Los Cabos: Inclusive experience.

 

All in or all out? Our experience on all inclusive.

So this was not our first time an all inclusive resort BUT this was the first time we actually spend over 50% amount of our time at which helped us see and understand what all inclusive life is all about. The only all inclusive resorts we have stayed at were Pueblo Bonito properties in Mexico and 2 resorts in Maldives (totaling to 4 hotels). 

PROS

• VALUE / $. If you enjoy snacking, enjoying good meals on your vacation and you already know you spend a lot on eating out I highly suggest you go with an all-inclusive deal! You will 100% get your money worth and eat very well. If you're not a big eater but you enjoy cocktails by the pool, beach etc throughout the day you should also get all-inclusive because all the drinks are included (unless you go high end tequila etc of course). 

*Keep in mind that all inclusive doesn't necessarily mean EVERYTHING is included, for example Pueblo Bonito Rose hotel in Cabo does not include "gold dishes" at Pueblo Bonito, which are courses such as lobster etc. 

• OPTIONS / VARIETY. When going on vacation the typical meal is each person picks one item and a few appetizers for a table however when you go the all-inclusive route you can try so much more! We ended up ordering multiple dishes per person and appetizers just to try out different items off the menu without paying anything extra. 
• AVAILABILITY. For some reason I was under the impression that all-inclusive meals happen during certain hours no matter which country/hotel you are in. I was wrong. You can literally find food or drinks at any point of the day from sunrise to sunset & beyond. Not only is it always available there are plenty of options. 
• QUALITY. This is the main concern everyone has when it comes to the thought of "all inclusive" and I am sure it also depends on th property, country you are traveling to. Based on our experience at Pueblo Bonito I can say the quality was ahhhhmazing! We literally ate everything from sushi, lobster, pasta to simple meals like sandwiches and burgers and we both said food was great.
• EXPERIENCE. There is always something fun going on! As I mentioned previously we have only stayed at a few all inclusive hotels so neither one of us got to experience the community of the hotel or activities where you get to bond with employees of the hotel. At Pueblo Bonito Rose there was always a Dj during the day hyping everyone up to dance, mixology bar by the pool or a class on how to learn how to make unique drinks yourself. 

Whenever we travel the first stop as soon as we get into taxi/uber is grocery store due to overpriced water, snacks etc at the hotels and of course on the way to Pueblo Bonito we did the same..which was a big mistake lol. Shortly after checking in we found out you can get as many bottles of water as you want and there is also a kitchen area in the rooms so you can cook, store food in the fridge etc. Long story short water we bought and brought to the hotel we ended up drinking just because we paid for it but all the snacks were brought back home to LA with us because food/water options there were unlimited. If I had to give advice is do not buy food/water to bring to all inclusive hotel.

CONS

• CROWDS. If you are looking to hang out by the pool/beach make sure to wake up as soon as 7 AM to put a towel down with some personal belongings like flip flops etc. We woke up with a sun every day during our stay there and every day I saw people reserving chairs at the best areas as soon as the sun was going up. 
• LOCAL SUPPORT. When we travel we try to support locals as much as possible by eating a locals owned restaurants or buying something as simple as fruit or water from their stand. Unfortunately if you are staying at an all-inclusive hotel most likely you will not venture out of there too often and even if you do you will not be purchasing items from other vendors because back at the hotel it is all included, so why would you go pay for dinner? For this reason when we did venture out of the hotel we ended up going on a road trip which I shared on HERE where we gave back to locals by eating at their restaurants etc. 

Since we have stayed at two properties owned by Pueblo Bonito which are Pueblo Bonito Rose & Pueblo Bonito Pacifica I think it would be great if I compare the two to give you a better idea in case you cannot decide which one to stay at! Hopefully these tips will make it easier to make that final move. The hotel also was able to provide me with a code to share to give ya'll a little discount on your next stay that is valid until the end of the year for all of their properties in Cabo with a minimum of 3 nights (ENJOYPB22).

• Pueblo Bonito Pacifica is adults only, while Rose is extremely family orientated. We only ran into a few couples, everyone else had children and parents with them. Pacifica hotel was extremely quiet and just a very different place for socializing, they also offered VIP whale watching lounge, butlers etc. 
• Pacifica hotel does not have a beach access but there is a shuttle that you can take to any other property they have which in this case Pueblo Bonito Rose has a beach access so this would be a great property to come to for the beach.
• Pueblo Bonito Rose is located centrally by shops, restaurants etc. while Pacifica is further out and you will need to get a car or a taxi.

There is also Pueblo Bonito Blanco that is steps away from Rose which I did not realize at the beginning, if you are looking for beach access + downtown access  + adults only, Blanco hotel is the best way to go!