1 The brochure price is possibly misleading. Read the small print to discover any hidden compulsory extras such as gratuities for things such as room cleaning, bed making, luggage carrying etc that may be fixed to your bill at the end of your holiday.
2 Are hotel transfers included in the price, or will you have to organize and pay for your travel to/from the airport?
3 Do they have in-room safes that are free to use, or is there a fee to be paid direct to the hotel?
4What kind of room is provided for the brochure price? If you’re hoping to wake up to an ocean view every morning on your Caribbean holiday, you may find you have to pay more than the basic quoted price.
5 Is all food covered by the all-inclusive price, or only a set number of meals each day? If you enjoy the outdoors and want to spend most of your time making the most of the Caribbean weather, do they provide picnic food as part of the price or can you expect to pay for this locally should you decide to skip the resort restaurant and stay on the beach for lunch?
6 When it comes to drinks, are alcoholic drinks included in the quoted price? Some resorts may only allow soft drinks free, and perhaps a glass of wine with a meal, but otherwise you may need to pay as you would on a holiday that isn’t all-inclusive.
7 If there is evening entertainment at the hotel or resort you’re staying at, are all charges covered for this, or will you need to budget extra in order to enjoy it?
8 Are all activities included in the all-inclusive price? Sometimes they will advertise free activities, but then state that there is a surcharge for some “specialist” activities.
9 Is equipment provided free of charge for the activities or is there a supplement to pay, if you want to go snorkeling for example?
10If it’s an activity you’ve never done before, is there any instruction provided? Is this covered by the all-inclusive price, or is there an additional charge.
If you can’t find the answer to the questions in the brochure, ask your travel agent for the information, or contact the hotel direct via email if they have a website – and make sure you get their answers in writing before paying your deposit.
What certainly won’t be included in your price is insurance, and you need to consider this especially if you intend to take the opportunity of learning a new water sport such as paragliding. A basic insurance may not cover what the insurers deem to be extreme sports so this so if you’re considering an all-inclusive Caribbean vacation with a large menu of exciting activities to try out, make sure that accidents resulting from such pursuits are covered!
A Caribbean all-inclusive holiday will be full of memories that will last a life-time, but make sure that you find out exactly what it’s going to cost you before making a booking so that none of them are bad ones caused by unexpected expenses.