The Dark Side of Luxury Beach Resorts
The Dark Side of Luxury Beach Resorts – All-inclusive resorts may sound convenient, but they have some hidden cringe-worthy facts.
When you buy a package deal, you are really paying for convenience. The standard all-inclusive package at Casa de Campo Resort in the Dominican Republic costs $723 per night, while the normal fee is $187.
Most hotels located near airports offer transportation for free. If you’re being charged for it, that’s not a bargain.
Don’t expect the resort to tell you about renovations or construction work during your stay, and don’t expect to get a refund for unused amenities.
Criminals love all-inclusive resorts because tourists are likely to have cash, cameras, and cell phones on hand and because guests are likely to leave their possessions unattended.
Drug dealers often hang around resort properties, gain access to tourists at the beach, and work with police to get foreigners to buy drugs.
Travel agencies often show you pictures of the very best suites in the resort, but you usually get what you pay for. Beware of telemarketers who promise you something better than you get.
In large all-inclusive resorts, food and drinks are produced and served in large quantities, and viruses can breed in small spaces. The same problem occurs often on Caribbean cruises.
A former registered nurse had a similar incident happen to her after drinking alcohol at an all inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic several years ago.
We arrived back at the hotel around 5:00 pm and ordered two pina coladas. We watched as the bartender poured the same exact rum into the blender for all four of our drinks.
After drinking one pina colada, I went unconscious in the pool. The resort doctor told my daughter that many guests have bad reactions to the combination of heat and alcohol.
There are nefarious people found at resorts, on cruise ships, in airports and every destination paradise on this planet. Sadly, we can never take a trip from evil.
Most all-inclusive resorts don’t benefit local communities in any way, and may even harm them by cutting down forests and using resources that the townspeople need.
All-inclusive resorts are notorious for dirty sheets and bed bugs, so there’s a better way to stay in the Caribbean – try renting a private house or villa!
My Mother went to a hotel and opened his curtains to find a man hiding in the room. It turned out that the man had just robbed a place.
When on the road, you expect something to go wrong, but our hotel experience in Yalikavak made me doubt the hotel industry. I ended up wondering whether I should name and shame those who deliver poor standards.
We arrived in Yalikavak, a beautiful coastal resort, and checked into our hotel. We found out that the swimming pool would be out of use, and that the sauna and gym were not open.
I head back to the bar, wait ten minutes, and am served a can of beer and a dirty glass.
We follow him up the stairs, and as we turn the corner, I see a girl running out of one of the rooms. The sheets are crumpled, and the pillowcases are dirty.
We walked around and found another hotel, and met some great people.
I debated whether to disclose the name of the hotel, but felt that it would be unfair to name them.
A good book to read is Sarah Stodola’s new book, The Last Resort, tells the story of Baiae, the world’s first known seaside resort, and how the Romans created an opulent and wild party town that the philosopher Seneca called “a hostelry of vices.”
The concept of the luxury beach resort disappeared after the Romans but resurfaced in an altered form when the English upper classes began to be seduced by the curative properties of cold ocean water.
In the mid-19th century, the tiny principality of Monaco was nearly bankrupt, and Princess Caroline persuaded her husband to legalize gambling. They built a casino in Monte Carlo, and the principality soon thrived, and a new age of hedonism at the seashore had begun.
The beach resort as we know it today began in Hawaii, where greedy American businessmen built the Moana and the Royal Hawaiian, which impeded the natural flow of sand and caused the beaches to disappear.
Stodola is skeptical about the beach idyll, seeing the darker forces of environmental and cultural degradation amid all the luxury she describes. In her example, the resort developers ripped out the Polynesian chestnut trees and put them in non-native coconut palms, damaging the local ecosystem.
Diminished coral reefs meant far fewer fish, and the residents of Vatuolalai started working for themselves, not for the collective good. They became involved in tourism and lost their knowledge of how to make oil and traps and mats.
Stodola’s critique of luxury resorts helped clarify my beach haters’ reflexive outrage, but as she piled on the profiles of resorts all over the world, I felt dizzy and exhausted. Luxury can swiftly glut, and Stodola’s pursuit of luxury felt morally queasy.
Stodola overindulged in luxury while writing this book, but she brought the purpose of the book back into focus by suggesting ways to rethink the luxury resort.
Stodola’s list of ecotouristic initiatives includes regrowing mangroves to protect coastlines from erosion and high winds, getting resorts to discourage long-haul flights, serving local cuisine and drink, building more wisely, and limiting tourist numbers.
How to be safe in a Luxury Resort?
When you stay at a luxury resort, it is important to take some safety precautions. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe while you enjoy your vacation:
1. Make sure you are familiar with the resort’s security procedures. Find out where the nearest security office or guard station is, and familiarize yourself with the procedures for reporting a security incident.
2. Keep your valuables safe. Do not leave your passport, cash, credit cards, or other valuables unguarded. Store them in the room safe, or if the resort does not have a safe, take them with you when you leave the room.
3. Beware of scam artists. Be wary of anyone who tries to befriend you or who asks for money. Report any suspicious behavior to the security staff.
4. Use the resort’s shuttle service. Do not walk around the resort or the surrounding area alone late at night. Use the shuttle service to get around, and if you do need to walk, stick to well-lit, populated areas.
5. Drink responsibly. Do not leave your drink unattended, and be aware of how much alcohol you are drinking. You don’t want to end up too intoxicated to remember how to get back to your room.
By following these tips, you can help ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable stay at a luxury resort.
