Deal alert: All-inclusive Riviera Maya suite from $499 per person including flights

Sometimes it’s nice to book a package deal and take the stress out of planning your trip. And it can even save you some money in the process. Now through March 2, Jetline Vacations has a package including flights and a 4-night stay at the all-inclusive 5-star Grand Riviera Princess resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, starting from $499 per person.

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This deal was originally reported by Travelzoo, which works with over 5,000 travel suppliers to provide members with exclusive offers.

Deal basics

Hotel: Grand Riviera Princess
Airlines: American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Spirit, Frontier, etc. (any airline)
Departure cities: ORD/DEN/MIA/EWR/DTW/IAH/LAS/LAX/JFK/MCO/PHL/SFO/WAS
Cost: Starting from $499–$599 per person
How to book: Search through Jetline vacations and call or email to book
Travel dates: March – April; September – October
Book by: March 2

The rates start from $499 per person when departing from Chicago, Denver, Miami or Newark for travel on select dates in March, April, September and October.

If you’re departing from Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco or Washington, D.C., prices start from $599 per person.

Rates are based on two people sharing a room and do not include local city tax, which you’ll pay at the hotel.

What’s included?

If you book this package, you’ll enjoy:

• Round-trip flights to Cancun
• 4 nights in a Deluxe Junior Suite (with a hot tub) at Grand Riviera Princess
• Meals and drinks
• Non-motorized water sports
• No change fees

In today’s travel environment, the fact that you’ll be able to make changes to your booking is one of the best selling points of this deal. It is non-refundable, but if you need to change travel dates, you can do so 14–30 days before the originally scheduled travel date and you’ll receive a credit in full that can be used for any future trip. However, keep in mind your airfare may be subject to airline-imposed fees and fare differences, and you’ll need to rebook with the same airline.

What’s extra?

When taking a closer look at this deal, you’ll notice that the “all-inclusive” only applies to the resort stay. There are a few extra costs you should consider which you can add to your package during booking.

• Checked bags – $99 round-trip, per person
• Airport shuttle – $29 round-trip, per person
• Room upgrades – from $50 per person
• Additional nights – from $89 per person
• Tours – from $49 per person

Depending on the airline and when you check your bag, it will usually be cheaper to just pay the airline directly for any checked bag fees after you book your package but there is the option to have the travel agency take care of this for you. Otherwise, it would be wise to add on an airport shuttle as it’s about a 40-minute drive from the airport.

One day tour that caught my eye was an all-inclusive trip to Chichen Itza with tequila tasting and a swim in one of the nearby cenotes on the way. Sounds like a good day to me.

Resort details

The Grand Riviera Princess is a large all-inclusive 5-star resort located about 10 minutes north of Playa del Carmen on the white sandy beaches of the Riviera Maya. The property has quite the list of amenities and activities including:

• 16 swimming pools (including adults-only and children’ pools)
• 7 a la carte restaurants and 9 bars
• Game room, archery, volleyball, 6 tennis courts, 2 paddle courts and 1 multi-use court (basketball, soccer, etc.)
• Water sports including kayaking, paddleboarding and snorkeling
• Fitness center and spa
• Aquatic sports center (motorized water sports)
• Nightly entertainment for both adults and children
• Access to COVID-19 testing on-site (for a fee)
• And more

The hotel has a 4/5 rating with over 11,000 reviews on Tripadvisor, where multiple reviewers have commented on the friendly staff and fun activities such as all-day beach volleyball.

How much do you save?

Travelzoo estimates that you’ll save up to $275 vs. booking this trip on your own. I found that to be a close estimate when I researched a trip departing from Chicago in early March. And it could save even more depending on the type of airfare purchased.

If you were to book just the air and hotel package without extras, it would add up to approximately $1,025 total for two people (considering that Jetline charges a 2.5% credit card fee with Visa and Mastercard and 3.5% on American Express).

Looking at nonstop flights from Chicago (ORD) to Cancun (CUN), departing on March 6, and returning on March 10, I found basic economy tickets on American Airlines for $187 round-trip per person ($374 for two).

However, if you wanted the ability to make changes to your flight, you would need to purchase main cabin ticket for $80 more per person, which would bring the total for flights up to $534.

Searching the Princess Hotels & Resorts website, I found a 4-night stay in a Family Club Deluxe Junior Suite during those dates for a total of $867.81 when paid at the property. This option includes free cancellation until the day before arrival.

If you bought the main cabin flights on American Airlines and booked this suite, it would total around $1,400. That means you’d save around $375 if you booked the package deal with Jetline vacations.

Of course, you’d want to do your due diligence and ask questions with the agent when booking to know what airline you’ll be flying and any restrictions. When I called Jetline, I was told that they work with all airlines flying a given route, so they could be buying a ticket on Frontier or Spirit for that price, though not necessarily.

Bottom line

You can save money by booking a package deal with flights and an all-inclusive stay at a 5-star resort in Mexico. If you want to activate ultimate relaxation mode, book this trip down to Playa del Carmen starting from $499 per person and let the travel agency take care of all the details. Availability is limited and this deal ends on March 2.