All-inclusive resorts are great options for families at any time of the year, but they make especially great hotels for Christmas vacations. Any parent knows how much work goes into holiday preparations and planning. At the best all-inclusive resorts for Christmas, someone else does most of the planning and preparing, so parents can focus on relaxing and having fun with the family.
All-inclusive resorts already offer long lists of activities, amenities, and dining options, but they make especially great hotels for holiday season getaways because of all the extras. Think dazzling decorations, festive events and foods, and lots of face time with Santa. With all the holiday cheer these resorts offer, it would be hard for anyone to feel grumpy during their Christmas vacation. Here are my picks for the best all-inclusive resorts for Christmas this year.
SAVE ON NEXT YEAR’S TRIPS: The best Black Friday and Cyber Week travel deals for 2026 vacations
1. Beaches Resorts
Locations in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos
Even your Elf on the Shelf can get into the vacation vibe at Beaches Resorts.
If the kiddos can’t imagine a holiday getaway without their scout elves in tow, Beaches Resorts is the place to be this holiday season. The ultra-kid-friendly all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica (at Beaches Negril) and Turks and Caicos (at Beaches Turks and Caicos) are once again partnering with The Lumistella Company to bring back their Elf on the Shelf festivities for another year, running from November 28 to December 31, 2025.
Scout Elf Central is the on-resort hub for Elf on the Shelf-themed games, activities, and crafts. Activities include weekly over-the-top Sweet Island Soiree holiday parties and The Elf on the Shelf Santaverse movie nights under the stars. Book a butler-level room and bring your elf along for the trip to enjoy “V.I.E.” (Very Important Elf) service that includes milk and cookies and mini-marshmallow bubble baths. Or book the new Elf on the Shelf Caribbean Vacation Suite at Beaches Turks and Caicos, where a twinkling Christmas tree, hot cocoa bar, themed bedding, and festive furniture and decor (like candy cane-colored furniture on the patio) bring the North Pole to the Caribbean.
More about Beaches Resorts:
2. Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts
Locations in the Dominican Republic and Mexico
Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts get into the holiday spirit.
Make your kids’ Christmas dreams come true at Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts Riviera Maya in Mexico. In addition to the two resorts’ year-round character meet-and-greets, family slimings, water park time, and other outsize fun, the Nickelodeon Holiday Extravaganza offers all kinds of seasonal extras from December 1, 2025, to January 14, 2026.
At the Punta Cana resort, the seasonal festivities include a tree lighting ceremony, pineapple decorating, Christmas Eve activities like “snowball” fights and cookie decorating, and Santa’s grand arrival on Christmas Day. At the Riviera Maya property, expect holiday-themed character breakfasts, gingerbread decorating and ornament making, the Dreams of Christmas evening show, and a spectacular New Year’s Eve party at the resort’s Plaza Orange with live performances, acrobats, and fireworks.
More about Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts:
3. Club Med Quebec Charlevoix
Québec, Canada
There’s a good chance for snow during a holiday visit to Club Med Quebec Charlevoix.
Spend the holidays in a winter wonderland at Club Med Quebec Charlevoix. With all the ingredients for a white Christmas, this all-inclusive resort in Canada’s Charlevoix Region offers more than 300 acres of snowy fun, from skiing (lessons included with your stay) and ice-skating to dog sledding and a luge track. Special holiday activities add to it all with chef-prepared feasts, holiday-themed shows, meet-and-greets with Santa, and all kinds of vibrant decorations.
Club Med’s stellar kids programming keeps toddlers through teens engaged in an array of winter activities at this all-inclusive resort for Christmas, and your family can gather for culinary experiences with Club Med’s signature French touch (think fondue nights and maple syrup-making classes) and a lineup of evening entertainment. Cozy rooms feature modern design with nods to Quebec’s First Nation heritage, with some offering views of the St. Lawrence River.
More about Club Med:
4. C Lazy U Ranch
Granby, Colorado
A cabin and tree decorated for the holidays in the snow.
A family trip to C Lazy U Ranch is a good idea at any time of the year. But it’s even more special to visit this all-inclusive dude ranch resort at Christmas, when there’s caroling, cookie decorating, night skating on the pond, and a visit from Santa on a horse-drawn sleigh.
C Lazy U Ranch is known for its excellent kids and teens programming. While the kids are enjoying those activities, the grownups can explore the resort’s 8,500 acres by horseback (riding is a focus of the resort) or on cross-country skis. At the end of the day, the whole family can cozy up in one of the resort’s luxe cabins—most have stone fireplaces, and they’re adorned with a tabletop Christmas tree for a festive touch during the season. The special holiday programming takes place between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, with most of the special activities taking place between December 22 and January 1.
More about dude ranches:
5. Grand Velas Los Cabos
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Grand Velas Los Cabos embraces the holidays around the resort.
There’s holiday magic for everyone in the family at Grand Velas Los Cabos. On the activity schedule this Christmas season? Gingerbread decorating, themed shows, and traditional Mexican posadas. Bring your holiday PJs for a fun brunch on Christmas morning, and have you camera ready when Santa arrives at the resort via helicopter. You can arrange for an in-suite Christmas tree that’s either pre-decorated or delivered with ornaments to decorate as a family, and also make arrangements for gift-wrapped toys to be delivered to your suite for the kids on Christmas morning.
All year long, the teen lounge offers a pool table, ping pong, karaoke, gaming pods, and a bar serving non-alcoholic drinks, while the kids club hosts arts and crafts sessions, games, and other fun activities. Parents can treat themselves to a trip to the spa or some time in the adults-only infinity pool.
More about Los Cabos:
6. Mohonk Mountain House
New Paltz, New York
Winter is a wonderland at Mohonk Mountain House.
One of the best all-inclusive resorts for families in the United States, Mohonk Mountain House embraces its Victorian-era roots during the holiday season. Vintage meets modern day with activities like ice-skating, campfires, visits with Santa, holiday musical performances, and 19th-century-style crafts. And with the all-inclusive resort’s setting in New York’s Hudson Valley, a white Christmas is a total possibility.
At Christmastime, your whole family can enjoy productions of A Christmas Carol, selections from The Nutcracker Ballet, movie nights, the lighting of the menorah during Hanukkah, and a dazzling outdoor winter lights display. That’s in addition to winter activities like snow tubing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.
More about family resorts:
7. Lopesan Costa Bávaro Resort, Spa & Casino
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Lopesan Costa Bávaro lets you celebrate the holidays in the sun.
This expansive, 1,042-room, all-inclusive resort set on Punta Cana’s Bavaro Beach offers sections for families and adults only. There’s lots to keep the family busy here, including seven freshwater swimming pools, an on-site water park, water sports and games at the beach, a spa, a bowling alley, and a casino.
Lopesan Costa Bávaro celebrates the holiday season with poolside holiday games, a themed Christmas buffet dinner, and a holiday show in its theater called “Magical Christmas” that includes live music and dancing. You’ll trade snow for sand here to spend your holidays in the sun in a pretty scenic spot.
More about Dominican Republic vacations:
8. Woodloch Pines Resort
Hawley, Pennsylvania
The holidays are full of festive activities at Woodloch Pines Resort.
A perennial family favorite, Woodloch Pines Resort serves as a dreamy all-inclusive resort for Christmas vacation. Outdoor fun includes snow tubing, ice-skating, marshmallow roasting, a holiday-themed scavenger hunt, and wagon rides through the resort’s Festival of Lights display (where the kids just might spot Santa).
If you’d rather be cozy indoors at this Poconos Mountains family resort, there’s holiday-themed “bakery wars,” games and crafts, family-friendly live entertainment, traditional “reindeer” races, and an indoor pool and splash park. Suites and rooms are done up in woodsy cabin style and often have lake views.
More about family-friendly resorts:
9. Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa
Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia
Santa’s Helpers spread holiday cheer at the resort.
You’ll have a fun family vacation at Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa no matter when you visit. But during the all-inclusive resort’s annual 12 Days of Christmas celebration, guests can enjoy all the usual amenities plus holiday steel pan performances and other festive entertainment, caroling, themed activities, and traditional favorites on the menu at the resort’s restaurants.
The CocoLand Kidz Klub hosts Christmas Eve cookie making, and Santa and his elves arrive on the beach on Christmas Day with gifts for young guests, followed by music and games for all ages. On Boxing Day, the Kidz Klub is the place to be for an evening Christmas Pajama Party Jam, while an oceanfront fireworks show lights up the sky on New Year’s Eve.
More about Caribbean vacations:
10. Vista Verde Ranch
Clark, Colorado
Vista Verde Ranch offers holiday fun in the outdoors.
Celebrate the holidays the Western way at Vista Verde Ranch. Think horseback riding and sleigh rides through the snow, cross-country skiing, snow tubing, and a Grand Christmas Feast incorporating locally sourced ingredients.
You’ll stay in a cozy log cabin with a fireplace and be welcomed with a basket with holiday treats and hot chocolate fixings. Guides lead families into the surrounding Routt National Forest to harvest their own sustainable Christmas tree for their cabin, and ornament making and cookie decorating sessions add to the festive fun. A kids program for ages six to 13 gets young guests outside, and a gourmet hot chocolate bar and s’mores help everyone warm up after a day of fun.
Have a stress-free Christmas at these all-inclusive resorts that do the holidays right originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com.
More from FamilyVacationist:
The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. FamilyVacationist.com and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. Using the FamilyVacationist travel recommendation methodology, we review and select family vacation ideas, family vacation spots, all-inclusive family resorts, and classic family vacations for all ages. TourScoop covers guided group tours and tour operators, tour operator reviews, tour itinerary reviews and travel gear recommendations. If you buy an item through a link in our content, we may earn a commission.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where to spend Christmas: Top all-inclusive resorts for families