Okay, I need to start with the real truth. When I go on vacation, I have this genius trick—actually, tricks—that I’ve always used to keep all-inclusive buffet meals from being monotonous.
Did you know that “boring buffet” is a hot-topic search term online? The reason why is obvious: food is a big deal on vacation, especially at an all-inclusive resort.
I could tell you something you probably already know. You won’t be hungry when you go to an all-inclusive resort with up to 16 mind-blowing restaurants in one destination.
But if you find yourself at a destination with far fewer options, my buffet travel hacks should work anywhere, even at cheaper resorts where travelers would describe the food as “boring” or worse.
I have a few tips and tricks, depending on your resort and the room you choose. Here’s what I mean:
- Are you considering a type of accommodation that offers room service?
- Will your room have a fridge?
- Is there more than one buffet restaurant onsite?
- How many other restaurants are open for lunches and dinner?
I will include my tips for all the considerations noted above, but let’s start with the bare minimum.
Making Do at a Boring Breakfast Buffet
The least impressive resort I’ve ever stayed at was a barely 3-star property in Nassau, Bahamas.
At last check, this resort currently offers one main restaurant serving three buffet meals a day, three a la carte restaurants open for dinner only (and these options aren’t open every night), and a daily “snack hut” offering fast food meals from mid-day to late afternoon.
No room service was available, although you could rent a fridge for about 12 bucks a day. Folks, this place was a significant letdown regarding meal quality, and adequate dining options were limited!
Still, we made do with the combined “genius tricks” of timing, scoping out, and requesting fresh. Here’s what I mean:
The Early Bird Beats Boring
The main buffet restaurant offered a “continental breakfast” before the main breakfast buffet, and it started early. I know getting up early on vacation is not ideal, and we certainly didn’t do this every day.
Still, the earliest meal time available at a bare-bones all-inclusive often features the freshest fruits and stuff like plain eggs, cheese, and bread, so my hubby made an egg sandwich that tasted pretty good. It’s the kind of breakfast you might not “write home about,” but it’s still better than plain cereal at home.
If you have a fridge at your resort, it can come in handy in areas where local farmers set up stands and sell the freshest fruits you’ll ever taste at pretty reasonable prices. I know several markets in the Nassau area are safe and easy to access for travelers.
Nothing Beats Monotony Like Adventure
Sometimes, you must patiently go through the boring buffet to find a side dish like sauteed veggies or a cheese platter. I’ve blended veggies and cheeses into eggs, which beats the bland taste of many “scrambled egg” type dishes that you will find at a buffet.
We got particularly creative one morning when we found bananas in the buffet. We made toast, grabbed peanut butter, and created a peanut butter banana toasted sandwich—certainly not our finest moment at an all-inclusive, but not bad nonetheless!
Requesting Fresh
If the food tastes cold, that’s a bad sign. Sometimes, you must request a fresh serving or even wait for the servers to deliver a fresh platter from the kitchen.
It’s the only way to possibly guarantee that what you’re eating was made “at the moment.” While you’re at it, try requesting a serving of something without “mystery sauces” added. The more you can control how your food is seasoned with salt, pepper, or a bottled hot sauce, the better it will taste.
Making Sure a Lunch Buffet Isn’t Worse
We were really disappointed in the buffet lunches offered at that Nassau all-inclusive, and I admit, we escaped off the resort one afternoon to find much better pub food in town.
But that’s not the point of this article. If you’re stuck with one buffet lunch restaurant at an all-inclusive, and there are no other local restaurants readily available, you have another way out.
It’s sometimes a good idea to get outside your comfort zone a bit for a lunch buffet. Take a small amount of something you might not be drawn to at first—if it doesn’t agree with you, you haven’t wasted food, and if you’re surprised and you like it, it can beat a boring buffet.
Most all-inclusives offer a “snack hut” like the one in Nassau, and we got around the boring lunch buffet by grabbing whatever fresh produce we could at the buffet and eating it as a side salad with a freshly cooked burger or conch fried up at the snack hut.
In general, the menu at the snack hut was more bearable than anything served at the lunchtime buffet.
When You Truly Have Choices, You Can Cut the Boredom
The more buffet restaurants available at an all-inclusive, the less chance you’ll suffer from monotonous meals. If you have a fridge in your room and/or room service included, that would be all the better.
Sandals Saint Vincent is one of the newest all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, and I’m using their 11 restaurant options, room service, and room amenities as an example.
In addition to two delicious breakfast options, Sandals Saint Vincent offers four distinctive lunch options, including all-day delights at the Parisol Beach Club, freshly made pizzas at Isola, and “Green Bowls” at Imoro with delicious fresh produce.
The famous “Jerk Shack” offers yummy midday snacks, and there are two coffee shops, one with pastries and one serving ice creams.
Room service is included when you stay in a Club Level room or Butler Elite suite. It’s an excellent idea when you want to enjoy a lazy morning in bed or when you’ve already been out enjoying the weather and are ready to relax in your suite and enjoy a meal.
However, island time is a cultural difference in the Caribbean and Mexico that should be respected. Room service isn’t like ordering fast food in North America, and it’s best to relax and enjoy your day while waiting for that delicious meal to be delivered.
The other perfect thing about every room at Sandals Saint Vincent is the in-room fridge (generally stocked with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages). If you get leftover pizzas or pastries, keep them in the fridge for later!
