REIMAGINING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE: Ava Resort Cancun Embodies Actual Luxury Over the Faux Luxury Industry Standard for All-Inclusive Resorts

At the beginning of what’s slated to be one of the most brutal winters in recent decades, I was craving an escape to a warm and relaxed environment. Most of my Instagram followers and readers of this blog know that I favor unique hotels, usually boutique one-of-a-kind establishments, because, in my opinion, those properties offer the most luxurious experiences. And true luxury is what I seek when I travel.

Of course, when I go on these trips to boutique luxury hotels, I often jam pack my itinerary with lots of activities—both within and outside of the hotel. Those trips are very rewarding, but also very exhausting. It is for this reason that, at least once a year, I make sure to have a resort only trip— where I can truly relax, take advantage of all the amenities, and not feel any pressure to run around and do a bunch of excursions. Usually, an all-inclusive resort is the best option for this sort of trip because it eliminates so much additional planning and thinking. But, typically, if you go the all-inclusive route, you have to compromise on luxury. WELL, NOT ANYMORE!! Ava Resort Cancun is setting the standard for the luxury all-inclusive stay!

Ava Resort Cancun is located in the resort strip just 15minutes outside of the Cancun airport. Like many resorts in the area, it is a massive property with a wide array of activities for guests, BUT, there are several key characteristics of this hotel that truly set it apart as a leader in the luxury all-inclusive space.

First, and y’all know I harp on this all the time, let’s talk quality and caliber of the rooms. This may blow your mind, but at Ava Resort, EVERY SINGLE ROOM ON PROPERTY IS OCEAN VIEW — regardless of room tier (that is, whether it is a suite, villa, or room). That’s Huuuugeeee!! This means that every guest is getting a higher tier experience by being given access to the most crucial visual “amenity” on property. No guest is left staring at a parking lot or dense vegetation. Everyone gets the benefit of the luxurious ocean view!!

My wife and I had the pleasure of staying in the Oceanfront Sundeck Suite, and it was incredible. Starting from the outside going in, the sundeck was great — it had two chairs and a small table (perfect for champagne indulgence) at the edge of the deck. Behind it was a jacuzzi, which, in the evening at sunset, was a remarkable amenity to make use of. Further behind that, a day bed and a dining area, which was great for in-room breakfast (and generally any kind of in-room dining experience). The inside of the suite was beautifully decorated, and it featured a king bed, a couch and coffee table, a separate dining table, a fridge with restocked drinks, a coffee maker, enormous closet space, and a stunning bathroom with double vanity.

As I always say, you can tell how luxurious a property is by how much they’ve invested in their rooms. Ava Resort didn’t skimp at all! What an amazing experience.

Second, the resort is aesthetically stunning. It features a signature gigantic swimming pool that basically traverses the whole property. The swimming pool is interesting too because it was designed to emulate the ocean—entry into the pool is like walking into the ocean from the beach. The hotel is a family friendly hotel, but there is an adult-only pool areas that features a pool bar, which is a feature I always adore. There are actually two pool bars on property. The pool also features a few additional add-ons like bouncy castles, slides, etc. I didn’t venture on any of these amenities on account of being in my mid-30s, but I can tell y’all that the kiddies were having the time of their lives.

Moving on from the pool, the inside of the resort is also very well put together. It’s essentially one long stretch of beautifully designed storefronts, with several restaurants interspersed throughout the interior.

Third, there’s no shortage of activities available! Maybe my all-inclusive game is weak, but I’ve never encountered a resort with half of the unique offerings that Ava had. Linda and I played in an escape room, went bowling, checked out laser tag, hung out in the arcade, visited a lot of high end stores for some light resort shopping. It was a blast. And in between every stop, there was a food vendor looking to make our lives even better. My personal favorite was Konos Ice creams because of my ridiculous sweet tooth.

My only real gripe with the resort is that the food quality varied between various restaurants. Granted that’s typically the case with all-inclusive resorts, but considering that Ava Resort has buttoned down pretty much everything, they need to get this in order. The tacos at the taco vendor were pretty terrible, and so too were some of the lunch in-room dining options. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean restaurant was exquisite, and the Asian Fusion restaurant Bao was amazing!!

Finally, let’s talk about the wellness amenities at the resort. The resort has an incredible gym–far better than 98% of hotels I’ve ever visited. Often when you travel, your fitness routine has to take a hit; not at Ava. In addition to having pretty much every piece of equipment you could need, even including dumbbells that are sufficiently heavy, there are multiple exercise rooms available, including a yoga room, TRX space, and a few other interesting exercises spaces. I went to the gym every morning and spent at least 90 minutes there. What a treat. As a corollary, if you go too hard, you should make use of the Ava spa — it was remarkable. The hydrotherapy baths, sauna, steam bath, snail showers, and massage services are all exquisite. And let me just shout out the decor–because both the gym and spa were so tastefully done. Everything about these spaces oozes luxury!