What is a resort? Meanings, types and what the rate covers

The resort definition: one site, most of your holiday

Wikipedia defines a resort, in North American English, as a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs on the premises. Services include food, drink, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping. A hotel is frequently the central feature, and the word may be used for a hotel that provides an array of entertainment and recreation.

Merriam-Webster also gives the town sense: a community or establishment whose main industry is catering to vacationers. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the noun as a place where many people go for rest, sport or another stated purpose.

Resort as a town or resort as a single site

Wikipedia notes that in British English, resort means a town that people visit for holidays and day trips, typically with hotels where holidaymakers stay. It gives Blackpool and Brighton in the UK and Ayia Napa in Cyprus as examples, and describes seaside, mountain, spa and ski resort towns more widely. A holiday camp in the UK is a resort whose accommodation is in chalets or static caravans, and a holiday village in Europe is generally made up of villas.

So the same word on two listings may mean two quite different things. A seaside resort such as Blackpool is a town with many places to stay. A resort in a listing for somewhere like Cancún may be a single property rather than a town. If the listing names the resort as a destination, such as Cancún, read whether it describes the town or one hotel inside it.

Destination, all-inclusive, spa, golf and ski: the resort types

Wikipedia lists the main types. A destination resort has enough attractions to draw guests without a nearby town, offering food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment and shopping within the facility. A spa resort is a short-term residential facility built around spa services, often at natural hot springs. A golf resort is built around courses and clubhouses, with packages that may include cart fees and meals. A ski resort in North America is generally a destination resort in a ski area and is less likely to mean a town or village, while in Europe and North America ski resorts can also be towns and villages in ski areas. Surf resorts are a newer trend centred on artificial surfing facilities.

Wikivoyage's hotel guide describes a resort hotel as a site with accommodation, dining, shopping and recreation, separate from the local community, in some cases in a gated community. It adds that resort hotels give fewer opportunities to explore the land, but are useful for conferences and family getaways.

Where all-inclusive began: tents, straw huts and a holiday club

According to Wikipedia, an all-inclusive resort charges a fixed price that covers most or all items. At minimum that is usually lodging, food, drinks, activities and entertainment. The article on all-inclusive resorts says the modern model has its origins in the 1950s, when a holiday-club company was founded by the Belgian Gérard Blitz, although some British holiday camps offered a similar concept in the 1930s.

Wikipedia's article on that company says it was founded in 1950, after Blitz opened a low-priced summer colony of tents in Mallorca, followed by another in Tunisia. The original villages were simple: members stayed in unlit straw huts on a beachfront, sharing communal washing facilities. Winter villages for skiing came in 1956 and the first club outside the Mediterranean opened in Tahiti in 1965. Wikipedia says the club first drew mainly singles and young couples, later became primarily a destination for families, and opened its first Mini Club in 1967.

Wikipedia adds that all-inclusive resorts are found around the world but tend to be in warmer regions, particularly the Mediterranean, Mexico and the Caribbean, and that some are designed for specific groups, such as adults only. For board terms that sit between room-only and all-inclusive, see what half board means and what full board means.

All-inclusive in practice: what the fine print can leave out

Wikipedia's article on all-inclusive resorts records a criticism worth noting: depending on the fine print and the traveller's interests, particularly trips outside the resort, an all-inclusive offer may turn out more costly than a regular one. It also says ambiguity about what all-inclusive means can leave travellers disappointed that services they expected are unavailable or carry an extra fee, and gives the example that only lower-shelf spirits may be included.

Two other limits are worth stating. The Resort article reports that in the United States the share of resorts offering all-inclusive plans fell from over half in 1961 to under a tenth in 2007, so the format is not universal. And a resort that keeps you on its grounds has a quieter relationship with the surrounding town. Wikivoyage points out that resort hotels give fewer opportunities to explore the land.

• Which meals are included, and are there separate restaurants that carry an extra charge?
• Which drinks count, and is there a limit on the brands or hours?
• Are sports, kids' clubs and entertainment part of the rate, or paid separately?
• Is the resort a single property or a collection of hotels sharing facilities?
• How far is the nearest town, and is transport included?

Condominium resorts, timeshares and vacation rentals

Wikipedia notes that some resorts are condominium complexes that offer timeshares or fractional ownership as well as wholly owned condominiums, and that a resort is not always run by a single company. Its article on vacation rentals adds that some resorts include villas or condominiums rented through the hotel or by their owners, and that some condominium rentals offer hotel-like services such as front-desk check-in, maintenance and housekeeping.

That blurs the line between a resort and a rented apartment. If the listing is a condominium unit inside a resort, ask who manages the booking, what the cancellation terms are and which resort facilities you may use. What a vacation rental is explains the arrangement in more detail, and what a bungalow is covers the detached cabin format found in resort grounds.

Choosing between a resort and an apartment-style stay

A resort suits a week where the point is to stay in one place, particularly with children who want a pool and activities on tap. A town apartment suits a trip where you want to cook some meals, eat out when you wish and explore. For families, travelling with kids in aparthotels explains what a kitchen and a separate bedroom add.

If you are weighing the two in the same destination, compare family stays in Cancún or family stays in Majorca with resort listings in the same area, and in Bali look at stays with a kitchen if you want to self-cater part of the time.