladas at the pool bar. Fancy restaurants, spas and gyms are welcome amenities, of course, and excellent service a necessity.

Resorts and hotels have heard the message, an all-inclusive properties now line beaches from Cancún to Zihuatanejo. Massive chains that rely on charter flights bringing hundreds—and sometimes thousands—of tourists each week have gobbled up huge swaths of sand in the Riviera Maya and the Riviera Nayarit. Even destinations rich in culture and gastronomy are experiencing the all-inclusive demand.

“Puerto Vallarta is a great example of what I call the all-inclusive Catch-22,” said Sylvie Laitre, director of Mexico Boutique Hotels, a collection of distinctive boutique properties, including a few all-inclusives. “You have one of the richest food destinations in the country in terms of variety, quality, budgets, everything. It’s amazing. Yet, most of its hotels are all-inclusive.”

Fortunately, some all-inclusives offer free shuttles to nearby attractions and most have tours in every price range. Others incorporate local cuisine and traditions in restaurants and activities. So for those times when your mind and body are weary and you want a quick, easy respite, all-inclusive resorts are a great way to go.

Hip hangouts

Should you think only boring people stay at all-inclusives, think again. Concerts, celeb-sightings and rock-star suites are now part of the mix.

Hard Rock International has allied with Palace Resorts to create the all-inclusive Cancún Hard Rock Hotel Mexico, opening in Spring 2012. Palace resorts in Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Maya are also being converted as Hard Rock hotels. Palace Resort’s flagship Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort just south of Cancún’s hotel zone is reaching out to the younger set as well, presenting concerts including Jon Secada on February 14, 2012, and Enrique Iglesias on March 10, 2012. Guests staying a minimum number of nights receive complimentary concert tickets.

Also in Cancún, where clubs regularly feature star DJs and music acts, Oasis Hotels and Resorts is presenting concerts by DJ Erick Morillo, legend Gloria Gaynor, rapper Wiz Khalifa and others at its all-inclusive Entertainment Resort Oasis, where guests get 50 percent off the concert ticket prices.

Family togetherness

Companies that traditionally relied on vacation ownership and timeshare business are reaching out to the all-inclusive market. The Villa Group, a Mexican company with extremely popular ownership resorts in Los Cabos, the Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta, has ventured into the all-inclusive universe with the 417-room Villa del Palmar Cancun in Playa Mujeres, a nascent resort area north of Cancún. A large kids club with endless activities and Xbox and Kinect games plus a tranquil jungle-themed spa and easy access to the Playa Mujeres Golf Club designed by Greg Norman make the brand-new resort a no-brainer for multi-generational families.

Also in Playa Mujeres, about 15 minutes north of the Cancún airport, Excellence Hotels has transformed its exclusive, award-winning La Amada Hotel north of Cancún into the family friendly Beloved Hotel Playa Mujeres. Most of the 109 ocean-view suites have private plunge pools and resort amenities include a spa and wellness center, access to the seaside Playa Mujeres Golf Club, a full service-marina and a large playground area, all set on a two-mile-long Caribbean beach.

Grownup getaways