What do ‘all-inclusive’ vacations really include?

Grand Lido Negril Resort & Spa: Sale rate, per person per night: $238 (compared to rack rate of $583 per person per night).

Stays of seven nights or longer receive $350 spa credits for the Blue Mahoe Spa and a complimentary catamaran cruise for two. Shorter stays, of less than seven nights, qualify for a $250 spa credit as well as the cruise.

What's included:

• Overnight accommodations in a beachfront junior suite
• All meals including a Japanese, Italian, French fine dining and Jamaican grill café, pool grill, dessert café, and premium-brand cocktails, wine at lunch and dinner
• 24-hour gourmet room service
• Land and water sports, including instruction and equipment rental; recreational activities
• One complimentary pedicure and manicure
• Dry cleaning and laundry
• Sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room and fitness center privileges and fitness classes; entertainment
• Hotel taxes; airport transfers; no tipping allowed

What's not included:

• Kids under 16 not allowed at Grand Lido Negril
• Airfare
• Spa services beyond the complimentary mani/pedi

Antigua (Think Jolly Resort): Family special: Book between April 1 and June 15, 2008, for travel between April 15-December 20, 2008, pay $175 per person, per night (15 percent off the regular rate of $206). This includes one child stays free and a second child 3 to 16 years old pays $54 (kids under 3 free).

What's included:

• Accommodations in a Queen Superior room
• Three meals and afternoon tea, beer, wine and house drinks at five restaurants and five bars
• The resort sports five bars, dining options from super casual to tropical chic, including: Lydia’s Caribbean Seafood, Bociollos Italian restaurant (proper attire required), Indian restaurant.
• Tennis courts, two swimming pools to choose from, including Jolly Beach’s signature Fantasy Pool with a waterfall, Jacuzzi, swim-up bar, nonmotorized water sports
• Nightly entertainment
• Jolly Kidz Club and the Jolly Teen Club (for the 13- to 16-year-old set). Playground with slides, swings and sand pit, Hula Hoop contests, Dodge Ball and Aqua Aerobics to Caribbean Story Time, table tennis, bingo and board games. The Jolly Teen Club includes mini arcade and a disco/movie room
• Evening activities encompass excitements like dress-up Pirate Nights with treasure hunts, pizza and movie nights, a Hawaiian-style luau, disco nights, talent show nights, costume parties and more.
• Teen adventures range from moonlight scavenger hunts to bonfire nights.  

What's not included:

• Airfare
• Upgrades to room
• Premium-brand liquors (example: $4 Bacardi, $6 Johnny Walker Black, $7 Remy, $25 Hennessy XO)
• Wedding and honeymoon packages
• Cyber cafe with Internet access
• Banquet and conference facilities
• Shopping
• Scuba diving
• Cruises and excursions at tour desk
• Taxi service
• 18-hole golf and casino are located nearby
• Almond resorts (Almond Beach Club & Spa, Almond Beach Village, and in St. Lucia, choose either Almond Morgan Bay or Almond Smugglers Cove): At Smugglers Cove in St. Lucia, book by April 30, 2008, for travel between April 1 and September, 2008, for a 4-day, 3-night vacation starting at $420 per person.

What's included:

• All meals and drinks, including name-brand liquor
• Room service (lunch and dinner only), buffet snacks
• Taxes and gratuities
• Water sports: Water skiing, windsurfing, sailing, aqua cycling, kayaking, snorkeling, reef fishing on site, banana boating
• Use of swimming pool/spa tub/beach and pool chaise lounges/towel service
• Use of fitness center/sauna/steam room
• Island picnic, includes transportation (limited water sports available)
• Aerobics, tennis, sailing, windsurfing, yoga
• Bajan/St. Lucian (Barbadian) cooking classes
• West Indian dance lesson
• Children’s activities: Supervised age-specific children’s activities are scheduled daily. Children 0–23 months are cared for at the nursery; a mini club is available for children 2–4 years (jewelry making, pool time, sand art, tie-dying, junior chef); children 5–7 and 8–12 years play at one of two kids' clubs; teens are welcome to take part in teen center activities.
• Live stage show or music

What's not included:

• Baby-sitting services after 5 p.m.; diapers and formula for infants
• Private reserve wines and liqueurs
• Lobster at certain meals
• Wine by the bottle
• Airport transfers
• Spa and beauty products, treatments, services (50-minute massages start at $75, 25 minutes at $55; facials start at $80).
• Optional or outside tours and excursions
• Motorized water sports (except water skiing and banana boating)
• Scuba diving
• Telephone, fax, and Internet access charges, business service
• Laundry and dry cleaning

Riviera Maya (Occidental Grand Xcaret): Family Escape package: Rates start at $114 for adults and $60 for children (ages 3-12) for travel between May 1 and August 31, 2008.

What's included:

• Unlimited meals at 10 bars and 11 restaurants, snacks, premium alcohol, juice and soft drinks
• Supervised activities, sports, SCUBA classes, snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, sports pool, volleyball, beach soccer, Ping-Pong, darts, tennis, basketball, horseback riding, and merengue, bachata and salsa classes, yoga, aerobics.
• Daily entertainment and activities programs for children and adults are also part of the package as well as nightly shows and live entertainment.
• One complimentary day pass to Xcaret Park (valued at over $185 for a family of four).
• Use of the on-site gym, sauna, whirlpool, steam room

What's not included:

• Spa services (beauty salon, massages, treatments)
• Car and scooter rental
• Excursions to: Tulum, Xel Ha, Chichen Itza and nearby attractions
• Golf course nearby
• Business and meeting center
• Wedding and honeymoon programs
• 24 hour medical attention
• Laundry service
• Currency exchange
• Tax and service

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