Article repost from Caribbean Journal

The definition of “all-inclusive” in the Caribbean has been changing. What used to mean endless buffet lines and mass-produced travel kitsch is rapidly becoming something very different, both in response to changing tastes and the arrival of new kinds of travelers.

Today, “travelers prize authenticity,” particularly in the Caribbean, says Steven Heydt of Elite Island Resorts, one of the region’s top companies specializing in all-inclusive resorts.

“There are no cookie-cutter hotels in our collection,” Heydt tells us, emphasizing that travelers today are looking for personality, for a Caribbean “180 degrees away from crowds and overdevelopment.”

Indeed, today’s traveler likes the convenience of the all-inclusive vacation but still seek “personalization and local experiences,” says Javier Coll, chief strategy officer at Apple Leisure Group.

What it all means is that while travelers are changing, the all-inclusive is here to stay, reinventing itself for the age of the millennial.

“The future of all-inclusive resorts is assured,” said Adam Stewart, CEO of Sandals Resorts International. “Forward-thinking all-inclusive resorts will become conduits that reach beyond the traditional hotel experience to offer highly customized guest experiences.”

That’s the thinking that has gone into our newest ranking of the best all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, which feature a mix of resorts from private island escapes to larger beachfront hotels.

What they all have in common, though, is a commitment to quality and an understanding of what guests are looking for. Here are our 2017 rankings and ratings of the Best All-Inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean.

Sanctuary Cap Cana

The enclave of Cap Cana remains one of the region’s best-kept secrets, a quiet, refined corner of greater Punta Cana. And AlSol’s flagship resort here has 174 rooms and suites, five swimming pools and a setting on one of the region’s most beautiful white-sand beaches, Juanillo.