Exploring Ala Carte Restaurants at Your All Inclusive Resort

All inclusive resort packages open a whole world of food!  I’ll be honest when Travis and I went on our first three vacations we pretty much stuck to the buffets.  If I remember correctly we only did one ala carte restaurant on each of those trips. As we have gained experience and gone on more trips we have found that our tastes have changed and that we really enjoy the ala carte restaurants for the majority of our dinners.  Don’t get me wrong the buffets are amazing, but they can get a bit repetitive when you’re there for 9 days, especially for breakfast because there aren’t usually other options. Ala carte restaurants require reservations, so I highly recommend either making them right away when you check in or by the next morning as there are only so many reservations available. Check out our post on avoiding the timeshare salesperson when you book your ala carte restaurant reservations. 

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Ala carte restaurants can allow you to try new and unique foods.  One of my recent favorites is a French restaurant we went to. While there we had multiple courses and enjoyed this delicious blackberry cheesecake for dessert.  Presentation is very important at these places. Some of the ala cartes do things a little different, like when we had Brazilian there was an appetizer and dessert buffet and the main meal was served by the waiters bringing large skewers of various meats.  Travis and I had never had Brazilian before and I was amazed at how many different types of meat were served including cow neck, which I will be honest was not my favorite and the only one Travis would not try. Other ala cartes will serve appetizers, a main course, and desert off a right to your table.

Tip: Try at least 2 or 3 ala carte restaurants while on your all inclusive vacation to keep the buffet from becoming too boring.

If you are looking for a quieter more romantic atmosphere I would highly recommend an ala carte restaurant.  The regular buffets are usually quite busy and loud, which is another reason we enjoy making dinner reservations.  They are like little date nights. One restaurant that is not the best for a quiet date night would be the Japanese Hibachi, but it is one of mine and Travis’ favorites.  The food is always good and having someone cook right in front of you is a lot of fun! You are also put into a group, which can give you a chance to meet people. We have had some really fun times at the Japanese restaurant and met some fun people from around the world.

While on your all inclusive vacation take advantage of the ala carte restaurants your resort has to offer.  Depending on where you stay there might only be a couple or there might be a dozen options, but making your reservations right away will ensure you can try as many as possible.  Try something new; if you end up not liking it you can head right to the buffet after. Food is very important to me and it’s something I enjoy, so taking the time to try new foods when I have already paid for it is a no brainer.