What Each Model Includes

All-Inclusive: Your room comes with everything. All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner). All drinks (beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks). Activities and entertainment. Most watersports. Tips included. You walk into the resort and stop thinking about your wallet.

European Plan (EP): You get the room. Everything else is separate. Breakfast? $15–25 per person. Lunch on the beach? $20–40 per person. Dinner at a nice restaurant? $40–80 per person. Drinks? $8–15 each, and they add up fast. Tips, activities, entertainment — all negotiated and paid as you go.

After 14 nights at our Sandos resorts across Riviera Maya and Cabo, I can tell you: timing matters. A lot. The difference between booking in June versus November isn’t just weather—it’s price, availability, crowds, and what you actually see when you get there.

This is the real breakdown. No marketing speak.

Quick Answer by Destination

Cancún & Riviera Maya (Caracol, Playacar):

• Best overall: November through April (dry, warm, manageable crowds)
• Best budget: June through October (rainy season, cheaper, hot)
• Absolutely avoid: September (peak hurricane season)
• Blackout dates: December 15–January 5, Easter week, Spring Break (mid-March through early April)

Cabo San Lucas (Finisterra):