Budget is always a consideration when planning a trip, and I’m always looking for deals for myself, my husband, and our first grade daughter. After two years of parenting during the pandemic, we were all itching to get away.
So when a Facebook ad popped up offering five days at an all-inclusive Mexican resort for $399, I clicked. The idea of a no cooking holiday sounded amazing and the price was cheaper than I expected.
Ever the skeptic, my husband thought it sounded too good to be true and asked, “What was it?”
He was right – there was one.
We have to sit through a two-hour calendar presentation to get the deal. The trade-off was worth it: five days in Playa Del Carmen, four stars Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda a hotel with two pools and unlimited food and alcohol.
I booked the deal and crossed my fingers that it was real. And it happened – but not everything went as expected. Here’s how it was.
We were surprised how beautiful the hotel was.
Amy Klein
Our all-inclusive Mexican resort was better than expected…but our expectations were very low
When we landed in Mexico, both my husband and I were afraid that no one would be waiting for us, that our room would be dirty, or that the whole deal would be a lie.
But someone was waiting at the airport to take us to a hotel about an hour south of Cancun. There we found an open-air lobby, dimly lit and filled with plants, and the friendly staff took us in a golf cart to our room on the other side of the property, where an iguana and deer crossed our paths.
Then came the moment of truth: our room. It was basic with two queen beds, a terrace overlooking the palm trees and a fridge stocked with soft drinks and water.
When I went to the breakfast buffet the next day, some of the details made me think the property was a bit dated (there were photos of Magnum PI and Elvis in the club area) and I noticed that the beach was full of seaweed. But we could not complain. Maybe other all-inclusive resorts would have preferred more savory dishes, but I was happy that I didn’t have to cook and my daughter couldn’t believe that there could be unlimited dessert.
The hotel where we held our timeshare presentation was stunning – and part of the sales pitch to attract us.
Amy Klein
Finally, we had to attend the presentation from time to time.
The timeshare presentation was back in Cancun and would take at least four hours to travel. From the moment we arrived, the hotel started pestering me to schedule it and wanted us to come on the first day, but I put them off until the third day when it rained.
Presentation a luxury resort with stunning crystal pools that make our hotel look shabby. Of course, using them would require us to spend $100,000 on a timeshare there.
We were then taken to the sales room, where a bell rang every few minutes to indicate that someone had signed a contract. I was going to take notes on my computer when I googled, “How to get out of a timeshare presentation”.
We declined the deal to get used to their plush surroundings, but before we left, they sent us to a cramped room to book our travel to our hotel and made one last sales pitch: for $3,000, we’d get three vacations for the next three vacations. year, plus stay at this gorgeous property in Cancun.
“Not bad,” said my husband, wanting to take the offer. “Think about it – it’ll take care of our winter vacation and we can get our summer vacation for free,” he said.
But by the hour’s drive back, I was mortified. When I read the fine print, I found that the Cancun property was under construction and they couldn’t tell us in advance how much we would have to pay for our summer stay, if it would be an extra $3,000, or what the properties would be. we can actually exist when we want to travel.
I wasn’t ready to commit and convinced my husband to walk away from the offer.
My daughter at our hotel in Mexico.
Amy Klein
I’d give up a vacation day to attend the occasional presentation again for a cheap deal
With travel prices rising astronomically, I’m still on the hunt for cheap vacations, especially all-inclusive resorts. The lack of planning and cooking was priceless, and for me, the long presentation was worth the cheap deal.
I’ll happily sit through another timer presentation for the bargain price and will definitely order another one of these deals – as long as my husband promises not to buy one from time to time.
