All-inclusive Thailand

What does all-inclusive mean here?

All inclusive Thailand is not like Mexico or the Caribbean. Most resorts sell the room, and a few add an all-inclusive package on top.

That package can mean three meals and unlimited drinks, or only breakfast and one dinner. The name is the same; what you get is not.

Pullman Khao Lak's own site sets out the three levels clearly: half board is breakfast and dinner, full board adds lunch with soft drinks at meals, and all-inclusive adds unlimited drinks through the day.

So we checked the best-known Thailand all inclusive resorts on their own websites, and wrote down exactly what each one includes.

Read the table first, then pick the kind of trip you want.

Which resorts are really all-inclusive?

Club Med Phuket has the longest resort beachfront on Kata Beach, with all-day dining, unlimited drinks and 33 included activities, Club Med's own site says.

Thavorn Palm Beach Resort on Karon Beach sells breakfast, lunch, dinner and unlimited drinks from 10:30am to 10pm, Thavorn Hotels and Resorts' own all-inclusive site says.

Those two are the Phuket all inclusive resorts most families start with, a short drive apart on the west coast.

Sheraton Samui Resort offers three meals a day with unlimited wine, local beer and cocktails, its own offer page on Marriott's site says.

Pullman Khao Lak Resort includes a breakfast buffet, lunch, dinner and unlimited drinks from noon to 10pm, the resort's own site says.

Grand Mercure Khao Lak Bangsak calls its package all-inclusive, but it is half board: breakfast plus a two-course lunch or dinner, one hour of free-flow cocktails and two massages, the resort's own page says.

Offers change with the season, so Tanner checks the package for your dates before you pay.

Read the small print

Drinks have hours. Unlimited usually means set times, such as noon to 10pm, at named bars only.

Beaches are public. Every beach in Thailand is open to the public, Club Med itself says, so no resort owns the sand in front of it.

Half board wears the badge. Some packages called all-inclusive are breakfast and one meal. Check for lunch, dinner and the drinks list.

Extras stay extra. Diving, golf, the spa and cooking classes are on top at Club Med Phuket, its own site lists.

The night is not included. No resort package covers a club table, a boat day or the car back at 3am.

Send Tanner the package you're looking at, and he tells you what's missing.

Our all-inclusive party holiday

Twelve of you, a week, and nobody reaching for a wallet. We throw these parties every week, for groups of eight and groups of twenty.

Your own pool villa, a chef in the kitchen, the van at the door, your host on call, and the VIP tables held for the big nights.

One plan and one price, quoted for your dates, in writing before you pay anything. The club bills the table spend on the night.

Want the whole country first? See Thailand holidays.

Get your week quoted. Tanner sends it the same day.

Resort package or private villa?

For two to six people who want to stay put, a resort package works. For eight or more who want a party, a private villa wins.

In between, a resort with your own pool can work; see pool villa hotels in Thailand and luxury hotels in Thailand.

Mixed group? The couples take the resort, the party goes to a villa nearby, and Tanner runs both.

Where and when should you go?

Most of the all-inclusive packages we found are in Phuket and Khao Lak, with a few on Koh Samui.

Phuket, on the Andaman side, is driest from December to March. Koh Samui is driest from February to April and wettest in November, the Thai Meteorological Department's station normals show.

Christmas, New Year and Songkran, 13 to 15 April 2027, sell out first, so hold those dates early.

See Phuket holidays or Koh Samui holidays, then pick your coast for the month. For the sand and the seasons in detail, see the best beaches in Thailand and the best time to visit Thailand.

Tanner's tips

Ask for the drinks list. Local beer and house spirits are usually in; imported bottles and champagne usually aren't.

Leave one night free. Even at the best resort, one big night out in Patong or Chaweng is the one everyone talks about after.

Bring passports to the bar. The drinking age is 20, and clubs check ID.

Watch the holy days. On the five Buddhist holy days, ordinary bars, restaurants and shops stop selling alcohol. Licensed entertainment venues, hotels and listed tourist-area venues are exempt.

Book the free night now; see VIP tables and nightlife hosting.