I recently went on my first EVER all-inclusive Caribbean vacation with my mom! I’ve always been a fan of adventurous trips, and didn’t think all-inclusive was my style. I WAS SO WRONG. I had the best week ever. It was SO fun and I’m already dreaming of going back! We stayed at the Gran Ventana Beach Resort, which I couldn’t recommend more! I wouldn’t consider it a luxurious resort, but it was clean and well cared for. The staff was incredible, and made us feel like royalty all week! (This is absolutely not a sponsored post, I WISH ?)
I thought I would share my top TEN must-have items for an all-inclusive beach vacation! These are obviously much different than my recommendations for a roadtrip or adventurous trip.
- Sunscreen. Bring more than you need! That Caribbean sun is no joke, and if you’re fair like I am, you will burn without sunscreen! I prefer non-toxic products, and while I haven’t tested out a ton of sunscreens (I live in the North Pole ❄️) here are some suggestions! Rocky Mountain Soap, COOLA Face sunscreen, COOLA spray sunscreen.
- Bikinis. Obviously ? I recommend bringing at least 3 bathing suits as this is what you will LIVE in for a week! It’s nice to have a few different options, especially if one is still wet! I love bikinis that I can mix & match, or reversible bikinis!
- Something to take pictures! I brought my go-pro with me, and then it ended up not being charged the one day I really wanted to use it. I also had my DSLR, but to be honest I used my cell phone camera most of the time! If you just plan on using your phone, be sure to clear some space on your memory before the trip!
- A beach bag. You definitely need something to put all your things in every day when you go to the beach or the pool. I always prefer a bag that zips up! I planned ahead and used my beach bag as a carry-on during the flight. Once we arrived at the resort, I emptied it out and switched it to a beach bag!
- Books! This might be the only time you see me recommend books while travelling. I’m not a big reader to start with, and I’m definitely not a “read on vacation” kind of girl. But I read TWO entire novels on my 5 day trip. Many resorts have a “leave a book/take a book” area, so you may luck out and find a good book there. But I recommend heading to a thrift store and picking up a few easy reads. When you finish them, you can leave them behind for someone else!
- A hat! I am a FAN of the sun. But there are definitely times (especially the day after getting a sunburn ??♀️) when you really just want a wide brim hat to cover your face! This is also nice if you don’t feel like doing your hair before a beach day!
- Sunglasses. You’ll probably wear these ALL day, if you’re anything like me. I recommend two pairs if you’re the type of person who constantly loses their sunglasses ??♀️
- A reusable cup/tumbler! I actually brought two different reusable cups. One so I could always have water on me…A necessity in the heat. And a second so I could get other fancy drinks ? This helps you to stay hydrated, not have to make as many trips to the bar, and reduce waste!
- Water-proof shoes. I am a DIE-HARD birkenstocks fan, but I’d recommend something else for those long beach days. I don’t like my birkenstocks to get wet, and sudden torrential downpours were a common experience for us!
- Coverups. It’s so nice to have something that you can easily slip overtop of your bathing suit. I love wearing loose summer dresses for this purpose. This is pretty much all I wore all week though, let’s be honest!
- After-sun spray! We made our own which you can see here!
