Mexico resort restaurant attire

December 3, 2012 10:09 PM

Mexico resort restaurant dress code?

We're going to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun. The resort website lists the onsite restaurants, with dress codes including "casual", "casual elegance", and "formal". What the heck do those mean in the context of a beach resort?

posted by entropic to Travel & Transportation around Mexico (6 answers total)

Best answer: I don't know about Cancun, but I've been in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific a bit. To me casual means shorts, t-shirts, & jandals, or shorts & bikini top, or whatever. Basically you can get away with being a bit slobby.

Casual elegance means you can't get away with being a slob, but you'd have many similar items of clothing, essentially just with higher price tags (nicer fabric, basically, no TAPOUT prints if you know what I mean), and probably button up short sleeves rather than t-shirts, and loose light pants rather than shorts, and summer dresses rather than a bikini & shorts. That sort of thing.

Formal always means the same thing. At a tropical resort you probably don't need a jacket or tie, but you would need the other stuff that would usually go with a jacket & tie - nice shirt/pants/shoes, or for people who wear dresses, a nice dress. No t-shirts, no jandals, no shorts, no sweat pants, none of that stuff.

Basically: Slobby; Comfortable but nice; and dressed up.

That's how I'd read it.
posted by The Monkey at 11:30 PM on December 3, 2012

Best answer: Khaki pants, pressed shirt, casual - mildly dressy dresses or skirts for the ladies. No shorts or t shirts. No flip flops at dinner. No need to purchase a new wardrobe, just be clean and pressed and you'll be fine.
posted by pearlybob at 11:33 PM on December 3, 2012

I've been to numerous resort hotels where shorts (even tailored shorts as different from loud swimming shorts) aren't permitted in the dining room. Sports shoes are also often excluded when the dress code is anything other than casual.

Take some full length trousers, leather shoes and a top with a collar. You may need a jacket for "formal" but I've never needed a tie.

If you're going over Xmas or New Year check if there is any special requirements for "Gala nights" (typically Dec 25th and 31st), these are often black tie.
posted by samworm at 5:45 AM on December 4, 2012

Also, one other thing that I've done when at somewhere all inclusive and I don't want to change out of poolwear for lunch - the pool bar and room service never have dress codes. So you're not going to have to go hungry just because you're wearing flipflops and speedos ;)
posted by samworm at 5:48 AM on December 4, 2012

Casual usually means "shorts acceptable" but generally still means "still no bathing suits". Casual elegance generally means "wear pants and not a t-shirt" for men and "a summery dress that isn't just a beach coverup (or pants and not a t-shirt)" for women. Formal generally means "jackets and ties" for men and "cocktail dresses" for women.

But people are on vacation so you'll see a pretty heavy variety. People who own tuxes may bring them and wear them to the formal nights, with their wives in evening gowns, but lots of people will just be in sports coats / ties and cocktail dresses, or even just sport coats and reasonably attractive day dresses.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:52 AM on December 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

My experience is with Jamaican resorts, but I agree with jacquilynne for the most part in her definitions. One caveat: have closed-toe shoes and a collared shirt (can be a polo shirt) for men for "casual elegant." You'll have the shoes anyway for formal, I imagine.
posted by cabingirl at 7:38 AM on December 4, 2012