All-inclusive resorts with cattle-call buffets and indifferent service

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All-inclusive resorts with cattle-call buffets and indifferent service are still with us, but they're rapidly being replaced by architect-designed havens with vaunted international chefs and 3-to-1 employee-to-guest ratios. Golf, tennis, zip lines, climbing walls and even trapeze lessons have replaced conga lines and limbo dancing. And with deals to entice travelers back to Mexico multiplying like Tribbles, now is a great time to discover this new breed of all-inclusive.
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The focus at Amansala resort is on tranquility and well-b...Amansala resort in beachside Tulum.Grand Velas's Frida restaurant is known for traditional M... View More Images
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Mind you, these places won't steep you in local culture, but the good news is that all-inclusives have stopped trying to keep guests inside their gates and are organizing forays out into the world to explore Mexico's unique history, flora and fauna. What still applies is the convenience and perks of an all-inclusive vacation: you'll pay less for what you get.

When choosing a resort, you can't go too far wrong with Dreams, Melia, Excellence, Iberostar, Palace or Riu resorts, but here are some suggestions for finding the right all-inclusive to suit your individual style:

Best couples magnet

Superior deluxe with king-size beds and a huge, ocean-view Jacuzzi is the only room category at Aventura Spa Palace (Puerto Aventuras, Riviera Maya). Cool towels and champagne on arrival, a hydrotherapy spa, a refrigerator and bar stocked daily, a beautifully groomed beach, an expansive international wine list and impeccable service also endear it to lovers. And if you book a group of rooms, they'll provide the wedding for free — just bring your own cake and videographer. Also worth a look: Excellence Riviera Cancún (Puerto Morelos, Riviera Maya) and Iberostar Paraiso Lindo.

Best for earth mothers

We forgive Amansala its self-dubbed "eco-chic resort" label because it's actually a pretty unpretentious place. Accommodations are stone-and-wood, palapa-roofed cabañas that even a Four Seasons devotee could love. You can have it both ways— the blue skies, white sands and crashing waves Tulum is famous for, but with private bathrooms, mosquito-netted beds and running hot water. The focus is on tranquility and well-being, exemplified by its now-famous six-night "Bikini Bootcamp," a regime of morning stretches, power walks, pilates, yoga, meditation, salsa dancing and other activities. Your reward is Mayan clay treatments and beachside massages. The included meals are organic and low-fat, such as just-caught grilled fish and fresh mangos.

Best for baring it all

When you're ready to shed your clothes along with your cares, Hidden Beach Resort offers 42 secluded oceanfront suites, each with a balcony or patio with a hammock, on the white sands of the Kantenah Bay north of Tulum. If you're at all shy, book a swim-up suite and cloak yourself in water; they have direct access to the artificial river that meanders through the property and connects to the main pool and swim-up bar. But be assured, one of Hidden Beach's virtues is restraint — complaints of inappropriate behavior are rare here. Guests may enjoy nude dining, disco, volleyball and even cruises blissfully au naturel...or partly or fully clothed, if they'd rather. There's no dress code.

Best facsimile of a boutique hotel

A cluster of low-rise buildings at water's edge, the Azul Beach Hotel (Puerto Morelos, Riviera Maya) has less than 100 guest rooms (each with a patio or balcony) offering megaresort amenities. The atmosphere is more refined than most of its neighbors in nearby Playa del Carmen and Cancún; the closest thing to an activities director you'll encounter are fresh fish frys and a squadron of beach butlers armed with mineral-water vaporizers — though you might want to roust yourself for yoga and morning Spanish classes. The tequila bar and palapa-shaded beach beds are ever so adult, but families will also appreciate the daily kids' club and kids' menus at four restaurants.

Best foodie haven

You'll eat as well at Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort (Nuevo Vallarta) as you will anywhere around Puerto Vallarta. Its four restaurants include two AAA four-diamond restaurants, Lucca and Piaf, which serve upscale Mediterranean and Art Deco-inspired French cuisine. The open-air Azul serves eclectic casual meals with panoramic ocean views, while Frida is known for traditional Mexican dishes that the legendary artist made for her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, and serves specialty tequilas and prepares custom margaritas at your table. The resort's gorgeous surroundings, between Puerto Vallarta and the tony Punta Mita enclave to the north, are icing on the cake. If you prefer to admire the view from your room, the resort provides 24/7 room service. Then try — just try — to work it all off with pilates, yoga, meditation, tennis or the 80,000-square-foot spa. Also worth a look: Riu's resorts get high marks for their impressive buffets.

Best family vacation

The granddaddy of all-inclusive resorts does right by kids at the freshly renovated Club Med Ixtapa, a hacienda-like complex with a dizzying array of supervised treasure hunts, pool games, costume parades and sports for kids, as well as an optional teen spa. Parents have leisure time to indulge in sailing, kayaking , tennis and yoga — or brush up on their lounging skills. Families can regroup in the evening with dinner and a show at the open-air theater. Also worth a look: Iberostar Paraiso Lindo (Playa del Carmen).

Best for luxury junkies

The first adult-only all-inclusive resort to earn AAA's five-diamond award, Royal Hideaway Playacar occupies a sparkling stretch of Playa Del Carmen waterfront and puts stereotypes of blocky, featureless all-inclusives to rest. Its 200 rooms are distributed through two- or three-story villas, so it never feels crowded, and a modernized blend of Mexican and Mediterranean colonial style with stone floors, hand-carved wooden furniture and marble bathrooms are every bit as sophisticated as the hefty price. Meals in six specialty restaurants are free and unlimited, as are top-shelf liquors. Among the pools scoring the meticulously manicured grounds is a vast infinity pool overlooking the ocean.

Best for active vacations

Just south of the Cancun Airport, Moon Palace Golf Resort & Spa is in the midst of the Riviera Maya's panoply of day trips; unlimited outings to Chichén Itzá, the Wet'n'Wild water park, Tulum, Isla Mujeres, and favored snorkeling spots are included with a promotion lasting until Dec. 23. But couples, families and singles alike can keep plenty busy right on the property, home to a miniature golf, a climbing tower and a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. And guests at any Palace resort can take advantage of other properties' pools, water sports and restaurants. The entire resort chain is offering a $100 to $400 airfare credit, depending on length of stay, through the end of the year and a $200 golf and spa credit with at least three nights' stay, increasing to $300 from late August through the end of the year.

Christine Delsol is a former Chronicle travel editor and author of "Pauline Frommer's Cancún & the Yucatán."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/07/22/mexicomix072209.DTL#ixzz0M5BX87Vj