The Best Adults-Only All-Inclusive Resorts

On the stunning eastern coast of this Caribbean nation, near the town of Uvero Alto, in the northern section of the resort area known at Punta Cana, this multi-building complex occupies a prime piece of beachfront. The experience here can be arranged in two ways — a regular stay or in the category known as the Excellence Club, where accommodations are larger and come with access to a private lounge, special beaches, two dedicated pools, and a separate restaurant off limits to non-club guests. Wherever you stay, expect to enjoy spellbinding views of the Caribbean Sea. 

All rooms are suites, predominantly decorated in white and accented by pastel shades, and available in a variety of configurations. Some have terraces, others have swim-up access to a communal pool, while a select number feature their own private pool. All-inclusive here lets diners pick from at a healthy stable of restaurants, such as Mexican at Agave, seafood at The Lobster House, and French at Chez Isabelle among the options. The variety of active pursuits is equally impressive, with chances to try out snorkeling, archery, billiards, beach volleyball, dance lessons, mini-golf, aqua aerobics, and more.

Located in a tourist town due west of Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, this resort isn't your typical tropical all-inclusive — it fills broad towers with shimmering pools spreading across the rooftops. Puerto Vallarta, sandwiched between the Sierra Madre mountains and the rolling turquoise Pacific Ocean, has long welcomed tourists that come for the food, warm weather, and chance to explore the surrounding countryside, as well as cruise passengers visiting for the day. 

Guests of Hotel Mousai come here for the gastronomy for sure, with alcoholic drinks, 24-hour room service, and meals of contemporary Chinese, Italian, Mexican, and more, plus the perk of eating at restaurants at nearby Garza Blanca Preserve resort as part of the all-inclusive rate. Suites display kinetic energy, with mirrored surfaces and brightly colored fabrics. The Penthouse, in the North Tower, amps up the intensity with jazzy patterning and gilded panels. Guests will not lack for things to do, from snorkeling off the beach at Garza Blanca Preserve and wine and tequila tastings, to jazz and Latin nights at the property.

Almost on the westernmost tip of Jamaica, Negril has built itself a steady tourism business that's intimate, and low-key, a stark contrast to the commercialism and roiling crowds at Montego Bay, a couple of hours away. It's in Negril that travelers will find this small retreat with colorful interiors, whose names hints at the type of place visitors can expect — rocky and remote, with buildings set atop cliffs and headlands. 

This is a small place that doesn't aim to overawe with options and offerings, but rather bewitch with its character and charm. All rooms are in cottages — there are only 12 accommodations in total — and some have outdoor showers or terraces. The pick of them is the three-bedroom Clandestino villa, with a thatch roof, a landscaped garden, and a private pool. Diners can look forward to the chance of sampling classic Jamaican dishes like jerk chicken, ackee and salt fish, callaloo with searing hot peppers, in a striking waterfront setting.

The Indian Ocean. Just utter those words and your mind is likely to conjure up images of lazy palm trees, leaning as if they're weighed down by heavy coconuts, empty stretches of sandy shoreline, crystalline waters filled with vibrant sea life, and a simple joy that comes from a place so pure. Those images pretty accurately describe the scene at this resort on the eastern coast of Mauritius, an Indian Ocean gem not far from Madagascar. The accommodations, 297 of them, are divided between rooms and suites, some on a lagoon, others near the beach or secluded among the tropical landscaping. 

All have a simple, clean design, overwhelmingly white with occasional pops of color so as not to detract from the outstanding natural surroundings. Guests can lounge in the Indian Ocean, or float without a care in two large pools — one of them, an infinity pool, seems to melt into the turquoise sea. Drinks and meals are served in a number of locations, though the nightly Mauritian curries at Indigo are not to be missed. Golfing fanatics will relish the chance to play the Ile Aux Cerfs 18-hole course — it was designed by German legend Bernhard Langer and is free for Ambre Mauritius guests.

A large island closer to Turkey than to Athens, Rhodes is where a mind-blowingly immense bronze statue — known at the Colossus of Rhodes and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world — once stood in the main city, a place that today is a Unesco World Heritage site. While not as historically revered as that huge sculpture, this resort is also to be found in Rhodes, and has plenty of attractive qualities. The décor in accommodations has a contemporary feel, with walls that are textured and beg to be touched, and soothing neutral hues. 

Rooms, totaling 202 at the property, come in a variety of options, with views of gardens, pools, or the beachfront. The beach itself is sublime, designated a Blue Flag site, an award by the Foundation for Environmental Education that recognizes environmentally responsible beaches, marinas, and tourism vessels around the world. But guests have plenty of other diversions, from seven bars and restaurants to three public pools, from a spa that blends Eastern and Western therapies to a private chapel that hosts destination weddings.

If you're a water lover, the Great Barrier Reef is likely already on your bucket list. A coral network off the coast of northeastern Australia, it's a marvel of nature, with hundreds of types of coral, and thousands of species of fish. It's an iconically important part of the world, landing on the Unesco World Heritage site list. Many visitors to this part of Australia access the reef via a long day trip from a coastal town, like Port Douglas or Cairns, packed aboard vessels. But, for the lucky few, a trip to the reef can be a much more intimate affair, which it will be at this resort that is fully solar powered. 

Located in the Whitsunday Islands, the property is remote and private, with access here only by helicopter. The surroundings are calming — rainforest on one side, the turquoise sea on the other — and the experience of tranquil and restorative, with a maximum of 20 guests here. Rooms are beach chic, with wicker furnishings and whitewashed vaulted ceilings, while the all-inclusive program rolls meals, non-alcoholic drinks, spa treatments, and water sports into the rate. The property prides itself on its environmentally sensitive credentials, with rainwater harvesting, a zero-waste kitchen, biodegradable cleaning products, and safe water treatment among its commendable practices.

If there is one thing that stands out at this luxury haven in the Indian Ocean, it would be the underwater restaurant. Yes, you read that right. 5.8 Undersea Restaurant gets its name for the location, 5.8 meters (about 19 feet) below the surface of the resort's lagoon. It's a miracle of marine engineering, and the kind of place that you might think only exists only in dreams — 10 tables inside a tunnel of glass that turn the space into a giant aquarium, which in a way it is. And yet, there is so much more here to enjoy. 

The property features 90 villas, two-thirds of them suspended over the water — an archetypal Maldives resort experience — with outdoor pools and tubs, and clean, simple design. Besides the underwater eatery, the property has Kashibo, specializing in Asian street food, a vegan restaurant playfully named J.F.K. (or Junk Food Kitchen), and the beachfront, buffet destination Canneli. There are also three bars here, including one in an overwater pavilion that specializes in Champagne at sunset. You can lay down on sublime sand, take a dip in the resort pool, get a treatment at the spa, snorkel, sail, or try the many other water sports, or even take a workshop at the onsite marine biology center.

Set inside a private reserve next to Kruger National Park, this incredible safari camp on the Sand River has a number of different lodging options. All promise a supreme level of comfort, and an amazing experience tracking and spotting wildlife, but only two are kept exclusively for adults — the Tree Camp and the Private Granite Suites. At the Tree Camp, the rooms are nestled in the canopy of leadwood trees, adding elevation and perspective to the viewing experience — you might notice spot a leopard slumbering on a tree branch. 

The accommodations come with large decks (you'll spend hours out on them), leather sofas, and huge windows that bring the outdoors in. Plunge pools in each lodging lets you cool off after a safari drive. In Private Granite Suites, rocks are everywhere, from the large granite boulders all around the camp to stone walls in outdoor areas of rooms. This camp represents the most luxurious lodging at Londolozi, and with it comes the chance to experience something truly extraordinary, like soaking in your outdoor tub while a family of elephants wander along the river a few meters in front of you. Days are equally magical, with twice-daily game drives (the second usually around sundown), gourmet meals in the bush, and true escape from your normal daily life.