How we score resorts
Every score on this site is a measurement, not an opinion poll and not a paid placement. This page explains exactly how a resort earns its numbers — where the data comes from, what the confidence labels mean, and how often we go back and re-check. The short version: if we can't evidence it, we don't publish it.
Where the data comes from
Each resort file is built from at least five independent source types: the resort's official site, major review platforms, booking sites, traveler forums, and Reddit threads where guests speak candidly. We record the exact source pages behind every fact, and review counts are combined unique reviews across platforms — the same review syndicated to three sites counts once.
We never republish raw review text. What we extract are derived signals — sentiment, how often a topic comes up, what guests consistently love or complain about — which become the “guest consensus” section you see on resort pages.
How scores work
Scores run 0–10 across dimensions like beach, food, service, rooms, value, romance, and family. Each one is a weighted blend of measured sub-factors — a beach score, for example, combines guest sentiment, water clarity and swimmability, sand quality, seaweed reports, and crowding. Every score ships with its evidence: the method, the sub-factor breakdown, the review volume behind it, and the date it was verified. You can see this on any resort page under “The Grand Escape file.”
The scoring formula itself is versioned. When we change how a score is computed, the version number bumps and older resorts are flagged for rescoring — scores are never silently redefined.
Confidence ratings
Not every fact can be verified equally well, so measurable fields carry a confidence label with an objective bar:
The Gold Standard checklist
A resort's research isn't “complete” because someone says so. Our import system checks every record against this list and automatically holds back any resort that fails a single item:
How often we re-verify
Resort data goes stale at different speeds, so each field is on its own clock. When any tier passes its deadline, the resort is flagged for re-research:
What “included” actually means
“All-inclusive” is the most stretched phrase in travel, so our what's-included checklists use four honest statuses: Included (covered by the base plan), Partly included (the common trap — house pour included, top-shelf extra), Costs extra, and Not available. If we couldn't verify a category for a resort, it simply doesn't appear — we'd rather show a gap than guess.
Independence & corrections
No resort can pay to be listed, ranked higher, or scored better — there are no sponsored placements anywhere on this site. We may earn an affiliate commission if you book through our links (disclosed on every page and detailed in our Disclosures), but commissions never touch scores or rankings: the research pipeline doesn't know which resorts pay commissions at all.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us at hello@itsallinclusive.com — a correction beats a bad booking, and verified fixes go straight into the next data refresh.
See it in practice
Open any resort and scroll to “The Grand Escape file” for the scores, evidence, and guest consensus behind it.