Tipping at an All-Inclusive Resort - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

the-rasta-masta · 05-29-2008, 01:31 PM

So I am leaving for Mexico in just over a week. I am going with a group of buddies for 7 days and we will be staying at the Grand Oasis Cancun. (anybody been there before?). The question I have is what is expected in terms of tips at an all inclusive resort? Do I tip the bartenders on free drinks, servers during dinner, etc..?

I've never been to an all inclusive before, or even Mexico in general, so I was wondering what the general code of conduct on this sort of thing is.

ken0042 · 05-29-2008, 01:35 PM

Last time I went to an AI I made sure to bring $50 in US 1 dollar bills, and another $100 in five's.

A tip is usually greatly appreciated, and a couple of bucks will move you from house rum to Bacardi. The 5's are great for tipping your cook at the restaurant. To me to pay $5 to get a 16 oz steak instead of whatever crap they are supposed to make that night is well worth it.

alltherage · 05-29-2008, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

So I am leaving for Mexico in just over a week. I am going with a group of buddies for 7 days and we will be staying at the Grand Oasis Cancun. (anybody been there before?). The question I have is what is expected in terms of tips at an all inclusive resort? Do I tip the bartenders on free drinks, servers during dinner, etc..?

I've never been to an all inclusive before, or even Mexico in general, so I was wondering what the general code of conduct on this sort of thing is.

When I was on my all inclusive cruise this past while the tipping was done at the end of the cruise, but it was still around 15%. I would say that's a good rule of thumb... bring a wad of US$1 bills man... they come in super handy for everything.

Also, if you stick to one bar and there's always the same bar tender, tip heavy when you first get served because they will take care of you big time. As in... triple highballs for single prices, sometimes free drinks, etc.

WhiteTom · 05-29-2008, 01:36 PM

When we went to the Dominican Republic we stayed at an all-inclusive resort. If you tip even just a couple bucks (American) every now and then you can get some pretty good service. When we went we left some money for the room service, servers, guides, etc. Especially at the bar you can skip lines if someone recognizes you.

Because the countries are so poor a lot of the people that work at these resorts survive on the tips so they really appreciate it when you help them out.

Russic · 05-29-2008, 01:54 PM

I was at a dominican resort some years ago and the head staff guy who was giving us our intro tour mentioned something about not having to tip as there was a new policy in place. We generally disregarded this rule and just kept it quiet.

photon · 05-29-2008, 02:05 PM

I've been to a few that said tipping wasn't allowed, and was actually refused by the employees as they'd be reprimanded for accepting tips.

mac_gurl · 05-29-2008, 02:12 PM

We would tip the bartenders and waiters. They were generally appreciative and would be quick to help you anytime you returned.

I haven't been to the Grand Oasis, but stayed at Oasis playa 6 years ago. It was nice. I've heard good things about the Oasis hotels.

Ozy_Flame · 05-29-2008, 02:20 PM

I stayed at the Grand Oasis my first time I went, and it was a great starter hotel, and an awesome party spot for connecting to the bars afterwards. I would definitely tip if you can, as you will get better service and better liquor if you do.

BuzzardsWife · 05-29-2008, 03:05 PM

My Dad goes to mexico for a couple months every winter, he has a friend that is a Molson rep. He takes the bartenders Molson t's and hats and they love it. He gets the best service you can imagine because of it!

Thunderball · 05-29-2008, 03:35 PM

You don't have to tip... especially if you are willing to just go up to the bar and ask for a beer.

However, if you don't want to have an empty beer for more than 30 seconds, or want someone to care about your service... bring a wad of $1 bills. Last time I was in Mexico, I tipped a couple waiters about $5, and from then on, it was "Hola, Senor! cerveza?" whenever they saw me without a beer. It was awesome.

WhiteTom · 05-29-2008, 03:43 PM

One thing that was also recommended for tips, especially for room service type people, was to bring some of the things that we may take for granted, things like tooth brushes, toothpaste, even candy. Things like this that we use everyday may not be as common-place where you are traveling and may, in fact, be things that they really need or are considered luxuries.

Grunt · 05-29-2008, 03:49 PM

I was at the "Oasis Cancun" resort a month ago and it was awesome. Grand Oasis is basically "phase 2" of the same resort... except its the nicer, quieter side. You have access to the Grand Oasis stuff, as well as the Oasis Cancun stuff. Check out the steak house for sure... that place is delicious

. Also, if you're looking for debauchery, the foam party on Thursday night is the place to be.

For tips, during the day I'd tip the guys serving drinks near the beach a dollar ever few rounds just as a thank you. At night, if you are drinking at the resort, tipping is a fantastic way to skip the line. There was always a ton of frat boy types in line and the bartenders were only giving 2 drinks per person - I would just stand off to the side with a couple of US singles and hold them in the air. The bartender would always be there in seconds and giving me as many drinks as I wanted. I'd then just let him know that I'd be back later and he'd always watch for me and serve me first (giving another whopping $2 tip for 8 drinks of course).

For dinner (especially if the place is really busy), we'd always put a $5 bill, or 50 pesos in the middle of the table as soon as we sat down. I noticed a definite improvement in service in the times that we did this in contrast to the times that we didn't. We'd also always leave $1 or $2 on the pillow when we left for the day for housekeeping.

Also, it pays to know a bit of spanish. My one buddy speaks spanish pretty well, and we'd always make friends with our servers if we could. Then we'd obv. hit them up for the good tequila rather than the crappy stuff they were giving everyone else.

Jiggy_12 · 05-29-2008, 07:02 PM

You can definitely get by without tipping, but it doesn't hurt to throw your bartender a couple bucks/peso's here and there if he's doing a good job. You're going to be there all week, so it isnt a bad idea to make some of them happy.

wpgflamesfan · 05-29-2008, 07:07 PM

tipping goes a long way down there. as other posters have said it makes the lines alot shorter. i know at my resort they had some no name rye on the shelf but after i tipped this one guy a few time he brought out the crown and then a few tip later he had a shot of crown and a chase of beer for me everytime i walked up. good times although i probably drank a little to much