All-Inclusives With Superb Food and Great Service
Anyone who has ever booked an all-inclusive vacation knows not to expect too much creativity when it comes to the food. ‘Round the clock buffets? Sure—just remember those ice sculptures are meant to distract you from the rubbery shrimp that will soon grace your plate. But that’s decidedly not the case at these all-inclusive resorts with amazing food, where the menus are not only unpredictable—they are beyond delicious.
Leave it to a place with a $25,000 gold-flecked taco (admittedly not part of your all-inclusive plan) to up the ante on resort dining. If that is too rich for your blood, there are plenty of more reasonable options, from fresh-caught sushi to house-made pasta, served at an array of internationally focused Michelin-rated restaurants with views as memorable as the food. The bars are equally impressive: at Miramar, you can sip smoky mezcal cocktails by bonfire-light along the Sea of Cortez, then retreat to one of 304 understated rooms that embrace beachy luxury with coral-themed artwork and a serene cerulean color scheme.
Rustic-luxe adventure seekers head to the Resort at Paws Up for its rugged pursuits: nestled in the Blackfoot hills of Montana, the 37,000-acre working ranch offers more than 100 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, plus fly fishing and hot air ballooning—and that’s not to mention the sumptuous tents and cabins where you’ll spend your nights. But the food is on another level. Witness the smoreologist, who can help elevate the classic treat with sea-salt caramel, or the huckleberry pancakes and house-made scones served at breakfast. Dinner is equally inspiring thanks to hand-cut meats and locally sourced creations by chef Sunny Jin, a veteran of Michelin darlings The French Laundry, El Bulli, and Tetsuya.
Gourmet meals are the standard when you are staying in an eco-friendly 400-acre working farm built on the slopes of St. Kitt’s Mount Liamuiga. The laid-back luxury resort has 84 gingerbread-trimmed cottages with alfresco baths and verandas that overlook the neighboring islands of Saba and St. Eustatius, but the farm-to-table cuisine served at Belle Mont’s six restaurants and bars are the real reason to stay. Signs signal when fruit on the banana-plant landscaping is ripe enough to pick, and international spins on West Indian favorites (papaya lamb stew, anyone?) don’t disappoint. The highlight of your stay: a starlit communal dinner at a 30-foot-long table hidden among the farm’s plantings.
The onetime home of Nobel Prize–winning novelist Sinclair Lewis is now a Thoreau-worthy retreat in southeast Vermont. Nestled within 300 acres of rolling hillside that’s studded with wildflowers and pine and maple trees, the 18th-century farmhouse features 20 individually appointed cottages and suites with stone fireplaces and world-class artwork by the likes of Hockney and Lichtenstein. But the real draw here is dinner, a multi-course feast that begins with a champagne cocktail hour and launches into thoughtful dishes prepared with locally sourced ingredients as well as produce from Twin Farms itself. Upon checkout, your takeaway is a gourmet lunch box so you can savor the experience on your way out the door.
Hotel Mousai in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, sets the pace for a new generation of designer hotels offering exclusive experiences by the beach and delicious pampering in unrivalled tropical surroundings with stunning views. Be playfully seduced by Hotel Mousai’s restaurants with melliferous menus and gourmet artistry, touching base with garden-fresh ingredients and trendy presentation that will leave you whirling in a culinary circus of flavors, aromas and textures. Dining here is an epic journey of the palate that will stimulate all the senses, leaving you in a place of unadulterated satisfaction. Make sure to check out Hiroshi. The Hiroshi menu mimics contemporary Asian eclecticism offering a pot-pourri of succulent choice.