We’re in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, at the Sunscape Resort and Spa.
We purchased the all-inclusive rooms, did we like it, and what’s really included? Some things
might surprise you, so stay tuned as we answer, are all-inclusive resorts worth it in Mexico?
Sunscape and most of the hotels here in Vallarta all have amazing views, and they’re right on the
beach. We were on the 17th floor and enjoyed probably the best view I have ever had
at a resort. Also, the large rooms will keep you comfy and they offer everything you need.
So we are getting, some of the best views.
As you can see the beach down here, the ocean,
you got the bay of Banderas over here. Puerto Vallarta, you got the jungles in the back.
We arrived last night very late, super late. And even at night just stunning
views of the lights in the distance of the bay.
But this morning when we woke up literally from my bed I could see the ocean, it was amazing.
On our first morning, we check out the breakfast buffet. By the way, I think hotels with an opening
like this are freaking scary and cool at the same time. I always think I’m going to fall out drunk
when a gust of wind hits. Anyways, no short sleeves are allowed at the breakfast buffet,
they do have a dress code, I learned the hard way and had to go back to the room to change,
not sure about that one as it’s kind of on the beach, but whatever their house their rules.
The breakfast food was pretty good, with plenty of options, and they did slightly change it up in the
5 days we were there by adding a few different options. You have the standard Mexican food,
omelet and burrito stations, and some American food for your kids that don’t eat anything other
than chicken nuggets. The same place turns into a decent dinner buffet with meats,
pasta stations, and desserts. If you have children and a bigger family,
just the food aspect of all-inclusive resorts will be worth it for you. During the day when
the buffets close there is a small area to get hamburgers, fries, hot dogs, and nachos.
This comes in handy as everyone gets hungry after some pool time and a few beers.
In the late afternoon, the hotel opens a taco
restaurant that actually serves some really good traditional style tacos
and an Italian-themed restaurant where Super Mario serves you pastas. Minus the first thing.
There’s also room service with about 3 menu items that you can get delivered to your room.
The resort was very strict on masks and dress codes.
You can’t order a drink even outside without a mask.
Now going back to the beer, this resort and most of them, “but not all”, will serve 1 type of draft
beer, not always cold, and in my case, the mixed drinks weren’t that good or barely had alcohol,
sometimes a good tip does help. It’s to be expected though and again depending on if you
are paying a lot more for an all-inclusive this might not be the case as I have not
checked out every single all-inclusive in Mexico. We paid under 1K per person.
The wait might be long at these bars as many thirsty vacationers wait for their drinks.
But after like 7 or 8 drinks no matter how crappy or weak they are, you’ll eventually get buzzed.
A quick tip, don’t use the ATMs at these resorts, they have horrible fees, instead,
get money with your debit card at the airport’s Mexican bank ATMs or Exchange Booths around town.
If you’re an older couple or without kids, maybe you should instead go to
an adult-only all-inclusive because kids are loud, and they poop, in the pools.
Plan your time when you’re going to stay at an all-inclusive. We made the mistake of coming
here around New Year, right after Christmas when the resort is at its craziest of the whole year.
It was hard to get any service with dozens of people waiting around the lobby and all bars. It
was a nightmare all the way until the 2nd of the New Year when it calmed down and service got back
to normal. The first day we arrived we couldn’t get room service to our rooms, and they ran out
of baby cribs which as you can imagine can be frustrating. The hotel closed the pool on the 31st
to prepare for a New Year’s party. All the resorts in the area offered either a free New Year event
or one that you had to pay extra for, here, you would pay per table but around 8-10 people could
fit around it. The event was pretty awesome though as the staff did everything to make your New Year
a memorable one. There was an amazing buffet, again with long lines, that offered diverse
types of food and amazing grilled seafood and meats. You got one bottle of alcohol per table,
you could always buy more, and again they brought out beer, this time colder and in a can.
There were dancers, music and best of all, amazing fireworks at the end. This was a pretty good time.
Included with our resort package is also a Covid Test before you depart.
A word of caution, you actually have to book your time slots for this 2-3 days ahead of time,
don’t wait for last-minute as they do run out of time, a nearby doctor has to come in for this.
We didn’t know and got the last time slot 1 day before we had to leave,
as you would have imagined, there are long lines here as well.
So is it worth it?
It’s worth it if you have a family, this will save you the headache of going somewhere to eat.
Everything is in one place, you will save money, and be more relaxed.
If you plan to mostly stay at the hotel and not adventure too much, it’s worth it for you,
but if you want to travel around and really see Mexican culture or traditions then it won’t be.
And lastly, if you’re looking for amazing or unique food options this ain't it.
If you want real traditional Mexican food you will have to adventure farther. In other words,
if you’re here to relax, get all-inclusive. If you want to try new things and adventure, skip it.
Our first out-of-country adventure since Covid is ending, its been a blast Puerto
Vallarta was amazing, beautiful place. Mascota, San Sebastian.
We are very excited that we took Emma on her first international out of country trip we're
very excited to get back into the travel game its been a very long 2 years of covid
heres hoping that things get better and we get back more frequently on the road to travel.
Thanks for watching, we'll see you guys in the next adventure.